Gibson Chet Atkins SST

Not sure of the years (I own 2). Both are black with gold hardware. Volume, Bass, Treble knobs. Battery is loaded from the middle on the back (maybe that will tell it's age?). Very simple controls. Was unsure at first how it would respond when I noticed there wasn't a MID control, just bass and treble. The guitar doesn't need it. The tone can easily be contolled with only two.

I play in a 4 piece pop/rock band (acoustic, electric, bass, drums). Mostly strumming, no soloing. I play with D'darrio acoustic light strings. I run it through a JDI MK3 Direct Box and a Korg DT10 Tuner then direct to the sound board. D'darrio acoustic light strings.

I've played a bunch of different guits over the years with the band trying to find one that would cut through the mix and not sound like a cymbal or a hi-hat. This is it! After the first gig all the musicians in the crowd came up immediately and said that they could hear every note cutting through loud and clear. This guitar is punchy and has a lot of attack. It sounds great even through the crappiest of sound boards.

Very loud! Start at zero and work your way up with the volume the first time you plug it in. She's packs a lot of power. The previous settings for your last guitar are history. I find I can turn it up to about 25% and the tone is great. Turn it up to 75% volume and the attack is really nice.

No feedback at max volume! What a relief.

I (and many others) think it sounds great playing solo acoustic but it really belongs in the mix with other instruments. The only thing it lacks in sound is the percussiveness of a hollow body but I don't know of many solid bodies that are percussive. If you're looking for an acoustic that can actually be recognized from splashy cymbals then this is the one. Besides, I find the amount of attack she puts out makes up for the loss in percussion. Basically, if you're you're looking to play Extreme's 'More Than Words' this might not be the guitar for you. In fact, if it's 2008 and you're still playing Extreme songs someone should take away your guitar privledges. There's a 'Whole in My Heart' and it can only be filled ... by the SST.

Action is great! I have mine set very low and I play in over 10 different tunings on stage with multiple capo positions and it holds up. No buzzes or fretting out of any kind.

Finish is a little sloppy. The top is very soft wood. It scratches and dents very easily. If you're hard on your guits you'll definitely mark it up. I like a guitar with a little character so this doesn't actually bother me too much. I consider them war scars. But if you like a spotless guit this isn't it. For that reason I'll give it a 7.

Gold hardware (tuners/knobs) tend to get nasty after a while. Nothing a little polish won't fix.

PS - The star inlays always get tons of comments!

Very reliable. I have yet to have either of them crap out on me.

No support required.

I read the reviews on this board before I bought my guitar. The average was in the high 9's. I figured if this guit was good enough for Dave Matthews and all of these people then maybe it was good enough for me. It was. So much so that I bought a second.

Been playing for 17 years. Played various dreadnaught style Takamine's and Taylor's on stage in a band setting and none compared to the SST's. Since I got them I have played over 100 3-set gigs and many-a-rehearsal with them and both are still strong. I'm very rough on my equipment. These things fall of the stand all the time, I bang them of walls, and they keep coming back for more.

I haven't had any maintenance or adjustments done on them. I live in Canada and have carted them around in the dead of winter from cold outdoor spaces to warm indoor spaces and have worked in the Caribbean and in the Med on cruise ships going from freezing clod air conditioning inside to boiling hot outdoor venues. These guitars have never bent out of shape in either condition and are ready to play right out of the case.

I play in a lot of alternate tunings on stage so I bought the second one so that a tech could tune it off stage. Both models sound great and even to the trained ear you'd have a hard time telling them apart. They are a soundmans dream come true. Switch guitars after every song and no adjustment at the board was required.

If you're a guitarist who is looking for an acoustic to cut through the mix in a band setting ... this is the axe for you. They're rare, so if you can find one buy it right away!

And we all lived happily ever after.

The end.

