American Pickers Helped Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach Buy A 1958 Gretsch Chet Atkins Guitar – Looper

Dan Auerbach is, of course, best known to many as the frontman of the beloved, blues-infused garage rock outfit the Black Keys. And if you’re at all familiar with the band, you know they’re gleefully obsessed with crafting modern rock bangers with a distinctly vintage sound. Auerbach has apparently studied up on the world of vintage instruments too as he’s visibly excited when the “American Pickers” crew walk into his studio with a ’58 Gretsch. He even claims, “The Chet Atkins model is probably the most desirable Gretsch … I’ve never even played one.”

Auerbach is clearly bent on changing that fact once Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz unveil the instrument. “There’s a difference between guitars collectors collect, and ones that players use,” the rocker notes, adding, “This one is a player’s guitar.” Auerbach does his due diligence before attempting to strike a deal, carefully looking the instrument over to see what might need to be replaced or repaired. He does the same for a vintage Fender amp Wolfe and Fritz packaged the Gretsch with.

Once the gang starts kicking around numbers for the package, surprisingly little haggling is done with Wolfe opening the bidding at $11,000, and Auerbach countering with $10,000. The latter figure was enough for Mike to turn a profit, and to ensure the Gretsch found a forever home in Auerbach’s studio set. While we can’t say for certain, we’d wager you’ve even heard that vintage beauty on a Black Keys album or two over the years.