Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT Electric Guitar - Black Reviews

I got this guitar from Sweetwater October 20222, I think. I have a '60s Tennessean that I love, so it was really fun to get a modern Gretsch as a comparison. It's kind of amazing that a 2022 China-made Gretsch holds up to the vibe and feel of the old ones from the '60s. This little gem has really impressed me. I love the treble bite when it's cranked up, and the warmth I can get from it when it's dialed back a bit. I've got a Fender DeVille, and also a little 15w Monoprice tube amp, this guitar really sparkles through them both. The feel of the neck is great. Someday, I'll jump for one of the 'Player's Editions', but at this price, I'm a a total fan of this guitar. There's something special about Gretsch. Very different from my Fenders, Gibsons. Anyway, I love this Jet!

I'll be honest and let you know that I didn't purchase my Gretsch G5220 from Sweetwater. I got it off of Reverb used. That being said, this is a great guitar especially for the money. The fit and finish are wonderful and the action is very low. The low action is very helpful to me as I have somewhat weak hands due to arthritis. The sound like another reviewer stated is a cross between a Les Paul and a Telecaster. I have a Bugera tube amp that I got from Sweetwater and it sounds awesome running through it. With or without pedals or gain the sound this guitar puts out is top notch. You really can't go wrong with this guitar as a Gibson Les Paul has just gotten out of sight on prices. Trust me there are no guitars anywhere near the price of this guitar that are equitable in sound!

Sweetwater you just got me the best Christmas present I've had in a long time. Everyone loves my G5220 gretsch. You're Prices,Fast Shipping, and the Best Customer Service can't be beat.

This is a really great guitar at any price. Love the looks, sound and playability. It sounds great clean and overdriven.

Other than remounting neck pickup that was unscrewed and in the guitar .I love it great action love the pickups.very easy to dial in my tones like master volume pretty guitar would recommend buy one of there's very happy.

This things just sings when you play it amped or not! I plugged it in the first time and my jaw was scrapping bottom! So clear and strong! I turned my head to my partner and he was sitting there jaw dropped as well! I've owned a fair share of guitars in my 30 years of playing and I'm glad I didn't put Gretsch off any longer. If you've ever even thought about a Gretsch, chambered guitar or filtertrons...don't wait any longer. The neck is chunky but if you could see the sausages I'm working with you'd be reassured. The one problem I do have is the lack of a volute for added protection against the head snapping off. Seriously though this is a fantastic axe for the dough!

Had this guitar now for over 3 months. It has the lowest action of any of my electrics. I have 5 to include a Mexican Fender and 2 mid-level ESPs. The Neck, Fretboard, Fretwork....just awesome. Tuners are really good. The tone from the pickups is twangy like a Telecaster when clean or touched with light overdrive. It fattens up and gets really Gibson-like at higher volumes. It is a joy to play, and while I did not like the master volume at first; I really like it now. I purchased the black finish since I have never owned a black guitar before. I must say, that this guitar beats every other guitar I have considering playability, quality of manufacture, quality of hardware, tone and capabilities of the pickups, and just holding the guitar. You pickup this guitar and just holding it and working around the fretboard....QUALITY ALL THE WAY. I opened up the control cavity and pulled the neck humbucker off to look inside the body. Yes, chambered through and through but even the interior work was sanded before the body was glued together. All the pots are full size, the switch is solid, the wiring was expertly done. Unbelievable. Why I did not buy a Gretsch sooner I do not know. My other mid-level guitars....cant compete with this guitar in any category. FIt, finish, hardware, paint...The Gretsch blows them away.

I purchased my Jet with the Casino Gold finish and I couldn't be happier with the guitar. It was delivered to me in just a few days and it was perfectly set up and played great right out of the box. The neck is extremely comfortable and the body resonates beautifully. Gorgeous clean tones, rich and fat overdriven tones, great electronics. I love having a master volume. It's so great to set the pickup volumes where I want them and not have mess with them and just use the master volume. I own five other guitars, two of which that cost well over $1,000. This Gretsch puts those guitars and other more expensive ones I've played to shame. I am very happy with my new Gretsch.

First gretsch I have owned and I am impressed. Plays smooth, price is awesome, and it seems to help me achieve the sound I have been chasing for a while now. I have been playing worship music with a Strat. This Guitar simplifies my playing by being able to achieve the tones I need with pick attack more so than adjusting all of the knobs and switches on my strat. It"s all personal preference but, Im a fan now and thanks to Kevin Spunde for taking care if me.

