Some of the most highly regarded Gretsch guitar models were the ones released during the Fifties and Sixties, a time many guitar aficionados consider the company’s golden age.
...
Some of the most highly regarded Gretsch guitar models were the ones released during the Fifties and Sixties, a time many guitar aficionados consider the company’s golden age.
Models like the White Falcon, Country Gentlemen and Duo Jet have been seen in the hands of the Cult’s Billy Duffy, the Beatles’ George Harrison, Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and countless others. After all, the guitars have an elegantly cool look—not to mention a truly unique sound.
Considering that Gretsch’s designs embody timeless appeal, the company recently introduced its Vintage Select series, an exclusive group of 16 model-specific years of these iconic instruments that include updated makeovers that make them period correct. I took a look at the Gretsch G6128T-53 Vintage Select ’53 Duo Jet with Bigsby, which has a gorgeous black finish with playability and tone to die for.
FEATURES
The original Duo Jet was Gretsch’s answer to a solid body guitar, albeit with a chambered mahogany design, which is lovingly recreated here on the Vintage Select ’53 Duo Jet. Gretsch adds distinctive tweaks with a curvaceous Gretsch logo on the headstock and modern upgrades like a pinned bridge and two TV Jones T-Armond pickups that replace the original DynaSonic pickups.
Apart from that, this Duo Jet uncannily looks and feels like a brand-new guitar from 1953.
Fit and finish is outstanding, with deluxe features such as an arched laminated maple top, aged white binding and aged pearloid block inlays, mahogany neck, 22 medium jumbo frets, rosewood fingerboard, bone nut, one-ply vintage white pickguard, aluminum compensated bridge with a rosewood base, Grover Sta-Tite die-cast tuners, Treble Bleed circuit with Squeezebox PIO capacitors, two volume controls, master tone and master volume controls, three-way toggle switch and a Bigsby B3CCB vibrato.
PERFORMANCE
Compared to the many vintage Duo Jets I’ve