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.

1998 Chet with Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Active pickup. with HS case. gorgeous.

Well, i have a Taylor Grand Concert and as you can imagine very little really compares to that sound wise. but i am an efect freak, and i think acoustic simulator pedals are junk, so i got this to maintain acoustic tone but blast with effects on occasion. it worked.

it it a little twangy. you need a good amp to make this thing sound like a true acoustic.

Action is perfect. wonderful setup. It feels great to play, and this Heritage Cherry sunburst is killer. absolutely gorgeous. i blind people in the front row with the light reflections.

soild as it comes. like a brick. it might affect the tone being so solid, but you wont have to coddle the Chet. i beat the hell out of it...i play with overzealousness on occasion.

NA

Playing for 16 years. Id buy it again if it were stolen. many pluses. i love the playabilty and ruggedness of it. its quite electric sounding for an electric acoustic, but then again, it looks more electric than acoustic, and it definitely has a purpose in rock/roots music. its sings in the hand.

See others. Wine red finish.

Acoustically, it is not much louder than other electrics. Plugged in, heh heh. Well, I'm writing this review to give a counter-opinion to all the glowing reviews here. It sounds like a piezo pickup. It doesn't have characteristics of a miked acoustic at all, but resembles a piezo acoustic plugged in. Just imagine a nice piezo on a block of mahogany.
The guitar is quite sensitive to attack. Depending on your rig, you may need compression to control it. The preamp is very useful. Allows you to shape your tone adequately.
Well, tone preference is a very subjective issue, and I guess whatever tickles your pickle is fine. This didn't tickle my pickle.

Action was nice, but the fretjob/saddlejob was pretty bad. Playing in the upper notes, like above the 16th fret, leads to intense fretting out. Ewww... Finish is beautiful but temperamental. Rubbing paper over it is sufficient to scratch it. Terrible for a Gibson. One would expect more. Well, there are actually many critics of Gibsons; some think workmanship on them in general is horrible. I wouldn't say horrible, but definitely not up to "reputation."

Much more reliable and durable than an acoustic.

Well, tone is very subjective. I don't like. I did play it through a nice PA once though, and it had a wonderful, warm sound that conjured harmonics very easily. However, not acoustic enough for me. Too synthetic.

First off, I am fairly new to playing guitar so this review may not be as expert of one that you are looking for. I do, however, greatly appreciate quality craftsmanship. My SST was made in 2001 in the USA. I copied this off of the Gibson website:

"Body: Solid Spruce top, Mahogany back with Chromyte reinforcement.
Also available with a True Cedar top in Antique Natural.
Neck/Profile: Mahogany/Slim-taper
Fingerboard/Inlay: Ebony, 24 frets/Star
Scale/Nut Width: 251/2"/111/16"
Binding: Top
Bridge/Tailpiece: Ebony pin
Hardware: Gold
Pickups: Bridge transducer
Controls: Active volume, bass and treble (boost and cut) on rim"

A few personal notes: I love the set up of this guitar. Everything about it screams elegant simplicity! The V, T, and B controls are very comfortably placed and easy to manipulate. I have read other reviews and agree that the strap bolts could be a bit bigger...an eaxy fix.

Although I am new to playing the guitar myself, I grew up in a family of musicians and know sounds; bad from good, good from great. For me, this guitar is a one of a kind great. I am anxious to get back to the U.S. and hear other SST's in order to find out if that big, thick, rich sound is typical of all of them. I have only played it through a Fender Bass Amp and a 9w practice amp. The small one is what it is...but the thickness of the Chet's sound still shines through. When I plugged into the Bass Amp, I was amazed at the clarity at high volume. The "feel" is great. This is a guitar that I will never give up. I play medium gauge strings and am a die hard blues fan...the SST fits me just right! About 95% of my playing time on it has been unplugged so take that for what it's worth. One last note on sound...I have started putting my ear to the wood of guitars to get a better feel for it's sound and when I compared the SST to a Washburn X60, an Alvarez fusion, and a Les Paul Classic, I found it to the be the most resonant and full but also the "loosest." Loose is a wierd way to describe a sound but the others just sounded tighter. Even still, I prefer this guitar over any other I have played. Oh, one last note, the guy I bought this from played it through a fender acoustasonic (the big one) and loved it!

I honestly don't know enough to give a worth while bit here...other than to say that it is the slowest action I have played. I like it that way because the work it takes to get from one spot to another is well worth the sound I hear.