I've had this guitar for about 4 months. I had a bone nut installed by Sweetwater before it shipped to me. I love this guitar. As other reviewers say, it sits somewhere between a Les Paul and a Tele. It's really sensitive to finger-style playing. The tone is is awesome, and it has great harmonics.
What I don't like at all are the volume pots. They basically don't do anything until they turn the volume all the way off.
I use looping playing live, and it's hard to use this guitar for loops because I can't dial in different volumes as I play. The volume pots are just not sensitive. I'll probably replace them, and then I'm sure this guitar will be a 5.

This is a great sounding guitar. The fit and finish is very good although the master volume pot seems a bit crooked to me. It"s hard to complain too much at this price point though. The guitar came setup very well and I love the feel of the neck. The frets are just right. The bridge and tuners could be better, but I"m planning to replace them anyway. The taper on the master volume is almost non-existent, at least to my ears. It abruptly goes from nothing to almost full on when you just start to turn it and then it only slightly increases in volume when it"s turned all the way. Overall, I"m happy with it and based on the cost, I had planned to do some upgrades anyway.

I"m really blown away at the quality of this guitar coming out of China. Chambered mahogany body, maple top, bound body/neck/headstock, killer two-tone paint, great fretwork, low action and great pickups for this price is almost unheard of. I own several high end guitars (PRS, Gibson, Fender, Taylor) including a Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer model and I will have no hesitation playing this on stage and in the studio. Now for the specifics – the finish is excellent and other than very minor bleed on the binding it"s near perfect. The chambered body is quite resonant and mine appears to be one-piece, with the guitar weighing in at a very comfortable 7lb 8oz. Neck is three-piece with scarf joints at the heel and headstock. Frets are glassy smooth and action wonderfully low with no fret buzz. Came set up perfectly from Sweetwater with the proper neck relief and accurately intonated. Some reviewers have mentioned loose saddles in the bridge and wonky tuners but I don"t agree. While these items aren"t top end, they are very serviceable and I doubt I will replace them. The pickups are golden and I"m shocked at how clear and detailed they are. Most import pickups sound muddy to me but not these. When I compared the sound to my 6120, I was surprised at how authentically Gretsch it sounded. I know that seems weird, but comparing a budget solid body import guitar to a high end hollowbody with TV Jones Filtertrons should be an unfair match but the heritage tone is clearly there. As others have suggested, these are more in the style of PAF"s, which is what I wanted since I mostly play rock. I haven"t played the 5230T with Blacktop Filtertrons and a Bigsby, so if you want that rockabilly sound I"m sure it would nail it. Some have said this is a Gibson killer and that"s silly. But that doesn"t mean this isn"t a stellar guitar and for sure, it"s an Epiphone killer. Compared to my Les Pauls, the tone has a touch less bottom but some nicely pronounced mids and upper end shimmer. The only disappointment, and it"s very minor, is that the pots are crap. There"s no taper and they get muddy when you try to turn down. Normally I wouldn"t complain but the Chinese build iPhones and the pickups are great, so there"s really no reason for this.

This is my third guitar from Sweetwater and all of them have been set up with great attention to detail. Jeff Law is my sales rep and he"s top notch. I used to think you couldn"t buy a guitar unless you play it first but that"s simply not a concern with Sweetwater. They"re the absolute best in the industry.

Well made and came to me ready to play. Makes my Gibson Studio obsolete. Play through a Marshall dsl40cc, Ibanez tube screamer, and mini delay. Great for Pink Floyd.
Set up is great. I've received about 6 guitars and amps from Sweetwater and never disappointed. Thankful to a company that cares and great rep...Matt Emick.
Thanks so much, continue the great customer service.

I've become a big fan of Gretsch over the last couple of years I got the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT - Black and it is comparable to a Gibson guitar,
That Gibson name plate costs a lot. I also wanted to thank Aaron Vidusek,I hope I got that right Aaron, he was enthusiastic and attentive as well as very willing to go above and beyond to make sure I was happy with my order.

Thank you Aaron

P.S.
guitar players should try a gretsch guitar they have all price ranges covered so experimental purchases aren't painful at all. I originally bought a gretsch resonator guitar that I fell in love with. I also have a gretsch solid body (one of the new ones out this year) I love this too.

