❌SOLD❌ Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean 6119 Walnut, 1967

Currently named the ‘Tennessee Rose’, the Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean 6119 first appeared in 1958, and for 1961 gained the closed, thin ElectroTone body.

Chet Atkins had been urging Gretsch to take steps to reduce feedback on their hollow body designs, especially after Gibson introduced the center-block ES335 in 1958. Reluctant to follow Gibson that closely, Gretsch took two steps, the first being the introduction of ‘Trestle’ bracing. This is a much heavier form of bracing that can be visually compared to a railway trestle bridge. The second was the sealed ‘ElectroTone’ body. To maintain the appearance of a traditional archtop, the F holes were added by way of paint or decal.

Here we’re looking at a Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean 6119 dating to October of 1967. This is just a few months after the July 31, 1967 sale of Gretsch to the Baldwin company but before the 1969 removal of production to Arkansas from Brooklyn. There are a few indicators of the ownership change, notably the addition of “Made in USA’ to the serial number and revised control knobs.

This example is in overall good and largely original condition. The most visible change is that the original rocking-bar bridge has been replaced with a tune-o-matic style bridge for better intonation. The Van Ghent tuners are original and work well. The original Bigsby B6 with V cut looks great and works well. The electronics are similar to the 6120 or Country Gent wiring of the time, with master and individual volume controls, pickup selector, tone switch, and a Standby switch. Naturally, it has a pair of single-coil HiLo ‘Tron pickups.

The body is laminated Maple, with the neck being solid Maple with a bound Indian Rosewood fingerboard. Only the top is bound, and there is just a hint of binding staining in the cutaway and heel cap. It appears to have been re-fretted some time ago. The finish is original, showing wear consistent with the instrument being used as intended.

This Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean 6119 looks great, plays well and definitely has the Gretsch sound!

The original hard shell case is included.