An 80s Single-Cut ES-335 Prototype?!? | Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean Prototype Review

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🐕 Episode Guide:
0:00 - Intro - Check Links in the Description
0:20 - About Chet Atkins
0:55 - Opening
2:06 - Overview of Atkins Models
3:30 - The Gretsch Version
5:43 - The Prototype
6:24 - Differences
8:10 - How I Got This Guitar
10:46 - Inside Look / Specs
33:33 - Playing Demo by Michael Weber
35:57 - Tone Demo (Clean)
38:25 - Tone Demo (Dirty)
39:49 - Final Thoughts
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[@RevGerryRM]

I LOVE the ORANGE! I may be talked into Gibson, as long as it is orange❣

[@modergav]

Chet atkins was great BUT Roy Clark SHREDDING while doing comedy bits was legendary

[@jerodjmoore]

Absolutely

[@pfg_pedals]

Roy Clark was funny, but Richard Pryor was HILARIOUS.

[@areyoujelton]

I mean it’s two totally different things... so... ?

[@areyoujelton]

Your point?

[@modergav]

@@areyoujelton i have no point. Why should i? I'm just a guy on the interwebs

[@upload2352]

Austin missed the scale measurement. In addition to the wider 1.75" nut, this model's got the "full" 25.5" scale not typically found on a Gibson semi-hollow.

[@hkguitar1984]

I've often thought to myself, if I could have the ability to play like any other guitarist Chet Atkins would be my first choice. I've been a Practicing Guitarist since 1974 and I'm still totally amazed when I watch or listen to Mr. Atkins play.

[@MikeE-]

I feel like the prototype belongs in your museum

[@rosbyduhart5884]

I like the one without the Bixby. I love the master volume set up. I have a 335 with split pickups ....master volume would be a plus.

[@monmixer]

Chet was also the Gate Keeper at RCA Nashville. His blessing a the gate to the big stage and massive record sales.

[@lazyboyrider4607]

Excellent reviews! Really enjoy how you always go in depth on the builds and give us history where you can.

[@jjdillon2007]

Great episode Austin. I know you put a lot of time in producing this. It was great to have both a prototype and regular production run model, for side by side comparison. 👍

[@drivemytrain]

Wow!! OK, so it was all about the Gibson Tennessean, but to see a pic of the Gretsch 6119 made my 72 year-old heart sing! I have a 1963 Tenny...with painted-on f-holes and Hi-lo tron pups. She's a bit long in the tooth but well loved. We have nothing like your show here in the UK..it kept me going through the COVID lockdown. Keep up the good work.

[@thomasriley2307]

Also, Gretsch 6119 is a thin (not big) hollow body. Switches include: 1st switch- pick up selector 2nd switch- tone switch (low pass, open, high pass) 3rd switch- standby and one master volume and one volume for each pickup - no tone switch

[@stevem.1853]

Chet was doing wah-wah type effects with the master tone and a steel guitar tone pedal in the late 1950s

[@sunburstmike8745]

Awesome video, guy! I've owned this guitar since 1991 (1st iteration). I bought it along with the Country Gent of the same line. My Tenn. is the orange also (best orange outside of 6120s) and the CG was wine red. The CG had those cool little pull-out handles on each tuning button to aid in winding ... cool and unnecessary at same time. I've since sold the CG ... don't regret it although it was a beautiful looker and player, but man alive, it was THE HEAVIEST electric I've EVER picked up! Playing on stage was back breaking. I believe the Gent.'s center block was of a synthetic wood product ... it certainly was heavier than my Tenn. The Tennessean was akin to a Les Paul although the wider body of Tenn sort of spreads out the weight and balances it. Way more comfortable than a Paul. You are correct in that this guitar is basically a 300 series Gibson (335,345, etc) and no relation sonically to Gretsch. Chet went in to Gibson with his name pulled from the flagging Gretsch co. and started from ground up. He played the C. Gent version a good deal in the 90's. I now own a Gretsch 1959 Chet Atkins Country Gent reissue (one cutaway) made in Japan and after 45yrs playing and owning many vintage/new Fenders, Gibson, Gretsch I can now say I have the BEST looking and playing guitar ever. It's not EXACTLY the same as an original sonically, but close enough for rock n roll. But hands down its build quality/beauty puts even the old Brooklyn Gretsches to shame! It's one of those axes that if you don't play it purposely you wind up just looking at it and polishing it with a cloth diaper! As for the '91 Tenn. it is a fantastic guitar. The pickups are special to the line so I believe they are a bit different than the Pauls'. As a side note, I'm Tele guy so I think the best modern Gibson pickups are the P-100s in my ES-135. They are smack in the middle of single coils (Fender, Gretsch) and Gibson humbuckers. The Tennessean's ebony board is second to none. In fact, that's the whole deal of this guitar ... you CAN"T find a better built guitar. Its price at the time was not out of this world because this was the custom/heritage shop era and so that's where they soaked the rich lawyers and dentists! And its sound is exactly what you'd expect if you don't expect to sound like a 6122 or even a 335. It has its own voice however subtle. I came to your site because I found that a Glarry Tele will be perfect for my son to start his guitar journey with but I wanted to hear a knowledgeable person talk about. Hence, I now subscribe, thanks! Then, I was roaming around Reverb and Guitar Center sites and found out my '91 Gibson Tenn. is now worth over 2.5X what I paid for it! Thank goodness I quickly watched your cool video about it and its prototype. I then went downstairs and apologized to my orange beauty and told her I would never ever think about cutting her loose ... until price climbs to 4X at least. I think you missed that the upper shoulder was a bit wider (exaggerated) than the production model. Not very pretty anyway.

