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THE GIBSON CHET ATKINS CE AND CECThe Gibson Chet Atkins CE and CEC were developed by The Gibson Company in conjunction with the guitarist and Nashville record producer Chet Atkins and his luthier Hascal Haile in 1982. The chambered semi-solid mahogany body and spruce top was fitted with six separate piezo pickups under the bridge allowing each string to be finely adjusted for volume. With a 25 ½ inch scale length the instrument was produced in two neck width models, the CEC with a standard 2 inches as found on most classical guitars and a narrower CE with a 1 7/8 inch width. Strung with nylon strings, the instrument supplies the warm and tonal quality of a traditional classical guitar without the feedback problems that plagued traditional classical guitars when amplified. These instruments became infinitely popular with performers for both stage and studio work. With the respect that Chet Atkins had gained among other players, the popularity of the instruments grew among professional circles and they were used by the likes of Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Jack Johnson and, of course, David Gilmour.

GIBSON INCORPORATED, KALAMAZOO, 1993

AN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC GUITAR, CHET ATKINS CE

Details

GIBSON INCORPORATED, KALAMAZOO, 1993
AN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC GUITAR, CHET ATKINS CE
Serial Number 93073334, bearing the logo Gibson / Chet Atkins Gibson, with original hardshell case bearing a label inscribed GIBSON CHET ATKINS NYLON 1993? #CE93073334 NARROW FINGERBOARD and SERIAL NO. DG1054 and CHESTER; accompanied by a fax from Gibson's Entertainment Relations Office in London, dated 30th March 1994
Length of back 19 3/8 in. (49.2 cm.)

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Lot Essay

This guitar was supplied directly by Gibson USA for Pink Floyd’s 1994 The Division Bell Tour, which ran from 30th March to 29th October 1994 and would turn out to be the last Pink Floyd tour. One of seven main guitars used by David Gilmour during each show, the Chet Atkins CE was used during performances of High Hopes, the final track on Pink Floyd’s 1994 album The Division Bell. Footage of Gilmour playing the guitar during the show at London's Earls Court on 20th October 1994, with the backing of Storm Thorgerson’s official music video as a screen film, can be seen in the live concert video Pulse, released on VHS in 1995 and on DVD in 2006. Chester Kamen later used the guitar when performing with Gilmour during the last two legs of the Rattle That Lock Tour from June to September 2016.

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