GRETSCH
Chet Atkins
NASHVILLE
Model: 7660
1973
SN: 8-3200
OHSC
Condition: Good.
This guitar has been well played and shows wear but mostly on the back
of the neck near the headstock in the “money chord” section. Finish is a bit
faded but is still strong. All hardware
is in good condition and all electronics work.
It plays and sounds great.
I’m the guy who likes all
Gretsch guitars that were Made In the USA.
Most certainly I disagree with those people who malign, unfairly I
think, the quality of the Gretsch guitars that were built at the Baldwin plant
in Booneville, Arkansas. The luthiers there were talented and
hardworking and their work shows their pride.
My guitar here is a GRETSCH
7660. It is the former Model 6120 Chet
Atkins NASHVILLE guitar but renamed by Baldwin.
At the end of this listing
you can see more information about the history of Gretsch but also about this
model guitar.
Our terms and conditions of
this sale:
The guarantee
(applicable to sales only.
1. The
guitar is in GOOD cosmetic condition and is as described in this ad. Please
take note of the “belt buckle” wear on the back of the guitar where the finish
has been worn off.
2. The
guitar is in fully operational condition.
3. Buyer
has 48 hrs. to inspect the guitar or have it inspected. Any defects,
damage, misrepresentations or other problems must be reported within that time
period in writing to the Seller.
4. In
the case of damage during shipment, Buyer shall immediately inform seller of
such damage and will maintain all original packing materials and box for
inspection by the transportation company.
5. If
other problems are discovered, Seller will either arrange for repair etc. at a
location near the Buyer or request that the Buyer return the guitar to the
Seller (Seller will reimburse Buyer for cost of shipment of guitar back to
Seller).
6. Seller
will correct indicated problems and ship the guitar back to the Buyer within 7
days of receiving it.
7. In
the event that the guitar cannot be repaired or replaced with a similar item
from Seller’s inventory, the Seller will give the Buyer Credit toward current
or future purchases from inventory of Seller.
8. No
refunds or returns for Buyer Remorse or Buyer Mind Changing.
9. If there are any
undisclosed physical attributes of this guitar that will prevent buyer from
playing it successfully, e.g., neck to wide to be played with arthritic hands,
guitar too heavy to be played due to back, shoulder, etc. problems, then we
will, upon return of the guitar, issue a Credit Memo to Buyer in the amount
paid for the guitar plus the cost of shipment paid by the Buyer against the
future purchase of a guitar from us.
A. INFORMATION ABOUT GRETSCH GUITARS
6120 models
The Gretsch 6120 was an
instant classic from the day it was introduced. To many players, it is the
definitive Gretsch guitar.
At its 1955 introduction, the
6120 cost $385 and sported a wagon¬load of western decorations: cow’s heads and
cactus etchings in the block markers, a big G brand on the top and more. It was
the first in the “Chet Atkins” line of signature Gretsch guitars.
In ‘58, the half-¬moon or
“neo¬classic” markers common to most Gretsches were introduced. The DeArmond
pickups were discontinued in favor of Gretsch’s own “FilterTron” humbuckers.
Chet Atkins is reported to have said the magnets on the DeArmond’s were too
strong, “sucked the tone right out of the guitar”, and Duane Eddy was the only
person he knew who got a good tone out of them.
The fake f-¬hole, thinline,
double cutaway Electrotone body guitar of ‘62 was a completely different beast
than previous 6120s. The price was up to $495, which bought you the all-new
body, complete with a padded back, which conveniently hid the big access hole
in the back. The signpost disappeared after ‘62, but a standby switch and muffler
appeared, so if a guitarist got bored without anything to look at, he could
always twiddle his knobs.
Some confusion exists over
the difference between a Nashville and Chet Atkins 6120. In a nutshell, there
isn’t much. The Nashville name was arbitrarily stuck on the 6120, beginning in
1966. There’s no difference between the guitars. It’s just a name, but it came
in handy when Atkins pulled his endorsement.
Like most Gretsches, 6120s
began changing dramatically after the Baldwin Piano and Organ company took over
Gretsch in ‘67. By ‘70 the 6120 was wearing the squared-off pickguard common to
the Baldwin era. In 1972, the model designation was changed to 7660.
