GRETSCH CHET ATKINS
With around fifty Gretsch guitars in stock at Guitar Village I felt inspired to write a blog relating to these legendary guitars from the wild west. Choosing which Gretsch to focus on was fairly difficult as we have all the usual suspects in stock like the glorious White Falcon, the regal Country Gentleman, the beautiful Tennessee Rose and the solid Duo Jets not to mention the recent arrival of Gretsch resonators and ukulele’s. But for me when I think of Gretsch I think Chet Atkins in the same way as when I think of Gibson I think Les Paul.
Chet Atkins started playing guitar when he was nine years old tought by his father and half brother. His early influences inlcuded Les Paul, Django Reinhardt and Merle Travis. Beginning professionally in his teens as a fiddle player by the late forties Chet had exclusively switched to guitar entertaining crowds at venues like the famous Grand Ole Opray and playing on numerous radio and recorded performances. Chet Atkins involvement with Gretsch began in 1954 when Jimmy Webster struck up a deal with Chet to design a Chet Atkins Gretsch guitar. The following year in 1955 Gretsch released the 6120 Chet Atkins model and then a couple of years later in 1957 the company released the Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen played in later years by George Harrison exposing the Country Gent to a new audience and inspiring a new generation of guitarists. Chet had a style that many people have since tried to replicate, that same style has inspired thousands upon thousands of people such as Tommy Emmanuel with both Chet and Tommy sharing the prestigious title of (C.G.P Certified Guitar Player).
As I mentioned before we have a wide selection of Gretschs in stock and equally a few different Chet Atkins models some of which I have listed below:
Gretsch G6120 Chet Atkins
Finished in the iconic vibrant Gretsch orange colour with a gold Gretsch Chet Atkins pickguard, gold Bigsby Tremolo and F holes the Gretsch G6120 Chet Atkins is an instantly recognizable classic. The Nashville body shape is crafted in laminated maple with a bound ebony fingerboard inlayed with thumbnail markers. With gold arrow control knobs you have a master volume, two independent pickup volume controls which allow you to blend between the two pickups, a three-way pickup selector switch and a three-way tone selector switch. Not only does this guitar look majestic but under the hood it is equipped with a pair of punchy Gretsch Filtertron Humbucker pickups.
Gretsch G6122-1962 Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen Walnut Stain
Unlike the two previous models the Gretsch G6122-1962 Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen laminated maple thinline body shape comes in an alluring dark walnut stain with the protective leather cover on the back. The headstock has the Gretsch logo on the front as well as a gold plaque embossed with Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen. The bound ebony fingerboard inlayed with thumbnail markers is the same as the G6120 Chet Atkins. The gold arrow controls are slightly different to the previously mentioned models we have a master volume control, two independent pickup volume controls, a three-way master tone switch, a three-way pickup selector switch but we have a volume standby switch unlike the others. The other cool feature is the double “Muffler” muting system allowing you to mute the bottom three string, top three strings or all at the same time. The Gretsch G6122-1962 Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen Walnut Stain is loaded with a pair of punchy Gretsch Filtertron Humbucker pickups.
Gretsch G6121-1955 Chet Atkins Solid Body with leather trim
The Gretsch G6121-1955 Chet Atkins solid body has alot of the same appointments as the Gretsch G6120DSW but in a smaller more solid format giving you a tighter sound with more sustain. The body has semi-hollow mahogany back and sides with a laminate maple arched top which has a beautifully intricate leather trim with aged furniture tacks running around the edge. The gold arrow controls are slightly different we have a master volume control knob, two independent pickup volume controls, a master tone knob and a three-way pickup selector switch. This solid body Gretsch is loaded with a pair of twangtastic Gretsch Dynasonic Single-coil pickups.
Guitar Village are a specialist guitar shop in Farnham, Surrey and are one of the largest Taylor Guitars dealers in Europe. Check out what’s we’ve got in stock at the moment, or contact us on 01252 726821 / sales@guitarvillage.co.uk to find out more.