1996 Gibson Chet Atkins SST (Ebony)
24 fret with AWESOME MOP star inlays
Solid Mohagany body
The finish is very high gloss and when polished up looks just like a mirror, but it does scratch very easily and there is no pickguard, so be careful!
Tone and volume controls nicely placed and well appointed in a brass plate
Very nice sounding transducer pick-up. Great sound plugged in. Acoustically is really doesn't deliver though. Fortunately it has an "Active" pickup. So you can plug headphones into the guitar and, voila, you have that sweet sustain ringing in your ears. Unfortunately IMHO even high-end headphones can't handle the low frequencies and the volume has to be practically off to avoid a very annoying distortion.
Neck is also mohagany
Fretbaord is ebony
Bridge is rosewood
Nut and Saddle are bone
Hardware is gols plated
Bridge pins are Brass -hence the sweet sustain!
Bridge pins have cut black plastic jewel lookin' things in them that look great until one falls out and no one knows where to find a replacement so you have to replace all of them with some new all brass set that just doesn't belong!

I play mostly acoustic guitar. Mainly percussive strumming that kind of heavy attack warm, deep stuff. Whatever that means. This thing can seriously handle anything you throw at it. It has no trouble keeping up with everything from SRV to some dainty parlor type fingerstyle. Everything does sound great. I have played it plugged diractly into the PA, But I usually run it through my Fender Acoustasonic. (Best under $2000 acoustic amp ever!) I prefer to mic my amp, rather than running it to the board.

I have no idea how well it was set up at the factory, when I received it in the mail the strings were loose so it wouldn't get damaged. I set it up myself with some medium elixirs. Now iths nice and fast without any buzz. Perfect for me.
The finish is so dark that I honestly cannot tell how well it was bookmatched, but it looks so sharp that I really dont care if itwas done well or not.

I have played this guitar for about 5 years. I giged with it for a while and it held up very well. The only real discrepancy is in the strap buttons. They are way to small. But what is a negative turns out to be a positive. Before I was smart enough to put on a locking strap system, the strap had just fallen off on occasion. Once during a gig, in the middle of a song the tailend of the strap came off and my guitar crashed to the floor of the stage. One of the best times of my life! But anyway, this thing was so well built that not only was there no visible damage, it was still in tune! And it's not like it just gently descended, it fell like a freakin tank.
I absolutely depend on it,now that I have a locking strap.

The company was nice enough, but nonetheless unable to help me find replacement bridgepins.

Been playing guitar for 10 years.
My arsenal includes :
Gibson Chet Atkins SST
Alvarez ad60sc
Taylor 814ce
Taylor 710
Fender Telecaster '72 thinline
1965 Gibson Eb-2 Bass
Lanikai Koa tenor ukulele
Fender acoustasonic amp

If it were lost or stolen I am not sure if I would replace it or not. I really want a nice PRS Custom 22, and I am always looking for another wonderful Taylor
I love the size, feel and sound. I dont like the fact that you can really only play it plugged in.

1995 US made Ebony Chet Atkins SST, solid body acoustic/electric designed by Chet Atkins, looks like a nitro-cellulose finish,
rosewood bridge, ebony fingerboard, gold enclosed tuners, slim taper neck, controls for: volume, boost and cut for bass/treble, bridge-mounted transducer pickup, scale length: 2 1/2 inches, a solid spruce top on a mahoghany body, 1 11/16 nut width.

Sound is awesome! I'm using it through a Crate CA-60 amp; it is not noisy at all and produces NO feedback, just like many of the previous reviewers have stated. It has one of the best acoustic/electric sounds I've ever played, with crisp highs and a powerful bass(even with the amp bass turned all the way down). Aparently the battery life is short, so carry an extra one and unplug it right away when you have it on a guitar stand! I will be using it with a LR Baggs Paracoustic DI box. --And I didn't buy this because of "the Dave Matthews Sound"---I've never heard one song of his and don't care!

Action is great with extra-light Elixir strings; one disappointement, which has no bearing on the sound is the look of the fretboard---you can see planer marks where the QC guy never sanded it smooth! How lame is that? And at the upper register of the fingerboard, the finish was never rubbed smooth around the edge---shame on you, Gibson for not taking better care in 1995 when you put this thing together! On such a great sounding guitar, too! Back then you took yourself for granted...

The finish is nitro, very thin and prone to scratching--so what, live with it! Strap buttons are WAY TOO SMALL; carry that extra battery and a powered screwdriver because that is how you have to access the battery compartment. This guitar will no doubt withstand live playing, at loud volume with no feedback---amazing. I would always have a backup acoustic ready to go, no matter what. That's just common sense.

