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| This lovely vintage Gretsch 6120 Nashville was made in June '67, right at the end of the period Fred Gretsch ran the company, and just before he sold to the Baldwin company. It's a very original example, with the only modification being the removal of the mute or muffler system (does anyone actually use them?), and replacement of the original 'bar' bridge (with its dubious intonation) with a period aluminium compensated bridge. The guitar was factory fitted with the sealed Grover tuners normally fitted to the top-of-the-range White Falcon, no doubt a special order by the original owner. Standard tuners were open-backed Grover StaTite machines, and some 6120s were also custom-ordered with Van Ghent open-back tuners. 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 in the back. 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 around 1964. 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 nicely play-worn condition, with some thumb wear evident on the back of the neck, but has been very well cared for. 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, although the cap on the heel of the neck is showing some deterioration. The original padded back is present and complete, although the commonly-lost plastic cover which covers the large, oval access hole in the guitar's back has been mislaid over the years. The padded back, while being marketed as a plus at the time, is essentially just a cover for the plastic cover! There is a crack emanating from the outer mounting screw on the original pickguard (once again, check the detail pics), and the standby switch has lost its screw-on lever (easily replaced). Original 6120s are hard to find, and are very highly sought by musicians and collectors alike. This is a particularly nice example, with the orange not as garish as some, and with some nice figuring in the timber showing through. The Gretsch comes with a period plush-lined hard shell case (as there is no badging on the case to identify it as a genuine Gretsch case I will not claim that the case is original, although it does seem likely that the guitar and case have always been together). Sold to buyer in Sydney
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