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Gretsch has been doing a great job over the past few years. From their cheapest models, to their Japanese-made pro line, to their crazy masterbuilt custom shop guitars, Gretsch is consistently punching above their weight across their product line. Great review, John!

Man, that was some nice playing on the intro. The written review convinced me that I want one of these! Cheers.

Well done JOHN! Just something about a GRETSCH! That unique amazing sound, and the looks to match! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎸⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

John, You are absolutely right about the strumming tone on a Gretsch. Love them!

LOVE the sound and variety of sounds and feels from the G5420T. Thanks for showing all aspects, especially strumming.

I just played one of these at Sweetwater last week. It was so hard to walk out without it

Gretsch has blown me away with fretwork, tone, playability and fun factor 😎👍 Construction is top notch. Would gig this new Gretsch's over my 70's White Falcon which has from day one felt fragile. Good on Gretsch...INDEED 😎👍❤🖖

I got an older version of this guitar. I love it! Thank you for this video

Beautiful looking and sounding guitar. I love it! I just ordered one exactly like it and it is on the way!

Nice tones and nice playing. I have an older 5420 and I love it. Those nwe Filtertron sounds great. I may just need another Gretsch.

Excellent demo John. I'm a big fan of your playing and your collection. I've seen many videos, but I haven't seen one with your White Falcon. Bust that thing out at your soonest opportunity please! Cheers

Fantastic playing! Awesome guitar!

Good review John and GREAT PLAYING!! You got some serious chops my friend!

Great review, cheers, great selection of tones tried

Very Cool Demo/Review, Thankyou. This is my dream Guitar, I have a Gretsch G5215 and a G5248T and love them both so much. Both are such awesome Guitars, but a Full Hollowbody Gretsch will always be my Dream. Cheers

Love the Billy Duffy reference.

Been shying away from the cheaper - made in China models, but I gotta tell 'ya this review made me smile, big time. You know you've got something when you are trying out something new like this and it hits and makes you smile and go 'damn...' I'd put this in the same category as my ES-125 - and I LOVE the Blue!! Great review!!

Well done! I want one of these! Bob from Spokane Valley, WA USA

I’ve been hesitant about the 5XXXX series pickups, but this sounds fantastic.

Thank you

You proved that guitar is great!

Uh...John Bollinger is really good :)

Nice guitar, I have the earlier Fairlane one and it is so good, against a 6120 it is a good performer. Nothing wrong with Chinese made, the Squire CV Stratocasters are so nicely made and playing I owned 10 of them over a few years. I had a 2015 Streamliner and that was a very nice guitar too. I think these will be collector's pieces in a few years.

Excellent

I bought a G5422TG (similar guitar) two days ago. Tried it out in the store and was amazed at how nice it plays. "Crafted in China" but feels like a professional guitar for the money ($899.99). Haven't put it down yet. I rotate guitars and keep a few out in the living room to keep me motivated and this one will probably stay out for a while before it gets rotated to another. Would have liked a green version of this guitar but bought the orange one.

Yes

Smooth noodling there!!

After acquiring a Gretsch on a trade I now have three of them and despite my boutique guitars it is the guitar I almost always grab to play first.

That outro was just, wow! Spine tingling.

That model is the classic Gretsch model, like the 6120, or my more affordable Korean 5120, which is upgraded with TV Jones pickups and wiring, and rocker bridge. I wanted to have a Gretsch simply because I love how they sound, nothing else sounds like a Gretsch, and I had to have the classic Gretsch orange color. I've tried some other models in stores, and Gretsch is making some really nice and affordable instruments. I've got my 5120 in my arms, and love playing it un-amplified too, it's plenty loud played acoustically. The top seems a tad thinner than my Gibson and Ibanez hollow body guitars, so maybe that's why it seems louder and more resonant, or maybe it's the woods used in the laminate? It seems to stay in tune even after using the wang bar, an excellent design all around, and good looking too. The new ones are still well under $1,000-, and used ones like mine can still be had for around $500-. Get your Gretsch on!

Played one at a local GC, gotta say as a players white falcon owner and a Gibson country gentleman, these new electromatics are freakin incredible. Not sure what new pickups they are using, but man they cleans were crystal clear without the single coil buzz played great, get great and for $800 wow it played better than the epiphone and Mexican fenders I tried there.

