Making its debut in 1958 as the top-of-the-line Chet Akins signature model, the Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman was among the most expensive guitars in Grestsch’s catalogue, surpassed only by the White Falcon. By Chet’s estimation the Country Gentleman made several improvements over his signature 6120 model, including a thinline body and closed F-holes for greater feedback resistance. The Country Gentlemen was produced in relatively small numbers until its redesign as a double-cutaway guitar in 1962, making the single cutaway variant a particularly rare instrument.

This 1960 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman was clearly treated quite well over the past 65 years. The guitar’s finish is remarkably clean, with a few minor chips and dents the only signs of its age. There is a localized finish touch up at the heel cap but no evidence that the neck has ever been removed from the body or damaged (we’re guessing that the heelcap fell off and was glued back on). The guitar remains in almost entirely original condition. The G string tuner is a period-correct replacement, and a Merle Travis style stationary bracket and Chet Atkins arm are fitted to the guitar’s original Bigsby tailpiece. We are not sure when this modification was done, but the replaced arm is clearly quite old. The guitar is otherwise completely original and unmodified apart from a replaced zero-fret installed here at Folkway Music while the guitar was getting set-up.

Sporting a pair of remarkably great sounding extra hot Patent Number Filter’Tron humbucking pickups, this Country Gent delivers incredibly rich and full bodied tones with excellent touch sensitivity and classic Gretsch sparkle. It’s among the finest-sounding Filter’Tron equipped Gretsch guitars to pass through our shop in some time.

C-shaped neck with 1-11/16” nut and first fret depth of .770” (.803 at the second fret). Neck depth at the 12th fret measures a full-feeling .960”. Scale length measures 24.6”. The pickups measure 5.7 (N) and 5.8 (B). 8.0 lbs.

The guitar’s original frets play better than most 50s Gretsch frets and show very little playwear. The neck angle remains good, and the guitar’s action is set to 4-5 64ths with 11-49 string. The pickups are nicely balanced, and the Bigsby feels fabulous.

With original hardshell case.

1960 Gretsch 6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman vintage electric guitar

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A wonderful example of a player-friendly “Pre-CBS” instrument, this early 1964 Fender Telecaster is an entirely original guitar, apart from a tasteful body-only refinish by Toronto’s Alistair Miller.

Equipped with a pair of particularly great sounding original pickups, this Telecaster offers a wonderfully rich and full-bodied voice with excellent articulation and dynamics in the bridge position, and a warm and airy response in the neck that’s brimming with harmonic content. The “dark cap” has been removed and the wiring changed to the modern Telecaster configuration allowing for both pickups to be engaged when the selector switch is in the middle position.

While this Telecaster was completed in 1964, the neck is dated October of 1963 and boasts a truly heavenly carve with a first fret depth of 0.81″ and a full taper to 0.97″ at the twelfth. The neck has aged beautifully, giving the guitar the perfectly worn-in feel that can only be found in a vintage instrument. A recent refret elevates the playing experience further, giving the instrument flawless performance across the fingerboard.

The guitar weighs a scant 6lbs 13oz lbs. 25-1/2″ scale length. 1-5/8″ nut width. Pickup D values of 6.4k (bridge) and 7.2K (neck). Pots are dated the 26th week of 1964 (204 6426).

With original blond tolex Fender case.

Vintage 1964 Fender Telecaster electric guitar

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1965 Gibson EB-2
Making its debut at the 1958 summer NAMM show, Gibson’s EB-2 was the company’s bass guitar counterpart to the newly launched Thinline Double Cutaway guitars (ES-335 etc). The first variant of the EB-2 was produced between 1958 and 1962, with a second appearing in 1964 after a brief hiatus. These second variant EB-2 differed only slightly from the older models, with smaller cutaway horns as opposed to the “Mickey Mouse ears” of the late ’50s and early ’60s; a nickel or chrome plated pickup cover in place of black plastic and nickel or chrome plated right-angle tuners in place of banjo-style tuners. The mid 1960s brought huge success for the model; however, sales began to slump rapidly later in the decade, resulting in the EB-2 being discontinued in the early 1970s.

A beautiful example of an early second variant EB-2, this ’64 spec bass features a full 1-11/16″ nutwidth and a combination of nickel and chrome hardware. This 1965 Gibson EB-2 bass boasts a stunning and remarkably clean Cherry Red finish with minimal playwear. The original frets are in excellent shape with no significant wear. The overall condition of this instrument suggests that it has seen relatively little use over the last six decades. One of the four tuning machines differs from the other three in that it is a non-reverse chrome machine head. As this bass was built in an era where Gibson was transitioning to non-reverse chrome tuners, it is very likely that this part is original to the instrument; there is no evidence of otherwise.

