Description
Here we have a brand new Gretsch G6131-MY Malcolm Young Signature Jet in Aged Natural! This is a factory-fresh instrument handcrafted in Japan as part of the Gretsch Professional Collection — and it's a serious piece of AC/DC history.
Malcolm Young's 1963 Jet Firebird, nicknamed "The Beast," is one of the most iconic rhythm guitars in rock history. Rather than arriving as a simulated heavy-relic, this signature model features a clean Aged Natural "thin-skin" semi-gloss finish — a pristine, tour-ready canvas built to age naturally over a lifetime of playing, just like the original.
Because Malcolm famously stripped out all non-essential circuitry, the G6131-MY is driven entirely by a single TV Jones Power'Tron humbucker in the bridge position. It's specifically voiced to bridge the gap between a vintage Gretsch Filter'Tron and a muscular vintage humbucker — delivering the midrange punch and immediate transient response needed to drive a hard-clip tube amp. The highly resonant, chambered mahogany body lets that single pickup capture a distinctively airy, woody acoustic bark that solidbody guitars simply can't replicate.
This one weighs 6lbs 9oz. The neck measures .800 to .980 at the 1st and 12th frets. The hardware is tailored for aggressive, heavy-gauge rhythm playing — a pinned Space-Control bridge on an ebony base, paired with a vintage '60s-style Jet tailpiece for solid string tension and tuning stability under heavy pick attack. The bound ebony fingerboard has 22 jumbo frets and classic pearloid Neo-Classic thumbnail inlays, set on a traditional "U"-shaped mahogany neck that feels substantial and familiar in your hands.
It ships brand new in its original Gretsch packaging, complete with a deluxe hardshell case and all factory documentation. A remarkable instrument for anyone who knows that the best rock rhythm guitar tone is about what you leave out as much as what you put in.
Heavily Chambered Mahogany Body Architecture
The foundation of this signature Jet lies in its highly resonant, 2-inch-thick mahogany body capped with a bound maple top. Meticulously engineered body chambering provides an incredibly lively acoustic response and extended harmonic bandwidth while shedding non-essential weight. This structural air-pocket design provides the explosive, immediate transient attack and deep acoustic woodiness required to deliver rock history's most definitive rhythm guitar tracks.
High-Output TV Jones Power'Tron Humbucker
The sonic muscle of this stripped-down workhorse is a singular, custom-wound TV Jones Power'Tron bridge pickup. Engineered with hotter output and a narrower bobbin aperture than a standard Filter'Tron, the Power'Tron blends the muscular midrange and thick sustain of a golden-age PAF with classic Gretsch high-frequency clarity. This direct, single-pickup wiring style minimizes magnetic string-pull, resulting in tight, punchy low-end articulation and exceptional note separation through a cranked tube amplifier.
Faithful "The Beast" Era-Correct Aesthetics
Paying precise attention to Malcolm's legendary, road-worn '63 Jet Firebird (affectionately nicknamed "The Beast"), this model meticulously mirrors his personal modifications. The thin-skin semi-gloss aged natural finish provides an immediate tour-worn tactile feel, complete with open "DIY" empty pickup cavities, simulated screw holes, and chrome switch plugs filling the unused control holes. It strips away all non-essential cosmetic appointments to honor a pure, uncompromised performance utility.
Vintage-Spec Hardware & Mechanical Layout
Built for aggressive, heavy-handed rhythm work, the hardware configuration optimizes tuning stability and mechanical energy transfer. The guitar features a classic 24.6” scale mahogany set-neck with a robust Standard "U" profile, paired with a 12” radius ebony fingerboard and a traditional zero fret over a bone nut. A pinned ebony base holds a specialized Space-Control bridge and a '60s-style Jet tailpiece, ensuring the physical string-break angles remain perfectly uniform even under heavy stage performance load.