Beautiful bought one it was a wild card in the the shop tried some expensive guitars out to .just give one a try it was amazing bought it in 5 minutes plays like a dream it has that certain feel about it Brill action is so low to

Also a big part of their flashy and ornate guitar history is the Sparkle wrap finish from their drums that they put on a guitar.

SICK !!!!!!!!!! 😈💀

Billy Duffy 👍👍👍👍🍀☘

Good morning John

It’s my understanding that the tresel lacing was a discovery more than invention, they found an example of an old gretsch that had it and were impressed with the sound and performance

Question, I mostly play thin profile necks. Think Ibanez, Jackson soloist, etc.. I do have a Fender Ultra and I LOVE that neck. Profile is a little thicker but the quality and smoothness is incredible. That said, how thick is the Classic "C" profile on this gretsch series? How does it compare to say the 6556 (Jr) ? Thanks!

Im thinking this is gonna be my first guitar upgrade. Im currently learning on an Epiphpne Less Paul special.

Would sure like to hear an A/B with a 6120.

I had a G2420T Streamliner, looked amazing, played beautifully, the pots were rubbish, all or nothing, the broadtron pickups did not sound typically gretsch at all. For these reasons I sold it, it wasn't terrible, just not what I expected it to be, I might take a chance on one of these, quite expensive though.

I love mine. Roller saddles are a must

Nothing sounds like a Gretsch! The cleans are chimey! Does dirt as well. Bigsby is as fun as it gets!

"Damn c'mon" my thoughts this whole video

I’m in the process of shopping for a new guitar. Sold my strat. I’m torn between this and the Epiphone Les Paul 59 standard. I play a lot of punk rock green day, living end, but also into grunge, 90s pop rock like third eye blind, love the 80s stuff ,particularly U2, cure, clash, cult, inxs. I also grew up on zeppelin and like the old blues rock. No idea which way to go….any thoughts?

Your playing is amazing as usual. Great tone out of that guitar. I have an Electromatic 5420 in Fairlane blue which looks identical with a country of origin listed as South Korea. Im curious if Fender has switched all mid level Electromatic line to China? I know it matters little to some and a lot to others. Anybody out there has any insight? Thanks in advance.

I get zero feedback & no humming - love it 🎉

Is this really John or is Timothy Olyphant playing John in an upcoming movie ? Put a hat on him & he could be Raylan Givens twin brother 😁

The only new thing about this model 5420 (that was introduced ~10 years ago) is that they aren't made in Korea anymore. However, the prices didn't come down.

Just ordered one of the 140th anniversary models from Sweetwater - can't wait. John, did you know you're sportin' sleeping bag hair in the video?

I guess the 5420 is not really different from the 5410T, because I was also impressed by how well the 5410T handles gain for a hollowbody.. Probably it's due to those thin-precise sounding pickups and the hollowbody construction but I also agree with your statement about how good it sounds when it is strummed compared to many solidbodies.. The fit and finish on the 5410T's made in Korea is impeccable. One thing I don't get from Gretsch, is that they use regular hard edge and should put roller saddles.. I guess it's a cost saving and tradition thing, because a Bigsby and Roller saddles should go together.. One simple tip to get around the tuning issues related to those saddles is to file them to round the edges and apply some lube .. As we all know it's almost irresistible to use the Trem bar with a Gretsch ..

Is bending comfortable? Meaning, is it hard on the fingers or it doesn’t take too much effort? Cheers

The Blue Buzzer by Gretsch?

Pretty sure it doesn’t come with a gigbag, prolly the one that gets shipped around for review does.

It looks like the Tim Armstrong model.

Are the new FT-5E Filter’Tron pickups in the new Electromatics ceramic or alnico?

You pulled on that bigsby like you’re Steve Vai!😂

Nice bit of trambone there, chet was the man

Nice guitar for the money

What strings are you reccomending for 5120 hollow body electromatic?? Thankfully

So, a Brian Setzer model

How's the playability?

I have two, orange stain and fairlane blue, they're made in Korea dude.

How did he get it to strobe out like that ?

One question, John; is the bridge pinned, or floating? There's nothing quite like knocking the bridge out of whack, then trying to get it back where it belongs...

where is it made

Pinned bridge ??

