on the show.
are you a master instrumentalist, but also an
award-winning songwriter, collaborator, artist,
[WM] It’s fitting that Gretsch would honor you and vocalist. I’m amazed that you have now
with the creation of your own signature guitar, added painting to your palate of talents. Your
echoing your deep respect for and friendship watercolor work is beautiful. How did this all
with the legendary Chet Atkins. How did come about?
this guitar come about? Your Steve Wariner
Signature Nashville Gentleman is not only
Steve’s new signature Gretsch guitar model
stunningly beautiful, but is also highly innovative
in its design. Please tell us about it.
[Steve] I brag on it and say that’s true. Two
[Steve] That is so nice. I’ve been painting a
long time. My Dad was a real talented guy. He
meeting Fred Gretsch and him talking about did music, but also painted. He would doodle
new model guitars. And I here I am years later and draw for us kids and he would do water
doing it with Gretsch. color a little bit. I don’t think he got how talented
years of designing it. Not exaggerating at all
he was. He could do all kinds of stuff. I think
about the time. My son Ryan helped design [WM] I would be hard-pressed to name I got a lot of that from him. All my brothers
the guitar. The reason I wanted him involved is anyone as artistically gifted as you. Not only paint too, I have one brother, and he’s an artist,
number one he is a tone master. That’s all he
cares about. I wanted this guitar to be perfect
for my style of playing. I’ll play the Chet Atkins
thumb style on the neck pick-up, but then I
wanted to switch to the bridge pick-up and
play Duane Eddy or even more twangy stuff.
Then I wanted my son, Ryan, who might play
Led Zeppelin or Tom Petty stuff, I wanted it to
be for him too. So, I said Ryan this guitar has
got to be for both of us. His influence seeped
into this guitar. And then we had Jeff Senn,
who is a luthier in Nashville that makes brilliant
guitars, he’s awesome. He knows more history
on Fender and Gretsch then anyone I know. We
would make a prototype and live with it. Then
I’d go, “let’s do this”, and send it back. We
did this for two years. We made three different
prototypes. We made three different tops. We
went so far as the color and everything. We
were deep into this guitar. The versatility of it is
off the charts I think. I’d go so far as to say I’m
not sure Gretsch has a guitar this versatile. It
really does a lot of stuff. I’m bragging a bit, but
I’m really proud of it. Even as far as the 6120
body with the scale of the neck, for example
Gretsch doesn’t make a guitar with that body
with that neck, that’s kind of a new move. It’s
got the mid-jumbo frets, more like a Les Paul
fret. The young guys love that, they want the
bigger frets. I’m tickled that they went with the
True Ark bridge. That’s not even Gretsch, that’s
outside. I thought they were going to shoot me
down. Gretsch was wonderful, they went the
extra mile. I remember being with Chet and
December 2019
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