A HOLLOW-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, CHET ATKINS COUNTRY GENTLEMAN STYLE 6122

Mark Knopfler acquired this guitar circa 1990 when he and Chet Atkins stopped by Rudy’s Music Stop on 48th Street in New York City one afternoon during the promotional tour for their 1990 album Neck And Neck. Fortunately for posterity, Pensa snapped a candid shot of the finger-picking duo playing in the store on this intimate occasion (see image). Although the store had been closed to allow Mark and Chet to play in peace, a prospective seller arrived with his grandfather’s guitar, prompting proprietor Rudy Pensa to purchase the instrument quickly without even opening the case in order to return swiftly to his guests. According to Pensa, he opened the case when Mark and Chet stopped playing and was astonished to find this 1967 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman - brand new and never played. Rudy gifted the guitar to Mark that afternoon and he was the first to ever play it. Knopfler used this Country Gentleman to record the Hank Williams country ballad 'Alone And Forsaken' with Emmylou Harris and his touring band for the 2001 Hank Williams tribute album Timeless.

Throughout Knopfler’s 2001 Sailing To Philadelphia Tour, guitarist Richard Bennett used the guitar for performances of the songs 'Baloney Again' and 'Sailing To Philadelphia'. Contributing to keyboardist Guy Fletcher’s 2001 tour diaries, Bennett wrote of the guitar: 'As lovely and silky sounding [a] guitar as you’ll find anywhere, this one belongs to Mark… I played my extremely orange 1956 model of the same instrument on the recording of these two songs but was reluctant to bring it on tour, as it’s a deep, hollow-body guitar with open F-holes and prone to feedback even at low volume. As the Chet Atkins models evolved over the years, their bodies became shallower and the open f-holes are actually painted on a solid top, and while the body is still hollow, it’s a much more manageable guitar for concert volume levels. The Gretsch ‘Chet’ models are highly prized for their versatility; twangy, jazzy, creamy and rocking – all at the same time!'