Just bought this used; had never played one before and was intrigued by the looks and the overall positive reviews. Haven't needed to call Gibson yet.

Been playing 25+years; have a range of acoustics from Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Breedlove, Yamaha; the Chet is unique on it's own and a powerful tool for this musician's arsenal. I wish the battery lasted longer and the compartment was more easily accessible. What a value, though, when a Taylor T5 is $2000 and up! The sound of this is well worth the price, even with the case with the pink lining(which I just bought and is coming soon)....

I am going to forgo all of the Spec-listing, you know them by now...I just want to say...that this is one high quality guitar. If you want to play acoustic guitar anywhere other than your living room...you must know that it needs to be amplified either by mic (cumbersome but sounds best) or with some sort of piezo or magnetic pu. Forget all that...just get an SST (if you can find them now) because the sound you will get with a full boxed acoustic and a pu will not match this baby. THIS IS "THE" SOUND OF AN AMPLIFIED ACOUSTIC STEEL STRING. THE SAME KIND OF QUALITY I GET FROM MY GODIN MULTIAC CLASSICAL NYLON SOLID BODY ACOUSTIC WITH THE RMC SYSTEM...in short both are equally superb.

a ten.
I bought it used for $900 with the deluxe hard case. Glad I did.

Mine is a 2003 Nashville SST. It's a standard Chet Atkins SST guitar in Ebony colour. I got a beautiful case with it - brown on the outside, and pink in the inside. It protects the instrument very well. My only complaint would be the positioning of the top strap button; a strap can come off with a bit of force applied to it, so it can be annoying when playing standing up, but the strap has only come off a few times in total. Perhaps a better strap is the option!

I play Acoustic things, and for this, the SST is incredible. When played through anything, it just sounds fantastic. I've tried it through an Ibanez, Peavey, Marshall, and full blown PA, and it sounds amazing through each of them. This is the real strength of the guitar - it is so versatile, and although it is primarily for acoustic sounds, it can also play distortion well. No wonder Taylor have copied this concept with their new T5!

I bought mine second hand, so I can't really judge how it arrived to me. It had a few dings, and I made one just the other day. But I have a way of making the guitar look nice despite this, and it looks even better than when I first bought it. No complaints at all.
I would also like to add that it is perhaps the best looking guitar I have ever seen...especially in Ebony.

This guitar was made to be played live. Incredible, lasting, and versatile instrument. Again, only complaint is the strap button. The finish is great, although you will need to polish it frequently. Once you buy this guitar you won't want to buy a different one!

Never dealt with Gibson CS.

Been playing for five years now, and this outstrips any of the guitars I have ever played. I even tried a Taylor to compare it with, but I preferred this one. Again - no complaints whatsoever, its sound is marvelous.

Confusing Gibson Serial numbers indicate Nashville manufacture in 1990. This is the black lacquer version and pre-dates modern versions in the following respects: This has the faux plastic soundhole insert on the front of the guitar. The two knob volume/tone controls are on the soundboard to the bottom right of the lower bout - by far the best place as you can tweak as you strum. Have always found controls on the upper rim (later models and most other modern guitars) awkward. You've got to sqint down yer nose to find 'em then take your hand away from the playing area to make changes.

This is a small bodied guitar:

Nut width 43mm
Length 40 1/2 inches
Upper bout 10 5/8 inches across
Lower bout 14 1/4 inches across
Depth 1 7/8 inches

Body contoured to avoid permanent crease in the chest.

Headstock is the old, very attractive, moustache type with the old Gibson script logo.

Have given 10 which intends to convey loads of features. In this case, there are not many features but what there are are just what I want. No frills but very attractive and workmanlike.

Fairly heavy guitar at about 7lbs ... but I have a small bodied, hollow Ibanez without the through neck plank and this weighs 5lbs ... so the Gibson ain't that bad.

Sustain is beyond belief.

Single note leads make me weep.

This is the best sounding guitar I've ever heard and I've been playing in bands since the late 50's.

Just love it.

Built like a brick Sh!thouse. Drop this on yer foot and you'll be limping for life ...

Very solid guitar which looks like it will go on forever.

No comment ... never had to use them.

