SOLD - Gretsch Duo Jet 6128 – Japan 1989

 SOLD

This is an original pre-owned 1989 Gretsch Duo Jet 6128 in classic Jet Black finish. This one was built during the ownership of the Fred Gretsch Company, prior to Gretsch’s acquisition by Fender in 2002.

We believe these older Jets are more desirable than the newer reissue examples with its larger headstock, horseshoe headstock inlay, deluxe crested block inlays and high standard of build quality.

This one was bought a few years ago from its first Japanese owner, and has had its original Filtertron pickups replaced with a sweet sounding set of TV Jones Classic Plus units. The original pickups are in the case and included in the sale.

Features –

Single round cutaway mahogany body

Mulitple-bound arched maple top

One-piece mahogany neck

22-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl humpblock inlay

Adjustamatic bridge

G logo trapeze tailpiece

Bound blackface headstock with pearl horseshoe/logo inlay

Three-per-side Grover / Gretsch tuners

Raised white pickguard with logo

Two TV Jones filter'tron pickups

Chrome hardware,

13.25” Body width

1.75” Body depth

24.6” Scale

Weight 8.86 lbs

This is an expertly crafted instrument made at the Terada factory in Japan. It has the Jet's traditional tonewood combination of a maple top and chambered mahogany body. This Duo Jet positively roars with great sustain, and articulate, meaty tone that sings and sparkles.

The two-piece maple neck has a slender, fast-feeling C-shaped profile carve at the nut with more roundness and heft as you travel up the fretboard. The bound dark rosewood fretboard is inlaid with Gretsch's '50s-style pearl hump blocks, and the original slender frets retain their full factory height, showing just minor wear under the plain strings on frets 2 & 3 and virtually no other wear further up the fingerboard.

The guitar plays easily in all positions, with a straight neck and low action. The 1 11/16" wide nut is a hand-carved piece of bone, and the Grover Rotomatic-style Gretsch-branded tuners turn smoothly and hold pitch well.

All the electronics work as they should, and the controls are simple, straight ahead, classic Gretsch. The guitar features a three-way pickup selector toggle, Master Volume knob on the treble side cutaway, individual Volume knobs just south of the tailpiece, and a Master Tone control.

Hardware includes an uncommon early Tune-o-Matic style Gretsch bridge with an ebony base, offering excellent stability and accurate intonation. The chrome plating on the hardware is notably clean and bright throughout. 

This guitar is now over 40 years old, but you would not suspect that - it is in excellent condition. The original plastic is still on the truss rod cover and rear switch plate - we suspect it has rarely been out of the house.

There is some minor buckle / button wear on the back but nothing through the lacquer and generally hard to see unless at a certain angle of light. The top is super clean with no real blemishes to speak of. Super clean, very well cared for all these years.

The TV Jones Classic Plus humbuckers are super warm and punchy with that unique vintage Gretsch sound. The neck position humbucker has a thick, silky tone, while the bridge unit has a cutting growl, some sweet midrange snap, with excellent note attack & clarity.

A really sweet older Gretsch Duo Jet, nicely set up and played in – better than new !

Comes in its Gretsch hard shell case in excellent condition.