Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet

2005 Cadillac Green w/gold hardware
2 Dynasonic pickups
2 ind. pickup volumes, 1 master volume, 1 master tone, 3-way selector
Bigsby vibrato
Hump fret markers
Mahogany Back
Melita bridge
Made in Japan
-Overall, this guitar has the features I would look for in a solid-body Gretsch. The bridge, however, takes some getting used to. I play a lot of Travis-style guitar and the little knobs jab into the heel of my hand when I'm muting the bass strings.

The sound of this guitar is glorious. Reminiscent of a P-90 equipped early Les Paul, but with more bounce and not quite as dense. The bridge pickup has a Tele-style twang, but rounder and fuller. Listen to early Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. It sounds remarkably close to Cliff Gallup's tone. The middle position is where I play 90% of the time. It adds warmth and depth without muddying the highs. The neck position is a touch thick for me. I would prefer a mellow, clear jazz tone in the neck position, but you can't have everything.

The finish on this guitar is breath-taking! Every time I take it out of the case at a jam or gig, there is a murmur from the musicians in the room. It is one of the most beautiful guitars I've seen. That said, the gold hardware is showing some oxidation, so it's not as pristine as it once was. Also, within just a few weeks of owning it, The tuning pegs began to slip. I took it back to the shop where I bought it and the owner took the pegs off and re-glued them all. Now it tunes perfectly.

I'm not a very aggressive player and only use the vibrato for shimmery Chet-like chord effects. It does feel more delicate than my old Tele (name a guitar that doesn't!) but still feels solid. I'm contemplating having a fixed bridge installed, but I'm not sure I want to mess with the originality of the guitar at this time.

I have not had any experience with Gretsch's customer support.

I bought this guitar used in December 2007. It had 12's on it with virtually no relief in the neck and buzzed like crazy. But I could tell the tone was there. I had them put 10's on it, clean the frets, and set it up. That made all the difference. This guitar is gorgeous to listen to and look at. If it was stolen, I'm not sure if I would replace it with the same. Maybe something with steer horns and horseshoes. Wonderful guitar, though, for rockabilly and retro-rock.

g6128T model 2004 with filtertron pickups.

exelent variaty of sounds not too much output.sends you to heaven when youre getting warm and youre on the way climax of the gig.
I"ll say no more,just find yourself one and play...

just wonderful

havent let me down yet

don`t know

`nothings perfect but this is on the front line...

The Duo Jet is the hottest looking electric in Rock 'n Roll. Its shape and hardware epitomize the genre. I purchased my 1957 Reissue Duo Jet online in October, 2005 from Gary at North Coast Music. The guitar was crafted by Gretsch-crazy Japanese luthiers who clearly have an enormous respect and understanding for what Fred Gretsch was trying to accomplish back in the day. Those of us who own these Custom Shop-grade guitars know that they are at least the equal of the originals, which were uneven, at best. My Duo Jet has Dynasonic pickups and you've already read about the rest. The guitar came with the requisite certificate, polishing cloth and guitar strap. The case is sadly only mediocre, when compared to the guitar.

George Harrison's early work with The Beatles impressed me so much-listen to "Roll Over Beethoven" and "'Til There Was You" - that I had to own the guitar. Like most Gretsch guitar models, the Duo Jet is a unique instrument, with its chambered body, roller bridge, single coil pickups and Bigsby. I play it through a Matchless Spitfire- a good match for this guitar. It is noisy of course, it's a reissue. On a good day, I can capture the wonderfully clean and rocking sounds of The Fabs. Those sounds are priceless and worth the price of admission. The guitar can produce sounds of amazing variety, esp. with pedals, but metal is a stretch, I think. Yes, I hear both the Les Paul and Telecaster when I play the Duo Jet, but it is its own creation. Not for everyone, I suppose. But for me, it's a pearl of great price.

All of the Japanese reissue Gretsch instruments are impeccably constructed, with an attention for detail that make the guitars near works of art. My Duo Jet was set up by Gary at North Coast Music. Those acquainted with Gary know that he sets up your guitar the way he would set up his guitar, with knowledge and infinite care. The Duo Jet arrived in pristine condition, with tape indicators to indicate the proper intonation placement for the roller bridge.