Bearing in mind that the purchase price of $700 included Postage and import duty, this was a very lucky purchase.

This is just a fabulous guitar that covers most styles. I hate piezo pickups but this one is the best I've heard.

It won't break but if it got nicked I'd get another if I could afford it.

I love the feel of it and, strangely, the weight of it - it feels so solid. There is nothing about this I dislike whilst the thing that I love the most is, of course, the most important thing - the sound.

I don't know the year...Got it off of eBay. It is the ebony finish with gold harware. Awesome ebony fretboard with mother of pearl star inlays. All controls (volume, treb, bass) are located on the side. It's on the heavy side but I love that! It feels great in my hand...The neck is just right. Came with a Gibson hardshell case.

If you bought this guitar or are even thinking about it you know that it is special. A person doesn't just see one on the wall and say "I think I'll buy an SST!" Most people I know that own one baught it specifically for the sound. I do a solo act and sequence my songs on my Rolands (XP-50 and 60). I needed a guitar that could pull off a Tom Petty tune, to Steely Dan to Lit or Lowest of the Low. I also like to pick and strum acoustically without backup. The sound is awesome! Full and rich (is that redundant?). No feedback. I cannot tell you enough how the sound fills the room and does anything I want from it. I can get Bluesy sounds, great acoustic fill, singing highs and thick lows. You ahve to play around. I really feel this guitar is a hybrid. I needed a guitar that could step up and be electric as well as hold it's own with my other acoustics. Fow what I do it's the perfect ax!

The action was a bit high when I received it. I had it worked on by the guy that does all the work on my guitars...It plays like a dream. I like a little heavier action. The frets are very good. As I said, I love the feel of this guitar. My only complaint is that some of the finish on the front of the guitar (where a pick guard usually is) has wore through and you can see some of the wood. I didn't expect that to happen in less than a year. I'm not going to put a pick guard on it...maybe I'll get it re-done. All the hardware works flawlessly and it looks spectacular.

So far the SST has been a trooper. The only problem is with the finish on the front that I mentioned. I must tell you that this is not a guitar you play and throw back in its case...If you have a black/ebony Chet you MUST constantly polish the body and clean the gold plated hardware. If you don't your guitar will look like pounded horse shit. It picks up every bit of grease and sweat. Also, the hardware can get murky and crappy looking without constant care. If you're spending the money baby it...

N/A

I have been playing guitar and keyboards for almost 28 years. I own a beautiful custom made acoust/elect, a Washburn A/E, Ovation, Godin LGX and the Chet. I speciifically sought out and bought the Gibson because I had been playing an Epiphone SST and I wanted the best. I got the best. I've had wonderful comments from other musicians about the sound of the Gibson SST. I love my guitar. If my SST were lost or stolen I would do what I did three years ago when my entire rig was stolen...Blow a gasket and then I would go out and get another Chet. You will never regret owning and playing a gorgeous Gibson Chet Atkins SST! (notice how I didn't even mention Dave Matthews?)

Made in 1993, a wine red gloss finish cutaway (quite rare, I think). A nice looking piece of wood ;-) though the design is a bit too much Country&Westernish for me... and the bridge seemed to be reversed, huh, huh... Mine is not really of mint condition (bought it used), the time has biten it here and there, fortunately all these ain't affect the sound. The surface needs a lot of attention. I love ebony and ivory..., ooops I mean mahogany... and spruce is also ok when it comes to the acoustic sound. They don't say it clearly but the pickup and all the electronics stuff is L.R. Baggs/Gibson cooperation. The Gibson tuners are made by Shaller.

Been playing some rock and pop with a little funky bass'n'drums section and the Chet suits it right. I like the long sustain and the way the guitar copes with all that noisy band on the stage. It has some low frequency humming at high volume but this is the piezo... You know, it's not possible to make the strings at ebony bridge grounded. I like its active boost and cut tone rims cos they allow huge range of sound. I plug it in a H&K 6L6GC Triamp head and 4x12" box and the sound is quite nice, but it needs a professional acoustic amp to open its heart, thus I'm just about to buy an AER or something of that kind.
When I first plugged it in, I knew I would have to learn how to play again, from the very begining.... This is a very demanding instrument. If you are the beginner, just forget the Chet Atkins SST!!!

