After the introduction of his nylon-strung acoustic by Gibson in 1982, Chet Atkins went to collaborate with the company on updated versions of two instruments bearing his name that had first been produced by Gretsch in the late 1950s.

One of these was the Country Gentleman, an electric archtop, which appeared in it’s new Gibson form in 1986. The Gretsch Country Gentleman models were made between 1957 and 1972. The Gibson version of the guitar was given 335-style solid center block to improve it’s performance at higher volume levels, and to boost sustain.

Other changes included the replacement of Gretsch’s “Filter ‘Tron” pickups with a pair of Gibson humbuckers and a banjo-type armrest. The contoured back of this guitar is made from maple and poplar laminate and finished in “Western Orange”.