I keep the finish wiped clean and it looks great but I can see where it may erode faster than others. Durability hasn't been an issue, it's a solid, solid guitar. The heaviest I have played. My son broke a lamp and lightbuld with the headstock....a few nicks but everything else is fine. Again, the strap buttons are too small. I haven't gigged yet (first one coming up in a month) so I can't comment on the rest.

I live on Okinawa, Japan and have dealt with the Japanese Gibson reps and they are wonderfully helpful and polite!

I have been playing for about a year and a half. If it were stolen I would track the poor $@#%!$% down and take it back...or just buy a new one. I can't choose one thing that I love more than the others. I simply love the FEEL of it. I do not hate anything about it. My wife bought the SST for me as a gift and she picked it soley based on looks...and the fact that Dave Matthews played it becasue she knows that I enjoy his music. I had never heard of or seen an SST before this one. Now, the more I look into other guitars the more I like the one I have.

well... im a huge dave matthews fan so of course the reason why i chose this guitar is pretty much clear, but not only cos of dave... i did notice this thing is a beauty.. its a 98 sst in ebony with the bangin star inlays and the gold tuners... with the active pickup u can just plug your headset right into the output n walk through the house and jam... really aweseome stuff... sized like a electric but with that sweet acoustic tone... cant beat it really

this guitar can basically go into any tone u want.. with the tremble to the 24th fret and the bass to the 21st fret... u can get any sound u want really... always b sure u have a nice fresh set of strings on it tho to get the most out of it... i suggest daddario electric .10-.46

the action is awesome... jammin in my room like dave it fits perfect to the body, the neck tho its really glosssy and that can cos yer hands to stick and that may b a problem, this guitar attracts dust n fingerprints like crazy so just b sure you clean it up alot to keep it lookin nice... the finish dulls out after a while even if u clean it so i think as far as keepin the finish lookin perfect forever is really impossible... oh well its a great jammin guitar

its a guitar u need to baby, the 24k tuners will tarnish if not cleaned with some guitar gloss polish.. if not taken care of properly tho u will pay the price eventually... i had to get bigger strap buttons put on because the strap came off once and if i was standin n playin it prob would haev fell to the ground and that prob would not have been good

i called gibson once for help on what strings to use for it... since i bought it used i wasant too sure... they gave me good ideas and it helped out... nice job fellas

overall if your a dave matthews fan get this guitar... ull have his sound and style... with some care youll keep it beautiful... cos i mean the looks r really stunning and the sound is something outta this world... nice job gibson

My "Chet" is a 1997 model, with the Cherry Sunburst scheme. It has 21/24 frets for the bass/treble. The guitar is a solid-body acoustic/electric. It's equiped with the factory installed piezo pickup, in a solid-bodied mahogany frame, with a solid spruce top. It has a light gloss finish, that gets fingerprints like CRAZY! It has a ebony fretboard and also a single cutaway, allowing access to the higher frets. It's also a thin-body, which makes it feel more like an electric, but still with an acoustic tone. The neck is about as thin as an electric as well. The case was included with the purchase, and it was the standard gibson case with the pink fur and satin cover-over. The case really wasn't that great (I prefer my Taylor's case, now that's a good case!) The guitar also has an EQ with volume, treble, and bass, making it so that you can tune into any setting you want. If you want more bass, you go it (and a lot of it!). Treble, turn the knob, and it's there. It also has an active pickup, meaning that you can just plug your headphones into the output, and jam that way, though it sounds very "electronic" that way, cuz there's no coloring with reverb or the such.

I love this guitar for the sound! It's pretty unbelieveable from the first time you play it. You imagine it to sound like an electric, but it sounds totally acoustic. I play mostly rythem guitar, with some fingerpicking as well, and it fits both quite well. I play mostly church stuff, but the more contemporary stuff from Passion, or Delirious and the such, where it's more guitar driven.
I'm using the Chet with my Marshall AS50R right now, and it sounds just right. I like to crank it with the reverb on my amp on full, so that I can get the full effect of the piezo pickup with no feedback. The amp gives it a lil too much bass though, even when I have the eq on the bass all the way down, and the volume up, the bass is hard to take out.
The overall sound can be changed a lot, since it has the treble and bass knobs, so it can be big and bassy, or bright sounding. I really like the guitar for rythmic playing, like David Crowder's style, or Dave Matthew's style playing. With quick lead riffs and strums, it sounds great, and you get the loud sound of muting the strings as well. The guitar also allows virtually NO FEEDBACK. No matter the volume, it won't feedback, which is awesome for live playing. If you're looking for a guitar that you can play at loud volumes, and that can cut through a mix of instruments, this is it!
The part I really dislike is that it's not that great for a recording guitar. I'm currently working on a CD project, and I have to mic my amp in order to get the right sound (I can't just take the pickup sound, cuz then it doesn't sound acoustic enough).

