John Squire’s 1960s Gretsch G6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman

This 1960s Gretsch G6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman was one of the guitars John Squire used around the time of The Stone Roses’ debut album release. According to John Robb’s book, The Stone Roses: And the Resurrection of British Pop, it was one of Squire’s favorite live guitars, though it wasn’t used in the studio sessions at all.

Apparently, producer John Leckie advised Squire against using the Gretsch, saying it sounded “woolly”—too soft, muddy, or lacking in clarity. As a result, Squire opted for his pink Stratocaster for most of the album’s recording.

The Gretsch Country Gentleman pictured on the inside of The Stone Roses’ lemon album was a live favourite, but John Leckie vetoed its use for the album’s recording. ‘He said it was too woolly, and he was right. For a lot of the first album I hired in a pink ’60s Stratocaster which I ended up buying because it sounded so good. The Gretsch went missing …

The Stone Roses: And the Resurrection of British Pop

Specs

John’s Gretsch was a Chet Atkins Country Gentleman model with a walnut brown finish. Interestingly, it was a rare mid-’60s version featuring a different neck pickup—a Super’Tron, which was essentially a higher-output version of the Filter’Tron. You can still see the original Filter’Tron pickup in the bridge position on John’s guitar.

According to Gretsch, this particular model was produced only between 1964 and 1966, indicating that John’s guitar likely dates from around this period.

Went Missing or went to Mark Coyle, Noel Gallagher Connection

Based on John’s own words (see the quote at the beginning of this page), the Gretsch went missing at some point. However, according to quotes from Noel Gallagher, the guitar actually ended up with Mark Coyle, Oasis’ producer and essentially their sixth band member.

Noel stated that the guitar was with Mark until one of Oasis’ roadies brought it to Noel’s house. Noel later wrote Live Forever on the Gretsch, one of Oasis’ biggest hits. He also used it to record Married with Children, playing it unplugged like an acoustic guitar.

I wrote it on John Squire’s Gretsch Country Gent because one of the roadies lived at Mark Coyle’s house and it ended up at my house. When I played it at the next rehearsal Bonehead said, ‘You’ve not just written that fucking song. That’s from somewhere else.’ I’d listened to enough music to know that was a classic. It was Mark Coyle that came up with the drumbeat because when he was checking the drums on the last Inspiral Carpets tour I would play these chords. It’s funny how a song changes everything.

Noel Gallagher – Chief’s Guitars

It remains unclear how the guitar ended up with Mark Coyle or what his connection to The Stone Roses might be. If you happen to have any information, please share it in the comments below.

It’s also uncertain whether the guitar is still with Coyle or, if not, where it might be now.