#duo-jet

I Like Odd Guitars

This Gretsch Silver-Jet is an obvious classic, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a pretty odd guitar.  I bought this used from Wagstaff Music back in the day.  I really couldn't afford it, but it spoke to me.  I've modified it slightly from stock, I put on Sperzel tuners, a Graph Tech graphite nut, and Dunlop Straplocks.  I also had a Hipshot D-Tuner on it for a while - cool little gadget.  Everything else is stock.

The Gretsch Duo-Jets have been around long enough that they are considered classics but no one really talks about how odd they actually are.  What makes Duo-Jets odd is that they have a Master Volume (wha?), chambered bodies, violin-style bridge, some even have a zero-fret, and they have those pickups, those glorious, gloriously odd, Filtertron pickups.  They don't sound like any other pup on earth, definitely nothing like typical Strat single coils, or ubiquitous 'buckers.  Aggressive highs, piano-like lows. They sound great spanky clean, gritty, or distorted.  When plugged-in to a saturated tube amp the thing just roars.  Oh, and that amazing silver sparkle top might be a little odd, just a little...

Mine has been re-fretted and this takes me to a little story.  So I asked around a few years back to find out who does the best luthier work locally and the unanimous response was Gary Rosier @ Guitar Center, unfortunately his lead-time was six months!  So I went with the second string; Lynn Wheelright.  He did a beautiful job on the frets themselves, unfortunately it wasn't what I asked for, it wasn't done when he said, it was more than he originally quoted, he didn't replace the nut, and he was/is a jerk.  

I wanted medium jumbos and he pretended that he didn't know what those are and he put on tall thins instead.  When I complained he said "you have two choices, I can rip 'em out, or I can keep the guitar."  Really?  Those are my only choices?  The fact that he didn't even put on a new nut was just insult to injury; he just shimmed the old one with some shit he found on the floor of his fantastically dirty shop.

I have since made it my mission to direct everyone I can to Gary Rosier and to relay my complete dissatisfaction with Lynn Wheelright...

Fortunately Gary Rosier has opened his own shop and his lead time is no longer six months.

  Guitar Technologies Gary Rosier 5728 South Redwood Rd Salt Lake City, UT 84123 801 955 1915 [email protected] www.guitartechnologies.net

  I highly recommend him, he does excellent work and he is a cool dude.  Don't make the same mistake I did by using some second-string asshole, go with the professional.