I don't baby my guitars... my Duo Jet's been played out a number of times and it's a workingman's guitar- solid and reliable- I play it without a backup. I've read about the problems folks have had with loose strap buttons and fortunately I haven't experienced those troubles. On my Les Paul and Telecaster, I used straplocks, but they are not needed on the Duo Jet. It feels like a professional instrument- solid. An instument upon which you can depend.

I have no experience with the Gretsch Company. Frankly, if something happened to one of my guitars I would find a local expert to fix it. In my experience, Martin Guitars is the exception to this rule. They are the Kings of Customer Support.

I've played guitar for about 38 years. I've owned almost everything during that period of time. At present I own a 1990 Martin HD 28, a Mauna Poa uke, a Baldwin piano, the Gretsch Duo Jet and a Matchless Spitfire amplifier.
I don't compare the Duo Jet with anything else. It's the only electric guitar I own. That says something about its ability to cover a range of styles. It's insured, so of course I'd replace it. We live in a Golden Age of guitar luthiery and the Japanese reissue Gretsch Duo Jet is an example of what Gretsch/Fender are capable of. I feel lucky a guitar that George Harrison considered to be his "first good guitar" and one he played during his entire life.

1999 Gretsch Duo Jet. Pre-Fender, made in Japan (I believe). Mine is the model with the dual Filtertron pickups. Master volume, master tone, individual pickup volume and 3-way pickup selector switch. Chambered mahogany body, bound maple top, set mahogany neck, bound black rock maple fingerboard. Non-trem floating bridge. Pretty standard, though I seem to see more with the Dynasonic pickups these days. Hardshell case included. Beautiful vintage styling, all the features you'd need on this type of guitar.

I'm glad that I got the Filtertron pickups instead of the Dynasonics. Very quiet, and have great tonal range. Sounds good with the right distortion, and sounds great clean. Probably not the best for metal, but with the metal distortions on the market, everything can sound the same.

The pickups are very full, and with the tone rolled off, this guitar can get a very bassy sound. With the tone wide open, you get a very bright sound (with a little twang) without sacrificing any of the low end fullness. Almost like a happy medium of a Telecaster and a Les Paul.

One of my favorite sounding combos is a Gretsch with Filtertrons through a 65 Fender Twin...

Guitar was set up beautifully for 10s. Like any guitar, heavier/lighter strings will require a bit of adjustment. No fret buzzing.

This is an arch-top guitar with a floating bridge. The strings at the bridge are naturally high off the body and the bridge is not attached. For this reason, this is not a guitar you can whail on, and if you're used to Strats (like I am), it might take a little getting used to the pick-hand positioning. But all in all, it plays beautifully.

Beautiful finish, fretwork, woood grain, etc. No visible flaws. The case is beautiful too...

I haven't played this live because I am a bassist. This is more for the home, and it's fine there. If I were to play it live, I would bring a back up because a) the floating bridge can get knocked out of place if hit hard enough and b) it's just the smart thing to do.

The only problems I had with this one are with the strap buttons. Gretsch uses an interesting screw-on design where there is an two-ended screw in the wood that is supposed to be permanently screwed into the body and threaded for the metal strap retainer. If you over-tighten, you can move the anchor screw in the wood and loosen it. Little super glue fixed this problem right up. Another problem is that the pickup selector switch is a little scratchy. Cleaning it well and bending the contact tabs a little fixed this. Last thing (and this is being picky) is that the all the pots are split shaft (ie for push-on knobs) and all the knobs are set-screw knobs. If you leave them the way they are from the factory, they can come off. If you tighten them down, it will bend the shaft of the pot just enough that the knob isn't perfectly centered on the pot shaft and look just a little crooked. Solid-shaft pots would have solved this problem, but it's not a big enough issue that I'd want to replace them on mine.

Biggest complaint is that there's only a 1-year warranty. Not that I've needed it, but I'd like to think that they could give a longer one and still not have any problems. Mine's 7 years old, and I've never had to call the company.

I have 2 strats, a Danelectro, and a G&L legacy (plus my basses). This is my second favorite. Second to the G&L, only because the G&L is so worn in that it's like an old sweatshirt... I always wanted a Gretsch. I love this one, I'm glad I bought it, I'd buy another if it were stolen, and if I had the money, I'd buy a few more. I want that Cadillac Green Duo Jet. And I'm thinking of starting a long-term savings account for a White Falcon...