[@jimmyjames2022]

Thanks for the awesome and unique comparison of this cool Tennessean model and it's prototype. I'd rock that orange for sure. Hats off to Chet for all his work, and Gibson for this model.

[@megaterius]

Hey Trogly! I had a 1990 without the plastic armrest in walnut color, mine also had the “made in Japan” hardware. I’ve always had the impression that the body was bigger than a regular 335... I loved the wider fretboard but the overall sound wasn’t that special. The pickups were totally lifeless, the worst I’ve ever had in a Gibson, probably because of the additional wiring, who knows... Keep on rocking Trogly!

[@ralphwest8156]

Love them both ' you have something special with the prototype, they both sound fantastic ' this is a great in-depth historic documentation. Best quote of this episode - "Chet Atkins is the Slash of Gretsch' ...great endoscope footage it really is like venturing into the catacombs of tone'. IMO Mark overplays on his demos, probably needs to have less coffee brforehand.

[@chrislathwell3653]

Amazing vid as always trogly!! I appreciate this vid as I’m a massive gretsch fan! One tip for quick string changed for bigsbys is to hold the string ball end down by placing a rubber (for pencils) underneath the bigsby and string ball end

[@doughnut3639]

Another great episode. Really enjoyed the playing demos! I guess it’s a good thing I’m so late finding your channel, plenty of content to catch up on!

[@davegallagher7428]

Both guitars are awesome IMO, but if I had to choose one over the other it would be the prototype. That flamed neck alone would make it worth restoring. Great video Trogly!

[@enricopallazzo8510]

I love those guitars. Austin, you made a mistake. The old 60s Gretsch Tennessean (G6119) had Hilotron, which are single coil pickups, not Filtertron (which are humbuckers).

[@guyroger4131]

Start your own channel.

[@seabhac1000]

Wow! Great to see the prototype! This episode got me remembering that whole Early to mid 90s Gibsons. The Nighthawk came to mind. To me it was a blasphemous mini version of the Les Paul. Have you ever reviewed the Nighthawk model? Thanks for your awesome videos!

[@simonpark843]

Excellent video! It's rare to be able to make this kind of direct comparison - well done.

[@l00t3R]

I love hearing Tommy Emanuel talking about chet atkins. He started playing guitar because of his playing style. And he got to play together with him near the end of chets life. Is really amazing to watch them together. Also chet playing together with les Paul is cool. Awesome review matey. 😊

[@jonahhumfleet472]

Mr Atkins was an absolute legend

[@scottbogfoot]

25:30 pickgaurds that need to be painted or lettered are usually done from the back so you can't scratch it off.

[@starvingfilmcritic]

I'd want to take a look in person, but it looks to me like the Prototype's twelfth fret had a double dot inlay initially, not a single dot. Some of the light made it look like there was a plug right next to the top dot. So everything was squished over to one side, but then it was changed to a more traditional twelfth fret layout. I wonder if Chet/Gibson was trying to get close to the offset look of the Gretsch Neo-classical thumbnail fret markers without getting into trouble.

[@Jester-Riddle]

This is covered by Trogly specifically later in the vid ...

[@charlesbranch4120]

I caught that, too at 7:34.

