The Gretsch Monkees signature guitar was a bad idea, well executed. Gretsch had sold a truckload of Tennesseeans and Country Gentlemen in '64 and '65 thanks to George Harrison's high-visibility use of them, but had never managed to secure an official endorsement from Harrison.
When the Pre-Fab Four hit the scene, some of the Gretsch board members saw a golden opportunity to make up for the earlier lapse. Cooler heads did point out that the Monkees did not, at the time, play their instruments, and therefore carried little cachet with most working musicians, but the model was given the go-ahead anyway.
The Monkees model was introduced in mid-1966, fitted with high-end appointments including two SuperTron pickups. It also had real f-holes, a special pickguard and truss rod cover sporting the Monkees logo, and a fretboard unique among Gretsches with thumbnail markers top and bottom.
Sales were abysmal. The Monkees young and mostly female fan base just wasn't rushing out to buy their favorite group's preferred musical prop, no matter how fine an instrument it may have been. And the people who did buy tended to call the factory to see if they could fit a "normal" pickguard and truss rod cover. The Monkees model was quietly dropped in 1968. While the Monkees eventually grew into an actual recording group, their success did not carry over to their signature Gretsch.
At the same time the Monkees model was discontinued in '68, the virtually-identical (but devoid of Monkee business) Streamliner was introduced. This Streamliner should not be confused with the '50s 6189 model or the later 335-like Streamliner.
The 6123 was the only official Monkees guitar, although Mike Nesmith was often seen with a 6075 or 6076 12-string, and Peter Tork lugged around a 6073 bass. At least one bass built off the 6123 Monkees model was also made for Tork, but it was never offered as a production model.
Cherry Red
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