"Roundup" has always referred more to a style than any one guitar. Originally there were the very similar 6121 and 6130 models and later there have been several "cowboy jet" models, all of which have been called Roundups at one time or another.
But to start at the beginning, The Gretsch 6121 Chet Atkins Solidbody debuted in late 1954 alongside the similarly styled 6130 Roundup and the hollowbody 6120. Both the 6121 and the 6130 were aimed at pickers wanting something a little more western than the 6120.
Both solidbodies sported the usual western appointments — G brand, steer's head on the headstock, cactus inlays — plus recessed leather binding engraved with campfire scenes.
The 6121 differed from the 6130 in a number of small ways, but the most noticeable was its Bigsby tailpiece and maple top where the Roundup usually had a "belt buckle" tailpiece and knotty pine top. 6130
Very early Roundups, like very early Jets, used a less-rounded pickguard.
The original Roundup only lasted until 1958, while the 6121 survived up to 1962, with the biggest change along the way being a switch from DeArmond pickups to FilterTrons in 1959.
Many of its features were revived for the Country Roc model in the '70s.
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Mahogany
— Dec 3, 2007 1:47 p.m.