Gretsch 6130 RocJet

USA made in 1972. The guitar looks incredibly good for it's age. Probably hasn't had much use. It is the same one as mentioned above except this has an ebony fret board. The tuners work really smooth are built like little tanks. I wish the frets were larger but the neck has a very comfortable feel- it is round, but also flat. The only drawback to this is that the previous owner put a Guild humbucker in the bridge. The neck humbucker is the original Supertron. It has two tone controls, a three way selector switch, two volume controls and a mater control up on the cutaway horn (why they put a master volume in when you already have two others is beyond me).
It has a trapeze thing with a G cut into it and a BadAss bridge which rests on the top of the guitar. It also has a cool pickguard that has "Gretsch" scrolled inside the clear plastic. It also has a zero nut.

I play seventies rock and roll, punk, blues, ska, hardcore, reggae, and some surf. I use a Marshall JCM 900 50 watt no reverb, one channel. This guitar rock a billy sound when played clean and an amazing crunch when the gain is applied. The trick is to not put too much gain or it turns to mud (except with the Guild humbucker in mine wich keeps its definition fine). The crunch is pure original heaven- just super rich and responsive. Like Malcom Young's tone I guess.

I put 11's on the guitar and lowered the action and it plays really easy, always has. No buzzes and stays in tune fairly well. The top of the guitar is jet black and has no scratches (yet), the cream binding goes around the entire guitar and has a black pinstripe running through the middle of it. The frets are small so it plays fast but has more of a Tele tone than a Les Paul (which it resembles). No rust except for one spot on the side of the bridge. Everything else stain-free. I did noticed a small split at the bottom of the fretboard but it is hair line and looks harmless.

The guitar has a lot of empty space inside. When you tap on the top it sounds hollow. I looked inside and saw a lot of bracing. This gives the guitar its unique vibe, but I will think twice about smashing it against the floor or throwing it down the way I do with my Mexican Strat.....then again, it's only a guitar.

This guitar is 28 years old and Gretsh America died twenty years ago, so I'm on my own.

I've been playing ten years. I have this guitar and a Mex Strat, no effects, a jcm 900 single channel, 2x12 cab, and a toy acoustic. I am currently looking for a SuperTron bridge pickup to replace this crappy humbucker, even a decent humbucker would be ok. I compared this guitar to three vintage SG's, two LP Studios and some strats and teles, a rickenbaucker, three Paul Reed Smiths, and the new Japanese DuoJets- this sounded and felt the best. It just has that raw tone. The neck is sweet as hell. You pick or strum open melodies and bar chords and they sound incredibly rich and vibrant. Then you add a some gain and everything you hit sounds wet and raw crunch rock. It has a good amount of sustain and it cuts right threw the bass and drums. I play mostly rhythm and short little riff blasts so this guitar keeps me happy. It is fun to play, which is what it's all about.

This is a 1972 Mercedes Black RocJet with two Supertron Pickups, Les Paul like controls, and a master volume control. There are 22 frets and a zero fret. The strings rest on the zero fret and not the nut. The nut acts as a guide only. The body and neck are mahogany and the sculptured body is capped with maple. The neck is capped with rosewood. The body cavity is routed extensively so the guitar is very light.

The sound from this guitar is to die for! Clean is somewhere between Fender Strat and Gibson Les Paul, but with more character! It growls whe gain is added to the circuit.
Great sound for Blues, jazz or swing. It really does that swing thing!

I have read that some Gretsch guitars had quality problems with their fit and finish. This guitar is in great shape, with no defects. The neck was reglued, as are many Gretsch guitars this old. The action is wonderful, but I needed to play it for a while to get used to the neck. It's somewhere between Gibsom and PRS.

No problems yet at all. Too soon to tell?

Not had to worry about it. IT'S 27 YEARS OLD!

I have been playing for 35 years, have had just about every major guitar make from Strat, LP, ES335, PRS, but have never owned a Gretsch. I'm really glad I took the time to look for one. It took a while to find one in as good a shape as this one, but MAN was it worth it!!! I'd purchase it again in a minute. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start to look for a large body Gretsch just as soon as I can put the $$$ together.