The late Malcom Young was a champion of the double-cut Jet – and his famous modded Jet Firebird has just been released in its earlier, less-modded guise
While the current Professional series G6131T-62 Vintage Select ’62 Jet with Bigsby is the closest that modern Gretsch gets to the 1961 to ’69 double Jet, Malcom Young’s 1963 guitar – nicknamed ‘The Beast’ – differed with its Burns vibrato, which was apparently used by Gretsch for a limited period when Bigsbys were in short supply. Among the early mods to the guitar was an added (Gibson) humbucker placed in the middle position between the two Filter’Trons and a Gibson ‘harmonica’-style bridge – and that’s the period that the new G6131G-MY-RB Limited Malcolm Young Signature Jet (£3,179) celebrates. Head over to YouTube to see the original in action, circa 1976, on AC/DC’s original video for It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll).
Not long after, the guitar’s top was stripped (the middle and neck pickups removed) and the Burns vibrato base replaced with a Leo Quan ‘Badass’ adjustable wrapover bridge. It’s this m
