Hi all, I am mainly a Gibson player, have 4 of those and a couple of Fenders

I recently bought a used 2005 Gretsch Double Jet Gold sparkle with Bigsby for $300, this guitar has seen many rough miles so I am fixing it and modding it and have a few questions.

So far i have replaced the nut for a Tusq XL and came out great, the original nut fell off when I replaced the strings, no joke. I also replaced the bridge for a Wilkinson roller. The truss rod was completely loose and the fretboard had never been conditioned so I took care of that.

I bought a set of Gretsch HS Filtertrons and will replace the minihumbuckers, I really did not care for the sound of these minis no matter how much I tweaked my amp.

I have a few questions so far:

This guitar is super heavy, is this early model chambered? I am looking at pickup rings but I am not sure what is the best match for a Gold top. I am thinking Silver, do the standard rings over the mini cavity? I am planning to buy the TV Jones shim kit. I bought the HS Filtertrons new from an authorized dealer, do these have Alnico magnets, if so, 2, 3, 4 or 5? I am planning to upgrade the pots and capacitor, I am going with Alpha on this one and a Russian paper in oil. Are PIO caps a good match for Filtertrons?

Thanks and sorry for the many questions at once.

Welcome to the pages rifster

Hi, Riffster, and welcome to TGP.

The Electromatic Double Jets were not chambered. Rumor is that the factory stuffed a lead brick inside each one. They can be great guitars, but can do dual service as boat anchors.

I know the HS Filters have alnico magnets, but am not sure which ones. I'm sure others here will know.

Welcome Riffster to the best place for all things Gretsch.

By the way I like your handle- reminds me of my cat Riff-Raff I had when I was a kid.

There is nothing wrong with delving into any of the 3Gs, Gibson/Gretsch/Guild...welcome friend. Wahi'

...wisdom

Hi Riffster, and welcome to the forum.

Welcome to one of the friendliest places on the Interwebs! You'll find a lot of us have more than just Gretsch guitars. A lot of us are Tele fans, and there's a lot of P90 love around. Enjoy!

Thanks for the welcome guys, I do have the other G, my acoustic is a Guild.

OK I figured this particular guitar would not be chambered, it is so heavy and tapping a coin on the body did not sound different anywhere.

I am planning to route the control cavity to add another tone control, get the volume knob close to the picking hand and hopefully get rid of one pound of wood although probably won't help the balance of the guitar.

Welcome!

Sounds like fun. Welcome the the gang. Most folks (at least I do) keep the tone all the way up with filtertrons and use the pick up switch to go from twang (bridge) to jazz (neck) I almost always keep it in the middle position on my Pro Jet. My 6120 has individual vol. knobs for each pickup. That's all the tone control I need. By the way, we require pix, like a gambler needs a bet...

Welcome to the 'Famiy'

Welcome aboard, Riffster.

Welcome! Lots of nice people here that know their stuff, one of the best boards I've ever been on!

That's a nice guitar Bob, love the clan hot-rodish look.

thanks again for the warm welcome.

Here's the axe, it has plenty of scratches and chips on the back, the front is in much better shape.

Here is the mock up of the extra knob, it will be good to have the volume control more at hand. I do use my tone knobs a little specially with Fuzz pedals but that's alright if I don't have to touch'em.

Replaced nut

Custom TRC to match the guard.

New bridge

Welcome Riffster,

Looks good. Also, if you want to replace the pick guard, there's a gent on these pages named Paul Setzer who does awesome work.

Hello, i have recently bought a 2012 Gretsch Pro Jet and bought a Gretsch Bigsby B6 tremlo off ebay to make it look like harrisons but am worried about if it will fit on my Pro Jet as i think its like a B7?

kieran... see one of the other (many) threads that you posted this same question on to see my response.

Beware the man in the black suit...

Rifster welcome to the world of Gretsch guitars. Glad you joined the GDP and now are a Gretsch player even though you are primarily a Gibson guy. Welcome!

Rifster, Welcome to the GDP!

Dylan

Welcome to the GDP, Riffster. There is clearly room in every man or woman's guitar arsenal for both a Gibson and a Gretsch. Many of us on this site, however, have found that the tones that we are hearing in our heads are better replicated with a Gretsch than a Gibson, but Gibson has made some very fine guitars over the years and should be held in high esteem for having done so.

Hello

Greetings Riffster!!!! welcome to the forum!!!