Vintage 1966 Gretsch 6119 Chet Atkins Tennessean Walnut Stain With OHSC
SKU 80GRE016
by Gretsch
Sold out
Original price
$ 2,899.99
Original price
$ 2,899.99
-
Original price
$ 2,899.99
Original price
$ 2,899.99
Current price
$ 2,499.99
$ 2,499.99
-
$ 2,499.99
Current price
$ 2,499.99
Here at Truetone, we get to see an amazing array of vintage guitars, and as big Gretsch fans, we all fell in love with this 6119 Chet Atkins Tennessean. Any vintage Gretsch from this area is awesome, but this one especially stands out.
Made in Brooklyn during the heyday of Gretsch's U.S. production, it's likely that the original owner of this guitar got it because of the Beatles - after all, this is the model that George Harrison played in the film "Help". Or perhaps they were a fan of Chet Atkins Or perhaps they just wanted to play "House of the Rising Sun" endlessly, as this is the style of Gretsch that Hilton Valentine of the Animals used on that song. Regardless, the history of this exact guitar is unknown, but we were thrilled to see it show up here!
The original Walnut Stain finish has aged beautiful, with a great patina, and the natural wood grain shows nicely. Being over 50 years old, it has withstood the test of time. The binding has deteriorated in some places, as to be expected on a piece like this - it's the norm for Gretsch guitars from this era. We felt it was better to keep it as is, rather than replace pieces of the binding. It's a much cooler vibe like this! Legendary guitar guru Bill Asher had touched it up in some areas, but that's it. He also gave it a refret, so the guitar plays wonderfully. All of the hardware is original, other than the 3 way switch having been replaced years ago, and it is sans pickguard. Most importantly, the pickups are original - and they sound amazing. At some point, someone had rewired the guitar in a different way, but we restored it to the proper vintage specs.
The original case is included. This is a super cool guitar, and probably one of the best playing 60's Gretsch guitars that we've had here. It's the right look, feel, sound and vibe - it's likely to go fast!
Made in Brooklyn during the heyday of Gretsch's U.S. production, it's likely that the original owner of this guitar got it because of the Beatles - after all, this is the model that George Harrison played in the film "Help". Or perhaps they were a fan of Chet Atkins Or perhaps they just wanted to play "House of the Rising Sun" endlessly, as this is the style of Gretsch that Hilton Valentine of the Animals used on that song. Regardless, the history of this exact guitar is unknown, but we were thrilled to see it show up here!
The original Walnut Stain finish has aged beautiful, with a great patina, and the natural wood grain shows nicely. Being over 50 years old, it has withstood the test of time. The binding has deteriorated in some places, as to be expected on a piece like this - it's the norm for Gretsch guitars from this era. We felt it was better to keep it as is, rather than replace pieces of the binding. It's a much cooler vibe like this! Legendary guitar guru Bill Asher had touched it up in some areas, but that's it. He also gave it a refret, so the guitar plays wonderfully. All of the hardware is original, other than the 3 way switch having been replaced years ago, and it is sans pickguard. Most importantly, the pickups are original - and they sound amazing. At some point, someone had rewired the guitar in a different way, but we restored it to the proper vintage specs.
The original case is included. This is a super cool guitar, and probably one of the best playing 60's Gretsch guitars that we've had here. It's the right look, feel, sound and vibe - it's likely to go fast!
- Serial # 106653
- Year: 1966
- Finish: Walnut Gloss
- Maple Body
- Maple/Walnut/Maple Neck
- Rosewood Fretboard
- Thumbnail style inlays
- Scale Length: 24.6"
- Nut Width: 1.7"
- Neck Profile: Medium C
- Radius: 12"
- Rocking Bar Bridge with Ebony base
- Bigsby B6
- Van Gent tuners
- Single coil HiLo'Tron pickups
- Master volume and individual volume controls
- Pickup selector, tone and standby switches