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Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 11:49 pm
by Taffy White
Hey guys,

I have a SC prototype which dates from Dec 71. Any info on these handful of guitars made would be appreciated as there's not much out there. I saw the post on the fingerboard controls recently and thought you guys may have more info than I find on the internet. As for my control wheels they all work perfectly (touch wood) so have no issue with them. Mine is also 1 7/8" at the nut which was mentioned. I've wanted this guitar forever since I first saw it on the "Fingerpicking Good" album at age 15 and never thought I'd find one till mine showed up on Ebay and bought it immediately lol.

The ones I've seen are the Entwistle guitar, an old photo of Ray Cummins playing one, a guy years ago had one on craigslist that belonged to his father that was in bad shape, and Chet's of course.

Any info you know about these guitars I'd love to know.

Cheers
Paul

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 2:01 pm
by awykle
Hey Taffy,

A friend of mine here locally, Terry Efaw has one that Chet gave him personally. I believe he won it for winning the Chet Festival of Music contest that was held a few times in Knoxville I believe. Clyde Edwards, who helped design the guitar with Chet and who used to live here in my hometown built Terry's and all the prototypes if I remember correctly. I know Chet had one stolen by someone from an airline when he was on his way to a show. I have one too that closely matches that lipstick red color of the one on the 'Fingerpickin' Good' album. I think it is one of the prettiest guitars ever built! The prototypes had a few subtle differences from the production model.

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:12 am
by Taffy White
Hey awykle, that's great about your friend getting his from Chet himself. Thanks for letting me know who built the guitar, that's nice to know. It does have the different bookcase headstock and the fingerboard has Chet's signature on it with gold binding. I've used it in quite a few videos I recorded so you can take a look at the guitar here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgXMbUxBC8Y

I hope mine isn't Chet's stolen one lol but who knows? One thing I noticed was the strap button on the Fingerpicking Good album is located above the center binding, mine is below it so for sure not that guitar. I'd be interested in your friends strap button location. You mentioned you have a SC too, is that a prototype also?

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:13 pm
by Roger Pratt
Hey Paul......That is the first orange SC that I have ever seen!! It is gorgeous for sure!! Green with envy here!! Nice playing on "Hopscotch"..

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:13 pm
by awykle
Taffy,

No, I have a later model. It's dates after the pickguard was changed to all black and says Super Chet only. I'll check Terry's guitar strap button location. Never noticed that before.

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:47 pm
by Taffy White
Thanks Roger, and awykle I'd certainly be interested if you could check out that strap button location.

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 1:35 pm
by Vidar Lund
Hi Paul,
Re. the Super Chet. I quote from Chet Atkins Me and my Guitars (MMAG) by Chet and Michael Cochran: "I started working on the design of the Super Chet in 1971. I wanted to build a guitar that looked as beautiful as it sounded. Clyde Edwards, who worked for Baldwin, designed the body shape, a true f-hole hollow body. It didn´t have the solidity all the way through as I wanted, but it was still a very good guitar. With abalone inlay in the headstock, fingerboard, and tailpiece, it was probably the fanciest-looking guitar Gretsch ever produced. The extra binding in the center of the side was an idea I got from a guitar that I have that´s very old. All the electronic controls were mounted on the pickguard to avoid having to drill holes in the top. I used the Super Chet some for personal apprearences and concerts during the ´70s. It was a good guitar with good tone qualities, and I thought it had a beatiful shape, but for recording, and for playing for my own enjoyment, I still preferred my old single cutaway CG". That says a lot of the good old 6122-1959 Country Gentleman as well.

Vidar

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:26 am
by Taffy White
Thanks Vidar I appreciate you posting that quote.

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 4:43 pm
by MHargis
Found these on another site

Re: Super Chet prototype - any info would be great.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 6:03 pm
by MHargis
I keep finding SC stuff