I bought this guitar used, so I'm not sure of the condition straight from the factory. The action of it feels alright. It's good for my playing style, being mostly rythem guitar. The finish on it was a lil rough, from wear and tear of the last owner. A few trouble spots on the front of the guitar, as well as the back, but it gives it character. The real complaint I had was on the neck. The back of the neck was glossy, and I just really hate that after having my Taylor (which has a satin finish on it, and boy, it's so smooth). I resolved that by getting some really really really light grained sandpaper, and working down the gloss on the neck. Now it feels a lot better, but I still get a few "sticking" problems if my hands are really moist from sweating.
I really do enjoy the size of the guitar though, and the weight. It feels really natural having it on, and not heavy like a bass guitar is. The width is also a bonus, as it's not as thick as an acoustic, so my arm doesn't stick out as much.

I don't like to leave this guitar (or any guitar out) for very long in a live setting. It will withstand it, but with Youth Group kids around, or sometimes crazy people, I don't like to keep it out. For daily playing or gigs, it'll do, but I wouldn't ever want to have it fall on the floor. The hardware I've heard will tarnish over time, but that doesn't seem to be the case so far. The guitar is a 1997 model, and the 24karat gold seems to be doing fine so far, here's to 50 years with it, hehe. The finish is what I actually don't like too much. It's not very glossy, and it seems a lil dull and thick. If I could, I would like to refinish it, but I'm afraid of what it may do to the sound, hah. The strap buttons have been changed on it to some slightly larger ones. The originals were included in the case, and after looking at them, I'm glad that they were changed. The original ones were very small, and probably wouldn't stay in the guitar strap very well. I use this guitar all the time with out a backup, though I would like to have another Chet, hah. I would use it for an alternate tuning or something. The one thing I make sure to bring is an extra battery, and to have it in my pocket, just in case the battery goes out on me.

Haven't dealt with the company. Don't think I'm under warranty either, hah.

I've been playing for 3 years now. Not a very long time, but I've gotten pretty well schooled in things. I also own a Taylor 810BCE, a Baby Taylor, and a Takamine EG-334C (which I may be selling soon). I also own a variety of other things, a Marshall AS50R amp, some percussion, mics, etc. If this guitar was stolen, I'd definately want to get another one, I simply love this guitar for live work. This is my main guitar for live gigs, my only complaint is not being able to just plug it in and record with it, ahhh, oh well. My favorite feature is the look of it. The Cherry Sunburst just accents off it so well! I didn't want to compare it to other guitars, because I already have 3 other guitars, and they can be used for different purposes. The one thing I wish it DIDNT have, were those crazy Star-shaped inlays. They're a lil too patriotic for me, hah.

Mine is a '92 SST in black with all the usual stuff; volume, bass, treble controls (9V powered active eq). Cool star inlays and gold tuners, etc.. Now that even the most modest acoustic guitars come with elaborate Fishman electronics, the SST does seem a bit basic. But, hey - that suites me fine.

I am doing a AAA / modern rock / unplugged type of thing. Female vocalist, me on the SST, and a very tight and LOUD rythm section (bass & drums). Even though it is a power trio with vocals, I still had trouble using an acoustic guitar and cutting through (feedback, etc..). I haven't given up on playing acoustic yet - I am getting an SWR California Blonde amp and an LR Baggs pre-amp to give me more volume and more feedback control, but the SST is so close to an acoustic sound that it may not be necessary to switch back.

Right now I am playing through a Fender Hot Rod Deville (4-10"s) and it sounds pretty good, but electric guitar amps do color the sound and add lots of midrange, so I am looking forward to playing the SST through the SWR when I get it. I get a full sound with LOTS of brilliance and bottom end. I can push the guitar into overdrive, but that is not the sound I am looking for. I give it a 9 instead of a 10, because I love Taylors and the SST can't quite get you to that sweet, full acoustic Taylor sound.

