Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

my old Orange, it's in Nashville Tennessee with my old pal Larry, the guy I sold it to in 1983.

As it turns out, another friend met Larry and they started talking about Gretsch; Larry told him the story of the Gretsch Nashville and the other guy told him, "WAIT, I KNOW ZURDO". Before I knew it I had an-email from Larry who I haven't seen since about 1985, torturing me with a picture of his two Gretsches. I told him "I want my baby back", he said "you'll have to kill me first".

Here's Larry and his two Gretsches. BTW, Larry sounds just like John Lennon, he's a Beatles freak, and John Lennon was the reason he wanted an Orange Nashville.

Cool post! I sold one of my prized Gretsches years ago to a friend and regretted it almost immediately. Fortunately, I found another Gretsch and swapped him even for my old one.
Your post also spurred me on to break out my '65 6120 (it's actually a "Pre-Nashville" Nashville, more properly a 6120 Chet Atkins Hollowbody Electric) and play on it! Here's a pic of my wife with my 6120 from a couple of years ago.

oh dear, I don't know what it is with those Nashville models, I used to call mine "the orange" ) It had a midrange sound just like the early George Harrison's CG.

I'm still negotiating with my old pal Larry, one of these days I'll catch him in a bind and I'll get mine back.

I actually bought mine because I couldn't find a Country Gentleman. I aquired a Gent later on, but to tell you the truth, ended up playing the Nashville more. I got it from Collins Music in Clarksville, TN (same place I got my Rick 365) in December '78. Shot Jackson (of ShoBud) fixed me up with a replacement set of gold Van Ghents to change out the incorrect Grover Futuras, and I found a Gretsch chrome bar bridge to replace the Gibson ABR-1 it's previous owner put on it. Personally, I think the Nashville is the unsung hero of the Chet Atkins Gretsches and I sure love mine!

not to mention the zero fret which makes it so comfortable to play and easier to keep in tune.

John Lennon owned one at some point. I think I have a picture.

Zurdo wrote:not to mention the zero fret which makes it so comfortable to play and easier to keep in tune.

John Lennon owned one at some point. I think I have a picture.

Here it is!

1964 pre-Nashville 6120 double-cut with flip up mute and Hi-Lo Tron PU covers on Filtertrons.
With zero-fret:

yes that's the picture! I wonder what song(s) John used it for ?

yes I see what you mean, yours is an earlier instrument, mine had a gold, square plate on the headstock.
does yours have the Pad on the back?

I know where there is a genuine 1960's Country Gentleman, kept like a baby by the original owner for the last 40 years. Not for sale but I sent him a message just in case.

Jos: What a nice find! Congratulations.

hi Peter,

it's more of a heartbreak because I know where it is but I can't have it back!

I may have posted this pic before, but here's me with my Gretsch around 1974, (I wonder where my old Mellotron is today!).

Jos: Please forgive me. I confused your comments with those of Forrest and should have been congratulating him. I too let a Gretsch go, a Duojet that I wish I had back. Perhaps we will both get lucky one day.

fabandgear wrote:Cool post! I sold one of my prized Gretsches years ago to a friend and regretted it almost immediately. Fortunately, I found another Gretsch and swapped him even for my old one.
Your post also spurred me on to break out my '65 6120 (it's actually a "Pre-Nashville" Nashville, more properly a 6120 Chet Atkins Hollowbody Electric) and play on it! Here's a pic of my wife with my 6120 from a couple of years ago.

Looks like mine, Forrest!

Mine is a '64 (like Ron's)....all original and super clean. Lennon-spec, but i've wanted one since seeing Clapton briefly holding one:
There is indeed something cool about the old orange double-cutaway models. It's the only Gretsch I ever wanted, and I love it.

Zurdo wrote:yes that's the picture! I wonder what song(s) John used it for ?

yes I see what you mean, yours is an earlier instrument, mine had a gold, square plate on the headstock.
does yours have the Pad on the back?

I know where there is a genuine 1960's Country Gentleman, kept like a baby by the original owner for the last 40 years. Not for sale but I sent him a message just in case.

All of the Gretsch guitars equipped with the single or dual mute (called a "Muffler" by Gretsch) have the back pad. The sales blurb from Gretsch claimed that it was for player comfort, but it's real purpose is to hide the plastic access cover for the mute(s). I like the access cover-equipped Gretsches. It's a heck of a lot easier to work on the electronics (ask me sometime about the major migrane of working on a '60s Tennessean's electronics!)

This thread needs a backpad:

Here's me in my retro '60s band's garb with my trusty Nashville. We called ourselves "The In-Sect". I posed for the group pic with my '66 Gretsch 6075 12 String.