The Chetboard

Does anyone know what guitar Chet played on "Limehouse Blues" and "Flying South" from the "Me and Chet" LP? It's a Prismatone fitted classical guitar for sure; was it his Estruch, Hascal Haile, Dorado or maybe one of Jerry's Baldwin's that was laying around?

It is in my opinion the Estruch...Chet did not have a Haile with a Prismatone until much later.
The Haile was the proto-type solid body with the Prismatone (a very happy guitar that I was blessed to borrow for awhile from Chet's family)

John

Thanks for that John. I did a little research myself and an old quote from Paul regarding the Estruch guitar helped me out:

"Chet's was made in 1959, it was his first classic guitar, that's about all I know about it, in the 60's he put a Baldwin prismatone pickup on it,one of the many tunes he used it on was "Blue Angel" thanks Paul"

Blue Angel is from Hometown Guitar and came out in 1968. Limehouse Blues and Flying South are of course from Me and Jerry, that record came out in 1970. The time difference of when these two records came out is only two years, the songs could even be recorded in the same year.

So with the help of Paul's info and some rational thinking, I think you are right John; Chet used his '59 Juan Estruch with a Prismatone pickup on the Me and Jerry album.

It's still debatable, because I just found a quote from Chet's old secretary, Carolyn Campbell, who answered Craig's question regarding the guitar Chet used on a TV appearance in 1970:

"Mr. Atkins played a cheap Japanese guitar with a Baldwin pickup."

She obviously meant the Dorado guitar distributed by Gretsch.

196x: Chet installed a Prismatone pickup on his Juan Estruch guitar
1968: Hometown Guitar came out (which included Blue Angel, recorded with Juan Estruch with Prismatone)
1970: Chet used his Dorado classical with Prismatone pickup on national television
1970: Me and Jerry came out (which included Limehouse Blues and Flying South, that were recorded with a Prismatone fitted guitar)

So looking at this list, it would make more sense it was his Dorado guitar. But this is all time wise, you can't always connect a year with the guitar he used. There could be many reasons he used a particular guitar on TV performances, recordings etc. Like personal taste, sound, availability, reparation, contractual agreements and so on.

Side note; in 1975 Chet played Dizzy Fingers on Hee Haw playing his Prismatone fitted Juan Estruch guitar.

Side note 2; Phil once said he saw a picture of Chet and Jerry in the Country Gentlemen book who both played a Baldwin 801CP during a concert. This could well be a promotional tour for Me and Jerry. Would it be a Baldwin that Chet played on that album?