Anyone here ever played or owned a Gibson Chet Atkins classical electric guitar?

[Ivan May]

Manufactured between 1987 and 2006, the Gibson Chet Atkins CE was a solid body acoustic electric guitar manufactured by Gibson and designed by Chet Atkins (hence the name.)

The SST had a mahogany body and a spruce top. It was one of the first guitars Gibson made that combined acoustic tones with electronic pickups. Early models had a fake sound hole with the knobs mounted on the front of the guitar. Later copies had a Les Paul styled headstock and Chet signature on the headstock of the guitar. The guitar was discontinued by Gibson after Chet died, with most of Chet Atkins name and likeness being given to Gretsch shortly after he died.


Chet Atkins obviously played one, as did Brian May, Waylon Jennings, Sting, Robert Smith, Johnny Marr, Mark Knopfler, Jorma Kaukonen and Lindsey Buckingham, who used a modified SST on the legendary Fleetwood Mac concert The Dance in 1997.
 

The solo on Janie's Got A Gun by Aerosmith was played by Joe Perry on a Gibson SST acoustic electric guitar.

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any thoughts on the Gibson SST please let me know.

[KuruPrionz]

I've played on at a local music shop decades ago. 

I've always loved nylon string guitars, a neighbor gave me one when I was starting out and I've had one around most of the time since then.

The Gibson Chet Atkins model was a ground breaking new type of guitar, a nylon string semi hollow body guitar. 

Godin carries that torch to this day, no affiliation with Chet Atkins but he would have liked their guitars. 

 

I'll make 2 observations, while nylon strings are much more forgiving of under saddle pickups than steel strings, under saddle pickups have been improved immensely since Chet's guitar, they sound much better now than they did then. The other observation is personal preference, the necks on Chet's guitars were a bit slimmer than I would prefer. 

 

Very cool guitars, no two ways about it. 

[desertbluesman]

Quote

Anyone here ever played or owned a Gibson Chet Atkins classical electric guitar?

No, I cannot recall ever seeing one, and surely never played one. Sounds interesting however.

[Caevan O’Shite]

They were great playing, great sounding, great looking guitars!

KuruPrionz is spot-on regarding the improvements made in acoustic/electric pickups and electronics since then, though.

[Winston Psmith]

I remember playing one, briefly, way back when? There was also a less expensive Epiphone model, and a "Studio" model, without the sound hole, much like some of the current Godin Nylon String Electrics. I've only seen the Studio model depicted online, never encountered one IRL.

 

The main thing I recall about the original SST is that it was surprisingly heavy, much more like a solidbody than a semi-hollow, and the soundhole seemed to be cosmetic, if not altogether superfluous?

[CEB]

I’ll be the voice of dissent. I didn’t like it. I was a guitar instructor at a Gibson dealer. They had them on the floor. They were ‘heavy’ and thin and didn’t feel right and gave me a mild case of cognitive dissonance.   But I was a classical guitarist who learned under Dr. Wherman.  It just wasn’t for me.   The dealer also carried Ovation. I like the Ovation nylon. In the 80s my stage acoustics were Ovations.  The Ovation didn't play like a classical nylon either if you needed an electrified nylon it felt more like a guitar.

[Scott Fraser]

I haven't played one, but I've heard them. For me, the sound of a piezo under-saddle pickup is a complete non-starter. I can't stand that sound.

[KuruPrionz]

8 hours ago, Scott Fraser said:

I haven't played one, but I've heard them. For me, the sound of a piezo under-saddle pickup is a complete non-starter. I can't stand that sound.

They are "less worse" now than they were back then. 

 

That said, I got a Yamaha acoustic/electric guitar, it's Gabriela's signature model but the next step down ($1200 retail instead of $2000) Yamaha NCX1200R

That has a pair of under the top sensors, much more natural sounding than under saddle pickups. It's a great guitar. I'd rather have it than the Chet Atkins since it is also a fully acoustic instrument that I can play without plugging it in. 

