From Our Research Team:

Billy F Gibbons and Bo Diddley Team With Gretsch for "Billy-Bo" Guitar!

One of the great things about being a guitar hero, and there are many, is the ability to have major guitar makers build custom guitars for you - and one of the things that set founding father of Rock and Roll, Bo Diddley, apart from the rest (aside from the Bo Diddley Beat), is the custom guitars that he designed in 1959 for his band. That's how the Jupiter Thunderbird came into being. It was one of those three custom-made electric guitars that Gretsch built for the man who was there at the beginning of rock and roll. (Some claim that it was Bo Diddley who actually invented Rock.) The original Jupiter Thunderbird was given as a gift to ZZ Top guitar player, Billy F Gibbons, by Bo himself. For the new version, Billy and Gretsch flipped the design upside down, which makes the headstock backward...!



Gretsch "Billy-Bo" Jupiter Thunderbird at a Glance:

• Built to the artist's specifications with futuristic body design.
  
• Chambered Mahogany Body
  
• One-Piece Mahogany Neck
  
• Rosewood Fingerboard
  
• TV Jones Power 'Tron pickups
  
• Adjusto-matic Bridge

Chambered Mahogany Body
The result of this "science project gone wrong" features a heavily chambered mahogany body, one-piece mahogany neck, ultra-thin laminate maple top, TV Jones Power'Tron (neck) and Power'Tron "Plus" (bridge) pickups, pinned Adjusto-matic bridge, Schaller Straplocks, and enough "vibe" to make space aliens dance the alligator.

Originally Designed by Bo Diddley, Built By Gretsch
How did the Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird "Billie-Bo" guitar come into being? Rock luminaries Billy F Gibbons and Bo Diddley joined forces to bring you a 21st century version of the Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird, now dubbed the "Billy-Bo". The new Gretsch "Billy-Bo" Jupiter Thunderbird highlights Bo's original futuristic design with Billy's added ingredients for a steaming hot helping of dirty rotten Rock 'N' Roll - but let Billy F Gibbons tell you in his own words: "Some time ago, Bo gave me the guitar as a gift. It was during the recent ZZ Top recordings when the engineering crew and I snaked through the guitar vault searching for that 'certain-something' guitar and there it was! We didn't risk subjecting such a rare instrument to the rigors of the road so this new, reproduction model was recreated with some BFG Mojo thrown in for good measure. It's now the main stage guitar with a groove."

Gretsch G6199 "Billy-Bo" Jupiter Thunderbird Features:

• Colors: Black with Firebird Red top.
  
• Body Style: Futuristic (stranger than fiction),
  
• Scale Length: 24.6" (625mm).
  
• Top: Laminated maple.
  
• Back and Sides: Heavily chambered mahogany body.
  
• Neck: 1-piece mahogany.
  
• Pickups: 1 Tv Jones Power'Tron Plus (bridge), 1 Tv JonesŪ Power'tron (neck)
  
• Pickup Switching: 3-position toggle:
  - Position 1. Bridge pickup.
  - Position 2. Bridge and neck pickups.
  - Position 3. Neck pickup.
  
• Controls: Volume 1. (neck pickup), Volume 2. (bridge pickup), Master Volume, Master Tone.
  
• Width at Nut: 1-11/16" (43mm)
  
• Fretboard: Rosewood.
  
• Bridge: pinned adjusto-matictm bridge.
  
• Tailpiece: Gretsch g-cutout tailpiece.
  
• Hardware: Chrome-plated.
  
• Finish: Gloss urethane.
  
• Case: Includes G6276 custom hardshell case
  
• No. of Frets: 22
  
• Machine Heads: Chrome-plated Grover v98c Sta-tite die-cast tuners.

Specification Detail Body Material Mahogany, chambered Body Finish Gloss Urethane Color Firebird Red Neck Material Mahogany Neck Shape C Scale Length 24.6" Fingerboard Material Rosewood Fingerboard Inlay Neo Classic "Thumbnail" Number of Frets 22 Nut Width 1.6875" Bridge/Tailpiece Pinned rosewood-based Adjusto-Matic bridge / trapeze tailpiece Tuners Grover Sta-Tite die-cast tuners Number of Pickups 2 Neck Pickup TV Jones Power'Tron Plus Neck Pickup Middle Pickup No middle pickup Bridge Pickup TV Jones Power'Tron Plus Bridge Pickup Controls 2 x volume, master tone, 3-way toggle Case Included Hardshell Manufacturer Part Number 241-0508-815

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