I am putting one of my crown jewels up for sale: this beautiful Gretsch Country Gentleman Chet Atkins 7670 from January 1977.

It is the only model in the classic Country Gentleman range with open, unpainted ‘F’s, like an ES335.

It belonged to an American blues musician, then passed to a second owner in Spain who never played it outside the home, and for several years now it has been in my possession, played only at home and in the recording studio – never live. I’m selling it as I no longer use it.

The guitar is entirely original, including the case, and was set up by a luthier just a few months ago (it currently has Rotosund flatwound strings fitted). The first owner replaced the bridge at the time, but I have the original fitted and am including the spare.

It shows signs of wear, the most noticeable being the cracking of the paint on the back of the neck, but it’s in perfect condition. It’s comfortable to play, sounds absolutely brilliant and has the natural patina befitting a 49-year-old guitar, retaining its character and the full, luxurious, rich sound one would expect from a Country Gentleman.

In terms of specifications, the following are worth noting:

• laminated maple body with a walnut finish
• two-piece set-neck
• ebony fingerboard
• gold-coloured hardware
• Bigsby with a wire arm and crescent-shaped inlays

As for the electronics, it features:

• original Black Top Filter’Tron pickups (characterised by their moderate output and the quality, brightness and warmth of their sound)
• separate volume controls for each pickup
• master volume control at the bridge
• 3-position tone switch, as is customary on Gretsch guitars of this type (the so-called ‘mud switch’)
• 3-position pickup selector switch