1964 Gretsch 6119 Chet Atkins Tennessean Walnut

Summary: One of the coolest and most-beloved guitar models we see coming through the shop is the classic Gretsch Tennessean model. This model is arguably most famous for being the guitar George Harrison of the Beatles played in the film “Help!” as well as countless live performances. It sports a hollow laminated maple single cutaway body with a gorgeously thin brown walnut nitrocellulose finish and painted F-“holes” as well as a stock “Gretsch-branded” Bisgby vibrato system. This one is in excellent vintage condition with a pro re-fret, tone and playability. It even ships in its original grey Gretsch hard-shell case.

Body: Semi hollow maple body with burgundy finish, painted on f “holes” to cut down on feedback and 2 ply white/black binding on the front.

Neck: Excellent feeling 3 piece maple neck with bound rosewood fingerboard, thumbprint inlays, zero fret, pro re-fret, 24 ½” scale length and 1 11/16” nut width.

Pickups/Hardware: 2 original “Hi-Lo Tron” pickups, 3 way selector switch, 3 way tone selector, standby switch, 2 individual volumes and a master volume. Original Bigsby vibrato unit, bar bridge, G arrow knobs and 6 open gear tuning machines.

Cosmetics: There’s plenty of finish checking and a few small dents around the edges but overall it is a very clean vintage guitar. The back has a little buckle rash but it does not go below the finish. The binding on the body has the typical Gretsch binding rot, but it is not bad enough to warrant immediate re-binding. The binding is cracked in a couple of spots, one by the tailpiece, on the neck by the first fret side dot, and on the treble side by the 19th fret. The finish is worn off a bit under the binding on the neck and one small spot by the 10th fret on the back of the neck. Overall this Gretsch is in great shape considering its age.

Playability: We set this vintage Gretsch up with a new set of 10’s and it sounds great & feels well-worn & comfortable all the way up & down the neck. The re-fret was very well done and the guitar likely plays better than it ever has thanks to the new frets and a pro setup by our in house guitar tech.

Modifications: It has had a professional re-fret.

Weight: 7 lbs, 2 oz.

Case: Original hard-shell Gretsch silver case with nice interior. We will box it up professionally & ship it fully insured.