The Chetboard

Ebay has a 1987 Chet Atkins CE for sale with an 1/8" saddle did Gibson make such a pickup for the Chet Atkins line of CE,s ? I've never seen one like it.

I'd say tht it's probably a cheaper Epiphone version. If you can add a link to it, the experts here will take a look and let you know.

Bill B.

That does look like a real Gibson CE, but the bridge has been routed out and a rosewood block with a saddle installed. I can't tell if it's a saddle pickup, or an under saddle pickup, though. At any rate, it's not the original Gibson CE pickup.

I have seen photos of Chet with a Gibson CE that had a narrow saddle and either a Baggs or Fishman pickup. If I remember correctly, he used that guitar in the instructional video he did with John Knowles, or at least there are photos of it in the book that came with the video.

Craig


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-1987-Che ... 3718wt_828

Mine is an 89 and it has the wider saddle with the individual pots for adjusting string volumes. All the model that I've seen from the 80s have had the wider saddle. Sometime during the 90s they switched to a narrow saddle (without sting vol. pots) for a short time... So I would conclude that Craig Dobbins is correct. A perspective buyer should ask if this guitar has a functioning circuit board with the individual pots... If it doesn't, then it just isn't a typical Gibson CE... IMHO.

I find it odd that Chet's name is either painted over or missing from this guitar.

Looks like a guitar with a lot of experience.

I had a 1982 solid CE with the wide saddle and the 1993 Studio CEC I got off ebay last year has the same one. So I didn't think the 1987 had the 1/8 " saddle from Gibson as original. I've heard they had problem's with the wider model, but the two I've owned worked fine. You can't learn if You don't ask question's. Thank's for the input.