The Gretsch Pages

Welcome to the Gretsch Pages

• Log in
• Register

1955?? DuoJet Help please!!

• 

  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 5:04 p.m. ira marlowe:

  I really need help with this Jet because of the Neo-classic thumbnail inlays not readly available until 1956. What year is this??. This Duojet’s Serial Number is 15032 Dating the Guitar to January 1955, Is this instrument a late 1954 Model ? The model number is "6128 1". The neck features the Neo-classic thumbnail inlays not readly available until 1956. The pickguard is original white as a 1954. The pickups are DeArmond. The fretboard appears to be Ebony. The top is spruce, and the back and neck are Mahogany The bridge is original Meluta.

  
• 

  • Rated: 30 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 5:35 p.m. JazzBoxJunky:

  There are quite a few duo jets out there like this. Some people think Gretsch had put necks on left over earlier serialized bodies. Some people think Gretsch had a problem and got alot of guitars returned and re-necked them with later style necks. Whatever the case, it appears that the bodies are serialized correctly, and we must remember that if guitars were returned to Gretsch with problems, they got fixed under warranty. Alot of times you tell a re-neck on these by the shape of the heel cap.The earlier guitars had a rounded of rectangle shape, and the later ones had a very crescent or oval look.You said the fingerboard inlays like this didn't appear till 56, this is incorrect, late 57 is more accurate. The headstock overlay and fingerboard of this guitar would suggest super super late 57' or more likely 1958.That said I do believe the body number is correct.
• 

  • Rated: 67 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 5:47 p.m. Antik:

  This guitar has a replaced neck. it is pretty common. (Especially from a certain vintage gretsch dealer.)

  BTW Gretsch serial numbers did not actually contain the date until 1965. Before that they were just consecutive numbers

  SN 15032 is 1955 and a correct number for a Duo Jet model.
• 

  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 7:22 p.m. ira marlowe:

  Thank you for your answers to my question. This is a direct link to the pics if that will help as to the heel cap. http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3419/duojet1955ny4.jpg How does this effect value? Again thank you all
• 

  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 7:23 p.m. ira marlowe:

  This post has been deleted
• 

  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Jan 1, 2008 8:17 p.m. ira marlowe:

  Thank you. I have noticed that the Fretboard Wood 1955 was Ebony and the Fretboard Wood 1n 1956 and on was rosewood.

  The Fretboard Wood on this guitar is Ebony. If the guitar was sent back to Gretsch for a reneck I would think that they would of used the current neck with the neo markers and those necks were made with the rosewood boards not ebony. Is my thinking off key?
• 

  • Rated: 67 ↑

  Jan 2, 2008 8:42 a.m. Antik:

  Are you sure its ebony? It could be dark rosewood. I've taken a look at some made in 1959 and they are rather dark rosewood. Elderly Instruments had one

  
• 

  • Rated: 12 ↑

  Jan 5, 2008 11:30 a.m. afire:

  That's a reneck. I don't believe the theory that the occasional appearance of an early body with a late neck has anything to do with Gretsch holding prenumbered bodies and finishing them later.
  

  One reason I believe that is that every time I see an old body with a later neck, the body always has early knobs too. This one has arrow only knobs. The neo-classic boards didn't come out until the very end of '57, and by that time, Gretsch had been using G-arrow knobs for over a year.
  

  Unless you think that Gretsch put the hardware on before the neck, then that means that they're renecks. God knows that there's every reason to believe that Gretsches may have come back to the factory early in life for neck problems.
• 

  • Rated: 30 ↑

  Jan 5, 2008 11:33 a.m. JazzBoxJunky:

  For some reason there is a crap load of early duo jets with re-necks, they seem to be for sale everywhere.
• 

  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Jan 6, 2008 11:15 a.m. ira marlowe:

  I will post some additional pics soon. Was there a major problem with the Duo Jet necks?

• Articles
• Contact
• Site Map
• Store
• Radio

© Tim Baxter/APT Group 2006. Gretschpages.com is not affiliated with the Gretsch Guitar company. Powered by Django.