Within a year after Gretsch introduced the Chet Atkins Hollow Body, Atkins had a Top 20 pop hit with “Mr. Sandman”. In 1957, Gretsch capitalized on Atkin’s fast-growing fame by creating a new model and naming it after another Atkins recording whose title fit the man playing the guitar – Country Gentleman.

Aside from the rural signpost on the pickguard, the Country Gentleman left all the Western appointments of the earlier Atkins model behind. It featured a larger, 17-inch body, and most early examples had simulated f-holes that were actually black plastic inlays (later examples had paint or inlaid binding material to simulate the holes).

Gretsch was close behind Gibson in developing double-coil “humbucking” pickups, and the Country Gentleman was fitted with these new units, called Filter’Trons because, according to Gretsch literature, they filtered out all electronic hum. With a rich mahogany-stained finish, gold-plated hardware and a small plaque on the headstock with the model name and serial number, it looked expensive, and was – second only to the White Falcon.