Overall I like and will keep this guitar. However mine arrived with the neck pickup set so high the strings literally rode on top of the pole pieces, unplayable when fretted. Then a week later the cheap 3 way toggle switch stopped working and I'm still waiting on a replacement...

Aside from a horrible set up, faulty electronics and cheap tuners, it's still a good guitar with some TLC performed.

My buying experience with Sweetwater has been perfectly fine, but I have some qualms with the Fender/Gretsch quality control of their low-end guitars.

First: the good. The tones from the G5220 are lovely. The chambered body does seem to have a real effect in terms of adding resonance. Caveat: I'm a strictly recreational/hobbyist guitarist and play only at home (jamming with family members on occasion, but mostly just playing along with jam tracks, recordings, looper etc.). While not light, the G5220 has a nice balanced feel and the neck is comfortable. The poly finish is, well, a poly finish, but it's what you get. I don't get particularly sweaty while playing, so it has never been an issue.

Now for the the not so good:

1. Screw-style strap hold downs. I really dislike the strap attachment system that Gretsch guitars provide. I would recommend having them replaced with the button-style strap attachment devices of your choice. I now have Dunlop locking strap buttons -- installed by local luthier Mike Lull Custom Guitars. I'm very happy now. They had to fill holes created when the securement screws from the stock screw-style strap locks actually PULLED OUT from the anchor points. Which is VERY weird because I almost never stand while playing. I put the strap on really only to prevent inadvertent dropping. As an aside, this screw back-out issue happened to me with a 5410 Rat Rod that I purchased last year. I do not trust those screw-style strap securement devices. At all. YMMV and they might work better on the high end guitars, but they pulled out on my 5220 and 5410 Rat Rod. Furthermore, Fender would not warranty these failures.

2. Weird pick-guard attachment design. To be honest, I hardly play my G5220. I like it, but I have options now and this guitar is kind of a backup for when guitar-playing family members come by, want to jam, and they have not brought gear. As my nephew Alex suggested: "Having options is a good thing." Anyway, this guitar has largely rested quietly in its case since its purchase in February 2021, or has been played gently from time to time, but really seeing very light use (and almost always played from a seated position). So, I was @#%#ing shocked, to find that the pick guard was cracking. After closer inspection, what I noticed is that the way Fender attaches the pick guard on this guitar causes inherent stress to be applied near the "upper" attachment point (above the neck pickup). That constant stretching of the plastic seems like it would inevitably cause the pick guard cracking. It's a VERY strange design. It's hard to imagine other people don't experience this. I've not seen this attachment strategy on any other guitar, although I suspect other Gretsch Jets have the same setup. It feels remarkably lazy and cheap. Again, Fender would not warranty this cracking. It would be one thing if the guitar was under constant use, but the thing is a garage queen. The design also has the peculiar "feature" of causing the pick guard to come up very close to the high E string at the attachment point. That's probably not as much of an issue when playing while standing. However, when seated, my arm tends to migrate up the fretboard closer to the "top" of the neck pickup (closer to the fretboard) and the pick guard consistently interferes with striking the high E string. My solution to both the interference and cracking pick guard was to remove it. I've applied a kind of adhesive-free plastic film pseudo pick guard to avoid swirl accumulation on the guitar's top surface. Seems to solve the issue with no ill effects.

Photo of the weird crack is "attached." Found while still under warranty. Photo shows how the pick guard bends over the plastic surround that encircles the pickup in order to attach to the guitar. The better solution is to slip around that surround, flush to the guitar to surface (like almost every other similar two-humbucker setup I've seen appears to handle that attachment).

My net score of 3 stars comes from averaging these:

- Purchase experience: 5 stars
- Overall guitar playing experience: 4 stars (setting aside the hassle factor of the strap buttons and pick guard)
- Fit and finish: 2 stars
- Fender support: 1 star
- Sweetwater support: NA. I would have had to send the guitar back at my cost from Redmond, WA to get Sweetwater support of any kind, so I brought it to the nearest "Fender/Gretsch authorized repair center" which was Guitar Center in Redmond, WA. I doubt I'll go back there. Mike Lull Custom Guitar is the ONLY place I'll take my guitars going forward for actual work, warranty or no warranty.