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1966 Gretsch 6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman,
as made famous by George Harrison

Chet Atkins may have given Gretsch the endorsement, but it took influencer George Harrison playing a Country Gentleman on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 to catapult sales into the stratosphere.  Ever since, a classic.  This one from 1966, and a perfect example.  Honestly, what can I say?  I feel fine.

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There's not a single new thing I can say about George Harrison and his Gretsch guitars.  So I'm not going to try.  But I've loved learning from the forensically-minded devotees.  Topping them all - both entertainingly and informationally - it has to be Nick Martellaro's authoritative 2-part video, The Gretsch Country Gentleman Part 1 and Part 2.  Everything you need to know about the guitar's development, launch, signature guitarist Chet Atkins, and the history and fate of George Harrison's Country Gents.  Peppered with gold-dust revelations throughout, and delivered with levels of energy, enthusiasm and insight that cannot be reproduced in text.  If you have just over 30 minutes to spare, or just want to dip into it to get a flavour, do it now.  It's an absolute blessing!

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What strikes you most when you hear the story of George Harrison's sky-rocketing impact on Gretsch sales are the parallels with today's influencer culture.  George was already a fan of Gretsch guitars - a Duo Jet, and two Country Gents - before the Beatles set foot in the US.  But it was that appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, broadcast to 73 million people, that lit the touchpaper.  For the Beatles, for sure, but also for Gretsch.  Chet Atkins may have had his name on the model, but George Harrison was the influencer, making the model one of the most desirable guitars on the planet.  With one important difference to today's influencers: no payback!  As George ruefully put it himself: "When we went to the States to play the Ed Sullivan Show, Gretsch gave me a Country Gentleman that I used on the show.  I read somewhere that after the Beatles appeared on that show Gretsch sold 20,000 guitars a week, or something like that.  I mean, we should have had shares . . .".  Mind you, I've got a feeling he did alright in other ways.​

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All this talk about the Beatles effect tends to distract attention from the glories of the guitar itself (yes, I know, I'm just as guilty).  But it really is a beautifully designed guitar and and a joy to play, just as Chet Atkins wanted it to be.  For a start, it looks the part - all that gold hardware, the imperial tuners, the "Country Gentleman" headstock plaque, those unique half-moon fretboard inlays, the Bigsby B6G, smooth as they come, each knob imprinted with the G-arrow logo, and that lovely walnut finish. And then there's how it plays and sounds - perfect action and intonation from zero fret to rocking bar bridge, the contrast between the neck Super'Tron and bridge Filter'Tron pick-ups, and the three-way tone switch in place of tone pots.  And how could I forget the "muffler"?  Or more correctly the muting system - for the guitarist that doesn't want to use their right palm to mute the strings?  I'm sure that Chet and Gretsch thought life might be easier with it, but it was a rarely used feature back in the day, and Gretsch don't even include it in their latest 59 Reissue Country Gent.  Fortunately, the guitar sounds wonderful - and at its best - when it's not engaged.  Just glorious!

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There is one final mystery to solve with this guitar - or rather its original 60s Gretsch case.  The underside of the case has a "The Black Crowes The AFTERSHOW" sticker on it.  Which could mean anything from the guitar having made an appearance at one of The Black Crowes' aftershows, to the case having once been home to a different Gretsch, to a previous owner having picked up the sticker and stuck it onto the case.  Who knows?  More intriguingly, there's a tape strip by the handle, inscribed: "AH EDWYN. C#1".  Now, I know I'm ignoring the "AH" and the full stop, but there aren't that many Edwyns in this world.  And the only guitarist I know of with that name is legendary Scottish singer/songwriter (and Gretsch-devotee) Edwyn Collins.  Surely there's some connection there?  Sadly, the trail goes no further than that hand-written inscription.  But if anyone has any insights or clues, I'd love to hear from you.  And, if you happen to be female, forgive me in advance, but I won't be able to stop myself: "I've never met a girl like you before".  Actually, forget that - and don't let it put you off!​​

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Specification

Make

Gretsch

Model

6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman

Colour

Walnut

Year

1966

Serial  Number

126296

Number of Frets

22

Fretboard

Satin Ebony Neo-Classic, Bound

Neck

2-Piece Maple

Body

Laminated Figured Maple, Walnut-stained

Tuners

6 x Individual Grover Imperial Tuners

Pick-ups

Gretsch Super'Tron hum-reducing pick-up (Neck)

Gretsch Filter-Tron hum-reducing pick-up (Bridge)

Bridge

Gretsch Rocking Bar Bridge, with Rubber Muffler

Tailpiece

Gretsch by Bigsby B6G Tremolo, with Flat Bar

Scale Length

24.375"

Full Length

43.75"

Further Information:

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  • The Country Gentleman launched in 1957 as a single-cutaway, evolving to the more familiar double-cutaway in 1961.  It marked the pinnacle of the relationship between Gretsch and guitarist, committed tinkerer and sonic explorer Chet Atkins. Chet even got to name it after one of his own songs.  And Gretsch made the most of the endorsement: "Chet Atkins . . . A famous name in the guitar world . . . A greater name in Gretsch Guitars."

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  • There had been other models with his name to them - the 6120 hollowbody and the 6121 solid-body, but those had been heavily based on existing Gretsch models.  The Country Gentleman really was a joint development between Gretsch and Atkins, with the feedback-reducing painted F-holes, wide 17" thinline body and half-moon thumbnail fretboard inlays all part of Chet's design.

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  • Most importantly for Chet, the Country Gentleman included a new pick-up, the Filter'tron humbucker.  Up to that point, most Gretsch production models were fitted with single-coil Dynasonic pick-ups, bought in from DeArmond.  Chet made it abundantly clear he hated the hum from those Dynasonics,  Fortunately for him,  just around the same time as Seth Lover was exploring how to "buck the hum" with Gibson, Ray Butts was working on a similar solution with Gretsch.  Chet installed the prototype into his 6120 in 1956, loved it, and Gretsch went in-house to build their own humbucking pickups.  The Country Gentleman was the first guitar to feature a pair of Gretsch's new Filter'tron humbuckers, evolving in 1964 to the bladed Super'Tron at the neck and standard Filter'tron at the bridge, the classic configuration for the rest of the 1960s.. 

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  • No need for me to wax lyrical about this 1966 model.  The 1965 Gretsch catalogue says it all: "The handsome showpiece of the fabulous Gretsch Chet Atkins line - the new slim Country Gentlemen with the styling and tone that have made it the most desired electric guitar in the world. Slim 17" Electrotone hollow body with simulated "F" holes, new double cutaway, 2" thickness, for ease of playing. Deluxe high ratio enclosed gears. Gold-plated Gretsch Bigsby tremolo and tailpiece. Adjustable rod-Actionflo neck. Satin ebony Neo-Classic fingerboard. 24 karat gold-plated metal parts. Filter'Tron bridge pick-up and Super'Tron II (jazz) fingerboard pick-up. Built-in double muffler. Standby switch."

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  • Everything on this one is as original and as beautifully crafted as that marketing suggests.  And it really does play and sound just like "the most desired electric guitar in the world."  The only exception is that muting system.  It may need a reset, but to be fair it was never as desirable as Chet and Gretsch may have hoped, so I'm happy to leave it untinkered as is.​​​

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  • I'll leave the final encouragement to Gretsch: "Not everyone can play like Chet - but you can play, and play better, when it's a Gretsch guitar."  A tagline so engaging, it would have Mad Men's Don Draper raking in the commission.  It's a claim all the major makers might substitute with their own brand name, so hats off to Gretsch for getting there first.  Now it's your turn!

Sources & Links

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