George Van Eps was the father of the seven-string guitar, and Gretsch was the only company to offer a seven-string jazz guitar as a regular catalog model.

Van Eps was the son of classical/ragtime five-string banjo player Fred Van Eps. He started his career as a swing guitarist, joining Benny Goodman’s band in 1934. In 1938, he had Epiphone make a seven-string for him, and with the extra bass string he developed a unique style that featured a bass line, chordal support, and melody – all at the same time. He made a series of definitive recordings with the seven-string, beginning with “Mellow Guitar” in 1956.

Van Eps’s seven-string style had a sizeable enough following for Gretsch to give him a signature model in 1968. The 17-inch cutaway archtop had a pair of Gretsch’s Filter’Tron humbucking pickups with extra-heavy metal covers. It was also offered in a six-string version (Van Eps wrote instrumentals and arrangements for six-string guitar as well).

Gretsch continued to catalog the Van Eps model through 1979, and jazz players continue to play seven-strings today.