Gretsch reissue Duo Jet, probably from 1991, with 2 Dynasonic single coils and Bigsby tremolo. Mahogany neck with small frets and Les Paul type mahagony body with cavities. Bought used on Ebay with a really worn OHSC. Pickups measure 8.8k and 8.9k.

(I want to suggest that you first read the Action, Fit & Finish chapter and then this one)

I was looking for a 6120, but then I found this occasion. My first Gretsch! So how will it sound?
As a premise I should say that I have always been searching for some of those gorgeous 60s sounds like the Pirates' Shakin' All Over or CCR's Suzie Q. I have actually modified all my other guitars to get out-of-phase sounds in order to come closer to those examples. I get at least a good Shakin' sound out of my Ibanez ES345 copy. I'm playing over a Fender Champ 12, no effects.
So here we go with my first Gretsch. I play my first chord, listen to the guitar's slightly raunchy voice and tell myself: Well, that's all here? The famous Gretsch and nothing more! Maybe, could need some more output, at least compared to my Les Paul! Then I put Neil Young's Ragged Glory in my CD-player and start playing along.
After a few minutes I recognize that there must be some kind of magic going on. I feel like sitting at the Round Table and Errol Flynn (was it he?) is clanging the singing sword!
The guitar starts singing in an ethereal tone like a glass harp and as long as I touch the strings it won't stop again. I play the wrong notes? No problem (as long as it's the right key), cause in the meantime the whole house is resounding with celestial harmonies.
THIS IS A MAGIC GUITAR!
Now I understand why Neil Young expands his solos to 20 minutes and never wants to stop. He is under a spell, too!
Playing Suzie Q. I discover that John C. Fogerty must have done this with a Gretsch (I always thought it was a Rickenbacker). The sound is sparky electric with incredible overtones exactly like on the record and switching between the three positions gives all variations.
This is absolutely the best sounding guitar I have ever played and it makes all my other guitars appear like cheap wood. I wonder if all Duo Jets sound like this one or if this has really some kind of magic spell on it? I heard that recent Japanese models aren't quite the same quality.
I wonder how the pickups would sound in series or out-of-phase. It would be easy to add two push/pull pots for that, but I guess this would be a sacrilege to this holy axe.

My first Gretsch, so how will it be?

Finish looks great. Gretsch has always built the best looking guitars and this is one of their coolest and most distinctive designs.
Feeling is also great, almost immediately like you'd always had this guitar on. Not too heavy. Bigsby is very responsive although it has come slightly out of line with the bridge. The lever is a bit low.
Tone control does almost nothing. The most useful is the volume master control.
This guitar is solidly handcrafted with excellent materials (screws for instance!), but some design features and production methods of the old Gretsch company appear at least guestionable.
One particular issue is that pickups are sometimes noisy and pickup covers are not properly grounded. There is just a blank wire passing close to the cover. If you're lucky it will touch and thus the pickup cover will be grounded. If not it will produce a lot of noise if you touch it with your fingers. I put a little solder on to fix the thing.
Another point is that the middle position with both pickups on is not hum-cancelling. Since the pickups are single coils, that would have been useful, too. But it's a reissue, so I guess they just copied the design from times when the humbucker hadn't even been invented.

Durability is guaranteed. A live guitar par excellence. Very good strap buttons. Jack input is solid. The aluminium rivet holding the bigsby could have been more solid.

Well, ehm?

I've been searching for certain sounds almost 25 years. Now I've found them.
This voice is simply MAGIC !!!!!!!!!!!

The Duo Jet I bought new in October 2004. It is the 6128 with the hard tail, however I have since added the correct Bigsby unit. Made in Japan, this model most closely resembles the 1959 Jet as it has the combination of small headstock, tone switch, dual Filtertrons and thumbnail inlays.(See http://web.tiscali.it/realvintage4/duojeng.html for pictures of a '59 Jet and some funny English). Gretsch seem to have a habit of changing the design every 5 minutes, when I returned to the shop to collect the guitar, the next one they had in had a much lighter mahogany stain, more like the original 50's models. I actually like the small frets as they suit the looks of the guitar. Nice low action. The neck doesn't feel all that different to my previous guitar, a strat copy, and I think it's a fine playable neck at that. At first I thought the exposed tuners looked cheap but they are "period correct" and do the job well. The guitar didn't stay in tune at all well at first and kept going sharp, this was cured by lifting the strings off the nut and filling the slots with graphite powder. Since then no problems.
The only gripe I have is with the electrics. The individual pots for the pickups do not blend the sound, they cut off the pickup concerned with only a small turn. Likewise the master volume pot deadens the tone with a small turn. I can't help thinking the wrong values have been chosen for the pots. Can't really see the point of the tone switch which is more complicated than a tone pot, not that I ever used tone switches anyway.

