Gretsch 6113 Tennessean Transitional "Non-Chet" model

This 1961 Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean is a beauty, a recent trade in from my friend Tim Bluhm of Northern California's Finest - The Mother Hips.

The guitar has seen some beneficial work.  The neck was reset and a professional refret performed.  The refret is very well done, and the frets have most of their life left.

The guitar plays best with heavier strings.  Despite having had a neck reset.  The relief is a little flat with 10-46 strings, even with the truss rod loosened all the way.  It came in with Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings on it and it played perfectly.  We'll go back to these strings.  There is a small separation as the end of the neck heel, but the neck is perfectly solid.

The bridge has been pinned to the top of the guitar to prevent movement while playing or changing the strings.

The tuners have been changed in the past.  The original tuners are back on the guitar, and the old screw holes were filled nicely.  

The guitar is a nice package.  It turns out to be a very rare edition, a transition model that came out during a kind of a grey area at Gretsch. 

"The 6113 is a little-known footnote in Tennessean history, with more than slightly hazy origins... As the 6119 Tennessean was transitioning from the early, single-pickup version to the Electrotone-bodied version in the early 60s, there was apparently some movement at Gretsch HQ to drop the 6119 and instead offer an all-new 6113 model. This reportedly created a bit of kerfuffle with Chet Atkins regarding royalties, so the 6113 was shelved and the twin-pickup 6119 Tennessean we know and love picked up where the stillborn 6113 left off. Very, very few 6113 models escaped the factory, but they are out there, confounding Tennessean fans." (Gretschpages.com)

Ed Ball (the author of several fine books on Gretsch guitars) has researched this very rare 'intermediate' model and has confirmed that the first generation of 6113s were produced in 1961 at batch #419XX (100 units) without any reference to Chet's endorsement. Another batch was produced at #421XX (a mixed batch with maybe just 50 Model 6113 guitars - This 6113 is from this batch!). The (apparent) final batch of these occurs at #426XX and is probably a smaller 50 unit group. More than one of these has been found with the "6113" indicator on both it's warrantee certificate and OK card.

It is the first year that the guitar was offered with two Hi-Lo Tron pickups in place of the former single Filter Tron.  It is also the only year of the 2 1/4" body.

The same model was used by David Crosby in the Byrds days, and also George Harrison in the film "HELP!" and Beatle tours in 1965.  Hilton Valentine of the Animals used one exclusively in the band's earlier recordings, including "House of the Rising Sun". 

A nice example of a reasonably priced, iconic guitar.

Original case included.

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• Color: Walnut
• Weight: 6lbs 9.4ozs
• Top: Laminated maple
• Body: Laminated maple
• Neck: Reset maple
• Neck Profile: "D" see picture
• Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood
• Inlays: “Neo-Classic” inlays – also called “thumbnail” or “half-moon” inlays
• Frets: Re-fret
• Fret count: 21
• Nut: Replaced
• Nut width: 1 5/8"
• Scale: 24 1/2"
• Radius: 12"
• Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.855"
• Neck thickness at 12th fret: 0.935"
• Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
• Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
• Total length: 41 5/8"
• Lower bout: 15 3/4"
• Waist: 9 5/8"
• Upper bout: 11 11/16"
• Body depth/thickness outside edge: 2 1/4"
• String gauge: .010-.046"
• Hardware Color: Nickel;
• Bridge Pickup/Brand: Gretsch Hi-Lo’Tron pickup
• Bridge Pickup Reading: 4.84k
• Pickup Original?: Yes
• Neck Pickup/Brand: Gretsch Hi-Lo’Tron pickup
• Neck Pickup Reading: 3.04k
• Pickup Original?: Yes
• Pickguard: Original
• Bridge: Original but has been pinned or glued
• Tuners: Replaced, original screw holes have been filled. See pictures
• Switches: Original
• Pots: Original
• Case: OHSC
• Notes:  Tuners have been replaced and the original screw holes have been filled. The bridge is original but has been pinned or glued. The neck has been reset and re-fretted also the nut has been replaced.

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