1962 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120
I bought this one at a pawn shop in Kings Cross, Sydney Australia in early 1990 for a measly AU$750.
Steve Jackson from Jackson's Rare Guitars (now out of business as of 2013) said at the time that it was worth more like $3000. He assumed it must have been stolen (because it was so cheap and it came from a pawn shop) so I had to endure about 10 minutes in his shop watching him do a check on the stolen guitars database, but it did turn out to be all clear. I have no record of the serial number on this one.
At the time I didn't have an amp so I barely played it - just a few times through a friend's Rockman. I let him take it to his band practice once and he said he wasn't impressed, but he was a Strat guy so his opinion didn't count for much.
Not long afterwards I had to move overseas and needed money so I pretty much had to sell it. He got a good bargain but I still made a very good profit on it. Like my Fender Mustang, a really young guy bought it but I really hope he treated it better than the idiot who bought the Mustang.
I kept thinking about this guitar over the years and when I had cash to spare and a good deal came up I got another one in 2008 - 18 years after I sold this one!
I can't remember what the case was like or whether it was original, and I have no photos of it. The strap in the photos looks like a genuine Gretsch one but I don't know for sure. The tuners have probably been changed because they look completely different to the primitive looking ones on my 1964 Gretsch.