The original humbucker offers a powerful, dark, and rich voice, with the baritone switch delivering increased clarity and articulation from the pickup when engaged. The instrument’s excellent sonic characteristics are complimented by a full and round neck profile that is wonderfully comfortable, making the instrument an absolute joy to play.

This original pickup is currently measuring 181 kOhm instead of the roughly 30k that we would expect. It currently sounds incredible and is functioning properly so we’re not particularly concerned by this measurement.

Scale length of 30.5″. 1st first fret depth of 0.907″, 12th fret depth of 0.985″. Weight of 8lbs 15oz.

With original hardshell case

1965 Gibson EB-2 vintage bass guitar
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The Firebird VII was the flagship model of Gibson’s then-new line of Firebird guitars upon its introduction in 1963. The guitar boasted three of the newly designed mini-humbucker pickups, a Lyre Vibrola and ABR-1 bridge, gold plated hardware, and an ebony fingerboard with block inlays.

Built in Gibson’s Nashville plant in 2006, this Firebird VII is an excellent tribute to the original “reverse” models produced between 1963 and 1965. The Polaris White finish has already begun to age and darken and the gold-plated hardware against the off-white finish looks spectacular. It’s a particularly handsome instrument.

The three mini-humbucker pickups offer rich, clear tones, with the switching allowing for a wide array of tonal capabilities. The wiring harness on this guitar has been modified slightly to offer individual volume control for each pickup and a single master tone knob, which allows a player to blend all three pickups together in any configuration. While not historically accurate, this easily reversible modification makes the guitar much more versatile than it would otherwise be. In its current state, the treble tone knob functions as a volume for the middle pickup, and the bass tone knob is a master tone.

With a first fret depth of 0.81″, 0.86″ depth at the twelfth, and the standard 1-11/16″ nut width, the neck has a fast and comfortable profile that measures up similarly to Gibson’s 1963 carve. The guitar weighs just under 8-3/4 lbs, which is quite respectable, given all the extra hardware a Firebird VII has.

The guitar shows normal playwear for an instrument that is nearly two decades old. The original frets show some wear but still have plenty of life left, and the guitar is set up nicely with 4-5 64ths action at the 12th fret. There is a small, repaired seam separation between the bass-side wing and the centre of the body at the lower bout that poses no concern to us.

With original hardshell case.

2006 Gibson Firebird VII electric guitar

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The Gibson Tal Farlow Artist model was a short-lived 17” electric archtop that featured a distinctive faux-scroll venetian cut-away and unique pickguard. Tal Farlow was a well-respected jazz guitarist whose fame peaked in the 1950s, a few years prior to Gibson’s release of his signature model in 1962. However, Farlow wasn’t performing much through the 1960s, which is likely one of the reasons the Tal Farlow model’s sales didn’t live up to expectations. The model was discontinued in 1967, with a total production of just 215 instruments.

A fine example of a Gibson Tal Farlow model and previously part of the Joe Bonamassa collection, this guitar remains in very good condition and is completely original apart from a professional refret and nicely made replacement nut. The Viceroy Brown finish is wonderfully preserved throughout the body, with light finish crazing and only a few minor chips and dents. The neck shows ample playwear, with the finish mostly worn away between the 2nd and 9th frets. With a neck constructed of laminated maple, the worn-in feel is akin to the smooth and fast feel of a well-played vintage Fender neck.

The original unmodified Patent Number pickups are a remarkably great sounding pair of humbuckers. In the bridge position this guitar offers a rich voice with excellent clarity and note separation. The neck pickup delivers a warm response with airy overtones. The pickups are perfectly balanced with one another, offering the ideal tonal variation from treble to bass.

With a lean neck carve and new frets that play perfectly across the fingerboard, this Tal Farlow offers a fast feel that is incredibly enjoyable. Weighing a comfortable 7lbs 7oz, this guitar can be gigged for hours on end without any discomfort.

Scale length of 25.5″, 1-9/16″ nut with, first fret depth of 0.810″, twelfth fret depth of 0.939″. Pickup DC values of 7.8k (neck) and 7.7k (bridge).

With original hardshell case.

1967 Gibson Tal Farlow vintage electric guitar

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