❌SOLD❌ Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean Black, 1993

The late, great Chet Atkins was long associated with Gretsch guitars with many classic models bearing his name. However, after Gretsch ceased production as its parent Baldwin approached bankruptcy, Gibson sought his endorsement and a number of Gibson Chet Atkins models appeared. This included the Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean, built from 1990 to 2005 in Nashville.

The Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean is a single cutaway, thinline archtop electric, with a solid center block to deter feedback. This was a feature that Chet had long sought from Gretsch, and the closest they would come to that was the late 1950’s Trestle bracing. In structure, this model has many similarities to Gibson ES thinline semi-hollows.

This example is in good condition, and its serial number dates it to February 02, 1993 at Nashville, Tennessee. It has original components, but does not have the arm-rest.

It plays well, and is quite solid. The woods used are typical for electric archtops- maple laminates for the body with a maple center block for comprehensive feedback rejection, and a maple neck with ebony fingerboard. The position markers are offset dots, suggesting the classic Gretsch ‘Neo-Classic’ or ‘thumbnail’ markers.

Wiring is straightforward, and though it uses Gibson humbuckers, the control layout is more like a Gretsch with one master volume, individual volumes, a master tone control and a pickup selector. A standard Gibson stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge are used – no Bigsby! The tuners are the original Gibson Deluxe models with plastic keystone buttons. And of course, there’s a Chet Atkins signature decal on the head, below the mother of pearl Gibson logo. This decal has a ‘box’ line around it, likely from being masked for protection while a finish chip on the headstock was repaired.

This example is in good playing condition, with some honest play wear, dents and small, repaired chips to the finish in various areas. It plays well, and the relatively wide fingerboard makes it easy to form complex shapes.

The original brown Gibson branded hard-shell case is included. The case lock is broken and the latch is in the neck pocket, and the shroud has detached but is in the case.