1966 Gretsch 6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman Walnut, Very Good, Original Hard, $3,299.00

Gretsch and Chet Atkins are like peanut butter and chocolate: two great things that go even better together! Here we have the excellent double cutaway Country Gentleman, featuring gold hardware, Gretsch Filtertron pickups, and “simulated” black painted F-holes. The Country Gentleman is probably best known as the guitar used by George Harrison, first seen being strummed during the Beatles first American television appearance in 1963. In fact this model became so popular thanks to Ol’ George that Gretsch could not keep up with demand and the guitar became difficult to procure for a good period of time in the mid-1960s! The body is mahogany with a maple top. The neck features an ebony finger board with Grover tuning machines and a Bigsby vibrato bridge system. It measures 1 11/16th” at the nut and has the standard Chet Atkins 24 ½” scale. The Gretsch Filtertrons sound gorgeous, a nice full-bodied but not over-bearing tone. They have a very “chimey” sound to them. The binding around the body and neck has been professionally re-done by the fine folks at Noll Guitar. The original gold plating has worn a bit over the years, enhancing its wonderfully lived-in vibe. There are a couple surface cracks at the heel of the neck. The finish has some light checking and scuffs but otherwise it is in great shape. The frets have some wear but still have lots of life left to them I our opinion. The switch for the bridge mute seems to be frozen but these mute systems were seldom utilized by Country Gent players anyway. The guitar weighs in at a manageable 8 lbs 5 ounces. It has been professionally set-up by our in-house tech and plays like a dream with very comfortable action. Overall this Country Gentleman plays fantastic and would make a perfect guitar whether you are a Beatle-fanatic or just a lover of great playing vintage Grestchs. Includes original hard shell case.