Gretsch at Abbey Road on the River festival

Javier Ojeda of Classicstone

“Gretsch and AROTR changed my life!”

It was 2014 and Classicstone was going to play for the first time in AROTR. I remember felling so excited! We knew it was going to be a great festival so we had to bring out the best from ourselves.

When we arrived, I remember walking with Diana Osorio when we crossed by the Gretsch stand. I inmediately stopped and said to her “please wait for me, this is going to take a while!”. I was absolutely stunned by all the guitars in the exhibit. I’ve never seen in my life such fine and elegant guitars.

My eyes focused directly into one in particular (a Gretsch Resonator) and few minutes later I was  jamming with it. I just loved the way it sounded and I knew I had to get it, some way. I also remember Joe Carducci sitting  in the back, taking  great care of a guitar (as he always does), and I had the chance to hear him play some beautiful chords and bends.

I visited the Gretsch stand every day in the festival, and I said to Joe that I was planning to buy that guitar.  I felt goose bumps when I saw a little piece of paper with the word “Sold” on it. I tried my best and made some calls to friends and family in Colombia so I could gather all the money. The guitar was mine!

After that, I remember Joe saying to me “Would you like to meet THE man?”. And I couldn’t believe that Fred Gretsch was just standing right next to me! I returned to Colombia absolutely happy, with a new guitar and new incredible friends.

From that, I started to play that guitar everywhere. I constantly mailed and shared photos in a lot of different festivals and gigs with Burning Caravan (A band which I share with Diana too).  I had the chance to visit the Gretsch Studio in Pooler with my dad, and it was an incredible experience! We played for Fred and Dinnah Gretsch different tunes, including a Waltz composed by Django Reinhardt in 1920 that was never recorded. I’ll remember that moment all my life!

The next 2 years I started building a close relation with the Gretsch family and of course with one of the greatest man I’ve met in the guitar world: Joe Carducci. In 2016’s AROTR I remember passing through the Gretsch stand after a rehearsal with the Orchestra for a Symphonic Beatles show, but we where so hungry!. All my band mates went to eat, but something inside me made me think that food could wait. I started to play and to jam in the Gretsch Both testing different guitars, I couldn’t stop!

I remember this so clearly: While I was playing, Joe gets close and says to me “Please Javier, stand up”. He looks right into my eyes and says: “Give me your hand, welcome to the Gretsch Family”. That is one of the happiest moments in my life!

Since then, Gretsch has helped me a lot in my career as a guitarist, giving me the opportunity to make music in such incredible instruments. I just feel so grateful with the AROTR family for receiving us with such love since the first time. Dreams do come true, and specially when you are surrounded with incredible people.

Watch Javier perform “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at AROTR.

We would like to mention all our guitarists who are endorsed by Gretsch.

• Steve Sizemore

• Javier Ojeda

• Peter Conrad

• BritBeat

• Danilo Fiani

• Gavin Pring

• Fernando Duarte

• Joe Orlando

• Havard Peterson

• Jimmy Pou

George Harrison & Gretsch Guitars