Gretsch
Brand Gretsch
Type 6120
Year 1957
Serial number Unknown
Additional info Mark used this guitar on stage on Red staggerwing during the All the roadrunning tour 2006 together with Emmylou Harris.

The lower picture is taken by Guy Fletcher and part of the pre-January 2007 recording diary of the Kill to get crimson album and shows three 6120 models on the front row. So, Mark has at least three of them! Two of these guitars were auctioned at Christie's in January 2024, see two guitars below. It is unclear to me if the guitar Mark is playing on the left picture, is any of these two auctioned guitars.

All guitars will most likely be from 1957, concidering some specific details that are featured on the various releases of this guitar. Since the guitars do not feature the G-branded logo on the body and all guitars have the
“hump-block” fretboard markers, it indicates that they are actually from 1957.

In an interview for the Vintage Guitar magazine (February 2014), Mark revealed that this guitar is indeed from 1957.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type 6120
Year 1957
Serial number 23222
Additional info The logo GRETSCH inlaid at the headstock along with a horseshoe device, Chet Atkins signature logo and GRETSCH on the pickguard, labelled internally THE FRED GRETSCH MFG. CO. / 60 BROADWAY BROOKLYN 11, N.Y. Model 6120 / Serial No. 23222 / MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS SINCE 1883, of a red finish.


Purchased from Gary’s Classic Guitars in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October 2004, this is one of at least three Chet Atkins 6120s owned by Mark Knopfler, all dating to 1957. Mark mentioned the 1957 Gretsch 6120 in a 2014 interview with Vintage Guitar magazine, noting "I like those for just playing notes with a pick and holding the whammy bar in my hand and get the vibrato from my picking motion," adding that it would be a toss-up between the 6120 and his 1954 Fender Strat if he’s doing a 'pick-and-whammy-bar thing' on stage.

According to an interview with Richard Bennett in Vintage Guitar Magazine from June 2006, Mark owns more 1957 Gretsch 6120 guitars. This particular one was used by Richard Bennett on the Shangri-La tour.

Click here for another nice picture of this guitar.

 

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 52.920 Pounds.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type 6120
Year 1957
Serial number 22429
Additional info Bearing the logo Gretsch inlaid at the headstock, Chet Atkins signature logo and GRETSCH on the pickguard, and labelled internally GRETSCH / THE FRED MFG. CO. / 60 BROADWAY BROOKLYN 11, N.Y. / Model 6120 / Serial No. 22429 / MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS SINCE 1883, of a red finish.


Mark Knopfler purchased this guitar from a vintage guitar dealer in San Diego, California, in September 2005, most likely as a spare for his 2006 All the roadrunning tour of Europe and North America.

This is one of at least three Chet Atkins 6120s owned by Knopfler, all dating to 1957.

Click here for another nice picture of this guitar. And here for a closeup of the Bigsy tremelo system.

 

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 47.880 Pounds.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type Chet Atkins Tennessean Style 6119
Year 1962
Serial number 50878
Additional info A hollow-body electric guitar. The logo GRETSCH inlaid at the headstock and stamped 50878 at the top edge, marked Chet Atkins / TENNESSEAN / GRETSCH on the pickguard, of a red stained finish.


Mark Knopfler acquired this guitar in 2005. Knopfler’s guitar tech Glenn Saggers told that every newly acquired guitar would spend time in Mark’s hands so he could get an idea of the sound and where a particular guitar might fit in a particular song. From time to time, Knopfler kept this guitar in his study for home use.

See here for a closeup of the Bigsby tremelo.

 

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 25.200 Pounds.

 

 

Brand Gretsch
Type 6121
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info I don't know on which album(s) this guitar is used or when it was used for a live performance. Click here for a magazine picture which shows a bit more of the guitar and here for another photo.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type 7690 Super Chet
Year Circa 1974
Serial number 8 4055
Additional info Chet Atkins presented this guitar to Mark Knopfler to thank
him for travelling to Nashville in September 1984 to play on
his 1985 album Stay Tuned.

Labelled internally: GRETSCH GUITARS / MODEL NO. 7690 SERIAL NO. 8 4055 / MADE IN U.S.A.

Mark used the guitar on Heart and soul on Willy DeVille's album Assassin of love (1987). I have no picture of Mark with the guitar. This picture with Jack Sonni is taken from the Brothers in arms tour book.

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 60.480 Pounds.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Year 1967
Serial number 57734
Additional info 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. Pensa snapped a candid shot of the finger-picking duo playing in the store on this intimate occasion. 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. See more pictures of this guitar here, here and here.
 

The Japanese magazine The guitar featured a great article in 2001 listing all of Mark Knopfler's guitars which he used on the Sailing to Philadelphia tour 2001. The article featured seperate photos of each guitar, including this Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.

The guitar can also be seen on another photo in that magazine; it's on the top row of guitars, fourth from the right.

During the  to Philadelphia tour 2001, Guy Fletcher created a diary for the fans to share his day by day experiences on the road. On 23rd April 2001, Richard Bennett wrote a piece about several guitars he used on that tour, one of them being this Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. Click here to read that small article to find out that this is actually Mark's own guitar.

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 50.400 Pounds.

 

Brand Gretsch
Type Country Club 6193
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info The picture on the left was taken by Guy Fletcher during the recording sessions at British Grove Studios, February 2014. The guitar indicated with the red arrow is a Gretsch Country Club 6163.

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