I play mostly country,rock and roll, folk, blues and the sound is the best thing about this guitar. It has a beautiful rich woody twang to it which is somewhere between a semi and a solid. It is an extremely versatile instrument and will handle almost any style you throw at it,perhaps metal freaks with Floyd Roses would not like it as the Bigsby is subtle. Play one of these and you will see why George Harrison liked it so much (though his had single coil pickups). I play it through a 120w Laney TF300, I don't use pedals I only use the spring reverb in the amp and sometimes a bit of natural crunch. Mostly I play pretty clean. If you want to fuzz things up the Gretsch will fizz with best of them. Seems a shame though, the basic tone of this guitar is so good I like it as it is. Fitting the Bigsby seems to have added a little to the sustain.

Action was fine. The space bar bridge occasionally produces a buzz which seems to be cured by lifting the string up and re-seating it. I have been told that the plain bar bridge is better and will give more sustain. Might try this.
The finish is superb and the guitar looks gorgeous. If I only was allowed to have one guitar this would be it.

I havn't gigged the Jet but would trust it on stage. One of the strap buttons unwound a bit the once which caused a mild panic, I now check them for tightness which I put the guitar on. Never any problem since. I think this guitar will still look good in years to come if looked after, I wipe it over and put it in the case when not using it, after all it's an expensive item and I look after my gear. It's well made and solid,and I can see it wearing well. I don't really think it would be professional not to have a backup guitar on a gig, which could be an excuse to buy a Tennessee Rose as well, couldn't it.

Not applicable.

I have been playing on or off for about 20 years, if this guitar were stolen I would either get another one or try a Tennessee Rose to see if I liked it any better than the Jet. Would definitely go for the Bigsby next time, Gretsches just look so cool with them you have to have it. I love the look and sound of this thing, the set neck, the build quality the Bigsby is good to use and stays where you put it. It also swings round neatly out of the way if you don't want it, and doesn't seem to upset the tuning stability.It is comfortable to play and the switches don't get in my way. When I look round in local guitar shops I never see anything as nice as the Jet. I know I am not exactly comparing like with like as most other guitars are half the price or less. Anyway, I play a lot and I will have this thing for years and years so it's worth it. There is not a lot else by way of comparison, I could have bought a Les Paul for roughly the same money but I have never felt attracted to them much, I find the Gretsch more sleek and elegant looking and it suits the music I play better. A top end Fender is also around this price but I like humbuckers and set necks and the Jet is more individual.
I think the electrics could be better thought out but overall this is a great guitar.

Gretsch DuoJet RI made in March 2004. All features of this great guitar have already been mentioned. Grover tuners, 2 US filtertrons, G tailpiece, 3 ply body, space roller bridge,neo-classic thumbnail inlays, tone selector, pickup selector, tone knobs and master volume. This weighs around 8 lbs which is alot lighter than the pre FMIC jet's. This is around the same weight as the original 50's models. THe body is mahogany.. the real real real stuff! Not cheap.. This guitar feels absolutly amazing. It has the gretsch screw in (lock) strap holders too. Alot of ppl get this guitar mixed up with a les paul from a long distance. There is alot of differces in basic appearance. Headstock.. Tailpiece and Body shape (the duo jet sorta looks like a stretched les paul). Neck is pretty thin in size. This came with a gretsch case that has dark red fur inside, Its a beautiful case. Also I got my authenticity certificate plus info cards on the guitar, filtertrons and space roller bridge. Plus a warrentee too! This has all the features I need and more but I know there would be some whining players out there who would want more.

Best sounding guitar I have. I own a Gretsch White Falcon, Gretsch Tennessean from 1961 and many more guitars and this is my favourate but I guess you could call me a sell out cos I use the falcon as my number 1 mainly for looks. The jet and falcon sound almost identical except the jet has slightly more output and is alot more reliable than the white falcon. I play usually country (rockabilly influanced) and rock (my rock sound is very malcolm young) so for those 2 type of music this guitar suits it 100%. I honestly dont dislike anything on this guitar.

