Lap Piano

This odd name refers to the late 1960s and early ’70s Gretsch 7-string guitars — namely the sunburst model 6079 and walnut-stained 6080 — which were endorsed by the legendary 7-string virtuoso, George Van Eps. Its unique features include a full 17-nch wide and 2.75-inch deep single-cutaway body with a 25.5-inch scale; a large, 2-tiered 4+3 headstock with gold-plated “Van Eps Model” nameplate; a gold-plated “G” extension tailpiece; and two 14-pole Filter’Tron pickups with specially -designed gold-plated pickup covers. Most shipped with the Gretsch Floating Sound Unit, a.k.a. tuning fork bridge, which was purported to enhance sustain, overtones, and partials (though it didn’t). Originally priced at a wallet-busting $650 — a lot of money in 1968 — it actually survived for a decade in the Gretsch catalog.