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Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:16 am
by guitarchuck
Chet had one steel string acoustic that he used on more video appearances than any other. You didn't see Chet pick a steel string acoustic a lot, but he did use his Gibson J-30 more than any other from 1986 - 1991. His Gibson J-30 was built November 19th, 1985. Here's some photos from the Tennessean newspaper the day Chet picked up the guitar from the Gibson factory on February 25, 1986. Notice, the sticker is still on the pickguard. The main event that day was for Bill Monroe, he was picking up his prized Loar mandolin that vandals had smashed. Gibson had just finished restoring his mandolin.
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Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:21 am
by guitarchuck
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Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:28 am
by guitarchuck
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Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:29 am
by guitarchuck
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Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:04 am
by guitarchuck
Do a search on YouTube for "Chet Atkins Marcel Dadi" and you will find several videos from 1991 of Chet playing this Gibson J-30 with Marcel in France. At some point the airlines damaged the electronics on this guitar when Pat Bergeson was traveling with Chet . There's also a video of Chet playing a Beatles medley on this guitar, on YouTube, & possibly a few other videos out there.

Chet seemed to like this steel string acoustic, it was not a fancy model. It did have built in electronics, which he probably liked for stage use. This was during his Prairie Home Companion show performance time period that he used this guitar quite a bit.

Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:21 pm
by PhilHunt
Chet made that guitar sing on the beatles medley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9bajxt02h8

Re: Chet's Gibson J-30

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 2:56 pm
by BillB
Yeah, it was pretty rare to see Chet playing a steel-string flat top acoustic. That is a great video of the Beatles medley. I had to share that on FB.

Bill B.