I'm real sure the guitar was set up by the guy in the shop before I purchased it as the duo jet was so superbly set up and the guy in the store being an absolute gretsch fanatic and lover. But yeah at the end of the day the guitar was perfectly set up when I purchased it. No flaws noticed. The pickups are adjusted great! A matter of a couple millimeters from the strings. I honestly cannot complain.

I've only had this guitar two months but I have gigged with it alot and its been the best guitar ive ever gigged with as far as sound and reliability so there yeah I can depend on it. Im damn sure this guitar will last. Mike Lewis from Fender/Gretsch is doing a magnificent job with these RI Gretschs!

I'm not too sure cos I havent delt with them but I do know that replacement gretsch parts are incredibly expensive. Overly expensive!! If I ever need to replace anything it will just be hardware such as chrome knobs from my own sweat! But we would be talking years into the future.

I've given lots of 10's in this review. I know other reviews are alot harsher but I can only write about my own experianced with this guitar and its just perfect. Ive been playing for about 7 years now and been gigging heaps in the past 3 or so years and as I said its the best live guitar Ive ever laid hands on. Comparing it to other gretsch's it pretty much sounds as good if not better but I do prefer this guitar more than others as its reliable to the max!

This is the 1957 reissue version made in 2003 in Japan. It has two Dynasonic single coils and circuitry with individual volume knobs, pickup selector and master tone and volume. The jack socket is a black plastic on on the side of the guitar. Bridge is the floating Space Control model with sideways string adjustment. Fixed "G" tailpiece. Curiously, the fretboard markings are sixties-style "fingernails". Tuners are cheap looking, but smoothly working open back models.

As all Duo Jet guitars, it has a black top with simple 3-ply binding. The fretboard is ebony, and like the black paintet headstock, it has a single binding on the edge. All the hardware is chromed.

As usual, neck and body are mahogany. The body has large hollow chambers on both sides of the center block, which makes the thing sort of "demi-semi-acoustic". There's thin maple veneer top, but it's questionable if it has much contribution to the sound. The guitar's reasonably light, although you might think otherwise from the Les Paul -ish design (slightly wider body, but thinner).

Although this isn't a faithful replica of any classic vintage year (AFAIK), it's very functional, no-frills guitar.

The chambered design makes this guitar pretty loud when played acoustically - you could put a mic in front of it and get a decent rhythm guitar recording.

So far I've tested it only in my home studio with H&K Cream Machine recording (pre)amp. The overall sound is very bright and lively, so the tone control has more use than usual, especially whend used for slide. I changed the strings to a .012 set that seems to get the most out of the Dynasonics. At first I thought this is a sort of one sound guitar (with slight variations) - mind you, a very good one sound - but it just takes some time to get the most out of the control configuration. The Dynasonics live up to their name - their sound is very sensitive to how hard you hit the strings.

The Gretsch guitars are widely used in C&W, and no wonder. There's that twang factor. The sound feels natural to all kings of rootsy music, which is just fine with me.

The electronics are unshielded, although the pickups have partial metal covers and the leads seem to be of the coaxial variety. As single coils, the Dynasonics are a bit noisy, especially with a distortion or compression box on the signal path, but not excessively so. All the polepieces are individually adjustable, so you can fine tune the string-to-string balance as you wish.

The guitar came thru UPS from England, detuned. Other than that, the setup was very good. For the strings it had, naturally. Personally, I think the .010 set (or something) it had is much too light to this kind of guitar. With the .012 set, it blooms. I needed to adjust the truss rod about two fifths of a turn to accomodate the heavier strings.

Space control bridge doesn't have individual intonation adjustments for each string, you just need to push the whole floating bridge assembly forwards or backwards a bit. That seems to be enough, though, at least with heavy strings with wound G.

Overall workmanship seems to be very good. Haven't found any flaws. In fact, the guitar is so well buffed it's a bit too slippery to play without a strap.

The guitar came with a good hardhell case. The open tuners probably need a drop of oil now and then. Otherwise, I think this one will be around for a long time, even with a lot of use.

The strap buttons are Gretsch own model (I think): there's a screw shaft protruding from the body and a chromed, threaded bolt to secure the strap. With an addition of slightly wider washers under the bolt, I think this system will hold almost as well as a locking strap buttons would. As long as you check the bolt is't too loose.

Overall, this seems solid and very dependable instrument.