6120 Chet Atkins
Hollowbody/Nashville
Documented years: 1955 to
2009
The 6120 is the classic,
iconic big orange Gretsch. From 1955-1966 it was the 6120 Chet Atkins
Hollowbody, then it picked up the "Nashville" name. In 72, Baldwin
changed the model number to 7660, but that was a relatively short-lived
aberration. When Gretsch came back from the dead in 1989, .
B. GRETSCH HISTORY.
In many ways, the storied
past of Gretsch guitars is a microcosmic reflection of the many twists and
turns of the American guitar industry, from early immigrant success story to
classic American guitars to big corporate buy-out to looking for cheaper labor
to foreign imports, with some of the great names in guitar playing thrown in
for extra spice. And while this 1972 Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville 7660 doesn’t
have every element on that list, it has its share!
Company founder Friedrich
Gretsch was 16 years old when he immigrated from Mannheim, Germany, to
Brooklyn, New York, in 1872. Son of a grocer, he took a job with Albert
Houdlett & Son, a drum and banjo manufacturer. In 1883, he struck out on
his own and started the Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company to make drums,
banjos, tambourines, and other instruments, mainly as a contractor. By the
early 1920s, the company had added guitars to its repertoire, in ’33 it began
marketing instruments under its own name, and in ’39 it began making electric guitars.
Following World War II, the
brand moved forward on its own merit, and within a few years the golden age of
Gretsch began: ’50s rockabilly guitars, two-handed tapping demos by Jimmy
Webster and his White Falcon, endorsements by legendary fingerpicker, Chet
Atkins, the introduction of highly regarded pickups designed by inventor (and
tapper himself) Harry DeArmond (indeed, the DeArmond family claims Webster
learned the technique from Harry; since they were both from Ohio, this could be
true).
The association with Atkins
began circa 1954. He was playing at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and on a network
radio show – he was a star clearly on the rise. It was Webster who spent
considerable effort to convince Gretsch to pay a guitar player to use its
guitars. Eventually, Atkins and Gretsch reached an accord, and the following
year the single-cutaway Gretsch Chet Atkins Hollow Body debuted. The first Chet
Atkins models had single-coil DeArmond pickups, replaced by humbucking Filter
‘Trons in 1958. Other Gretsch Chet Atkins models joined the line, including the
Country Gentleman (1957) and the Tennessean (1958). The original Chet Atkins
Hollow Body lasted until ’61.
Gretsch’s investment in
Atkins essentially made the company’s fortune. The signature models bearing his
name solidified its reputation – even influential guitarists such as Duane Eddy
played Gretsch Chet Atkins guitars!
Guitars were big business in
the 1960s, of course, with maturing post-war babyboomers eating up folk music,
then the British Invasion and everything in its wake (not to mention a lot of
illegal substances!). This seemingly endless demand for guitars inspired a
corporate feeding frenzy as companies as diverse as network television and
merchandise trading stamps stumbled over themselves to get a piece of the
action. CBS purchased Fender in 1965. Seeburg (maker of juke boxes) bought Kay.
King Korn (stamps) bought Westheimer (Teisco). Norlin (international
conglomerate) bought Gibson.
Cincinnati-based Baldwin
Pianos and Organs had competed with CBS for Fender, and settled on the English
guitar company Burns. Baldwin had already moved its manufacturing facilities
from Ohio to Arkansas in order to get cheaper, non-union labor, and imported
Burns guitars were shipped to Baldwin’s Arkansas electronics factory where they
were labeled with the new logo and distributed. The Baldwin Burns guitars met
with limited success in the American market, so Baldwin looked around again and
finally struck a deal for Gretsch in 1967.
The discontinued Chet Atkins
Hollow Body was redesigned and brought back to life in 1967 as a double-cutaway
guitar. In 1970, playing yet another labor card, Baldwin began to shift guitar
production from Brooklyn to a new plant in Booneville, Arkansas, a process
completed by the summer of 1972. With the move, Gretsch began to incorporate a
number of Burns features, most notably the Burns heel “gear box” truss rod
adjustment.
