About the Gretsch duo jet and the Vox amp

[Angelo]

And a close-up of the original Gretsch wooden bridge.

Take care!

[Angelo]

And here’s the result: # 2 of 2 …
If with that I can not play properly, I’ll never succeed!
Thanks again for all the information and for your kindness.

[Jacki Hopper]

Whoa Angelo… Most impressive… Kudos on this… I applaud your efforts on creating your dream guitars…. By the way… Do you have a photo of you with MLT that you could share here with us all?!… Would love to see a photo. I enjoy hearing /reading stories and seeing photos of the MLT & fan Meetups.

[Rudolf Wagner]

Holy cow, how did I only now see this? That is so cool!! Do I have to pop over to the studio to double check whether you stole my guitar? 😛 But seriously, that is quite impressive. When you posted the pictures of the bridge and tremolo I thought it was some pictures from the internet, not that you actually got them for your own Duo Jet.
That makes me really happy!Please tell me how you find it, whether you like the playability and sound. Also, how are you fixing the Bridge to the body? I used some double sided sticky tape to avoid it sliding around too much and for a while I stuck some black plastic pieces between the pickup and bridge to avoid my hand pushing it out of place. That was more so an issue when playing in hot & sweaty places like the Cavern so I’ve been fine without it for a while.
Also thanks again for the email with all the guitar specs! We got back to you there earlier today.

[Angelo]

Hi Lisa,

I am really happy and relieved that you like it. I was a little afraid that it could bothers you to see your guitar copied by a total stranger (even though he is a registred Fan of yours). Know however that if one day you’ll have your guitar stolen (as happened to John with his Gibson J160E) or damage in the belly of an aircraft, f.i., I’ll send mine with all my greetings to you.

First of all I must say that I’m a baby as a guitar player, well, hum.. let’s say intermediate level.  However for me, it’s a great guitar, the weight is well balanced thanks to his chambered body, sounds typically british with her single coil pickups (the Vox amp helps to) playability is excellent  but the accessibility of the high notes is limited. You would have had  much dificulties playing « when my guitar gently weeps » solo translated up high has you did on the duo jet. But above all,  I must admit that There’s something inexplicably cool about playing a guitar that looks exactly like what your heroe plays.

I do not fix the bridge to the body as it seems to be the Gretsch advice not to do so, have a look at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Mx9Jq8ZFA  Personnaly I have no problem with the bridge nor the tuning for I play only little on this guitar but I know the tuning is an issue. Apart the Dusenberg tremolo, the most unique hardware feature on your guitar—at least relative to other current-production Duo Jets—is that the bridge is a “rocking” bar style with a floating wood base, where most modern Duo Jets have ebony pinned bases and either a Synchro-Sonic or a Space Control roller bridge. You swap out your Synchro-sonic bridge for a Compton bar bridge, doing so sacrifices the ability to individually intonate strings. So with my very little knowledge I understand that either you use the floating bridge and the rocking bar (but it regularly gets out of tune if you touch the bridge while playing) or you fixe the bridge by whatever means that suits you (to pin it in place is the Gretsch solution) but in that case you must use a adjustable bridge as mentioned above.

About that email, I’m sorry that it was so heavy and it must have taken a while to upload (iI apologise). I just wanted to let you see what I’m doing with the informations you share with us. In the meanwhile I realised that I’ve made some mistakes for instance you noticed that one of your first 6 steel string is a Maton EM225C natural and not a performer GBG808CL as I though it was. Feel free to let me know if I’m wrong with something else.

About the Cavern club as a sweaty place, I should say that it’s not more like that today because they have installed a very good ventillating and air conditioning system. As crowdy as it was Wednesday 21 and Friday 22, I’ve never been so confortable in a basement club.

From me to you.

Angelo

[Angelo]

Hello Jacky, Thank you for your comment. Actually, I only did a little tuning of an existing guitar but I’m pretty happy with the result very inspiring for me.

About posting a photo; Indeed, Michaela took some pictures of us but the only interesting and attractive part for you “participants” (MLT fans) on these photos are the twin sisters. In addition, I’m not sure it’s a good idea to post photos of Mona and Lisa without their permission on their site. Finally, I’m rather shy and I’m not used to showing pictures of me. However, if a dedicated space would be created, I might change my mind.

 

All I can say about this meeting is that all four members of the Wagner family are really very kind people and that it was too short because they are very solicited. It will remain for me a wonderful memory.

SG

[Jacki Hopper]

Hi Angelo… Thankyou for replying to my comment. I indeed do understand re: photos of your meeting with MLT and yes I’d be the same… Wouldn’t post without prior permission first.  Maybe in the future, such an area on this site could be created for that very purpose.

I’m so pleased you went to the show and had the opportunity to meet Team MLT… Indeed a cherished memory of a lifetime.

[Howard]

Don’t be shy Angelo. There are plenty of photos of the twins with various colleagues, supporters, and fans already posted on the web and in the club. Yours would be appreciated too. The more, the merrier!

[Angelo]

Thank you Howard for your encouragement but I’m afraid I lost the photographs. They were in my Iphone and it crashed. I can not turn on the device anymore and at Apple store they ask me 40 euros to try to fix it. As it’s a 4s I will rather buy a new one and I will wait till the next public appearance of the MLTs to take another picture. Anyway I don’t need any picture, the moment is engrave in my mind and in my heart.

[John Behle]

Angelo, on YouTube I ran across a company back east in the US that specializes in restoring and getting data off of crashed Iphones.  Seems the owner had all of her vacation pics dropped in a lake and every Apple outlet or person said there was no way she could recover the data and she just had to buy a “New” phone.

I don’t remember her background, but she is an engineer or something and learned how to restore her phone and then developed a very reasonable priced cottage industry helping others restore data, photos, etc.  If I can find it again, I will post some specifics:)

[Angelo]

Hi John and thank you but don’t bother you with that. I’ve allready bought my new mobile and have the old one dropped at the store. Apart those pictures of the MLT at the Epstein theatre there wasn’t much of interest in it. I’m confident that the MLTs will reappear some day on stage.. Let’s hope so!

[Jung Roe]

My iPhone is supposed to be water resistant.  I may test it one day and report back.

Lisa will make the Gretsch Duo Jet the most famous guitar of all time (its started already in this community), not that it isn’t famous already as it was George Harrisons very first “good” guitar and the one he used during the Beatles rise to fame, and remained his sentimental favorite.

[John Behle]

Lisa has already made the Gretsch Duo Jet famous to me.  I just about bought one the other day and will soon.  I’ve been looking around for one with a little history to it.  I missed out on the best of the guitar sales of Chad and Jeremy’s guitars but I’ll find something interesting.  Some day I can see people bidding on Lisa’s guitar – maybe at Sotheby’s or Christie’s.   I’ll be there bidding on it and on Mona’s drums.  I miss my Ludwig’s.  Sadly I traded my drums for a motocross bike years ago.  My back would have appreciated if I kept the drum set and had sold my skis for a guitar.  A much less painful life and much less noise for my poor neighbors 🙂

[Howard]

Well you’re in good company with the motocross bike riding. The twins have been bike riders too. Don’t know if they still have theirs. May have traded them for guitars or drums perhaps. I’d rather see them concentrate on their music and not such dangerous pursuits as motor cycling!