Music Services Inc.
2008 Wantagh Ave.
Wantagh, NY 11793

THE GRETSCH SUPER AXE

How wacky is the guitar business? In the late 70’s the Gibson guitar line had evolved into soulless ghosts barely echoing past greatness. Fender seemed equally befuddled. The Guild electric division couldn’t find its ass with both hands and a flashlight. So who comes up with a hip new design that looks good and plays well and is even (Oh my God!) innovative? Gretsch! Gretsch??? Weren’t they the company that spent the late 60’s and early 70’s undoing whatever good they had accomplished earlier? Weren’t they the company that specialized in guitar befuddlement? How did they do this? Well, basically they built a guitar identifiable as a Gretsch only by the name on the headstock.

The Super Axe and its plainer sister, the Axe were actually true solid body instruments unlike the semi hollow guitars that had made Gretsch famous. They both sported stud mounted wrap around bridges Gretsch (ever the nomenclature kings) called Terminators but were actually Quan Bad Ass units. Want that sweet Gretsch twang? Don’t look for it on the Axes. These babies sport factory Dimarzio humbuckers (huh?).

What about Gretsch’s famous "kitchen sink" approach to bells and whistles? Fear not. Although the Axe comes with Gibson style volume and tone controls, the Super Axe has a football shaped control plate that would make NASA proud. A trap door on the back of the guitar houses two 9-volt batteries that power the controls. The controls include master volume, phaser on-off, phaser blend and rate, compressor on-off, sustain and master tone(phew!). All controls are labeled "upside down" so they can be read when the guitar is strapped on. The phaser and compressor effects are of unknown origin but sound like old MXR Phase 90 and Dynacomp tones. They actually work pretty well but can be bypassed if so desired.

Both models were available in either a reddish orange finish Gretsch called Rosewood or a translucent gray color called Ebony Stain. The body had extra wide binding. Fingerboards and headstocks were also bound. The fingerboards were ebony with unique small fret markers and flat radii.

The Super Axe and Axe were apparently designed with input from Chet Atkins. Hence, the familiar 24 1/2" scale and zero fret. These instruments were in some ways harbingers to the instruments Gibson would produce in the 90’s with him. Back then they were probably Chet’s idea for a (good) rock and roll guitar. In an era of Disco and Punk, the Super Axe was uniquely suited to both music genres. Even though the Axe and Super Axe sold well they were discontinued in 1981. Ultimately it is yet another example of Gretsch’s ability to isolate a market then ignore it.