6122-1959 for Sale in Grand Rapids, MI.

[RandeDager]

Yesterday I was in meetings all day in Grand Rapids, MI and decided to visit the Guitar Center nearby for the first time. One of the guys saw me studying the guitars on each wall and walked up to me and asked me if I was looking for anything specific. I asked him about any Gretsch's he might have in stock. He nodded his head and pointed to a few under $1000, which I wasn't interested in. Then he pointed to another one way up high and said "Other than for these, all I have is this 6122-1959 hanging up there that a guy just traded in a few days ago for a Guild". The look on his face indicated that he never expected me to be interested in it. I asked him to take it down for me to try it out. He put me in a room by myself and I played it through a Fender Twin for about 30 min. Other than for trying one out at Sweetwater Sound in 2009, this was my second time to play one. I fell in love with it. I've mentioned here that it's the one I want the most. Of course I'd go for a HOF model, but it's the same guitar as far as dimensions, pickups, etc.

Well, as an adjunct instructor who is paid very little and can have classes cancelled on short notice, I'm not in a position to jump at this, but the guy was very accommodating and I asked him for his card and the details so I could share it with the members here.

It looks to be in perfect condition with no "blemishes". He believes it is a 2009 model. He is asking $1,699 which includes the case. This is lower than many I've seen. His estimated shipping cost to anywhere in the lower 48 states is roughly $25. So for less than $1,750 you could have a beautiful '59, with case, shipped to your door!

No, I don't get anything out of this other than for the satisfaction that this beauty might belong to another one of "our family members".

His name is David Belknap. Their number is (616) 464-0000

[RandeDager]

For those "experts" in this forum, I'd like to know if there were any significant changes made between the 2009 model of the 6122-1959 and this year's model. I might be picking this one up myself.

[Ray Bohlken]

Rande, you just have to believe your ears when it comes to this. I got a 2005 6122-1959 NC from listings on the Guitar Center site just from the photos. I had 30 days to return it if I wasn't satisfied and I knew in a couple of days that I was going to keep it. You can check about the return policy, but I'm sure if it suited you while you were playing if...it's the one. I haven't kept track of any "improvements" or changes in recent years. That price is really good. The HOF guitar gets a premium price for its color and designation, but the hardware and sound are the same as far as I am concerned.
Ray

[RandeDager]

Hi Ray,

I wish that someone like Paul Yandell was still alive to set this up properly. It sounded great but I could tell that it needed some adjusting. I wouldn't be too happy having my "dream guitar" and wishing that it played better just because of needing adjusting. I have no idea how to do it. I just know that it wasn't as "perfect" as the first one I played at Sweetwater a few years ago. This one is a 2009, by the way. Thanks Ray.

[guitarchuck]

Rande,
The only changes that I know of:

The very first batch of Nashville Classics had the wrong body shape. That was corrected in the next batch.

Sometime right before the name was changed to "Chet Atkins Country Gentleman" (Name change January, 2007), the incorrect Grover Imperial Stairstep tuner buttons were changed to Chet's favorite large buttons. (There may be some early ones with the Country Gentleman name that still had the Stairstep tuning buttons, I'm not sure about that.)

So, a 2009 model should be just like a 2012.

[RandeDager]

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the information. I knew that people like you and Norm would know the answer. Though $1,699 including the case is a great deal, I've decided not to move forward with this. I'm an adjunct instructor who is only paid by the class and haven't seen any income for 2 weeks and will have another 2 weeks before I do. It just doesn't make good sense right now. Maybe if I plan things right, down the road I can purchase a HOF guitar, which to me would be the ultimate. I've heard too many good things about how "perfect" it is with no adjustments necessary. Of course, I won't get it for $1,699 either.

In the mean time I'm having new binding and both the Supertron and Filtertron pickups installed on my '67 CG which should be ready in a couple of months. I'm also having a very old Kalamazoo guitar restored. It was the first guitar I ever touched, back when I was 5. My grandfather had it in his attic since 1933 because a friend of his asked him to pick it up for him at a pawn shop for him and then never showed up. My grandfather wasn't a musician and just put it away in storage for more than 2 decades until I discovered it.

[Vidar Lund]

Chuck says, "The very first batch of Nashville Classics had the wrong body shape. That was corrected in the next batch." My Nashville Classic was produced in July 2003 and is an early one, but it has the correct vintage shape, so it is from a later batch. The earlier ones had the more square shoulders of the pre FMIC era than mine and the later and present ones. $1699 is a good price. I gave more for mine two and a half years ago, and that was a good price then. It played perfectly out of the box, but I needed to raise the bridge pickup a bit. That was all.

[BillB]

Rande,
Paul did a quick truss rod adjustment on mine, and it made a significant difference. I think you need to go back and get that guitar and take it to get a tune-up and oil change.

Bill B.

[RandeDager]

Thanks Bill, but as a former president might have said "It isn't financially prudent".......lol

[gmoseley]

Rande - - if it needs a set-up,,,,Paul always said Sonny Thomas was "The Best",,,,he has done a lot of set-up and fret leveling, etc for Paul, Chet, Jimmy Capps, Leon Rhodes, etc etc He is a master at what he does. He just put a zero fret on a guitar for me,,,beautiful work. He can make that thing play like a dream. Just throwing that out as a suggestion IF you should want/need to have something done. He can be reached at 423-942-1195 he's in Jasper, TN
Paul did all of my guitar set-ups for many years but now that he has left us, I've been using Sonny and he is just super!

Gayle Moseley