1991 Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman - Sunrise Orange.

The Gibson Country Gentleman is a product of Chet's work with Gibson to improve upon his famed signature model. This guitar takes into account both sonic and functional improvements Chet believed would serve the player. 

Originally part of Gibson's Custom Line, the Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is a semi-hollow, maple bodied archtop known for its versatility, featuring a 25.5" scale, ebony fingerboard with unique offset red block inlays, Gibson humbuckers, gold hardware, Gibson/Schaller "Crank Winder" tuners with tulip keys, and Bigsby vibrato. Chromite center block for reduced feedback, designed for fingerstyle players with its wide-spaced pickups. 

This 1991 Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is in excellent condition overall, the body and neck are very clean with some mild surface scratches and light checking, expected for a thirty+ year old guitar. Includes original “California Girl” OHSC Brown with Pink Interior and Shroud.

Body & Neck:

• Body: Maple laminate (flamed/figured), semi-hollow with Chromite center block.
• Shape: Single cutaway archtop, 17" lower bout.
• Neck: Solid 3-piece Maple, set-in.
• Fingerboard: Ebony, bound, with offset red block inlays.
• Scale Length: 25.5” (longer than typical Gibsons).

Electronics & Hardware:

• Pickups: Two Gibson humbuckers.
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone, Neck Volume, Bridge Volume, 3-way selector.
• Hardware: Gold plated.
• Bridge: Tune-o-matic with inlaid ebony foot.
• Tailpiece: Bigsby vibrato.
• Tuners: Gibson/Schaller "Crank Winder" with tulip keys. 

Design Philosophy:

• Designed with Chet Atkins for easier handling, with a shallower body.
• Wider pickup spacing for fingerstyle playing.
• Aimed at combining hollow-body resonance with solid-body playability, ideal for country, jazz, and rockabilly. 

Cosmetic Condition: Excellent 

Case: Original Gibson California Girl OSHC included.

Chet Atkins began designing guitars with Gibson in the early 1980s, after a period of dissatisfaction with his work as a recording artist and producer at RCA. The partnership aimed to create guitars that met Atkins' specific requirements for technical precision and clear sound. The first Gibson Chet Atkins signature guitar, the CE, a nylon-string classical electric, was introduced in 1982. This model was designed to offer the warm tone of a classical guitar while eliminating feedback issues common with traditional classical guitars when amplified. The SST, a steel-string solid-body acoustic-electric model, was introduced in 1987. This collaboration resulted in several popular models, including the Gibson Chet Atkins CE and SST, which were used by various famous musicians. 

Born Chester Burton Atkins, Chet Atkins, known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music style which expanded its appeal to adult pop music fans. Like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie, Waylon and the boys, Atkins altered the physical characteristics of country music, creating one of its most definable eras. One of the finest guitarists of the past 100 years and a producer with a distinctive vision, Atkins, for better or worse, fused country and pop together in a manner which spread the former into the reaches of America it had previously been unable to break.

It appears the license with Gibson likely ended around 2005-2006, coinciding with the discontinuation of the related guitar models. It's worth noting that the Chet Atkins name reappeared on Gretsch guitars in 2007 after Gretsch was acquired by Fender. 

Used – Excellent

Price: $5,500
+ $200 Shipping