Bought it used and it was set up pretty well by the previous owner. There are some scratches on the back, but this is a guitar for playing live so that is irrelevant. I do have a gripe with the strap buttons - I dropped the guitar the second day I owned it and strap locks will be added asap.

Well it survived hitting the floor - just needed to tune up! I think I can depend on it, after all it is 10 years old. But I have to take off a couple points due to the need for a better strap button / strap lock system.

N/A

I have been playing seriously for 23 years. Only recently playing a lot of acoustic guitar, and this is my first band where I play acoustic. My other guitars are a Fender Tele Thinline ('72 re-issue), a Gibson Spirit (like LP Jr.) that I bought new 20 years ago, an Ibanez AW100 artwood acoustic (handmade in Korea!), a Yamaha bass, a mandolin, and a classical guitar. I have owned lots of amps (especially Fenders) including 2 Twins and a Super Reverb (why did I sell it?!) and the HR Deville is pretty great as long as you are playing clean or crunchy (doesn't have a nice fat distortion).

I bought the SST as an addition, not to replace anything. I will be getting a Taylor very soon (not sure which model yet - but am leaning towards a 710CE, 414CE, or 415CE) and having the SST will not stop me from upgrading my Ibanez folk guitar to a Taylor. I did try one of the Epi Chet's and while it was not bad, I did heed the advice of those who posted about it on Harmony Central (spend more $$ and get the Gibson).

Overall, the Chet is really cool. It has a certain look and makes some wonderful sounds. The black finish will take a lot of care, but if I wanted maintenance free I would have taken up harmonica.

Mine was a completely standard 1999 CA SST in Ebony.

The tone was awesome, but the guitar never had good intonation. So it was unplayable. Unfortunately I had to place a back order to get this, so I could not try it first.

The action sucked, leading to the intonation problems. The finish was awesome though, stunning.

Drop this guitar and count on buying a new one. The gold hardware will tarnish if not cleaned after every use, so that sucks. The upper strap button has a rather inconvenient location for attaching the strap, but it sure hangs on to the guitar. It did all right on gigs without concern for a backup. I just had to baby it all the time to keep it from any accidents.

N/A

10 years of playing have led me to be picky about what a play on. I wish I would have discovered the Rick Turner Renaissance before I wasted 999 bucks on this hunk of crap. I have sold it, and plan on getting a Rick Turner. Do yourself a favor, and for a few hundred bucks more, get the RT. It is better playing, sounding, looking, comes with better strings, has better construction, and will make you a happier player.

My Chet comes along with a awesome story. Me and my friend were planning on going to a Dave Matthews Band show in chicago and a drum teacher at our school happens to know Carte Beauford. Well anyways, we all got to go backstage and dave had I think around 5 chets back with him.. so i asked him if could have one just out of curiosity, and HE GAVE ME ONE!!! It was awesome. Thats my story, but anyways, about the guitar.. this is a great guitar, i really have never played a better acoustic/electric. Because this guitar was given to me.. it didnt come with the case. This has tons of great features but you can the gibson website for all the real details. THIS IS A GREAT GUITAR.. ADVISE ANY SERIOUS PLAYERS TO BUY ONE

This guitar fits my style great. The sound is great. This guitar has a sound unlike any other guitar out there. Great in an acoustic, but i personally putting it through a Fender Super Reverb. I give the sound a 10

Well, I got this guitar the way Dave had fishman set it up. Besides that, everything is awesome. Although the finish is really thin and dents and scrathes really easily. It had some minor pick scratches from dave playing I think 1 or 2 concerts with, but it is still great condition

This gutiar is SUPER STURDY (besides the weak finish)Ain't nothin bringin this guitar down. The strap pegs on the guitar are Schaller strap locks, and those are really sturdy. The finish thin, and i can see it fading where i rest my arm when playing with a short sleeeved shirt on. I would use it at a gig without backup for sure! I give it a 9 due to its finish

never delt with it

Over all i give this guitar a 10. This guitar has been by my side for the past year and a half. I love it, although it can't be replaced because of its former owner Mr. David J. Matthews, i would still go out and by antother if anything happened to it.

