Gretsch G5420T Electromatic Hollow Body (SunBurst) Reviews

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Customer Reviews

David K
from Broomfield, Colorado
February 7, 2013Music Background:
Pro guitarist/recording

New age of Vintage

I'm a collectedr and was blown away at the quality and craftsmanship of these Gretsch guitars. I'm usually a "buy American" guy , so I was curious what would happen when Fender/Gretsch plant popped up around the world. I gotta say" top notch". We may be in a new age of vintage and AFFORDABLE!!! Snatch 'em up kids... While they're still this cheap!!! I already got 2....

Jim Riley
from Falls Church, VA
November 13, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist, Home Recording

Great Intro Gretsch

I received the Gretsch G5420T Electromatic (sunburst) a few weeks ago, and am really enjoying it. This is my first Gretsch hollow body, so it's definitely taken some time to get used to it. Overall, though, it's not too heavy or cumbersome to play (I'm used to playing a strat and Les Paul Studio). In fact, it's relatively lightweight for a guitar of its size and build. The build quality is excellent and the finish is impeccable. Out of the box, the guitar was set up really well, although I had it set up anyway (I do that with all of my guitars anyway). The action was set just the way I like it out of the box, so it needed very little adjustment. The neck feels silky smooth, and the guitar begs to be played. Tone-wise, this guitar is very versatile. I play mainly blues and classic rock, with some occasional rockabilly (mainly Brian Setzer/Stray Cats). This guitar can handle just about any style of music, although I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who plays heavy metal. The neck position has a very unique "Gretschy" crunch when distortion is applied, and has a nice crisp, jangly tone when played clean. The neck/bridge position provides a nice, rich, full tone, with a bit of jangle, that sounds great with distortion or clean. The bridge position provides an even richer, fuller tone, and sounds great for jazz/blues numbers, finger picking, or strumming. I am particularly pleased with the new Filter'Tron™ pickups, and have read that they are a step up from the previous model. In my opinion, the stock pickups get you quite close to that classic Gretsch hollow body tone, and I don't expect to ever need to upgrade them. The Bigsby vibrato is set at just the right height for ease of use and does the job very well. I recommend using a relatively light touch and finesse with the Bigsby, as it is not a Floyd Rose and will knock the guitar out of tune if handled too harshly. Overall, I highly recommend this guitar -- especially to someone like me who is new to Gretsch and wants an affordable hollow body that will get you quite close to that classic Gretsch tone. Beware: "Gretsch fever" will take hold very quickly if you get your hands on this guitar. I am already considering what my next Gretsch is going to be!