 

To further meander, last year I removed the under saddle pickup from my Rainsong OM1000 steel string and went with K&K Pro Mini, also under the top sensors. 

2 things happened: first was that the guitar sounded amazingly better with a solid saddle all the way down to the bottom of the slot, removing the under saddle pickup made it come alive. Second was that the pickup sounds much more natural, I don't have a preamp installed and it doesn't need one. I've recorded it direct and while I prefer using a mic it sounded pretty great. 

[CEB]

Piezo systems are convenient and work well in loud stage situations. I have two guitars with piezo / mic blend system that are suppose to mitigate the quack. My Martin has the Fishman Matrix Infinity system and my Gypsy Kings model flamenco guitar has the Fishman Presys. The mic blends help if you can use it but even the internal mics are really prone to feedback similar to the problems with surface mount transducers.  
 

 I hate the sound of banjo pickups but I use Fishman banjo pickups. In loud electric bands you just can’t use condenser mics.  A good condenser mic sound best but is only feasible in Bluegrass or another lower volume acoustic setting. Condensers pickup everything on stage. The drums are usually louder than your guitar through a condenser setup for your guitar. 

A lot of Martin Bluegrass guys like the K&K triple transducers that mount internally but my gigs are still too loud for those.   I always thought LR Baggs sound hole pickups sound decent.  The old Dean Markley woodys are good for the money. 
 

The thing I hate most about the Presys is the built in tuner. If I accidentally turn on the tuner button the damn thing drains the battery.  At least I currently blame the battery drain on the tuner. 

I loved the Ovation stuff back in the day.  No transducer or preamp boxes.  Preamp was internal which was a first I believe.  Just plug it into a snake and go to the front desk and catch the guitar in your monitor send.  It quacked but it’s good enough for honky tonk. 

[p90jr]

My brother has one... very cool instrument.

[p90jr]

On 1/4/2023 at 10:46 AM, Scott Fraser said:

I haven't played one, but I've heard them. For me, the sound of a piezo under-saddle pickup is a complete non-starter. I can't stand that sound.

I've spent a lot of time and a bit of money making sure I don't get "that sound ('electrified yard rake' is my descriptor)" out of my piezo-equipped guitars. My tech guys are now big on K&K Pure Mini pickups, which adhere to the bottom of the bridge instead of replacing the saddle with the transducer strip. They sound great and natural... but I mostly gig with solidbody acoustic Kelly/Turner and Godins, now, because I just want them to be as hassle-free (and non-tempermental) as electrics... so I guess I am using under-saddle piezo systems built into those, but with onboard preamps that make them sound great. And my Variax electric uses piezo bridge pieces to control the modeling processor, and the acoustic models on that thing really sound great (even the 12-strings)... I just get bummed a bit because it doesn't "feel" like I'm playing an acoustic when I use it that way... I don't know how to explain it, exactly... my body isn't getting the right "feedback" from the guitar in the way it feels and the dynamics aren't there when I'm strumming hard the way I expect, but the solidbody acoustics feel right, even though I put .10 gauge sets on them. I really wish Yamaha would release another Variax acoustic model because the old ones are so rare, now, but they seem to have given up on the Variax, really...

[Larryz]

I have a couple of Taylor nylons that use piezo' under their saddles and they work just fine for me.  My ears are not as sensitive as our afficionados LoL!  My steel string Taylor has the same set up but a bit more with body sensors.  All three have printed circuits inside which run the treble and bass EQ's.  The batteries don't last as long as my Takamine acoustic (et al) that seem to last years, as the EQ's in the Taylors require more juice and last about 30hrs of play time.  You definitely want to unplug the Taylors when not in use.  My T5 Taylor semi-hollow with a pin bridge does not use under the saddle piezo and uses electric pickups and under bridge mic inside and uses the same EQ system.  It also gets about 30 hours of play time but, when the battery goes dead, it continues playing sans treble and bass EQ adjustments until you replace the battery (easy access fast change great for gigs).  Too many manufactures use piezo' under the saddle wires to write them off though, as they sound just fine to many players... 😎