Giddyup, cowboys and cowgirls! Sheriff Rose is the new gun in town, and she’s slinging six-string thunder and lightning! This rockabilly wonder is equipped with versatile electronics that make her equally well-suited for jazz, rock, or blues.
Portrait Of The Archtop As A Young Maple
Once upon a time, a mighty maple tree was felled. The tree was lumbered, and the finest cuts selected as tone-woods for musical instruments. Those precious pieces of wood were sent to a luthier in Asia, who shaped, crafted, and painstakingly assembled them into a high-quality arch-top guitar. (Pairing the hollow body with a sweet mahogany neck.) The instrument was painted a muted ivory and routed for Gretsch-style electronics. One day this guitar would be a serious competitor to a White Falcon!
But that never happened.
Naked & Afraid
The guitar was shipped to Europe, where is sat in a factory, never assembled, Sheriff Rose was originally commissioned by Vintage Guitars. She may have been a prototype, since this model isn’t listed in the company’s catalog. She’s in great shape other than neglect; faded clear-coat and yellowed binding (a striking abalone inlay). The Fates brought The Sheriff to GuitarFetish.com and then to ItsYourGuitar.com. Rocco and I brought her to life.
From Gretsch, To Gibson, And Beyond
Ms. Rose was routed like a Gretsch—a volume for each pickup, a master tone, and a master volume on the lower bout. We opted for a more modern—and versatile—wiring arrangement. The Sheriff is powered by a versatile set of Dream 180 GFS pickups. Both the bridge and neck pick-ups are tapped on the tone knobs, see you can get that lush P90 sound, as well as traditional rockabilly jangle, cool jazz, and anything in between.
The Hole Truth
As a result of our modified wiring, Sheriff Rose is left with an extra hole in her lower bout. What a perfect place to pin her badge and display her namesake flower! Feel free to substitute the fake roses for fresh cut flowers of your choice, depending on the gig.
Respect The Badge
Sheriff Rose’s badge is the real deal, a heavy brass replica of the type of badge worn by T. Jeff Carr, first Sheriff of Laramie County, Wyoming, who arrested Jack McCall, the man who murdered Wild Bill Hickock. ADDED BONUS: Sheriff Rose comes with this handcrafted sheriff’s strap designed by guitar great Earl Slick. Sheriff Rose looks as cool as she sounds!
Full-Bodied Woman
Sheriff Rose is a big girl, weighing in just under 8.5 lbs. Her jumbo body rivals any jumbo acoustic we’ve played—you’ll feel like a man with your arms wrapped around this Rubenesque beauty! (Even if you’re female!)
Forever Your Girl
While high register shredders may feel limited by The Sheriff’s 20-fret neck, the Dream 180 humbuckers sound great drenched in distortion, and the big hollow body offers plenty of sustain. We opted for a traditional heavy duty trapeze tailpiece instead of an unstable Bigsby tremolo, and coupled it with a roller saddle, tune-a-matic bridge mounted on a solid piece of shaped rosewood. Sheriff Rose is a unique beauty from top to bottom! Hear her on the tracks below w/ Big Red Bass.
I also have one of these from gfs. You ever find any info on why vintage never produced this guitar?
No, but judging from the yellowing on the binding, I’d say this sat around a warehouse for a quite a while.