100多年以来，Gretsch创造出了我们所知的“伟大的Gretsch之声”。但是故事的一切是从一个定居布鲁克林的年轻德国移民身上开始的.
At 27, Friedrich Gretsch founded a small musical instrument shop 1883 to make banjos, drums and tambourines. Only 12 years later Friedrich died, leaving the fledgling company in the hands of his teenage son Fred.
27岁时，Friedrich Gretsch创立了一家小型乐器店1883（这里可能少词，应该是在1883年创立 编辑这段文字的老外不细心），制作班卓琴，鼓和小手鼓等。然而仅仅在12年后，Friedrich Gretsch逝世了，给他十多岁的儿子Fred留下了一家初具规模的乐器公司。
While it may be an unlikely start for a century-long (and growing) musical legacy, young Fred wasn't the typical teen. By 1916 he had built the company into one of America's leading importers and manufacturers of musical instruments, and the operations moved into a 10-story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn.
也许这对于一个有着百余年历史的乐器传承的发展，是一个与众不同的开始。年轻的Fred不像其他年轻人(一样可以享受美好的青年时光)，直到1916年他付出的努力已经使他的公司进入美国乐器行业进口商和制造商中的翘楚行列，公司也搬迁到布鲁克林第60大道的一幢10层大楼内。
Fred knew listening to what the public wanted was the key to growth, and the public wanted guitars. So, Gretsch began making guitars.
Fred知道发展的关键在于聆听并满足大众的需要，而大众需要吉他。于是，Gretsch开始着手制作吉他。
Initially, Gretsch offered acoustic archtops aimed at jazz musicians, and a handful of flat-tops for country-western performers.
最初，Gretsch为爵士乐手们提供拱面的原声吉他(说白了就是大箱体的木吉他,现在大家叫它JUMBO)，也制作少量的民谣吉他提供给西部乡村音乐演奏者.
Meanwhile, 1935 marked an important year for Gretsch — Duke Kramer joined the team. Kramer went on to become a mainstay of the Gretsch company, and remains a valued counsel to this day.
期间，1935年对于Gretsch来说是至关重要的一年——Duke Kramer加盟。Kramer后来成为Gretsch公司的中流砥柱，留下至今价值非凡的影响。
"That distinctive sound was our product, the sound that energized the market for decades," Kramer says.
“我们的各种产品有着不同的声音!数十年来这些声音一直满足着大众的诉求!” Kramer牛逼哄哄地说。
Fred Gretsch, Sr. retired from the company in 1942, leaving the day-to-day operations to his sons Fred, Jr. and William.
Fred Gretsch一世在1942年从公司退休了，留下一个日以继夜运转的乐器产销公司给他的儿子们，Fred二世和William。
Fred Gretsch, Jr. managed the company briefly, then left the company to serve with distinction as a commander in the Navy, and Bill Gretsch became president. Kramer recalls, "Bill was a man with a subtle talent for inspiring people to do their best and a genius for constructive counsel. His sense of humor was irresistible. When he passed away in 1948, a legion of inpiduals felt they lost their best friend."
Fred Gretsch二世暂时掌管公司，而后离开公司在海军供职。Bill Gretsch成为了公司首脑。Kramer回忆说，“Bill拥有鼓动人们尽其所能的敏锐天赋，且拥有建设性的提议的天才。他的幽默感无可抵挡。当他在1948年去世时，很多人觉得他们失去了最好的朋友。”
Command was again passed to Fred Gretsch, Jr. and the Navy veteran led the company into a new age of prosperity in the "atomic age" '50s. Gretsch, being the first to use custom color finishes, and offering a widevariety of space age gizmos and gimmickry, was uniquely positioned to succeed in the era. Through the 50s, they even outsold Leo Fender's wonderful new creations. High-profile artists and endorsers like Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy didn't hurt, either.
公司再次回到Fred Gretsch二世手中，这个海军退伍军人带领公司进入了50年代“原子时代”的繁荣期。Gretsch作为第一个使用尾漆色彩抛光（彩色的最后一层漆的抛光工艺）的品牌，给这个所谓的太空时代提供多种多样的花色品种，成为这个时期唯一的赢家。在50年代，他们甚至比fender的精美的新产品销售更多。即使是Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran 和 Duane Eddy这样的大牌明星转用别的品牌的吉他也丝毫没有动摇Gretsch吉他的坚固地位!!!
The '60s brought a further boost to Gretsch when George Harrison played a succession of Gretsch
60年代给Gretsch带来更进一步的推进，当George Harrison（披头士乐队的成员乔治哈里森）选用了Gretsch琴并长期的用它来演奏的时候更是火上浇油啊,大家想想看,谁不想范儿一把啊? (名人效应啊)
In the late '60s, Fred Gretsch retired and sold the company to Baldwin Manufacturing. Baldwin had difficulty understanding Gretsch's position in the market and failed to make a transition through the psychedelic '60s and hard-rock '70s. Kids inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton turned to Fender. To make matters worse, Baldwin moved production to Arkansas, and Gretsch suffered through two disastrous fires.
60年代末期，Fred Gretsch退休了，将公司卖给Baldwin Manufacturing。Baldwin对于Gretsch在市场中的定位有失误的判断(好像乐器行业里,这样的门外汉不止他一个)，在60年代的迷幻音乐和70年代的硬摇滚时代的转变中失败了。从Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck 和 Eric Clapton的音乐中得到灵感的小子们开始转向购买fender吉他。让事情更糟糕的是，Baldwin将生产移到阿肯色州，Gretsch在两场火灾中损失惨重。(当然惨重,好木料,再说又是风干了的,加上阿州的天气历来是出名的好!)
The Baldwin marriage was always an unhappy one. With sales down and the head office increasingly disinterested, Gretsch limped through the 70s and finally shut down production in the early 80s.
与Baldwin的合作老是出篓子,让人很不快。随着销量的下降更是雪上加霜，领导层日益失去兴趣。Gretsch在70年代日渐疲软，终于在80年代初停产了。
But ever since the company had left the family, Fred Gretsch III had vowed it would return. In 1985 his dream came true, and through the 90s he brought Gretsch back into the limelight with a series of successful re-issues and new models.
然而，虽然公司已经离开家族，但Fred Gretsch三世曾经发誓它将回归。终于在1985年他的梦想成真了，在90年代，通过一系列的成功的炒做和新型号的发布，他将Gretsch吉他重新带回引人注目的中心地位。
In late 2002 a deal was struck for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. to handle Gretsch manufacturing and distribution, bringing that "Great Gretsch Sound" to be heard worldwide once again.
2002年末，fender乐器公司在交易中拥有了Gretsch的制造和出品权，使“伟大的Gretsch之声”再次让全世界聆听到。
(100年家族品牌的故事在这个年代已经终结了,许多美好的事物总是在过去的年代才有的,她们遍布世界的每个角落并时常被一些自认为回不去的人追忆着----于冰)
For more information on the history of the Gretsch Company and its guitar models, visit the Gretsch Pages atwww.gretschpages.com.
想知道更多关于Gretsch公司情况和它的琴型的信息，请访问Gretsch的主页www.gretschguitars.com
www.gretschpages.com
附:使用gretsch乐器的艺术家
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