Rockabilly electric guitar great Brian Setzer is selling off a raft of pre-loved vintage guitars on his official Reverb store, alongside other gear picks and memorabilia.
The Stray Cats guitarist turned the rockabilly game on its head with his Gretsch-toting playing style, which gleefully threw jazz, swing, and rock 'n' roll into the mix with unique results.
A few years back, Setzer sold a selection of his guitars, amps and cabs through Reverb, and now his digital store is back in business with an updated crop of vintage gems.
He’s holding on to his main hollow-body Gretsch guitars, but there are some rare vintage gems to be found. The store is headlined by a 1959 D'Angelico New Yorker, although he jokes that “you’ve got to be from New York to play this guitar.”
While its hard case has taken an understandable beating, the guitar is in impressively pristine shape, save for some scratches on its back and what appears to be a small scratch or crack on its headstock. It features split block inlays and a sunburst finish. Another ’59 New Yorker is currently for sale on Reverb for $75,000, so don’t expect this to come any cheaper.
Elsewhere, there’s a 1964 Gibson Firebird in its original Cardinal Red finish, as well as an ES-175 from 1961.
Moving on, a Hot Rod Flag Black brandished with Power Tron pickups and custom pinstriping painted by Tommy Otis, as played on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is sure to draw attention. There are also three Gretsch acoustic guitars up for grabs: a G Brand Gretsch Rancher used on a variety of tours, and two Black Rancher builds. One was played on his Rockabilly Riot Summer Tour in 2019, the other features a falcon headstock.
A Hiwatt Custom Tape Echo, used when he played on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, rounds out the gear.
“And I’m selling this, why?” Setzer questions himself in the promotional video. For those who aren't interested in a guitar, a collection of stage-worn clothing will also be listed when the store launches on September 24.
Head to Reverb for more.
Back in March, Setzer said he is “getting better day by day” as he issued an update on his “excellent progress” towards full health. His struggles with autoimmune disease, which started with hand cramps while on tour last year, have been well-documented.