I have my Chet set perfectly by the previous owner (a luthier!), thus no correction necessary. Everthying is fine about the guitar except one thing. I think that the Gibson of "Artist Signature Series" should have much much better finish than it has. The quality of paint finish and wood finish is not very good, really. I hate the place where the fretboard meets the front of the body, U can see the paintbrush remains there. Shame on you Gibson...

I hope I will never have to sell it. No backup needed. It is something, really... I'm not gonna change anything about it, except the strap buttons. Strap-lock-buttons seem to be the best way to keep the guitar from falling down the floor. I wouldn,t forgive myself if it happens.

I have been e-mailing with Drew Vance (Gibson Customer Support)and he's been giving me quite reasonable answers. OK.

U R NOT A GOOD PLAYER, U R NOT GONNA PLAY IT!!!

My SST is a 2001 model. It has an active Piezio pickups with volume, tone and bass knobs. Body is Mahogany. Neck probably is too. Fingerboard is ebony. The tuners are Schallers. Neck thickness is average for an acoustic. Came with a brown case.

It suits me just fine. I am using a few pedals at times. I have hooked up a Boss Acoustic Simulator and a Boss Flanger with good results. The Boss Simulator gives this guitars sound a chorus like sound. It does tend to "hiss" alot using the Boss unless you turn the "top" knob nearly all of the way down. I use a Marshall Soloist acoustic amp usually. I have plugged it into a 15 watt Marshall practice amp and it sounds great like that as well. Many here have stated that this guitar doesn't really sound like an acoustic. It is not quite as defined as a full bodied acoustic. It is clearly not a "electric" sounding guitar either. It is somewhat in the middle but I feel it leans a little more toward the acoustic side. It sounds great. One guy down there said he doesn't know what it sounds like but it sounds great. I agree. It sounds superb and I fell in love with it the first time I plugged it in. It is pretty bright. I bought the Boss Simulator attempting to use an electric to get a decent acoustic sound. It didn't work. An electric going through a simulator always seems to be too much on the low end and this guitar is much brighter than any electric ran through a simulator. When cranked up I get a slight distorted sound through the amp which is unlike my other normal acoustics. It sounds superb like this. It is very slight but it can be heard.

I did buy this used but and I can only judge it based on how it came to me when I got it. The action was pretty high when I got it. I believe the string gauge was too much for it. I checked at Gibson and they recommended .10-.47 strings as a starting point. I think it had .13's. I didn't even plug the thing in based on the string height. I cut the strings off and went to the store and bought a new set of .10's. I came home strung it up, adjusted the trussrod and experimented with that for a while. I am happier now with the treble strings but the bass strings are still a little too high. I am thinking about filing the nut a little and seeing if I can lower it some more. I also may attempt to go with a little lighter strings. It is ok right now but for a guitar that sells for over $1800 I think it is pathetic. The finish is fine. I am dissapointed in the fact that while the body has binding the neck has none. The edge of the frets can be seen and while none of the frets are sticking out badly you can feel them all as you run your hand down the edge of the neck. Binding on the neck would have made it look better but more importantly feel better. Now of course the lack of binding does not mean that this guitar is cheaply made but it is almost a requirment for me. It is the only guitar I own that does not have a bound neck.

It is 7-8 years old now and it has a few very slight signs of cracking. They might be just finish cracks and with the body being solid I doubt they will turn into anything serious but I can see them. The hardware is all gold. Now of course there isn't much hardware on this guitar but it still looks ok. The strap buttons are a joke. Gibson should be putting straplocks on their guitars stock in my opinion. This guitar still has the little teeny stock strap buttons. I am going to replace those with a set of Schallers. The bottum button is in the normal place but the top button is on the heel of the neck opposite the fingerboard. I do not like it there and I will probably move it over. With the body style it seems like they would have placed it where the Les Paul strap buttons go but they had one problem. The control knobs are higher up than the average acoustic leaving very little room for a strap to lay without interfering with having easy access to the volum knob. Oh well. Overall the guitar feels very nice in my hands. Even though it has a solid body it feels good on your knee as the body is bigger than an average electric. It is a little smaller than a full size dreadnaught. The thickness of the guitar is comparable to a Les Paul. It is not neck heavy and it is pretty light overall. Lighter than your average Les Paul but a little heavier than a regular hollow body acoustic.

