Gretsch Chet Atkins Solidbody Model 6121 Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1958), made in Brooklyn, NY, serial # 26909, Western Orange lacquer finish, chambered mahogany body, maple top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original blond tolex hard shell case.
This is a truly spectacular example of the Gretsch Model 6121 Chet Atkins Solid Body, the more obscure oft-forgotten sister of one of the iconic American vintage guitars, the Model 6120 Chet Atkins Hollow Body. Although specifically described by Gretsch as a "solidbody" like the Duo-Jet this guitar is actually semi-hollow, or chambered in the modern parlance. The body is built like a little archtop guitar, with a plywood top mounted over a piece of sculpted mahogany that was hollowed out from above. This resulted in a guitar much lighter than the Les Paul that inspired it, with a different feel and sound as well.
The 6120 and 6121 were launched simultaneously in 1955 but the hollowbody was by far the more popular choice, always produced in far greater quantities. Atkins himself had little regard for his "solid" signature model, although he can be occasionally seen playing one early on. Both Atkins guitars were serialized together in batches of 100; it's estimated that a maximum of 20-25% of any given batch were 6121's, and some batches had none included at all. Total estimated 6121 production is less than 500.
The 6121 has much kinship with another rare Gretsch Model, the Model 6130 Round-Up, also a Jet-sized "solid" guitar festooned with Western imagery. Essentially Gretsch added the Atkins-requested Bigsby tailpiece, metal bar bridge and metal nut to the 6130 and replaced the pine top with maple; most other features were the same. The 6121 generally has an "oranger" finish with its maple top and adds a Atkins signature gold-backed Lucite pickguard.
Gretsch guitars of the 1950s often evolved quickly; this "Chet Atkins Hollow Body" is technically a 1958 model but was made at the end of 1957 with transitional features specific to that period. This guitar's serial number is part of the 269XX batch of 6120s made at the turn of 1957-8; this was only the second batch featuring the new Filter'Tron pickups and wiring rig. Atkins solid bodies from this run are rare but are noted in Edward Ball's authoritative "Gretsch 6120" book that documents every production batch.
The body has no "G-Brand" in the top or western tooled leather trim around the sides; those 1955-6 features were long gone by this time. The fingerboard still has the older "Humped Block" pearloid inlay instead of the new 1958 "thumbprint" fingerboard inlay The narrow bound headstock sports a horseshoe motif in place of the previous steer's head. The metal nut is the relatively rare 1958 version, more polished looking than the earlier style. The Bigsby tailpiece is the 1957 style with the milled aluminum "Duane Eddy" arm and slot head retaining screw, the metal knobs are the G-logo style. The canted aluminum bar bridge saddle on a wooden base is specific to the 6120 and 6121 in this period.
This guitar mounts two of the then brand-new Filter 'Tron pickups, used by Gretsch on most electrics from 1958. Atkins himself requested Gretsch adopt the humbucking units that Ray Butts designed especially for him to replace the DeArmonds used previously. Gretsch was happy to oblige and bought the license from Butts to make the new pickups in-house for the entire line. This guitar mounts two of the earliest version "pre-patent-pending" Filter 'Tron pickups with plain covers surrounded by the earliest un-sculpted plastic pickup rings. The 3-knob, 2 switch wiring scheme came in with these pickups, comprising individual volumes on the lower bout, a master volume on the cutaway bout and the pickup selector and tone modifier (A/K/A Mud switch) on the upper bout.
This 6121 is the nicest we have had, a superb twang machine with the muscular but crisp Filter'Tron tone blending the characteristics of a 1950s hollow body Gretsch with some of the extra bite of a solidbody. This example is superbly well preserved looking not much played; one of the coolest rare 1950s Gretsch guitars, a subtly western stunner with the classic "Great Gretsch Sound" in spades!
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a truly superb example of this rare model looking really not much played and extremely well cared for over nearly 70 years, remaining in all original condition. The top is very clean with a strong, bold color to the orange lacquer and only light scuffing and wear marks; several small visible dark spots are in the grain of the maple under the finish, not due to wear. The back and sides have a bit more random wear with some mostly small dings and scratches but no notable buckle wear and no spots worn down through to the wood. The back of the neck is very clean as well, with a few small dings and scratches but no areas worn down to the wood. Fortunately there is no binding distress at all.
The hardware remains all original and complete; some of the gold plating is worn to a muted sheen mostly on the pickup covers, tuner buttons and knobs. The Lucite pickguard and plastic pickup rings have no visible cracks in the common places. The original frets and fingerboard show light wear but still play well. The celluloid "hump block" fingerboard inlay pieces have shrunken up a bit and been re-seated, they could be replaced if further deterioration sets in but have been left original for now. The original metal nut has been re-seated, with minor scarring at the base.
Aside from its killer looks this is simply a super fun guitar to play, with the Filter 'Tron twang-and-Bigsby combination that really sings for '50s stylings into modern with the twist of an amp knob. It is complete in the very clean original Gretsch western trimmed "Cowboy" case with the original guarantee certificate still included in the worn envelope. For any Gretsch/Atkins model fan this guitar is a stunner, a timelessly cool package of class and kitsch in that particularly Brooklyn/Western style. Overall Excellent Condition.