My guitar is a '97 model made in the Tennessee plant. Most of the specs are listed on Gibson's webpage, so I suggest you check that out to get the basics. Mine's the ebony finish. The controls are great. You can dial in almost any tone imagineable with the active EQ, and because its active, you can play it with headphones plugged straight into the guitar and still get a sound. The piezo pickup is great, and I can get some really cool effects going by tapping the bridge while playing or muting the strings. The chambered body still gets a good tone even when not plugged in, so if I just pick it up and feel like playing without an amp, you can still get a reasonable volume. My neighbors don't always like me cranking the amp! The ebony fretboard looks beautiful, especially with the cool star inlays. The neck is pretty clean, but I'll go into the problem I had later. Also, the body is two pieces, and I'll describe the problem with that later. Comes with a hard case (with a pimp pink lining that all Gibsons have), and a truss rod key/screwdriver combo. In my opinion, a very nice guitar that is very well rounded for different styles. Just keep a spare 9volt around, as the EQ is a battery hog.

Originally I bought this guitar after only having played a year. At the time, Dave Matthews was my biggest musical influence, and so the reason I chose this guitar is obvious. With the tone knobs you can make it sound practically any way you want. Mine seems to have a lot of bottom end, but that may be my style of playing. Crank up the treble control and you can get a really clear sound that doesn't sound totally twangy and light. A very rich sound. Originally I played it through a small accoustic practice amp, and the sound was still pretty good given the terrible amp. The coolest tone I get is when I tap the bridge right where the strings and bridge meet. ALthough not a practical application, it still looks and sounds cool when I'm jamming with a friend. As I've played more and more, I've fallen in love with the blues. To my surprise, this guitar still sounds great for that style too. I now have a fender hot rod deluxe, and when I play a little distortion through it for extra gain, the sound breaks up just the way I want it to to give me a more raw blues tone. ALthough nothing substitutes for a guitar meant for the blues, my Chet sure sounds like it wants to be a blues guitar. The response is quick, and the sounds is clear despite being raw. When I sold my LP Standard I was forced to use this guitar for everything, and I am not dissapointed. Depending on my mood and tone preference for the month, I'll switch between accoustic and "electric" strings. Both work well. Accoustic strings by far give it the best tone. I'd say if you want a great accoustic sounding solidbody, this is the way to go. Nothing beats it. Any other styles you can get out of it are just gravy on top. A very versatile guitar.

The action on mine was low, and when I first got it, I liked it that way. Since then, and since focusing on blues more, I've raised the action to facilitate string bending. Unfortunately I snap a lot of high E's trying to hit some of those bends, but that's my own fault. The tuners always stay in tune, unless there's a drastic change in humidity, but that can't be helped, and is no fault of the guitar. Now we get into the problems. The Chet I have now is actually my second one. The first one I had for about 4 months, and right about that time the top cracked right where the two pieces of the body are joined, from the bridge all the way to the endpin. An obvious defect, since I treated this guitar like it was my baby, Gibson was quick to send me a new guitar. This new one is still going strong after almost two years. There is some minor chipping of the laquer on the neck at the 12th fret low E side, and eventually I'll have to get that refinished, but right now I can't stand to part with this guitar for the time it would take to get that job done. The laquer on the headstock is also chipping a bit on the top where the tuners are, but since I care more about tone than appearance, I don't really care. The finish does scratch easily, and I have several little dings on the body from friends not respecting other people's property, but what can you do. The guitar is made of soft wood, so you need to be gentle. Although I don't care about those battle scars, any prospective buyer should at least be aware of those issues. Finally, when I got the guitar, I had to spend a day just cleaning it up. Gibson didn't take the time to clean the extra glue off the neck from the frets and nut, so I had to. Both the first and second Chets had this problem. For a guitar that costs a fair amount of cash, I would expect it to be a little cleaner. Finally, although the gold hardware looks great, its a chore to keep clean, and if you don't it will tarnish. The finish still looks great after all this time, and daily play. Depending on whether you care about the looks of your guitar, I'd give it different ratings. For those that do, I'd give it a 3, since it needs a lot of work from the factory to make it look perfect. I'm giving it a 5 because the laquer chipping on the neck kinda ticks me off, and I'm going to need to get it relaquered soon.

