Most guitarheads are conscious of the big contributions of the late Chet Atkins, the Nation Gentleman, to American in style music, from his advanced fingerpicking model to producing early rock data. To not point out the traditional Gretsch hollowbody electrical guitars that bore his title.

However far fewer know the way his quest for maintain yielded two obscure Gretsches of the ’70s – the Tremendous Axe and its humbler sibling, the Atkins Axe – or that Roy Clark nearly bought the credit score!

The Tremendous Axe was a product of the Baldwin period of possession at Gretsch. The Tremendous Axe was truly designed circa 1976 by Gretsch supervisor Duke Kramer in collaboration with Atkins, who recollects that Atkins was all the time investigating methods to extend maintain in devices, from modifying bracing to experimenting with glass nuts.

In-built Arkansas, the Gretsch Tremendous Axe was a nice guitar. A solidbody (for maintain!), it had a set neck and really slim bound-mahogany physique that tapered towards the perimeters, making it very comfy to play. They have been pretty broad for a solidbody – nearer to a hollowbody, in all probability reflecting Chet’s preferences for that mode. The S-curve form of the higher bout and cutaway was just like different designs in style within the mid ’70s, together with the Aria Professional II Prototype, in the end derived from the Rickenbacker Combo designed by Roger Rossmeisl. The certain ebony fretboard had small block inlays that went from one per fret to 2, then three. The pickups on Gretsch guitars by this time have been produced in Japan, they usually kick butt.

On the coronary heart of the Tremendous Axe idea was a circuit board with built-in results. Atkins most well-liked simply two. Along with grasp Quantity and Tone controls, the Tremendous Axe had compression and phaser circuits, every with its personal on/off swap. With compression on, the sound waves get “squashed” or compressed, eliminating excessive highs and lows and yielding elevated maintain. This circuit had a maintain management that ruled the quantity of compression. The phaser circuit had a management for fee plus a second knob to find out how a lot of the phasing was blended with the ultimate output. In different phrases, you can have background phasing impact or full-out grooviness. The result’s a particularly playable guitar with exceptional tonal flexibility, however with out the complexity that plagues many guitars with extra onboard results.

There was some dialogue about naming the guitar after Chet. Nevertheless, earlier than it was launched in March of ’77, a replica was given to Roy Clark, who was performing recurrently in Las Vegas. Roy appreciated the guitar and commenced utilizing it in his present. Some started to confer with the guitar because the Roy Clark mannequin, which didn’t sit properly with its designer! Maybe it was foreshadowing; the guitar with results was known as the 7680 Tremendous Axe and completed in translucent Pink Rosewood, whereas a model with out, the 7685 Atkins Axe, was translucent Ebony. Each have been produced from ’76/’77 by means of ’80/’81. By ’78, Atkins had severed his relationship with Gretsch, making the Tremendous Axe his final mannequin. What number of of those Atkins Gretsch swan songs have been made is unknown, however given how seldom you see one, not many. However in case you get an opportunity to play one, be sure you say, “Thanks, Chet!”

This function was first revealed within the October ’03 situation.

This text initially appeared in VG’s June 2025 situation. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.