Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top (Vintage Sunburst) Reviews

3.8/5.0 based on 4 customer reviews

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April 14, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Good bang for your buck.

This guitar has the sound and look of a much higher priced parlor guitar (3/4 size). Once you look at the finish from a few feet away though- you see some of the nice touches are only skin deep... or in this case... paint deep. Guitar's sound gets 4 stars but aesthetics (on close inspection) get 2... averaging for a total score of 3 out of 5. White edge/trim is simply a layer of paint. The wood's finish is some type of satin lacquer which appears to only be a sprayed/coated on varnish and is not a true stain. I feel the guitar sounds quite nice. I would describe the tone as crisp and bright as opposed to full and warm... stays in tune, simple but nice fretboard and hardware. Neck is smaller than standard and easy to get your hand around. Action seems just right. It is a shame such a nice sounding and playing guitar is finished so poorly. I guess for the price-point they had to cut corners somewhere. Perhaps a good opportunity to refinish a guitar? For the price, this satisfies though. This guitar's short fall is the finish, and frankly; I would have paid twice the price for a higher quality one.

Blake C
from United States
March 29, 2013Music Background:
Songwriter, Home Recordist

A Great Little Parlor Guitar!

I bought this as an inexpensive and small guitar to travel with and leave my nicer, bigger acoustics at home. However, I play this one almost exclusively since it came in and have recorded with it many times since. It gets the old folk and 'blues box' sound in spades. The quality is exceptional for a guitar in this price range and I'm surprised daily by the value.

Michael
from Austin, The Republic of Texas
February 22, 2013Music Background:
Record Company Owner

Sweet sounding little guitar

The only sub-par thing I could find on this guitar was the tuning machines. They are cheap, and several are binding up and are hard to turn [easily fixed]. The white 'binding' is really a painted-on stripe.

The good news is that this little [36 1/2"] guitar sounds amazingly loud and sweet. I think that the tone is somewhere between a cedar and a spruce topped instrument, not as dark as mahogany. Of course, these opinions are always very subjective, but I was really pleased at the tones coming from this little box.

I have small hands, so I was happy with the shorter scale [24"], and how easy this guitar is to play. Sweetwater did a great job with the set-up, as usual. Agathis is a wood sort of in the conifer family, softer than spruce but a bit harder than white pine, and it's a pretty good tone wood. The Jim Dandy has a very pleasing tone and excellent sustain.

This instrument is wonderful for finger-picking, and would make a great kid's guitar due to it's small size. I am very happy with my purchase of this guitar. Get one!

Anthony K.
from Portland
February 20, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Jim Dandy

My Jim Dandy just arrived!

I wish the neck was a little thicker and wider, like my Stella - but not bad.
You won't find a hint of woodgrain on this guitar. There is a veneer that covers every inch. Luckily it has a mat finish, so it's not so bad.

The action is great, especially if you're used to playing old Harmonys or Stellas. It stays in tune and has a nice tone, not too bright. The guitar comes ready to play ou of the box (at least mine did). Comes with D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings.

The tuners are okay but I would have preferred that they were much less ornate - something similar to older Klusons.

The binding, like the guitars they were modeled after, is painted on - a little sloppily, especially at the neck . The guitar would, in my opinion, look better withouth the pick guard.

Now after all my nit-picking, I freaking love this guitar. Any one that loves old Harmony, Stella, Silvertone, Kay etc.... guitars, will be happy with the Jim Dandy. If you're tired of buying vintage flat tops off of eBay, and finding the neck to be unsuitable for anything but slide, will be happy with this guitar out of the box.

Come on, it's only $149 with shipping. How can you go wrong? It kicks the crap out of anything in its price range.