I don't really play live yet, so I'm not sure how it would stand up onstage. Like I said about the battery though, it eats them up like they were candy. Keep a spare if you're playing live. Once the battery dies, the guitar is useless with the active EQ. I've already mentioned the problem with the finish and the hardware, so just be warned that you have to take care of this guitar to keep it looking good. You can't go bouncing it off of walls or anything. Other than that, I'd say its a solid guitar. The tone is great, and it always sounds the same no matter what. I'd defintely keep a spare on stage if I was playing live though, just in case. The battery thing just makes me leary of using it as my only live ax. Overall though, I'd say you can depend on it though.

Gibson customer support is awesome. They fixed my problem quickly and with no hassle. However, I did have my guitar dealer help me out in the crack issue. The guitar comes with a lifetime warranty (like all Gibsons), so you can rest assured that any problem will be fixed quickly and quietly.

I've been playing guitar for four years now, and no matter how many guitars I play, I always come back to the Chet. I fell in love with the guitar the minute I laid my hands on it. It was my first love, and there will always be a place for it in my collection. If it got stolen I'd cry my eyes out, then I'd hunt the jerk down to get my baby back! I really like this guitar as opposed to a straight accoustic with a pickup. Its my preference. If you want an accoustic for onstage, give the Chet a try. You'll probably buy it. I originally bought it to get a tone like Dave Matthews, and its never let me down. The sheer number of possibilities this guitar has for tone put it in a class by itself. I love mine so much that I plan on getting one with the natural finish cedar top when I have some extra money to kick around. The color on that one is like none I've seen before. If you average the scores I gave it, it would be an 8.4. Overall though, I'd say this guitar is much better than that. That's why I'm rounding up. Try one out, you'll love it.

The big feature of this guitar is the chambered body so you don't get any feedback at high volumes on stage. It works awesome. Mine is a first year production model. I have played for 14 years and play professionally. I have owned over 20 guitars and traded in most--but not this one! The tone controls are great--you can dial in whatever setting you want--very versitile. The only reason I give it a 9 and not a 10 is that you have to unscrew 4 screws to replace the battery.

The sound is great. I have had many offers but not taken any yet and don't plan on it either. I mostly chord with some picking ( I am a singer and accompany myself) the guitar is great for this.

The finish is thin and dents easily although the guitar looks great. The neck is not bound and a little sloppy in my opinion.

This thing has been beat to death--gigged for years and still sounds great with NO problems. I recommend it highly.

I love this guitar--been playing years. If stolen, I would definately buy a new one. It is so comfortable to play - an acoustic in an electic body--it doesn't get any better than that!

My Chet is a 2001 ebony finish. It has the active controls on the rim of the guitar. If find this to be great for plugging headphones into. This way you can practice, while still being VERY quiet!! I agree with other reviewers about the finish on the neck. It DOES get sticky!! ESPECIALLY in the northeast where humidity gets crazy. The gold tuners have a beautiful finish, just keep them clean to avoid tarnishing. other then that they hold tune very well.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! Some people say this guitar doesnt sound like a REAL acoustic. personally, i DONT CARE what it sounds "LIKE" i think this guitar has the most unique wonderful sound. It is VERY punchy and bright sounding, plus it still has a very good low end register. The active controls allow you to fine tune the sound to fit any style of playing. I play a percussivey rythmic style of playing. and play mostly Dave matthews or similar style music and of course this guitar is the PERFECT guitar for this!!

My Chet came set up perfectly from the factory. I play wiht a slightly higher action, but thast how this guitar came so it was fine for me. The finish on the guitar was also perfect. No chips or flaws in the paint, of any of the finishes on the guitar. Over the past 2 months i have noticed the finish dulling where my arm comes over the body of the guitar. I treat this guitar like a baby and whipe it down very well after each use, which leads me to believe this dulling is unavoidable. The guitar AND case are both georgeous.

I have only had the guitar for a few months but so far so good!!!!

NO use for them yet!! whoever Gibson was CORRECT abotu there 3 month wait period when i ordered the guitar. so i give them credit for that

I have been playing for a year and a half. I own this guitar and a fender dg-11. I play my Chet through a crate CA30D acoustic amp, and it sounds great for any at home playing. If i lost this one it would be replaced wiht NOTHING but the exact same thing. If you are interested in buying one of these guitars GO FOR IT!!! similar guitars like the Godin do not campare in fit and finish, and if money isnt an issue dont skimp for the Epiphone version, it just aint the same!!!!

feel free to email me with any questions!!! rock on!!

great thinline ac/el...has volume, bass, and treble controls...killer case...beautiful!...go for the natural finish though.

