TYPE
Electric Solid Body Single cutaway guitar
FEATURES
Maple top, mahogany body and neck
Ebony fretboard
Two DeArmond pickups (from 1958 Filter’Trons)
INFORMATION
Gretsch’s great mysterious guitar, the White Penguin, is beautiful to behold and sometimes makes up to $ 100,000 at auctions. The White Penguin owes its legendary status to the fact that no one knows exactly how many original copies have ever been made. Although we know that the model came on the market in 1955 and was discontinued in 1964, the White Penguin can only be found on Gretsch’s 1959 price list (then $ 490, now converted to around 2,200). It is estimated that at most two dozen were manufactured at the Gretsch factory in Brooklyn.
The design of the 6134 White Penguin is roughly based on that of the Gretsch Duo Jet, but featured a beautiful snow-white finish, shimmering gold trim and gold-plated hardware. The solidbody-model was clearly intended as a counterpart to the more famous White Falcon. A drawing of a penguin was placed on the pickguard of the instrument.
