Gretsch PX 6128 Duo Jet Solid Body Electric Guitar (1953)
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Item # 13092
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Gretsch PX 6128 Duo Jet Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1953), made in Brooklyn, NY, serial # 11918, black Nitron top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original tweed hard shell case.
This beautiful gleaming black Gretsch Duo Jet from 1953 is one of the VERY first of these ever built, with distinctive features of beginning of the model's run only seen in the earlier models made in this initial production batch. The collector's nickname for these is "Scripty Jets" because of the script pearl "Gretsch" logo on the headstock, an early '50s look replaced on the next batch in 1954 by the now-familiar block letter logo.
The Gretsch Jet series were introduced on the heels of Gibson's Les Paul in the third quarter of 1953. The Brooklyn company officially described them as solidbodies but they are actually chambered semi-solids, rather lighter than their Gibson competitors. An arched plywood top is mounted over a hollowed-out mahogany body, with some extra blocking installed but plenty of open space inside. The black-topped Duo Jet was the first of what became a series of "Jets" in different finish and trim options.
This VERY early Duo Jet model carries serial number #11918 on the label in the control cavity and also hand-etched into the plastic cover. The initial Jet series starts at 11900; that puts this guitar as one of the first 20 or so of this groundbreaking guitar ever labeled up, out of 150 total in the initial batch. These first examples are believed to have been built around August-September 1953, the "solidbody" model starting off an whole new chapter for Gretsch.
The Duo Jet carries a black Nitron plastic-covered top on a natural-finished mahogany body; Gretsch was a of course drum builder and this material was commonly used on their shells. The top is triple bound and a single bound, pearloid block inlaid rosewood fingerboard is mounted to the one-piece mahogany neck. The twin pickups are DeArmond Dynasonic units, which Gretsch had exclusively used since the early 1950s. The sound of DeArmond-equipped Jets is brighter than later Filter'Tron examples and falls in between the typical '50s Gretsch hollowbody and a true solid guitar, with a lot of bite but more airy quality than a Les Paul.
A very rare 1953 fitting on this guitar is the early adjustable Melita bridge which rests on posts mounted solidly into the top; somewhere in this first batch that was changed to the floating plastic base used for the rest of the model's run. In retrospect that was a questionable design choice; this Jet feels and sounds more like a solidbody with the stoutly mounted bridge, and one wonders if the model would have prospered more with later players if this layout had been maintained. As it stands probably less than 100 were built this way.
Other fittings include a short "G" logo trapeze tailpiece, thin three-layer white plastic pickguard and the earliest unmarked knurled-edge chrome knobs. The small headstock mounts openback individual Waverly tuners. The "bullet" truss rod cover is the earlier small piece used until 1956; the Jet was actually the first Gretsch model to feature an adjustable rod. The hardware is chrome plated, giving the guitar a sort of badass '50s automotive look over the ebony finish.
The Duo Jet became a fairly popular guitar in the 1950's, one of Gretsch's success stories. The single best regarded user was Cliff Gallup of Gene Vincent's band but a number of early Rock'n'Roll and "Hillbilly" performers made use of this or other Jet variations: the red-and-black Jet Fire Bird and flashy Silver Jet with a Nitron sparkle top. George Harrison played a '57 Duo Jet for the first formative years of the Beatles career as well.
Over the decades Jets have proved to be one of Gretsch's classic designs, but the "Scripty" Jet was a mostly forgotten footnote until re-discovered by collectors a couple of decades ago. The model in general was somewhat overlooked in the later 1960s and '70s but lately has returned to favor as one of the Brooklyn company's best regarded and most enduringly popular models. This fabulous first-generation example is absolutely the best playing and flat-out coolest Jet we have ever had!
Overall length is 39 3/8 in. (100 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is a really superb example of this earliest of Jets in completely original and very fine playing condition. Overall there is only fairly minor wear to the finish on the guitar, with no major areas of loss. The original lacquer shows the expected collection of small scratches and dings, with some more noticeable deeper dents and scratching on the back. The back of the neck is extremely clean. The plastic top is less affected as one might expect and shows only very light scuffing and dinks.
All hardware is original and complete; the chrome plating is very well preserved with minor wear to the bridge top and light spotting to the tailpiece. The binding is very clean with no celluloid rot at all, just a slight gap from shrinkage by the neck heel. The neck angle is excellent; the guitar has the neck reset, as is very common on 1950s Gretsch guitars. It is a clean job, with no visible overfinishing except possible a small spot on the back below the heel where there is a feelable clamp mark. The frets are original and have been crowned down a bit in the lower positions; the nut is original as well.
