The Chetboard

I know Chet recorded most all of his electric guitar recordings with the 59' Gretsch until the late 70's early 80's. After leaving Gretsch, and after Gibson (along with Chet's input) developed the Gibson CG, did he record most of his electric guitar recordings with a Gibson CG? I know there were more nylon string recordings in Chet's later years, but he still used an electric to some degree.

I know he used the D'Angellico on Big Foot (maybe other songs too?), and used the Peaver on some songs, but I just wondered about the Gibson CG and how much he used it for recording.

Thanks,
Jeff Stovall

Jeff, when Chet is playing electric in those later years, that's the sound you hear (most of the time). Its the Gibson CG, he recorded quite a bit with it and as you noted, he moved more and more to the nylon string, and he had several of them, both Sand and Gibson.

Gayle Moseley

Gayle is correct.

Chet was a believer in kept promises and endorsement contracts were just that. He and Paul were discussing how much difference there was in tone between the Gibson and the old 59 and Paul asked him why he didn't continue using the 59 in his recordings but Chet felt it would be dishonest even though they both knew the two guitars were vastly dissimilar.

There have been many guitar 'stars' that endorse an instrument but record with something else but Chet wasn't one of those.

I think he was disappointed that the solid center section idea didn't work as well as he'd hoped. I get the impression that he had major tuning issues with it as the guitar on page 149 in the MAMG book shows a fine tuning gadget on every string in the Bigsby harp section.

The electric classic was another matter altogether. A very well thought out guitar and its a shame Gibson had to change the design

The Gibson gent was a pretty good guitar but it was no 6122-59

Norm wrote:Gayle is correct.

Chet was a believer in kept promises and endorsement contracts were just that. He and Paul were discussing how much difference there was in tone between the Gibson and the old 59 and Paul asked him why he didn't continue using the 59 in his recordings but Chet felt it would be dishonest even though they both knew the two guitars were vastly dissimilar.

The Gibson gent was a pretty good guitar but it was no 6122-59

This was the way I understood it also.

I think however, that the Gibson CG was somewhat more than just a "pretty good guitar." Having owned both a Gretsch and a Gibson Country Gent at one time or another, I would say that the Gibson Gent was every bit as high of quality of instrument as the Gretsch, just slightly different sounding. It's really an apples and oranges thing in my opinion.

Personally, I always liked the tone of the Gretsch guitars better but that's probably just a personal thing! I also had a Gretsch Tennessean, (which was quite similar to the CG) and it sounded just as good as the Gretsch CG to me!

Here is what Paul Yandell said regarding this very thing, when I once posed the same question to him...

David

Posted by Paul Yandell (65.136.123.5) on March 14, 2005 at 16:34:32:
In Reply to: Re: Country Gentleman going back to Gretsch? posted by Paul Yandell
on March 14, 2005 at 16:23:25:
The Gibson CG is a great guitar I played one for close to 10 years I have 3 of
them one of them a thick one, the NC is a great guitar with a great sound and a
great neck, it's a matter of taste, thanks Paul

I have never had my hands on a Gibson CG. I did pick up a Gretsch NC in early 2006, and swore up and down it was "the" guitar for me. Then I got a CGP, and changed my mind. I suspect their are mant great guitars, and it boils down to what you like at the moment. Right now, my main guitars are a Santa Cruz VJ acoustic, and a Reverend Unknown Hinson electric. No doubt, that will change.....and that s ok with me.

I could (and have) post Paul quotes about the difference in tone on the two guitars.

I'm not faulting gibson's guitar itself. I personally prefer the tone of the gretsch guitars and that would largely have to do with the pickup. I think those who own gibsons will defend the tone of their guitars and this thread could go on forever because everyone is sensitive about what they perceive as 'best'.

____________

Gretsch refused to put a block of wood down the center of the Gentlemans.

Gibson gave Chet what he wanted and right off he found the guitar was way heavier than he had anticipated so they used compressed balsa (!?) instead of the maple center block for weight.

I believe Paul took one of the Gibson gents later on and carfully chipped out all of the center board and put in sound posts instead and said he got an excellent sound from it.

It's all a matter of taste. I like Gibson guitars. They sound like Gibsons (as they should) but I prefer the tone of the Filter Tron pickups in a gretsch guitar and I think the other electrics Chet played on, the Super Chet and the Gibson CG's make his tone sound a little thinner with less body than the old 59 had.

You can like or prefer whatever you want.

There is no right or wrong here...

Norm wrote:
It's all a matter of taste. I like Gibson guitars. They sound like Gibsons (as they should) but I prefer the tone of the Filter Tron pickups in a gretsch guitar and I think the other electrics Chet played on, the Super Chet and the Gibson CG's make his tone sound a little thinner with less body than the old 59 had.

You can like or prefer whatever you want.

There is no right or wrong here...

Norm...you are exactly right. That is what I was trying to say, but didn't have the words.

Thanks, friend.

George

Another thing that we should mention is that the sound of the electric guitar changed over the years. Chet was not immune to what was popular....as he was primarily a guitarist, and did like what other guitarists made popular at the time. A case in point would be his use of phaser in the 70's, which Jerry also liked. I listen to it now and don't particularly like it, but it was VERY popular back then. By the same token, Gretsch had gone out of the mainstream, and the popular sound was Gibson and Fender. Chet had the Gibson sound, the Fender sound (with the Peaver)...,, as well as his own unique sound with the CE.

George Beasley wrote:Another thing that we should mention is that the sound of the electric guitar changed over the years. Chet was not immune to what was popular....as he was primarily a guitarist, and did like what other guitarists made popular at the time. A case in point would be his use of phaser in the 70's, which Jerry also liked. I listen to it now and don't particularly like it, but it was VERY popular back then. By the same token, Gretsch had gone out of the mainstream, and the popular sound was Gibson and Fender. Chet had the Gibson sound, the Fender sound (with the Peaver)...,, as well as his own unique sound with the CE.

Exactly... I think most of us who were "Chet" fans from the very beginning, have a tendency to compare every guitar we hear with his '59 Country Gent, and that was because a lot of that "sound" was peculiar to that particular guitar, as well as the fact that the "sound" had to do with who was playing the guitar, not the guitar itself! When I played "a lot", and after many years of experimenting, I finally got very CLOSE to Chet's sound (not his playing ability, but his SOUND), using a Gretsch, into a Lexicon PCM-42 delay-processor, and that into a MusicMan RD-112-50 amp. It's been all downhill since that time!

David

Norm, it's encouraging to read your theory that the sound has a lot to do with the pickups. Instead of purchasing a used 6122-1959 built in 2009, I've chosen to have my '67 GC worked on and am having the T.V. Jones Filtertron & Supertron pickups, along with having some other work done. It's being done by Aaron Cowles, who worked for Gibson when they were still in Kalamazoo. His son Steve is part of this board. I know that I still won't have the same neck width or scale length as the '59 but I'm very curious about the final sound.

David, I feel really badly for you when I read your description of "going downhill ever since". I know that I will most likely face that too but I hope I have a few good years left. At least there's nothing that I used to play that I couldn't play now and am playing quite a few that I'm certain I couldn't have played in the "old days". Even if my fingers lose their ability, my understanding and creativity continues to improve.