While I’m definitely a fan of quality gear, the acoustic blues fanatic in me has a soft spot for funky oddities and this Gretsch Jim Dandy just oozes old school vintage vibe. The JD normally sells for $170 in these parts, but I grabbed this floor demo Vintage White model for way less. I picked up a Gretsch Deltoluxe sound hole pickup to round out this budget box blues machine. I spent the morning drilling out the tail for the included endpin jack, moved the strap button to the underside of the heel, and strung her up with Martin Retro Mediums (.013-.056) The JD has a short 24” scale and these Monel strings from Martin have a little less tension than phosphor bronze so even though they’re on the heavier side they still feel comfortable. All in all I have less than the cost of my sons basketball shoes invested in this little axe. I plugged her into my Fender Princeton Bordeaux tonight for a little playtime. I have the amp’s bass circuit wide open and the treble around 7 or 8 with the just a bit of spring reverb thrown in.
This video is my take on Robert Johnson’s “Kindhearted Woman Blues.” I think the little Jim Dandy really nails the old blues and roots vibe. The Gretsch Deltoluxe pickup is somewhat modeled after the original DeArmond Rhythm Chief and was a breeze to install. I used an inexpensive step bit from Harbor Freight to drill a hole for the endpin jack and followed it with a regular 15/32” bit to make sure the hole was even. The pickup is a tight but good fit in the JD’s sound hole and sounds great. I’m planning to try this little girl in Open D or Eb for slide later on. I think she’ll really sing through the Princeton with a glass or ceramic slide.