[@nahnope8581]

@@Jester-Riddle he doesn't mention the other plugged hole

[@bustalick335]

Great episode dude pls do one of Chet Atkins solid Nylon or steel acoustics always wanted but had to settle for the Epiphone version

[@Djarra]

Zach Wylde had one of those with the 'Vertigo' patten over the orange, which actually looked cool.

[@ryangalloway2118]

Hollowbody only, and you have to have a bigsby. Gtresch it the way to go.

[@brianfurry9542]

Love it!! Poison Ivy of The Cramps. Awesome guitar. Thanks for the share Trogly

[@jubei7259]

I was hoping someone might mention Ivy. A little chick with a big guitar & a bigger sound. A true rock legend. I saw the Cramps over here in the UK back in the 80's, when I was in my early teens. They were one of the first bands I ever saw live & they were fantastic!

[@zoeherriot]

Some the early 90's models of the Gibson country gentlemen come with LED fret markers, which is not a spec I see often.

[@zuperdee]

2:50 - While electric nylon string guitars were certainly one reason that Chet moved to Gibson, there was another, far BIGGER reason, too: Fred Gretsch Jr. had sold Gretsch to Baldwin in 1967, and Baldwin-Gretsch consequently saw an era of malaise from the late 1960’s to the early 1980’s, much like CBS-Fender and Norlin-Gibson did. By the early 1980’s, Gretsch was truly in shambles-they had shut down the Gretsch factory in New York in 1970 to relocate it to Arkansas, and in 1973, they had not just one, but TWO fires at their Arkansas plant that dealt a major setback to production. By 1981, Baldwin completely shuttered Gretsch’s factory, leaving them without any manufacturing facilities whatsoever. THAT is probably the biggest reason that Chet moved to Gibson, and from what I’ve read, although publicly, he stayed true to them, privately, he apparently told close friends that he was not terribly happy with Gibson, because he never really bonded with the Gibson models the way he did the Gretsch ones. I have to agree: The Gibson Chet Atkins models were simply NOT as elegant as the Gretsch ones. You can see it in the finish and in the shape, in particular. That square-looking upper bout just looks UGLY to me, and the under-wound Gibson humbuckers are still nothing like Filtertrons!

[@randyheath8566]

First one. Austin in the House 🏠

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Michael was having fun jamming on these. Excellent video

[@laughingdaffodils5450]

Cool video, interesting guitar. Holding out for a nylon SST though.

[@TheFloridaSam]

I had a 1994 Gibson Country Gentleman with the flip out tuners etc al. It was really cool, Walnut brown, neo classical inlays. It was very rare at the time, I canr imagine many were made. It sat at a Sam Ash for a LONG time until I took it home in 1998.

[@marcraygun6290]

I had an 89 gibson country gentle, was beautiful , traded it for 62 jazzmaster, miss it though

[@alfsmith4936]

The Gretsch Tennessean was thinline too. You should buy a few.

[@johndaugherty4127]

Is your channel named after the song? I was 10 when it came out. We kids LOVED it!

[@koDaffi]

Chet played for Hank Williams Sr on Grand Ole Opry and as studio musician on his last recordings as well.

[@duanewelsh5611]

Nice episode Austin. Both wonderful guitars. Too bad the prototype wasn't better cared for. Love watching Chet and Jerry Reed playing together!

[@salohcin0083]

Yes 300% yes. Dynamite duo

[@christopherweise438]

As a Wisconsin resident less than 2 hours away.....i can vouch for how awesome Dave's Guitar Shop in La Crosse, WI is. Get there if you can.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

Loved the show. They both sounded good. The production with the mahogany block made a tighter sound. It would be the better guitar for a contemporary Rock thing where a dirt is sound is commonplace

[@x0vid0x]

Looks like there were two dots side by side at the12th fret, the second was filled in and moved to it's current location. Fill visible at 7:33

[@Jester-Riddle]

Did you watch all the way to the end ???

[@scottlong4278]

One of your best episodes Austin! Thank you😊

[@EdMurphy13]

at 7:33 you can see that the moved the dot on the 12th fret. it was a double dot on with both on the topside it looks like and then moved one dot to a more traditional spot.

[@andresilva8444]

Traditionally in jazz guitars the bridge lines up with the pointy middles of the f-holes. Weird it took you so long to realise they were completely different neck joints.

