This is a 50's Gretsch Duo Jet that is pretending to be a Firebird Jet. It received a somewhat primitive red refinish countless years ago, and has lived it's life as a Firebird. It does appear that the original black finish may be under the red, but I never made the commitment to find out. It has had all of the normal old Gretsch issues fixed. The neck has been reset at the proper angle, it's got new frets on it, and the original pickups were rewound. It includes one of the coolest (original) tweed cases that I've seen. I wouldn't trust southwest airlines with it, but it will do the job around town. The guitar is resonant and pretty loud acoustically and sounds like the old country records through an amp. It's a great player and is one you can take out and really play without worrying too much.