The second batch of Jets included the new Gretsch “T-roof” logo inlay.
Courtesy of Matt Riz/Photo by Rachel Thoele
The ’54 Silver Jet above is serial number
12955—just six units into
the batch—and it might just
be the first example of the
Silver Jet ever produced. It
displays a model stamp on it’s
interior label of 6128, with
a hand-penciled “S” next to
it, suggesting that the 6129
model stamps prevalent in
later specimens of this model
were not yet available. But
the most exciting aspect of
this amazing guitar is the fact
that it retains the script-logo
headstock motif thought to
have been abandoned after the
’53 debut batch. But recent
research confirms that Duo Jet
number 12951 also displays
the script-logo headstock, corroborating
the fact that the
first few specimens from this
second Jet solidbody production
batch apparently received
the last of the script-logo headstocks.
Research also shows that
the switch to the new-for-’54
T-roof headstock motif was
complete by serial number
12958, which means this holy
grail Silver Jet is one of the last
guitars to receive the script logo
on its headstock.
So this Silver Jet, plausibly
the first of its 6129 kind,
might simultaneously be the
last of its kind relative to
the script-logo headstock. It
remains to be seen if any of
the other eight guitars from
the beginning of that second
batch (serial numbers 12950–
12957) were Silver Jets with
the rare script-logo headstock.
Regardless, this specimen is
a unique and historically significant
instrument coveted by
many Gretsch aficionados.
This rare example of a 1957 Jet
(serial number 25545) has all
the characteristics of the fi rst
Cadillac-green batch, including
standard 6128 Duo Jet labels and
August 1957 potentiometer codes.
Photo courtesy of Billy Straus
Firebirds and Cadillacs
In the 1955 model year, Gretsch
designers expanded the Jet solidbody
options again with the
introduction of the Jet Firebird
model 6131. Sharing identical
features and hardware with its
siblings, this variation offered an
Oriental red top finish and black
back and sides. This model went
on to be associated with the
great Bo Diddley, who could be
seen playing it on the cover of
his 1959 album
Go Bo Diddley.
Upon this third finish
option’s inclusion in the Jet
solidbody lineup, all subsequent
Jet batches included all
three models (6128, 6129, and
6131). These guitars would represent
the Jet solidbody offering
until sometime in late 1957,
when Gretsch introduced two
special limited-run mini batches
with a new finish and a different
hardware package.
These mini batches began
with serial numbers 255XX and
262XX, and they consisted of
Jet solidbodies with a Cadillac-green
finish that previously had
been exclusive to the company’s
Country Club model 6196
electric archtop. In addition to
this new finish, the hardware
on guitars in these mini batches
was gold-plated—an upgrade
option not available on the
other three existing Jet models.
These Cadillac green Jets have
labels with the standard 6128
Duo Jet model stamp, and
their potentiometer codes date
from August 1957. Another
unique feature on many (if
not all) of these Cadillac-green
Jets is a banjo-style armrest, an
accoutrement only shared with
the legendary White Penguin
model 6134—which, perhaps
not-so-coincidentally, was produced
in batch 263XX immediately
after the second mini batch
of Cadillac-green Jets.
The Cadillac-green fi nish on certain
1957 Jets had previously only been
available on Gretsch Country
Club 6196
models, while the armrest also appeared
on White Penguin 6134 models that
were produced
immediately after the
batch this specimen came from.
Photo courtesy of Billy Straus
Because of their relative
rarity—only 50–75 specimens
are believed to have been
produced—and their elegant
aesthetic, these green-and-gold
Jets are also holy grail guitars to
many Gretsch collectors. Other
Jets with later serial numbers
and model-year features have
surfaced in this finish, but they
are almost certainly one-off
custom orders. These minibatch
examples, with their
classic ’57-model-year “humpblock”
fretboard inlays are the
original, and a greatly sought-after
prize.
Ed Ball is an authority on
vintage Gretsch guitars. His book
Gretsch 6120: The History of a
Legendary Guitar
was published
by Schiffer Books in 2010.