This is a truly excellent player for a '50s Jet (the fixed bridge is a definite asset here) and sounds just great, a serious piece of 1950s Gretsch legend and a truly historic guitar. It lives in the original unlacquered tweed case, cleaner than many with some typical minor unraveling here and there. Amazingly the original guarantee certificate with the matching serial number is still in the case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This beautiful gleaming black Gretsch Duo Jet from 1953 is one of the VERY first of these ever built, with distinctive features of beginning of the model's run only seen in the earlier models made in this initial production batch. The collector's nickname for these is "Scripty Jets" because of the script pearl "Gretsch" logo on the headstock, an early '50s look replaced on the next batch in 1954 by the now-familiar block letter logo.
The Gretsch Jet series were introduced on the heels of Gibson's Les Paul in the third quarter of 1953. The Brooklyn company officially described them as solidbodies but they are actually chambered semi-solids, rather lighter than their Gibson competitors. An arched plywood top is mounted over a hollowed-out mahogany body, with some extra blocking installed but plenty of open space inside. The black-topped Duo Jet was the first of what became a series of "Jets" in different finish and trim options.
This VERY early Duo Jet model carries serial number #11918 on the label in the control cavity and also hand-etched into the plastic cover. The initial Jet series starts at 11900; that puts this guitar as one of the first 20 or so of this groundbreaking guitar ever labeled up, out of 150 total in the initial batch. These first examples are believed to have been built around August-September 1953, the "solidbody" model starting off an whole new chapter for Gretsch.
The Duo Jet carries a black Nitron plastic-covered top on a natural-finished mahogany body; Gretsch was a of course drum builder and this material was commonly used on their shells. The top is triple bound and a single bound, pearloid block inlaid rosewood fingerboard is mounted to the one-piece mahogany neck. The twin pickups are DeArmond Dynasonic units, which Gretsch had exclusively used since the early 1950s. The sound of DeArmond-equipped Jets is brighter than later Filter'Tron examples and falls in between the typical '50s Gretsch hollowbody and a true solid guitar, with a lot of bite but more airy quality than a Les Paul.
A very rare 1953 fitting on this guitar is the early adjustable Melita bridge which rests on posts mounted solidly into the top; somewhere in this first batch that was changed to the floating plastic base used for the rest of the model's run. In retrospect that was a questionable design choice; this Jet feels and sounds more like a solidbody with the stoutly mounted bridge, and one wonders if the model would have prospered more with later players if this layout had been maintained. As it stands probably less than 100 were built this way.
Other fittings include a short "G" logo trapeze tailpiece, thin three-layer white plastic pickguard and the earliest unmarked knurled-edge chrome knobs. The small headstock mounts openback individual Waverly tuners. The "bullet" truss rod cover is the earlier small piece used until 1956; the Jet was actually the first Gretsch model to feature an adjustable rod. The hardware is chrome plated, giving the guitar a sort of badass '50s automotive look over the ebony finish.
The Duo Jet became a fairly popular guitar in the 1950's, one of Gretsch's success stories. The single best regarded user was Cliff Gallup of Gene Vincent's band but a number of early Rock'n'Roll and "Hillbilly" performers made use of this or other Jet variations: the red-and-black Jet Fire Bird and flashy Silver Jet with a Nitron sparkle top. George Harrison played a '57 Duo Jet for the first formative years of the Beatles career as well.
Over the decades Jets have proved to be one of Gretsch's classic designs, but the "Scripty" Jet was a mostly forgotten footnote until re-discovered by collectors a couple of decades ago. The model in general was somewhat overlooked in the later 1960s and '70s but lately has returned to favor as one of the Brooklyn company's best regarded and most enduringly popular models. This fabulous first-generation example is absolutely the best playing and flat-out coolest Jet we have ever had!
Overall length is 39 3/8 in. (100 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is a really superb example of this earliest of Jets in completely original and very fine playing condition. Overall there is only fairly minor wear to the finish on the guitar, with no major areas of loss. The original lacquer shows the expected collection of small scratches and dings, with some more noticeable deeper dents and scratching on the back. The back of the neck is extremely clean. The plastic top is less affected as one might expect and shows only very light scuffing and dinks.
All hardware is original and complete; the chrome plating is very well preserved with minor wear to the bridge top and light spotting to the tailpiece. The binding is very clean with no celluloid rot at all, just a slight gap from shrinkage by the neck heel. The neck angle is excellent; the guitar has the neck reset, as is very common on 1950s Gretsch guitars. It is a clean job, with no visible overfinishing except possible a small spot on the back below the heel where there is a feelable clamp mark. The frets are original and have been crowned down a bit in the lower positions; the nut is original as well.
This is a truly excellent player for a '50s Jet (the fixed bridge is a definite asset here) and sounds just great, a serious piece of 1950s Gretsch legend and a truly historic guitar. It lives in the original unlacquered tweed case, cleaner than many with some typical minor unraveling here and there. Amazingly the original guarantee certificate with the matching serial number is still in the case. Overall Excellent - Condition.