Vintage Grestch 6021 Town and Country
The Gretsch 6021 Town and Country and its sister guitar, the 6022 Rancher, are two of Gretsch’s most recognizable acoustic guitars. The Town and Country was a bit more subdued than the Rancher, but that didn’t make it any less popular. Unfortunately, while both guitars did develop a loyal following, these acoustic guitars never reached the popularity of Gretsch’s electric guitars. Despite the fact that famous players like Gene Vincent used Gretsch’s acoustics, the company only produced them for three years, starting in 1954 and ending in 1957 when the Touch and Country was removed from their catalogue.
The Town and Country first appeared in a sunburst finish in 1954, and both it and the Rancher were based on the 125F flattop model that Gretsch had previously developed. The company added what they called cowboy features to the guitar, although these features were slowly dropped. The Town and Country’s main draw was that it was less flashy than the Rancher and was cheaper. It was made from spruce and maple and featured a rosewood fretboard. By 1957, players could customize the guitar with humped block markers.
While it was only offered for a short time, Gretsch never completely gave up on their acoustic guitars. However, the bottom line was that the Town and Country and the Rancher just didn’t meet the sales numbers that Gretsch was hoping for. While they are quite popular now among collectors, especially those that feature the Gretsch G brand, the Town and Country just didn’t attract that many players during its initial run.
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