G Brand

Many Gretsch guitars of the 1950s (and some reissues of these classics) actually had a large, somewhat stylized letter “G” branded right into the top of the upper bout, right around the area where the player’s arm would extend over the top in a playing position. This was basically an effort to stay in keeping with the guitar’s “Western”-themed identity, which included other features such as a “belt-buckle” tailpiece and pearl fingerboard markers with Western-themed engravings (like cows and cactus). For the most part, this was dropped as the company moved into the 1960s.