I have had good response from customer service at Gibson.com but never in reference to a repair issue. I do have a local Gibson repairman but never had to use him yet. Who knows?

I have been playing for 15-20 years now. I own a couple Les Pauls. I own a couple of regular hollow body dreadnaught acoustic/electrics. I have some amps and some effects and some chords and some capos and some recording equipment and some mics and some drums and some bass guitars and some......this is stupid....anyway......I am least happy with the action of the guitar. I just expected it to play like butter. It is not horrid or impossible but it is not like playing an electric even though I have electric gauge strings. I love the sound of the guitar. I would rather listen to this guitar than any of my others. I compared this to every guitar I own and many at local music stores. I don't think there is a better sounding guitar that I have played. I wish it had better strap buttons and binding on the neck. Don't let the action issue keep you from picking one of these up. Every guitar is slightly different and many of you who are used to playing your dad's old Ibanez acoustic would probably think this guitar is a dream to play. No offense meant to anyone who actually bought and Ibanez. They are a fine knock off of a Gibson. No offense meant with that last comment either. I am being somewhat critical in my review based on the $ spent and what I have come to expect out of Gibson. I am used to playing a guitar that is very easy to play. All of my guitars have been fined tuned and this one will eventually be set up a little better as well.

Not a huge amount of features on this guitar. it's got 2-band EQ with treble and bass that seem to provide plenty of adjustment. also a volume knob which helps. the truss rod is adjustable which is great because you can make easy adjustments on your own. comes with truss rod adjustment tool and of course a real nice case. the tuners are great- gold schallers which are the best. other than that there are no extraordinary features.

when used the way it is supposed to be used (more on that later) this guitar is a beast. it's not quite acoustic, not quite electric. my style is a mix of everything. jazzy, funky, soulful, groovin kind of acoustic stuff with some effects as well. this guitar suits me absolutely perfectly. i can get any sound i want out of it. if i feel like playing an all acoustic song, it's no problem. if i feel like ripping a scorching solo-not a problem. i love it. I have made no modifications to this guitar either. i run it through a Dunlop Classic Wah, Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q, Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer, Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer, Danelectro Talkbox, Boss DD-6 Delay, and then an Aphex Acoustic Xciter. The Xciter has one output going straight to the PA for the acoustic sounds, and the other output to a Fender Deville for the electric sounds. like i said, i can get any sound i want with this setup. what other acoustic guitar could u possibly use that kind of setup with? i love it.

the action on the guitar i think is setup pretty generically by the factory so that the player can adjust the truss rod to his or her own liking, which is great. one thing i found wrong with this guitar when i bought it was that the bridge pins were kind of broken and not in great shape when i went to change the strings. and the weird thing is that i have heard this happening to other users of this guitar as well. i have no consulted Gibson about this problem because it does not really affect anything, but i probably will try to get some new pins soon. other than that the guitar was in excellent shape when i took it home.

this guitar can take a beating. they definitely last long too because i have seen/played these guitars from the 80's and they still play and feel spectacular. one problem though is the finish. i got the ebony finish and i think it is a really light finish of paint on the top. it also dents and scratches very easliy. but i am very careful with my guitars so this really doesnt bother me. i mean, if you're going to have a guitar for a long time you can not expect it to remain in mint condition forever.

i have not had to consult gibson for anything.

ok first of all, i want to make a comment about all of the people that claim that this guitar sucks. most people buy this guitar simply because Dave Matthews has used it in the past. they expect to get his exact sound and be able to play exactly like him. well of course they are wrong. Matthews' Chets were ridiculously modified to sound much more like a "real" acoustic. This guitar was not made to be a Dave Matthews signature model, it was made to be a Chet Atkins model. if you play chet atkins type music then this guitar is perfect for you. but if you buy this expecting to be dave matthews you are buying the wrong guitar. DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR SIMPLY BECAUSE DAVE MATTHEWS USED IT!!! you will be very disappointes. buy a guitar that suits YOUR style and sound. do what YOU want to do with it. dont play/buy this guitar expecting it to sound just like dave matthews. i hate that so much.