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| This lovely vintage Gretsch 6120 Nashville was made in early '64, right at the height of the period Fred Gretsch ran the company, and just before the horseshoe inlay was deleted from the headstock in favour of the metal plate. It's a very original example, with no modifications or repairs at all. It retains its original 'bar' bridge, and is quite unique in that it sports factory-fitted high-quality open-back Van Ghent tuners, which would have been ordered as an option by the first owner. Standard tuners were open-backed Grover StaTite machines (while a '67 6120 we sold recently was factory-fitted with the sealed Grovers fitted to the top-end Gretsch models such as the White Falcon). The painted-on f-hole, thinline, double cutaway Electrotone body guitar of the '62 - '67 models was a completely different guitar to previous 6120s. It came complete with a padded back, which conveniently hid the big access hole. Some confusion exists over the difference between a Chet Atkins Nashville 6120 and the earlier Chet Atkins Hollowbody 6120. In a nutshell, there isn't any difference! The Nashville name simply started to be used from early 1964, and this is one of those 'crossover' guitars with the horseshoe headstock and Nashville pickguard. The Filter'Tron pickups are fantastic, and are what give the highly recognisable Gretsch tone. As with any vintage Gretsch I have played, the neck is beautifully slick to play. The original frets still have plenty of life left in them. The guitar is in unbelievable condition, and has obviously been very well cared for. a small (approx 1cm) scratch on the back and some minor age checking or crazing of the finish on the front (barely visible) are about the only faults you will find on this awesome example. Neck is gunbarrel straight, the Ebony fretboard is a pure delight to play, and the original frets have heaps of life left in them. Check out the 'more pictures' link below to see the close-up pictures. The guitar is remarkably free of the 'binding rot' that so commonly affects the celluloid binding on these vintage Gretsches. The original padded back is present and complete, as is the commonly-lost plastic cover which covers the large, oval access hole in the guitar's back (the padded back, while being marketed as a plus at the time, is essentially just a cover for the plastic cover!). Original 6120s are hard to find, and are very highly sought by musicians and collectors alike. This is an exceptionally nice example, with the orange not as faded as most, and with all its controls working perfectly. The fully-operational mute has just had its pad replaced by the previous owner. The guitar has had just two owners over the years, and comes with the original high-quality hard shell case in which it was purchased by the first owner. The case is also in astounding condition. Interestingly, the case is slightly oversize, being for a 17-inch model (White Falcon or Country Gent), but the subsequent (and last) owner informs me the first owner advised him this was the only case available at the time he purchased the instrument! Serial number is 78800. Sold to Wayne in New Zealand
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