Chris Cornell Gretsch Sparkle Jet Revealed & Unboxing

Chris Cornell Guitar
Gretsch 6129T in Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” video

While Cornell’s signature guitar is technically a Gibson ES 335 that has been issued twice over the last decade, he is most known for playing Gretsches through out his career. The two most notable Gretsches being a 1989 Black Duo Jet 6128 reissue that was given to him by Gary Lee Conner (The Screaming Trees) and the Gold Sparkle Jet 6129 featured in the “Black Hole Sun” video.

Info has been released that this 6129T-89 VS is modeled after the Sparkle Jets Cornell played in the mid 1990s.

This grunge-era beauty comes in Gold Sparkle or Silver Sparkle finishes with silver pickguard, nickel hardware and late-’80s black headstock with Gretsch logo and horseshoe inlay.

Chambered mahogany body with arched laminated maple top

Maple set neck

12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and pearloid Hump Block inlays

TV Jones® TV Classic Plus bridge and TV Jones TV Classic neck pickups

Master volume with treble bleed circuit, master tone, individual pickup volume controls and three-position pickup toggle switch

Bigsby® B3 vibrato tailpiece

Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base

Gotoh® die-cast tuners

Bone nut

Late-’80s headstock with Gretsch logo and horseshoe inlay

Nickel hardware

Available in Gold Sparkle and Silver Sparkle finishes with silver pickguard

Our information can be confirmed as Moron Reviews was able to get our scummy little hands on one for preorder.

Gibson released a Chris Cornell ES 335 signature model, but Cornell was also known for playing a 1979 Les Paul Custom in a Silverburst finish in the eearly 1990s. The color was actually somewhat of a poor seller as guitar players of the 1980s opted for more colorful or traditional finishes such as the tobacco and cherry sunbursts to name a few. The Silverburst seemed to gain to some traction in the early 1990s when Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Buzz Osborne of the Melvins were playing them live as the grunge movement gained full force.

Chris Cornell in 1991 on tour promoting Soundgarden’s seminal “Badmotorfinger” album

While many guitar players have donned the Silverburst in later years, such as James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle) and Bill Kellher (Mastodon), Adam Jones is the player most synonymous with the Silverburst as he almost played them exclusively since the early 1990s. Jones reportedly has atleast four one of them being his main guitar – a ’79 with a mirror on the headstock, Alessandro pots and a long, mysterious sought after bridge pickup. While Jones has stated it is a standard Seymour Duncan SH-4 (JB) distortion pickup, it has long been rumored that it is in fact a custom pickup Seymour Duncan made for Adam and is not open for purchase to the general public. Many have debated that it is close to an SH-6 pickup, but somewhat different. Below is a history of headstocks of Gibson. The Silverburst dons the “pentographed” logo that started in the early 70s.

Gretsch 6129T-89 VS Sparkle Jet

Our all-new G6129T-89VS Vintage Select ’89 Sparkle Jet™ with Bigsby® pays homage to a classic late-’80s design that rocked the forefront of the Pacific Northwest grunge movement that overtook the music world in the early 1990s.

Delivering signature solid-body power and punch, the G6129T-89VS features period-correct chambered mahogany construction, which magnifies harmonic richness by letting air resonate between the top and body for livelier and more articulate tone. TV Jones® TV Classic Plus bridge and TV Jones TV Classic neck pickups replicate that unmistakable vintage Filter’Tron sound to fabulous sonic effect, and can be intuitively commanded using a versatile control layout featuring master volume with treble bleed circuit, master tone, individual pickup volume controls and three-way pickup toggle switch.

Other features include a maple set neck, 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with pearloid Hump Block inlays, bone nut, G-arrow knobs, Bigsby® vibrato tailpiece, Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base and Gotoh® tuners.

This grunge-era beauty comes in Gold Sparkle or Silver Sparkle finishes with silver pickguard, nickel hardware and late-’80s black headstock with Gretsch logo and horseshoe inlay.

Characteristics:

This grunge-era beauty comes in Gold Sparkle or Silver Sparkle finishes with silver pickguard, nickel hardware and late-’80s black headstock with Gretsch logo and horseshoe inlay.

  • Chambered mahogany body with arched laminated maple top
  • Maple set neck
  • 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and pearloid Hump Block inlays
  • TV Jones® TV Classic Plus bridge and TV Jones TV Classic neck pickups
  • Master volume with treble bleed circuit, master tone, individual pickup volume controls and three-position pickup toggle switch
  • Bigsby® B3 vibrato tailpiece
  • Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base
  • Gotoh® die-cast tuners
  • Bone nut
  • Late-’80s headstock with Gretsch logo and horseshoe inlay
  • Nickel hardware
  • Available in Gold Sparkle and Silver Sparkle finishes with silver pickguard

Full Time Fool

Full Time Fool has been with Moron Reviews since its inception in 2015.

1 Comment

  • Good article, I like seeing the different headstocks pic and good catch about the silver burst LP’s. Chris Cornell also used a few Telecasters in the 90’s which has a distinct tone some of Down on the Upside album in particular. His signature Gibson 335 also has filtertrons because he loved the Gretsch tone but loved his original red 335 hollow body that he used on Badmotofinger.

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