[@samwilson2926]

Did you measure the scale length and the overall length of the guitar? With the bridge and the neck joint moved up like that then either the guitar must be longer or the scale must be shorter.

[@ClarkW60]

I really like the prototype / production comparison.

[@joeykelly5642]

This was a cool video to see, as a huge Gretsch fan. Not the prettiest guitars I’ve seen, but there’s some really cool history behind them!

[@michaelhall736]

Chet Atkins always has the coolest hollowbody guitars.

[@LeftyPem]

Miles from Fastball played one of these in the video for “The Way”.

[@jerodjmoore]

Hello trogly

[@kbowen2251]

The f holes should "traditionally" be placed so the widest points line up with the bridge on the guitar. That's how classical designs are laid out.

[@IIllIIllIl]

The scalloped fretboard look is vaguely reminiscent of someone trying to roll the fretboard edges themselves using a screwdriver or socket, cool guitars 👀👀

[@skullheadwater9839]

you may be able to take a small paintbrush an lacquer thinner and stabilize the flaking lacquer on the edge of the fretboard. I restore vintage wooden radios and i will do this rather than sanding off and re painting because you end up taking the patina away and will sometimes make it where even if you touch up the stain you can see the repair. I even have a 1959 hammond organ which the lacquer turned to alligator skin texture. The method above and a lot of time with an over coat of stain lacquer and it now looks like an old but well kept organ because the patina is perfect. It never looks the same if you strip ,sand , re-stain and re lacquer.

[@sassycat]

I'm not seeing them listed on your website. Have they already sold?

[@leomilani_gtr]

Trogly, you should review an ES-137! They're so cool and I rarely see one of those!

[@dananthony6258]

Chet and Les where the first guitar hero’s. Love this guitar.

[@musicauthority703]

I've seen Les Paul and Chet Atkins playing together, it's a mastery of guitar playing no doubt.

[@vincentrandles8105]

Is there any reason why they don't just put the pods on the maple cap first? I mean - seems easier than going through a small opening (like the F-hole) to do that operation. Thanks for the content Austin!

[@leandrobarduzzi2569]

If these have the same Country Gentleman’s electronics it comes with 300k pots, I changed it in my CG to 500k and the sound just opened a lot, before it was kind of dull. I hate 490 pups so I changed the bridge to a seth lover, but the neck 492 is amazing for finger picking so it’s still there. The band Cake used the tennessean a lot at least in their first record, so is a good way to know how it sounds.

[@comedyandgardeninginflorid2562]

Great job as usual

[@Giitzerland]

85' to 87' Schaller made parts in Japan, then moved to the US, there was a surplus of parts, so you can find those Japanese parts for a little while afterwards.

[@anontube1301]

That Gretsch Tennessean had Hi-LoTrons, not Filtertrons. By the time he left Gretsch the company was on its last legs. Until Fred revived it ten years later of course.

[@musicauthority703]

The prototype would be more appealing to me because it would be more obscure. Michael Weber is a fantastic guitarist even though he has a serious case of guitar face. stretch cords, unfortunately I have trouble with them because of the configuration of hands. I have very large hands with large palms and short stubby fingers. I know people who can cover five frets, I would have to break my fingers to do that. it's a limitation that I just have to deal with.

[@geraldmeyeres5300]

One of my favorite guitars. Played one for years. Nothing quite like it.

[@joshuataft5541]

The one with the bigsby was better sounding..to my ear today on my phone lol...good vid brother

[@Yellow.Dog.]

Why are the comments repeating? Nice video!!

[@thehandseesall]

I like that (the pickguard one).

[@stevengood6434]

You should demo the Sire Larry Carlton H7. Compare it to the Epiphone 335 and Gibson 335

[@ccfmafia3301]

Love the banjo arm rest

[@BushidoPhoto]

The pickups on that 6119 Gretsch Tennessean are Hi-Lo Tron pickups, which are single coils. Not filtertrons, which are humbuckers. The 6119 is about as thin as the Gibson version as well.

[@anthonyhunt701]

The prototype has greater upper fret access according to where it joins the body it seems! ( a-ha! You found it!)…

[@brentbeltz8968]

Great episode.

[@dananthony6258]

Now you just spoiling us. I love this stuff.

[@ClarkW60]

On that double-dot that doesn’t line up, there’s a faint circle between the B & G strings. What’s up with that? Is it a plug?

[@nofriendtojesus]

Owned both and the gretsch is much better. Gretsch’s are very nice guitars.

