Some three decades after Nashville superstar Chet Atkins debuted his original Country Gentleman model from the Gretsch company, he approached Gibson with some design refinements for a new version of the legendary model. The new instrument would be shallower in depth to make it easier to hold, have wider spaced pickups to facilitate fingerstyle play, and have a lighter weight body block (the guitar itself isn't light) to add sustain and curb feedback. A handily placed master volume knob, classic Bigsby, and generous 1 3/4" neck all ensured that the player had everything right at the fingertips. The result was the Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.