One of the guitars that got
this makeover was the Atkins Hollow Body, which in ’67 was renamed the Chet
Atkins Nashville 6120. In ’72, its model number became 7660. The one shown here
has serial number 8-3200, dating it to August of ’73. The number is stamped
into the back of the head, a practice that ended not long after, in favor of
decals. Except for the use of the Burns gear box, this model is very similar to
its predecessor. It was probably built in Booneville, although some or all of
its components could have been made in Brooklyn and finished in Arkansas.
With a 21/2″ depth, this
guitar is a medium-body hollowbody. The pickups are Filter ‘Trons, though they
have HiLo ‘Tron covers. The electronics are typically Gretsch byzantine. One
knob is a master Volume, while the other two are volume controls for each
pickup. One mini-toggle is a standby offering on/off/on (go figure!?), while
the other is a three-way tone toggle engaging three different capacitors. Like
most Gretsch hollowbodies, this has the internal “sound post” joining the top
and back under the pickups to decrease feedback. The tuners on this one are
replacement Schallers. As long as you’re happy with the switching system, this
is a swell rockabilly guitar.
In ’73, there were two bad
fires at the Booneville factory, and Gretsch really never fully recovered. From
1973 to ’78, Gretsch jobbed out production to former manager Bill Hagner,
pinning much of its hope on a series of bolt-neck flops. In ’78, Baldwin took
over again and the following year bought Kustom from Bud Ross, moving Gretsch
offices to Kansas. By 1980, the decision was made to end Gretsch guitar
production and leftover stock was sold into ’81. In ’85. Fred Gretsch III
purchased the company back and, after some false starts, introduced some
reissue Gretsch classics made in Japan circa 1990. Imported Gretsch guitars
continue to be available. This particular Nashville represents one of the last
of the great American-made Gretsch guitars.
C. THE GRETSCH “BALDWIN” YEARS.
Every once in a while when
exploring the Gretsch world, you’ll run across mention of the “Baldwin era” or the
“Baldwin years.” What does this term refer to?
Generally speaking, people
use it to refer to Gretsch in the 1970s. More specifically, however, it refers
to the period when the Baldwin Piano Company owned Gretsch, which was
substantially longer—from summer 1967 to early 1985.
The Baldwin era is a
much-maligned period in Gretsch history. The term is often used in an
unflattering light to denote generally neglectful Baldwin rule that resulted in
a decline in quality, unpopular new instruments, corporate upheaval and
dwindling sales that ultimately led to Gretsch guitar production being shut
down altogether in 1981.
Gretsch had been a family-run
company ever since Friedrich Gretsch founded it in New York in 1883. But in the
mid 1960s, then-president Fred Gretsch Jr. purportedly found himself with no
heir interested in running the company and decided to sell. Baldwin, riding
high at the time and spurred by its 1965 acquisition of U.K. guitar maker
Burns, sought to acquire an established U.S. guitar maker and duly turned its
attention to Gretsch. The sale was completed on July 31, 1967.
Long successful in building
and marketing pianos and organs, Baldwin seemed to assume that its existing
production and marketing methods would work equally well for guitars. They
didn’t. The company quickly introduced sweeping design changes and in 1970
moved production from Gretsch’s original home in Brooklyn 1,000 miles away to
existing Baldwin facilities in Booneville, Ark. Little if any of this endeared
Baldwin to Gretsch staffers, and, as noted in author Tony Bacon’s 50 Years of
Gretsch Electrics, “very few made the move southwest in September 1970.” As if
all that wasn’t bad enough, not one but two major factory fires in Booneville
in 1973 dealt painful blows to production.
Wider developments in popular
music didn’t exactly help. Big hollow-body guitars had largely fallen from
favor in rock music by the early 1970s, as less delicate solid-body guitars
that produced greater sustain and didn’t feed back ruled the day. Gretsch’s most
popular guitars—darlings of original rock ‘n’ roll and of the British Invasion
only a decade earlier—seemed to vanish from the concert stage and the charts
throughout the 1970s (but you could find a few if you looked). A few stalwarts
hung on, but there was no mistaking a definite decline.
For these and other reasons,
Baldwin never achieved great success with Gretsch guitars throughout the 1970s.