The 2012 Gretsch Showcase at NAMM certainly was impressive with an array for Falcons, Penguins and Jets on display, but there was one guitar that certainly stood out.
From the mind of artist Sarah Gallenberger, the “Platinum Galaxy” guitar features her intricate design work.
“Last year, I was asked if I would do a Stratocaster for the Fender Music Foundation. They told me they’d auction it off and fly me out to Arizona for the event. I painted it, sent it back. They built it and I went out to Scottsdale for the benefit. I got to meet (Gretsch product manager) Joe Carducci.”
The ball was then rolling.
“I told Joe, ‘Sure, if I work really fast, I might be able to get one done in time for NAMM.’ There’s four in the works, but this was Halloween and I only had until about Christmas to get it done,” she continued with a laugh.
“I painted throughout December. I work out of my house, so I was literally on my kitchen table with a Chihuahua in my lap.”
Gallenberger chose black, silver and yellow as her main colors, really making the Steve Stern-built instrument pop.
Stern even added a Caddilac tailpiece to the base 6118 model to show more of the design.
“You can’t go wrong with black, silver, grey, blue and yellow, and I tried to pull off a fool-proof design,” said Gallenberger, noting that her next project in the series of four Gretsch pieces will feature red, black and gold flames. “Who doesn’t like paisley? I wanted to do something that would appeal to a lot of people.”