Black Gold: The Story of a Truly One-of-a-Kind 6120 that Gretsch Built for Chet Atkins in 1956
Although the electric guitar has existed in various forms since the Thirties, it didn't become a truly popular, successful instrument until the mid Fifties, nearly two decades after its introduction. Leo Fender's mass-produced, affordable solidbody electrics played an important role in this development, but the contributions of guitarists like Les Paul and Chet Atkins, who showcased the electric guitar's creative potential in their recordings and provided manufacturers with valuable, practical feedback about instrument design from a player's perspective, also helped the electric guitar gain momentum and acceptance.
When Chet Atkins started endorsing Gretsch guitars in 1954, he significantly boosted the company's reputation and guitar sales. However, the first Gretsch models bearing his name—the 6120 Chet Atkins hollowbody and the 6121 Chet Atkins solidbody, which Gretsch started shipping in 1955—were designed with only minimal input from him.
"I suggested the metal nut and metal bridge because I wanted more sustain," Atkins recalled in his book Chet Atkins—Me and My Guitars. "Jimmie Webster came up with the bright orange color. The big 'G' brand on the upper bout, the steer horns on the headstock, the Western-style engravings in the pearl inlays—none of that was my idea. I didn't like it, but I was too flattered and happy about the endorsement deal to say anything negative at that point."
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