When I heard I've won this guitar from the compo, I thought I might trade it for some other instrument if I don't happen to like it. After it finally arrived, I have no plans to let it go. It might not be the most versatile guitar in the world, but it works for my purposes almost perfectly. There's a lot of character on its sound, and it's so well made it'll probably get even better as it matures. It's simply one of the best guitars I've ever laid my hands on, and definitely the best guitar I've ever owned.

this is a '57 ReIssue Duo Jet made in 2000. I am told that it was made in USA, although it would seem that it was made in Japan. All the regular '57 appointments, and very well put together. I am not experiencing the lack of polishing on the frets like some unfortunate people have, but i bought it used, and the problem, if it did ever exist on this particular guitar, was remedied, for it plays and feels great. The pick ups are Dyna's and they sound fantastic. the mahogany back and neck is beautiful. The fretboard is rosewood, but seems to be ebony stained, but it feels like rosewood, not as hard as ebony, like on my Les Paul, so i am sure it is rosewood. The inlay is humpback, like the '57 was. The pots on all controls are silky smooth. The Bigsby is fun, although i have another style of Bigsby on another guitar that i prefer, this one is nonetheless quite fun. The guitar stays in tune quite fine, thank you. I play left handed, upside down, so i am playing a rare lefty and reversed the strings, changed the nut, adjusted the pole pieces (yes, it certainly does make a difference!) The poles on these pick ups are huge! Hence the great tone! I have always liked fatter poles on pick ups, its the sound i like. TOOOOONE. This guitar sounds so good on chording, it is distinctive and clear. Clearer than my les Paul, but i am not trying to compare the two. It has a really nice case too. The frets are too small, so upon needing a refret, i will get fatter frets.

I play blues, I play country, rock a billy, and this guitar can do it all. I prefer other guitars i have for blues, but this guitar can be pressed into service and will rise to the occasion, believe me. I use a Fender BluesJr. and a Crate Vintage Club 30, Class A amp. The only effect i use is a Tonebone on the Crate. Period. My hands and fingers do the rest. I do not find it has the twang of my tele, which is equipped with Tom Anderson pick ups, but it has a different type of twangy sound, it is cool too. The bridge pick up is quite bright, so i adjusted the poles on the pick ups, and seem to have balanced the sound to my satisfaction.

The guitar is beautiful, nice black finish, no visible flaws. All fittings were fine. The only thing i can find to criticize is the rhythm switch cap is always getting unscrewed, no big deal, huh? Guess i am lucky, or like i said before, some other guy fixed 'er up, but i can't be sure. I bought it used for $1500.00US, which is good considering it is a lefty, and it is not all that used!

the guitar will withstand anything, but it is too pretty to take on the road, so this one is going to stay in the studio! It seems to scratch easily, or it was badly buffed, which will be fixed. The strap buttons are the screw on/off tops, so that makes em quite solid.I would not use it on a gig without a back up, because playing with one guitar is boring. Who the hell has only one guitar????

Nope

I have been playing for 33 years. I own ALOT of guitars. Alot of them(maybe 8 of the 14 I have) come from the 12 Fret in Toronto. Good bunch of guys.
If it were lost or stolen, i think i would be up a creek to find another left handed one. My favorite feature is the overall sound of the guitar, and that it feels good in my hands. I am not that crazy about the control layout, but i dont like the layout on a les paul or SG either!! Its nice to not see it all over the place!!

Beautifully made, solid, and all the right features. Case and tools included. The filtertron pickups have a great look to go with their amazing sound on all settings. Chrome everything, jet black (obviously) and beautiful detail. The neck has a great feel, and the bigsby is the cherry on top of the whole thing.

"That great gretsch sound" - understatement of the past 120 years. Exactly the kind of unique sound i was looking for.

I like my action fairly low and I was very happy with the set up without any adjustments which i found quite suprising. Everything is smooth, it stays in tune, and i havent found any visual flaws.

I havent had this guitar very long, but from what I can tell, its solid and secure. I expected to have some serious tuning issues with the bigsby and all, but I have been pleasantly suprised so far to find that it holds its tune very well, and tunes up without notable difficulty. I like the way the strap buttons screw on and off and so i dont feel the need for a straplock or other such device. And I would feel secure without a backup for this one.

1 year warenty... havent needed it as of yet and i doubt i will (knock on wood).

I'd definately buy this guitar again, I love everything about it.