[@user-mr1ku5iz8l]

Once you try the Gretsch master volume wiring you want it on all your guitars. It's so convenient and just makes sense.

[@glaucosouza1971]

Great one Trogly! Just great!!

[@LotharOfTheHillPeople]

So weird seeing the cutaway shape change too! What's up with the extra circle by the 12th fret marker?

[@thomasmoore1003]

Had a double dot close together and changed it to what you normally see. Wasn't done to well though

[@Livelaughlimpbizkit]

These 1990 and onward Gibson nitro finishes are almost like poly

[@bobschellekens3061]

7:33 you can see there were 2 dots originally but they were closer together. They filled the old hole up. The replacement one was poorly placed in my opinion.🥴

[@_drewplays]

7:38 anyone else notice what looks like a filled in inlay as well right underneath that top dot?

[@hkguitar1984]

Yes, he does address that in the video.

[@_drewplays]

@@hkguitar1984 yeah I figured he would, I just liked commenting on it in real time hahah.

[@andrewfrancis3591]

Austin do you think the neck and fretboard have been off the proto?

[@GrumpyOldGit60]

The Gretsch Tennessean has Hi-LoTron pickups...

[@dougreed9843]

The prototype really got it for me personally it's tones are so unique sounding a little rough too.. I do love the comparison serious the protype is awesome.

[@ed4008]

Cool guitars, I love Chet Atkins. The prototype sounded a lot better than the production guitar imo. The pickups were much brighter and clearer. The production guitar sounded a bit muddy.

[@jono4708]

When I started playing in the early sixties I shopped a gretch Tennessee for 200 bucks , no bigsby, at Sam Ash on 48th Street in New York. Cross the street from Manny's beautiful guitar A month's wages for the average working schmo. Min wage: $1.15. rock on good people

[@lucky-rowe2623]

I know this isn't a $20K+ guitar but I have inherited a late 1990's Silvertone SSAN450 thinline hollowbody electric guitar that was made in Korea by Samick and I can't find any info on it. Can anyone give any info on this? It looks a lot like these guitars.

[@donaldhanson2908]

It appears the prototype has a heavily oxidized varnish. Which makes sense if it was on display a long time.

[@scottbogfoot]

I never knew that the cce, sst,ect. Were a associated with Chet Atkins.

[@barrygoins6900]

Like the production one

[@Greg-vd5om]

Trogly's in the HOUSE!!!

[@BoomTexan]

HOW DOES HE ALWAYS BEAT ME HERE I CAME HERE 19 SECONDS AFTER THE VIDEO WAS RELEASED

[@grumpchumps8895]

Greg

[@dommadonia9207]

🥇

[@hkguitar1984]

@@BoomTexan It has to be the dumb internet and servers. The other day I had my iPad running as well as my Windows based desk top machine, Trogly's video posted on my iPad a full 5 minutes before my desk top machine would show it. I even went to his home KZbin page and refreshed it and still the video wasn't showing. Meanwhile I was running it on the iPad with no issues. When it finally did load on my desktop it indicated the video was posted 1 minute prior yet I was already 3 or 4 minutes into watching the video on my iPad! Technology, it will be Mankind's downfall.

[@dana.9377]

Chet Atkins is my hero

[@otisdriftwood3829]

I have listed after the Chet Atkins thin line acoustic Gibson ever since I played one at a local guitar shop as a child. They are super comfortable and the unplugged sound is passable for picking around the house. To be fair I still haven't tried out Fender's acoustasonic line (which considering it has 30 years of tech improvements might be far superior), but I still want the Chet.

[@normalwhiteguy1555]

Awesome guitar

[@jda4879]

Now do the Johnny Smith Gibsons

[@hkguitar1984]

Would love to see him review one of the fancy Johnny Smith Signature Models.

[@jda4879]

@@hkguitar1984 how about it I grew up in Colorado springs where Johnny Smith owned a music store my grandfather was good friends with him I spent a lot of time at Johnny Smith house listening to him play....before my grandfather passed away Johnny Smith came over to my grandfather house and played for him right in his living room

[@roymartin500]

Good hard rock tones Trogs!

[@Wargasm644]

I put 12-56 strings on my Chet Atkins Gibson. I also tuned it to Drop B. It’s a Country Djentleman

[@Forest_Fifer]

Oh dear 😄

[@hkguitar1984]

#16 Dang, Mr. Weber is killing with that Prototype, excellent.

[@dommadonia9207]

🥉