I tried to do a search on this at the GDP and I could not find the answer I was looking for. I can't believe this was not covered so please forgive me for a redundant topic, just my search yielded me nothing.

I hear that the reissue Duo/Silver Jets are solid body not hollow as the '50s were but I have tried a few Silver Jets and Duo Jet reissues and they seemed light. Okay not as light as if they were truly hollow but they did not seem heavy like, well, like just say a Les Paul would be which is a true solid body.

I hear different things that the reissues are semi-hollow/semi-solid, is that they are chambered but just not as hollow as the originals were. That they are not totally solid but they do have some chambers inside of them which make them lighter and not truly solid.

Which is the true case? Also is there a difference in chambering or not chambering for the '90s models vs. the Fender/Gretsch era current models?

I do understand that the Billy Zoom tribute is to the exact specs as the real '50s models since Billy and Gretsch did a catscan of it at Kaiser Hospital (or some place like that) and made it to spec but the other reissues are they at least semi-solid?

I'm just curious.

Thanks,

James

zoom jets are hollow-hollow like the 50's

the reissues are chambered like a maze,a lot of air in there....

electro/syncro-matic's are solid some have huge curcular holes under the top/cap like new les pauls

The top pic shows the body of a post FMIC Jet, without the top. The bottom pic is an X-ray of the Billy Zoom Jet.

So they're really not all that different. I wonder why they don't just go all the way with the standard Jets and route them the same as the Billy Zoom? It would probably knock a few more ounces off.

Thanks for the cyclop. I hear though that the 1990s version or pre-FMIC partnership with Gretsch that they are total solid body and it was not until the partnership that the Jets became hollowed out. As the photos that Ratrod posted we can see that the Zoom is even more hollow just as the originals are. Wonder if there is truth to the fact that the pre-FMIC Jets are totally solid.

Some of the old pre FMIC Jets that I checked out felt like Les Pauls weightwise.

My 89 6131 was heavy with very little chambering, much like the electro pro jets.

The photo of the jet that Mike Lewis is holding looks a lot like the innards of the late 50's/early 60 jets I had. The chambering on Billy's jet is what I remember seeing in the few 55-57 jets I got to poke around in.

I had a problem with one of those 1 inch squares that join the top to the back (See Xray above)that would buzz/vibrate. Tried pumping glue in there. You could push down on the top near the bridge and it would stop.

Actually, my new-ish ProJet has routing that looks very similar like RatRods first picture.

However, unlike the Jets, the ProJets have solid carved tops that are about 1/2" thick at the middle.

Hey afire, just a thought but maybe Fender still uses the a universal design to allow for top mounted DynaSonics and also interior brace mounted FilterTrons...allowing them to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. We'd need to see an X-ray of a '58-60 Filtered Jet. I'm glad they at least brought the original 50's design back cause of Billy.

I don't really care as I have my dream guitar, a real '57 Duo Jet. It's interior is hollow(with post) like the Zoom X-Ray.

Yeah, both my 57 jet firebirds are like the BZ X ray.
But I too have the feeling that the 58-60 jets are routed differently. They have a very different sound (acoustically) and a different type of sustain that the dyna jets. Would love to see an X ray of those too.

seeing x-rays of things is always cool to me. but it is even cooler when it is of a guitar. i was always curious of just how hollow jets were.

For comparison, my 1999 pre-Fender Roundup is almost 8.5 pounds. I once had a 2006 Duo-Jet and it was around 7 pounds if memory serves me right.

Good point, Setzer. I'm sure you're right about that.

Okay, this begs to mind about the '57 Duo Jet Relics Gretsch put out...were they hollowed out, or were they chambered?

Mauser,
I recall Billy Zoom mentioning that the 57 relics were not hollowed out like the originals. That's the reason why he got his X-rayed. He wanted it done right. So I guess they were chambred.

I own a Jet Firebird with filtertrons and a Silverjet 57 reissue with dynasonics. Acoustically, the guitars are TOTALLY different and I've always wondered if this is due to a variation in structure. The Firebird sounds way better

Thanks Danman. Wounder if Gretsch will retry the relics again and do the same thing as with Billy's Jet. Got to play the Prototype at the Roundup, and it was killer. Sounded great on a slide. Makes me want to save to grab a real '57 jet.

I wonder why Gretsch did not figure out when they were reissuing these great Jets that they were totally hollow inside? If the 1990s models were solid like a Les Paul then they recently chambered them but did not seem to know until Billy Zoom lent them his to do an X-Ray that they finally figured it out, how is this possible? Did no body at Gretsch look at the original blue prints or did none of them ever lift up an original and figure out they were hollow? The chambered ones that I tried or I should say the latest ones seem pretty light so even if they are not totally hollow inside they have a nice light weight and a nice tone to them just they are not accurate in terms of being totally hollow. The new ones are good enough being chambered but maybe if they one day make one totally accurate that would be nice. No wonder the 1990s Jets are going for cheap on Ebay since they are solid. Who wants a solid Jet?

I wonder once all the Billy Zoom Tribute models are solid if they will to a Billy Zoom production model signature model Jet? I would hope so.

Hi Mauser,
That would be great. I played the BZ jet too and it is really a great guitar. But actually the 57 relic is a great guitar too. Very different but great.
The funny thing is that all jets play and sound differently. I have two 57 firebirds and a friend of mine has 2 dyna jets and 3 filter jets and I played several other ones and they all are very different guitars. And they all have something special, although some more than others......

Hi Echo,
I don't know why they didn't know how they should be built or maybe there were technical reasons why they didn't make them like the originals. Maybe it's easier or they wanted them to be sturdier or thought they would have more sustain that way. Maybe they weren't even trying to make them accurate, maybe they just wanted to make a good guitar......
I would like to know this too but I think it has been asked before and we didn't really get an answer.

I do think the original blue prints got destroyed in a fire.
Were the 90's jets completely solid? I played one and it was a pretty good guitar too..... Only that big head......

The 90's Jet are not solid like Les Pauls. Slightly chambered, is how I understand it. My '93 6128T-1957 has a bit of heft to it, and it is rather solid sounding, but it is not nearly as heavy as a Les Paul.

mauser said: Thanks Danman. Wounder if Gretsch will retry the relics again and do the same thing as with Billy's Jet. Got to play the Prototype at the Roundup, and it was killer. Sounded great on a slide. Makes me want to save to grab a real '57 jet.

The BZ is actually based on a '55, not a '57 (not that there's really much of a difference anyway).

They could've made 'em just like the originals from the get go, but they sell more guitars to nuts like us if they make small vintage correct changes to the line every couple of years.

Bryan K. said: They could've made 'em just like the originals from the get go, but they sell more guitars to nuts like us if they make small vintage correct changes to the line every couple of years.

Well, they have to stay in business somehow.

My '07 6128TDS 1957 Duo Jet is nice and light...actually slightly lighter than my Power Tenny. It has a loud, bright acoustic tone. One of these days I should weigh it, but I'm sure it's no more than 7lbs or so.