It's a 98 w/ 2 filter-trons. Rosewood neck, black body, bigsby. Bought it off some dude for $500...It looks brand new

I play alot of Rockabilly, Swing, Jump Blues and the likes. I use a Marshall valvestate w/ an old Roland 201 Space Echo. What an awesome sound. I like to switch pickups alot and use the whole guitar for what it's worth. I mix finger-picking rythum parts with picking solos. I love the sound, but i'm looking for an old set of DeArmond Dynasonic pickups cuz they are just the ultimate sound to me.

The original setup was horrible...buzzing, the ino was way off, and that damn bridge kept movin around throwin me outa tune...so i stuck it down and set it up again....now it stays in tune for a good while. The pickups needed a little tuning too. The high E was bearly notable as was the G on the trem pickup. Other than that stuff everything was smooth

I beat the hell outa this thing, and it's doin great so far. That black paint does scratch easily though. I would definatly play it live...and actually i will very soon.

Never have...hopefully never will

I've been playin for 8 years now. I've had many guitars...still have an ibanez rj470 (damn floyd rose crap) from high school....also a guitar i made in high school with a hamer neck, esp trem, i carved the body. I love the sound, feel, weight, bigsby. If this guitar was ever stolen....i would find that person and #@$%%$#!@#*&^*^#$^*&*@$. And yes i would buy another.....maybe a 6120 from 59 or so.

my blackie is a 68 w/ all the trimmings2 super trons horseshoe bigsby black and gold yeah!!!

sound?it sounds like filtertronsexcept alot darker ( shecanplay nicebut overall shes mean)wich is cool in my book

the action just right for me the finsh? plastic last forever nice

wwhaaaaaa!!!! she got s case of the bind rot were gonna have to opperate at some point, its common i guess she still sounds great!!

why?!

as for now shes my number2 (number1 being sunshine a64 chet atkins ) i just got goldie (95 gold siver jet w/ both dearmond/filterton???) so, we'll see shes awsome in my eyes, last of the real guitars

Made in 2000. Japan made. Mahogany neck, body with maple cap on body.
Two Filtertron pickups master volumn control, volumn control for each pickup, and one tone control. Body style of a Gibson Les Paul Bigsby trem. Thin frets, comfortable feeling neck. Accessories included was the usual set of strings.Not sure on brand of tuners, look like either Grover or Schaller.

Sound of this guitar was very rich/full, with enough brightness to cut through in live venues. Wanted a guitar that wasnt the usual Gibson, Fender. Ricky. Has great Gretsch sound, makes Beatle songs that I do in my cover band sound more authentic than with the normal guitar arsenal. Can get a very good chuncky sound that I didnt think I could get out of a Gretsch. Pickups are very quiet, no noise out of volume and tone controls. Guitar really jumps out playing through my Vox AC30. Is played through a Marshall 2000 TSS 2-12 combo. I could probably use just the Gretsch for gigs, and leave the Gibsons, Fenders at home. More sonic capabilities than thought were possible

Guitar came with string action very low. Would have been almost impossible to play without strings rattling against frets. Bridge which is not fastened to the body was way off. After setting up the guitar after I got it home, its probably one of the best playing guitars I own. Other than a crappy set-up from the factory, hardware, finish, nut work, extremely good. Better than the Gibson Firebird I bought in the spring.

Only had the guitar for a month, but after playing live, and practicing with this guitar I would say its going to hold up very well. Stays in tune very well. Finish seems very durable, hardware durable. Only thing thats kind of strange is the strap buttons. They screw in to the guitar. Strap definately wont come off, but just hope you dont loose one on stage after taking off your strap. Can definately depend on it, and wouldnt be a bit afraid of gigging without a backup.

Never had any dealings with corporate. I really dont think I will have to.

Been playing guitar for over 30 years. Have Les Pauls, SG's, 335, Strats, Telecasters, Rickys. Marshalls, Fenders, Ampegs,Vox. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would definately get another one. Very easy to play, stays in tune very well, even being equipped with a Bigsby trem. Very nice tone. Can go from pleasingly bright, to very chuncky. A very good in between Gibson fat and nasty, and Fender bright and clean

2000 model japanese made Duo Jet. Black. Two filtertrons and B6 Bigsby equipped. Has a moveable wood bridge base which I got fastened in place. Mahogany body and neck. I think it has a laminated maple top. High gloss finish. Somewhat smaller neck than a Gibson LP but not as awkward as the overly flattened, skinny Gibson necks on their early 60's styled LP classic and SG reissue. Frets, as on most Gretsch's are tiny. I got it refretted right away with bigger, wider fret wire. Tuners I believe are Gotoh. They work fine. I give it a six because the neck is obviously not made for guitar player's today. I bought it for the sound and playability is mediocre at best.

