Chet Atkins archtop

[Betz]

I was wondering if anyone can identify the archtop guitar Chet Atkins is playing in this video. The young and obviously star-struck Leo Kottke probably places this video in the early 70’s.

[hot ford coupe]

Looks like a one pickup custom made L-7C.

[Betz]

Ok; I had not thought about a custom but that makes sense. You can see the single pair of knobs but it also looks like there is a switch of some type below the bridge.

I know the Gibson Chet Atkins nylon string came out in the 80’s but he could have been having talks with them earlier.

Thanks!

[cosmic gumbo]

It's actually got two p90s on it.

[Betz]

I found a picture of a 1950 ES-330. It does have the P90s, the single set of controls, and a selector switch on the upper bout. Chet’s is on the lower bout behind the bridge (thus the ‘modded’.

I knew the ES-330 had that long angled pickup did not know it evolved into this. Quite a beauty.

Thanks to all!

[Jim Soloway]

It's a Gibson L7 that he bought long before the Gretsch deal. He added the first P90 himself and had the second P90 added later. It's in a book called "Chet Atkins, Me And My Guitars"

[Jim Soloway]

This is the best I could get using cut and paste from the book.

[neatomic]

chet, with his style of playing, hated single coil pickups...even when he went to gretsch..he got rid of the dearmond dynas and pushed for filtertrons..he wanted humbucking

cheers

[Betz]

Would the controls have been master volume, master tone, and the 3-way selector switch?

I always heard he didn’t really care for the Gretsch Country Gentleman.