The classical electric (CE), an electric nylon-strung guitar with a solid body that would make feedback problems a thing of the past, represented the first fruits of the collaboration between Gibson and Chet Atkins.

Chet had been searching for an effective electric classic for years, and had commissioned a prototype solid-body model from Kentucky-based luthier Hascal “Hack” Haile (1906-1986).

This model was shown to Gibson, and served as the basis for the “CE” that the company introduced in 1982. Unlike some later electric classics, the CE retains the look of it’s more traditional counterparts. Both the CE and it’s wider-necked companion, the CEC, boast gold-plated, classical-style tuners specially made for Gibson by Schaller.