I got it to play in an AC/DC cover band doing Malcolm so obviously it had to be a Gretsh. I love the sound of Filtertrons and own a Yamaha AES1500 hollowbody that I put Filtertrons in (poor man's White Falcon but is a beautiful and butter like guitar to play). I needed the Duo Jet because of feedback issues with the Yamaha. Filtertrons are probably the most versatile pickups I've ever used. They truly can do any style of music. They can jangle on clean and also give you a great bluesy jazz tone on the neck pickup. They even excell with heavy gain and can help with your definition without losing chug on high gain amps. I play through a JMP master volume Marshall head and with the gain on about 6 the sound is pure rock n roll. It's chunky but a lot clearer and cutting than a humbucker. Even though it is a little like a P-90's tone you don't get the noise as it is a humbucking pickup. I use a Hughes and Kettner tube factor for heavier sounds. I've been playing for 16 years and to get the heavy sound on tape often requires less gain from your guitar or amp for dynamics. Listen to AC/DC and it doesn't get much bigger sounding than that but their individual guitar sounds are quite clean. A great example of what a Filtertron can do with beefy, distorted guitar is on The Living End's CD Roll On. The guitar sound on that CD is something worth striving for.

The guitar was well put together and very solid. I have more of a problem with the spec's of the neck as opposed to it's actual quality of construction. It came with 9-42 strings and the action was way too low. I threw on some 11-50's. Another thing about Gretsch's is you have to learn to adjust your style/attack as they buzz very badly no matter how you set the action. The kind of Buzz that resounds with a huge fizzing Booiiinnnggg through your amp. obviously the more gain you use will cover it up but even on medium gain settings you can pound on those low chords and listen to your sustain ping away. It's by far the most frustrating aspect of their guitars I've come across. Like I said it was bought for sound.

Definitely withstands live playing. It takes a while to get it to settle with the bigsby when you put on new strings but once it's there it doesn't go out any more than a Gibson would. I wouldn't re-string just before a show. The wildly changing temperatures due to stage lights will play havoc with your tuning (can only speak for bigsby models). I would do it the morning of the same day. You will also need a pair of needle nose plyers because you can't put the ball end on the bigsby without kinking the string there to make it sit in place. If you don't it will pop off everytime you try and get the string up to tension on the machinehead. I would use it without a backup because of the roller bridge. It doesn't put any stress on the string like the fulcrum edge of a tunomatic does. I have never broken a string on it. I did put Schaller strap locks on it so I wouldn't have to unscrew the strap buttons (and probably lose one on a dark stage) every time to take of my strap. It's a solid guitar. I give it an 8 because having to use plyers to re-string your guitar gets old.

Never delt with them.

I won't ever buy a Gretsch again (unless it's a White Falcon for $500 Hehe). I learned from my Yamaha that you can get "That Great Gretsch Sound" without having to play "That retarded Gretsh neck". If it was lost or stolen I'd call my insurance Co. and start surfing Gibson's website. I visually much prefer the hollowbody Gretschs but this was all about functionality in a loud rock band on stage. Also it's a little hard to swallow that you're virtually paying as much for a Japanese made guitar as an American made Gibson. In the future I'll buy an inexpensive les Paul model and put Filtertrons in it. Also the Gibson Chet Atkins country gentleman would be great with Filtertrons in it. If you think I'm totally wrong and that this guitar rules then you can buy it from me for $1200 including case and shipping!

2000 Model(Copy of late 50's)
Filtertron Pick ups

Fantastic sound(Especially through my Vox AC30)
Using only analog delay pedal.(On occasions)
Very quiet..No feedback problems.
Rich warm sound with great sustain.

Action needed setting up (That's a personal thing anyway)
Great finished guitar

Will definately get a lot of live work..(I have nearly 20 other guitars and this is my favourite)

Have never needed to contact Gretsch.

I have been playing on and off for 25 years
If it was lost or stolen<I would firstly cry for days and then order another one. No Worries!
It has the best tone ever!