Troubadour Charlie Parr brought a bit of history to the Fretboard Journal headquarters, a circa-1950 Gretsch acoustic that was owned by Spider John Koerner. The guitar was gifted to Parr by Koerner towards the end of his life.

It’s an unusual instrument, even by acoustic Gretsch standards. For starters, the headstock sports a mispelled logo. Beyond that, Koerner modified the instrument to be a 12-string, using mandolin tuners and a relocated pin bridge. “The top is wildly crooked. It shouldn’t work at all, but it does,” Parr explains. “I’ve been carrying it with me ever since John handed it over.”

Parr still tours with the Gretsch and performed his song, “817 Oakland Avenue,” on it for our cameras.