Muffler

One of the techniques Chet Atkins used when performing was palm muting the guitar strings at the bridge for pizzicato effects. This led Gretsch to add special muffler pads underneath the strings, just ahead of the bridge. A switch on the guitar top would push the muffler into position to try and duplicate this sound. A single muffler was used on the Model 6120, while two mufflers were used on the Model 6122 (Country Gentleman). Although Gretsch saw mufflers as features players would like, most players saw them as unnecessary, particularly as palm muting produced a better pizzicato. What’s more, the mufflers required moving the bridge pickup farther from the bridge, which meant less treble. Considering the fact that few players used them, the company continued to place mufflers under the strings even after the Baldwin purchase of Gretsch or roughly until 1971.