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1962 Gretsch Champagne Sparkle Jet Double Cutaway 6129T w/ Burns Vibrato, Case

$22,999.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 1962 Gretsch Duo Jet 6129T in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. An exceedingly rare Gretsch, and one of only a handful of documented examples, this double cutaway Duo Jet features a Champagne Sparkle top and gold appointments, including a Burns vibrato tailpiece.

Hailing from the first year when the Jet shifted to a double cutaway body, and far rarer than a typical Sparkle Jet, this Duo Jet has the traditional tonewood pairing of an arched maple top paired with a chambered mahogany body, loaded with the original Filter'Tron humbucker pair. This Jet positively roars with great sustain, and articulate, meaty tones that sing and sparkle. The neck position humbucker has a thick, silky sound, while the bridge position has a signature Gretsch twang and punch. The guitar weighs 7lbs 10oz, dialed in here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and accurate intonation.

The mahogany neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve, feeling both substantial and fast, measuring .840" deep at the 1st fret and .990" at the 12th. The bound ebony fretboard has a 12" radius with pearl thumbnail inlay and original slender fretwire. The frets have been leveled and crowned, currently showing no wear. While the frets have fairly low crowns, the guitar plays cleanly up the 24.6" scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The fretboard width is 1 5/8" at the zero fret, just forward of the nut. The bound headstock has a particularly cleanly inlaid Gretsch logo, stock truss rod cover, and a combination of original gold-plated Waverly tuning machines and a few chrome-plated vintage substitutions with the same footprint.

All of the original electronics function as intended, with untouched solder joints and strong output from both Filter'Tron humbuckers. Controls included dedicated Volume knobs for each pickup, a Master Volume on the treble-side cutaway, a three-way Tone switch and pickup selector, and a three-way on/off/on kill switch. Gold-plated hardware includes the G pointer knobs, Space Control bridge and Burns vibrato tailpiece. The vibrato is quite effective and responds smoothly, with a very rare arm with two "elbows" (in contrast with the straight arms more commonly seen). The original serialized label is retained on the inside of the switch cavity cover, and this model has a rare snap-on back pad.

The Champagne Sparkle top is the instrument's most prominent feature, and similarly topped Gretsch models were at one time notably linked to both David Gilmour and Eric Clapton. This sparkle drum wrap material has flecks of red and gold, showing only fractional shrinkage on the edges of the top. The multi-ply body binding is original and remarkably preserved for a Gretsch of this era. There is one small piece of new binding on the inside edge of the treble-side cutaway, and the neck binding is brand new and aged to match. Cosmetic wear includes buckle rash on the upper bout on the back, wear along the back body edge, and some small additional nicks and scuffs. The neck profile has some similar shallow marks on its length, worn smooth through play.

The original form-fit hardshell case with blue/gray textured exterior is included.