great sound...i played it through a PA...and it still held it's ground...it's amazing!

the only thing i really have to bitch about in this category is the neck...SAND OFF THE PAINT!!...i slide up and down the fretboard a lot and i find my thumb lagging behind due to the glossy finish on the back of the neck...otherwise i lowered the action a bit...it just takes a while to get used to the painted neck.

well, before i bought strap-locks...i dropped the chet on it's head...twice...yes, twice...i knocked out two little pieces of wood...retuned her...and she was good to go...if this guitar can take being dropped on it's head on concrete...it's pretty damn good!

never used them.

i'd buy chet's a plenty if i could...this thing is great! if it were stolen, i'd sell my friend's soul to get it back. i sold my Ovation Adamas to get this guitar...which has feature a plenty that are awesome...but i wouldn't go back...i love my chet!

The Gibson Chet Atkins SST is by far the best guitars i've ever played. If you in to that Dave Matthews, Ani Difranco, David Grey sound... Than there is no other guitars on this planet that I've ever seen that could be better.

Damon-Matthew and the Incandescent86 band

ATM Recordin Capital presents an ATM Capital Record production...
TO JUST GO AWAY, The newest album from the Incandescent86 band.

It is perfect in every way.

Awsome

Never ever had a singal promblem with any of my six stage Chets.

Never had to deal with the company.

Unreal

My Chet is a 2000 model, made in Gibson's Nashville factory. It has a 21 bass/ 24 treble fret neck, beautiful ebony finish. Abalone star inlays. The finish might be beautiful, but it is very thin and can easily be chipped. Make sure you are very carefull when it comes to handling this guitar. I play pretty agressive with it, but treat it like a little baby when it comes to taking care of it. Gold hardware, not a good idea. The smudges are very evident, but can easily be taken off with a mild polish. It has active volume, treble, and bass controls that come in handy if you want to play a wide variety of music style.

This guitar's volume, treble, and bass controls allow you to dial in on whatever sound you are looking for. I have played on $1000+ Martins and Taylors what can't hold a thing to the rich acoustic tones you can get with this guitar. The chet can also get some punchy low ends too. I play through a Fender Hotrod Deville and it sounds great. This guitar produces no feedback! None, zip, nada! My Deville is louder than most half stacks and I can play it on 10 if I want to and still get 0% feedback.

My chet came perfect out of the case, except the fact that it came with the most noisy strings I have ever heard on an acoustic/electric.
I switched to some nice Elixer strings, nice. The only flaw I have found with this guitar is the finish! The finish on this guitar is thinner than a Kate Moss. (Not her face ;) ) Can scratch easy, so be careful who you trust it to.

This guitar is perfect for live/studio playing. The hardware is fair enough to last a while, but the gold will eventually fade away. Like I have said, the finish is very thin. Strap buttons are very sturdy, but just for piece of mind, I got some straplocks put on it. I'd use a backup, only if it was another Chet Atkins. This guitar is great!

Gibson produces many instruments in a year, so obviously there customer support isn't the greatest. The warranty is just a list of things it doesn't cover.

I have been playing for 7 years. I also own a Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 and a Fender Strat Plus. (discontinued)This is obviously used for a different style, so you can't compare them. If it were stolen, I would take the insurrance money and buy it again. There is none better! I'll take points away for customer support and the finish!

The Chet has some great features that allow you to dial in the exact tone you are looking for. Whether its a full acoustic tone with crisp highs or whether its a crunchier low end your looking for, the chet has got your number.

The sound from this guitar (especially at high volumes) make it unique and very impressive to hear. I use a Crate Acoustic amp which intensifies the high end sound and is a great substitute for a the fishman pickups everyone likes to use nowadays.

Dont get me wrong this is a beatiful looking guitar...for about 2 weeks. The chet has no pickguard, attracts dust sweat and prints like a magnet, and looks like it can get scratched up and dinged pretty easily. If you got the money to refinish or the patience to treat it gently, give this column a 10.

This is a great live guitar that can stand up to guitars 3x its value. However, be ready with a rag and polish as soon as you step off stage, or else the finish will dull.

Gibson customer support really is worthless. A bridge peg broke right in half and instead of simply sending me one replacement, they said they had to send me 6, then charge me $35 on top of it. Screw that. Visit "The Classic Axe".

Great Sound, Great Quality, Great Price, Fair Durability, Fair Ebony finish, Bad Gibson Service