STEPHEN STERN

Master Builder Stephen Stern has led the Gretsch Custom Shop since 2005. Under his expert leadership, the selection has grown from a mere two models to an entire stable of impeccably crafted Gretsch guitars of breathtaking beauty, tone and feel.

A native of South Pasadena, Calif., Stern combined his love of guitar playing and woodworking early on. After high school he apprenticed at a high-end custom furniture shop for five years before arriving at the Charvel/Jackson instrument shop, where he worked from 1979 to 1984. He then returned to cabinetry for nearly a decade and ran his own shop before returning to luthiery full time with renewed dedication.

Stern arrived at world-famous Fender Custom Shop in 1993, where he became a Master Builder in 1994 and studied under the great arch-top luthiers Jimmy D’Aquisto and Bob Benedetto. Stern’s own exquisite arch-top construction skill eventually led him to the Gretsch Custom Shop, which was founded in 2004.

When Stern took the reins in 2005, he gradually started to expand the Gretsch Custom Shop’s very few offerings (only two guitars at the time). One of his top projects early on was the Brian Setzer Tribute Nashville™ model, an exquisitely detailed 2007 limited-edition model handmade by Stern. Other high-profile Gretsch projects ensued for Stern, including the Billy Zoom Tribute Custom Shop Silver Jet™ and the Chet Atkins 125th Anniversary Hollow Body (2008), and the Eddie Cochran Tribute Hollow Body (2010), which Stern personally examined and took precise measurements of at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

One of Stern’s biggest Gretsch projects and proudest achievements was the 2011 release of the George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet. Once again, Stern personally examined and recreated a historic Gretsch guitar—the 1957 Duo Jet that Harrison played early in the Beatles’ career.

Stern also crafted the prototype for Gretsch’s Duane Eddy Signature Hollow Body and has built Gretsch Custom Shop instruments for other noted guitarists including Steve Miller, Steve Hunter and Brian Ray.

Stern lives in San Dimas, Calif., with his wife, Gina, and their two children.