Gretsch Duo Jet Left Handed Guitars
Gretsch gutars are perphaps some of the hottest looking electric guitars in Rock 'n Roll. They ooze image and quality from every pore and you would not be shy to pull this from its case at a gig, as it would sure to be a talking point. The Duo Jets currently available are made in Japan, under a joint venture with Fender. The left handed Duo Jet 6128 is a semi-solid body electric guitar, resembling the original 1954 Gretsch Jet. They originally came in a dazzling array of options through Filteron and Dynaonic pickups and the famous Bigsby tremelo. Although the Japanese re-isses tend to feature the Dynasonics.(For a full history on vintage Duo Jets, visit gretschpages.com)
The set up of the left handed Duo Jet is 2 Filteron or Dynasonic pickups, with a Bigsby tremelo possible. The chambered and heavily routed body of the left handed Duo Jet, pretty much make it a semi-solid body electric guitar, reducing its weight into the bargain. This guitar is not for the inexperienced or feint hearted, featuring a floating bridge similar to a banjo. If you palm mute a lot or are heavy handed, you could find it moving around a fair bit. A bit diconcerting if you're not used to it. The pickups are controled by the 3 way selector switch which allows each individual pickup volume to be controlled, along with a master.
The first thing you will notice about the left handed Gretch Duo Jet guitar, is that there is familiarity in the sound. There are traces of the a Les Paul with P90 pickups, a full, round and warm sound, then the next minute the familiar twang of the Fender Telecaster. Don't be put off by this though, because it is neither. The sound of the lefty Duo Jet is magical with brilliant variety possible. It produces full tones, a little bassy, but with the woody twang of any rockabilly or retro rock classics. It is very versatile, handling folk and blues with ease and confidence though it flexible three selector positioning. But don't expect to go aggressively diving on that Bigsby, this is not a Floyd-Rose!
The guitars themselves whether vintage or re-issue Gretsch, are superbly constructed. A real working guitar, solid and reliable. Whilst there are some reported problems with the strap buttons, these are minor and can be fixed easily by a little superglue or locking strap buttons. Overall though, the finish is superb, durability guaranteed and it just looks so cool into the bargain. You can see why George Harrison thought this to be his 'first good guitar' and one he played his whole career and beyond. Not for beginners or metal heads.
