Please contact me first, before making offers, if you are interested in this guitar.

I was just looking at a 1979 Gretsch 7655 "Chet Atkins" guitar on Reverb for $395,000. Of course, it was owned by Chris Cornell. I was amazed at how similar his guitar is to this one listed-- it seems to have the same pickups and knobs, the same Bigsby. The only difference I can see besides the double cutaway is the pickguard saying" Chet Atkins" instead of "Nashville".

One of the last of the great USA-made Gretsch Guitars.... this '78 "Nashville" was actually made in Booneville, Arkansas during what is referred to as the "Baldwin" era (from 1966 - 1980). Serial is only on the black and white Baldwin era tag inside f-hole: 9-8228. September 1978. But you’d never know it’s age from its looks.

This Chet Atkins electric archtop, Model 7660, was renamed the "Nashville" in 1964 and renumbered to a "7660" in 1972. It is 16" wide and 2 7/8" deep. It was given open and bound F-holes in 1973 and the curved flat-arm "Gretsch" Bigsby B6-C vibrato in 1975. This one is less "Classic Gretsch Orange" in color, and more of an "amber red-orange"... quite attractive, really, and with some nice grainy wood, to boot. It has obviously seen very little play time-- it is really clean clean clean. I'd actually call it "EX+", just remarkable considering it is only 20 years younger than me, at age 43! There is absolutely zero finish checking and not even any pick marks on the pickguard. There is very little fret wear. The nickel parts (the top bridge, and the Bigsby) have a very nice patina from age. The binding is beautifully-aged, and excellent, with only a few tiny nicks. There is a tiny bit of belt buckle rash that could be buffed out on back, and a tear in one pickup black top. It has a like-new Canadian-made TKL hard-shell case, not original, that is a bit too large at both bouts.

It weighs 8.4 lbs. The guitar features a maple body, with a mahogany neck. It has an adjustamatic bridge; an Indian rosewood fingerboard with cool "thumb-print" inlays; a bone nut with zero-fret; a squared silver "signature" pickguard; no mute; no nameplate; and silver pickup rings on the Black-Top ceramic-magnet Filter'Trons (these are great-sounding pickups!). It has "humpback" sealed tuners, and the highly-thought-of-and-unique Burns heel gearbox for truss rod adjustments. It has a master volume on treble bout. Two individual VOL knobs down below (one for each pickup), and 2 mini toggles: a tone/phase switch and a "stand-by" switch (off/on/off). The tone switch engages 3 capacitors for 3 different tone sounds. I have yet to find any technical official specs for what the capacitors do-- it varies depending on the mix of pickups. I find one position is perfect for clean rhythm. A tweak and you have a treble boost. The 3rd position and you have a dB boost. Very unique electronics, both the pickups and the switching-- that is a key feature of this axe.

Finish is gorgeous and near perfect. I believe it is nitrocellulose, since it does luminesce green under my black light (which I use to delineate finish change or any cracks, etc). The only other "flaws" I could find: tiny stress finish checks at the jack, and just a tad of thumb wear lower part of side of neck (first position, bass side).

This model was initially the 6120 and was discontinued in 1980. They are actually quite rare, as I never see more than a couple for sale or sold. This is probably due to all the changes going on at Gretsch at the time.  

The guitar plays great. Low action. Intonated. No fret issues up the neck. It has old rounds with what I think is an .11 "E". The neck profile is slim-comfortable with 1 11/16" nut

Older Gretsch USA-made guitars remain one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated guitar values in the marketplace... and this includes the Baldwin era, during which this one was manufactured. But I think they are starting to finally become recognized. This one is 43 years old but looks like a young stud!

Astute collectors and players alike would be wise to jump on this well-maintained, and lightly-played specimen. One of the nicest you will find, and perfect for vintage rock or Rockabilly, if you can master the switching scheme.