Sweet guitar !..definitely adding it to my travel axe collection..but I'd really like people to actually do real demos of the guitars.. just the guitar straight into an amp w/ no pro tools , effects pedals or stompbox features.. most of us guitarist watch these demos to get the perspective of how the GUITAR sounds ..I've seem many instances where beginners are returning their guitars for one reason " it doesn't sound like the demo videos I heard"...I personally feel bad for em..it could even be discouraging to some young players who saved up for a guitar and when they plug in their excitement and anticipation turns to a MAJOR LET DOWN !so please let's see some REAL HONEST TO GOD DEMOS PLEASE

First look? This guitar has been out for years under this model #. Are these new pickups, though? Anyway, it sounds great.

Is it just me or does John's back ground change colors all the time ???

Why no mention of the giant dent in the top centered a bit below the pick-up switch???

This saddens me. The Korean 5420T after it was updated in 2017 (I think) was really the best version to date. Pickups were much better than before, quality control was very, very good and crafted with a rosewood fret-board. Now Made in China using a cheaper laurel fret-board kill it for me. Had the smaller body (Made in China) 5655T with the Laurel Fret-board for a short time, couldn't stand the Laurel board. From the start the grain was splintering in a few spots close to the middle and on the edges splintering off at the binding. Now, that said could have been a very bad chunk of wood and a random occurrence. However the much larger grain, could see this not being a one time issue. Years down the road if someone lives in a dry area and doesn't condition the fret-boad or lives in a climate that constantly changes, how will the Laurel hold up? On the other hand, perhaps it was bad Quality Control, cheaper and less discriminating labor. Either way, the Electromatic series no longer being made in Korea is a big step down IMO. Used to be the Professional's Made in Japan, the mid level Electrmatic's Korea and entry level and much cheaper Streamliner's made in China. Now there's no distinction.... Sad day indeed.

Except for the color looks just like a White Falcon

I thought these were made in Korea?

The big stamp on the back of the head looks like crap! Other than that, she is a beauty.

Looks exactly the same as the last 500 gretsch releases

Is there anything new about these? Haven’t these been out before?

As far as semi hollow's go, why would you choose anything other than Gretsch?I would prefer that they were made in Korea instead of the CCP, but that's politics, - not so much product quality per se. Would I pay more for a Korean made Sammick model? Yeah, - yes I would. I tried a used model in the classic orange at a local shop, and they really do look, sound, and play the part; as woth most Gretsch's I've come across, I wish the necks were a little broader and beefier, but you can't have everything .I'd say that the main competition is D'Angelico , who do offer more of the flatter, slighter fatter neck radius models.But they don't have the same pickups, and they're not quite as fully realized design wise.Comparitively clumsy and more mass produced feeling in that regard. Made me go back and watch a bunch of Cramps/ Poison Ivy videos; Rocka/ Psychobilly aren't really my thing as far as playing, but she is always fun to watch.

The made in china thing needs to end. I have 2 of the Korean models.

These Gretsch guitars are Made in Korea I believe.

Not keen on the clacky “clean” tone that John is getting. I have a Korean 2021 version, and l don’t get all those clacky sounds, because l don’t slap my right hand against the pick-ups and strings. If you have a cleaner technique it needn’t be clacky is what l’m saying, so don’t let it put you off.

Looks like its straight out of the 60s! by 60s I mean 1860s

Ace Ventura forever.

Made in Korea, I think?

I was thinking about buying one, but I try to avoid anything that's made in China.

Thanks John...Fender/Gretsch needs to tool up and bring these back to the States, or at the very least an allied country. China made - no thanks.

too bad it’s not made in korea or indonesia…😫

made in china ?

Has weak electronics, cheap hardware and poor QC! (no Gig Bag)

So sad it’s made in China.

Invasion of the Chinese guitars. No thanks.

Gretsch ...made in China, this is embarrassing!

Chinese Electromatic....SMH...No thank you.

$800+ tax, so about $900 "affordable" "made in China" HAHAHA HAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAH AHHAAHAHHAH AHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAH

You play with Entirely TOO,TOO MUCH REVERB!!! I CANT LISTEN TO YOU PLAY ANYTHING!!!!!