Nonetheless the 6187 Corvette hollow-body was an extremely beautiful piece of work. Unlike its Sunburst (6182) and Natural (6183) younger brothers, 6187 had an ivory finish with gray mist sides and back. It might very well have been the most aesthetically pleasing guitar in the entire Gretsch lineup until the White Falcon came along. One look at the 6187 Corvette and you'd think you had died and gone to Gretsch heaven.

The 6187 Corvette was a pimped-out Electromatic with a maple body and neck, rosewood fretboard, and classic dot inlays. Under the hood was a single DeArmond pickup with tone and volume controls on the lower bout. A trapeze tailpiece, beveled-edge pick guard, and rounded headstock made for a very well-balanced look. In terms of sound, although a single pickup is considered low-end by today's standards, the 6187 provided a solid, earthy tone ideal for blues and high-energy jazz.

In our opinion, it's unfortunate the 6187 Corvette was discontinued after only a couple of years in production. Maybe it could've gone on to be even more popular than the White Falcon had Gretsch given it a little longer to take hold. But that's water under the bridge. If you can find one on the collector's market-and they are very rare-be sure to grab it.