NGD

[Wasper]

Welp... A President's Day sales got me. ProAdioStar was running some deep discounts and I couldn't resist.

I was looking for something a bit different and came across these Gretsch Streamliner hollow body guitars. I know it is not going to have that "Gretsch Sound" due to having Broad'Tron pick-ups instead of the Filter'Trons, but I wasn't necessarily looking for that Filter'Tron sound, just something different.

I was also intrigued by the newest Broad'Trons (BT-3S) for having the coil split capability. I figured that would give my a good soundscape to play with. Add to that, the Bigsby and the total cool factor of the guitar itself, I just had to have it. The guitar and case together cost under $500.

I've been playing this guitar for almost a week and I have to say I'm impressed. The guitar is well built (I haven't found any flaws so far) and was set-up fairly decent from the factory. I can see my perhaps going a little heavier on the string gauge and a proper set-up in the future, but for now I'm going to enjoy as is. The pick-ups are nice sounding and splitting the coils make it a different sounding guitar all together.

Only problem I have now is........ This is my first Gretsch, first being the word here, lol. Perhaps I just might find my way to one of those Filter'Tron equipped Electromatcis down the road.

Some pictures, because we all like those.

[marty bradbury]

Beautiful guitar! Enjoy!

[PTony]

Congratulations! Gretsch make great guitars. I’ve owned quite a few. Even a Japanese Jet. They’re fantastic instruments that are made very well, sound great, and are a blast to play. I preferred .011’s on mine. With a wound G. Enjoy! She’s a beaut.

[Glennwillow]

Wow, pretty guitar! It would be cool to have a Gretsch guitar! Good for you for making the move!

- Glenn

[The Growler]

Nice! Congratulations on a beauty.

[29er]

Enjoy your new Gretsch! But a word of caution, it can escalate quickly. Ask me how I know.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Wasper

...I was looking for something a bit different and came across these Gretsch Streamliner hollow body guitars. I know it is not going to have that "Gretsch Sound" due to having Broad'Tron pick-ups instead of the Filter'Trons, but I wasn't necessarily looking for that Filter'Tron sound, just something different...

...I can see my perhaps going a little heavier on the string gauge and a proper set-up in the future, but for now I'm going to enjoy as is. The pick-ups are nice sounding and splitting the coils make it a different sounding guitar all together.

Only problem I have now is...this is my first Gretsch, first being the word here, lol. Perhaps I just might find my way to one of those Filter'Tron equipped Electromatics down the road...

Originally Posted by 29er

Enjoy your new Gretsch! But a word of caution, it can escalate quickly. Ask me how I know.

Long-time (60-year) Gretsch player here:

I've been hearing some good things about the current upgraded Streamliners lately, that they've really stepped up their game to compete with Ibanez (who for all practical intents and purposes still owns the entry-level hollowbody market), but as you said they're not going to have what their Brooklyn-era ad copy used to call "That Great Gretsch Sound" - with one very notable exception:



https://gretschguitars.com/gear/coll...sby/2806104563

A quasi-reissue of the 1967 Rally double-cutaway (pickguard and knobs are different, but correct ones are available on the aftermarket) this one comes equipped with the Super Hi-lo'Trons installed on the 2013-2018 Korean-made E-matic 5400/5600-Series instruments, generally regarded by hardcore Gretsch aficionados as not only an unbeatable bargain but among the finest instruments ever to bear the Gretsch name, bar none - true professional-quality at intermediate/step-up prices, whose quality and tone rivaled (and often exceeded) many of their 1960's Brooklyn counterparts. Based on a modified '70s "blacktop" Filter'Tron design, this one's a true humbucker (unlike the vintage-style single-coil Hi-lo's fitted to the current '60 Double Anniversary and '62 Tennessean reissues) with a smoother and stronger overall response than the originals, and no loss of that unmistakable Gretsch "twang": my favorite of the "new generation" true-Gretsch style pickups, these'll take you from supper-club jazz to all but the hardest rock, and everything in between. Best news is that when you're ready, it's only about $100 more than your G2420 - while the full-size splittable Broad'Tron undoubtedly has its place (and BTW your guitar makes a great mod platform if you're so inclined) this'll get you solidly into traditional Gretsch tone territory for about one-fourth the cost of the Professional Series (or 2-3 C-notes less than the current E-matics) - bad news is that it's a limited edition, so if you have the funds you may wish to consider it sooner than later...

I'm not familiar with the new-for-2024 BT-3S Broad'trons - I've played a few guitars with the originals over the years (pre-2013 Korean E-matics, early Streamliners, GC-exclusive editions) and I wasn't particularly impressed vis-a-vis their Ibanez competition - but for modern Gretsch instruments with traditional-style "Tron" pickups the default setup is flatwound 11's with a wound G; FYI many of us here on the Electric subforum use it on our E-matic and Pro Series hollows and semis, and IME it might make a good starting point while you get acquainted...

Although I understand the Chinese Electromatics have made some major strides in QC and playability (as well as reverting to Filter'Trons on the 5400-Series hollowbodies - smart move...) the Korean versions remain the ones to have among savvy Gretsch players, and while they're still generally affordable compared to the current offerings prices are increasing on the more unusual models. Among these are the G5620T-CB (single-cutaway) and G5622T-CB (double-cutaway/3-pickup) cats' eye semis - the former a near dead-ringer for the rare '64-66 cats' eye 6117, the latter allegedly based on a circa-1964 Brooklyn skunkworks design that never was, according to apocryphal Gretsch lore both intended as endorsement models for a certain quartet that ruled the Top 40 charts around that time - and if you can find a clean, unmodified one at a decent price I'd say go for it:



Until then use yours well, often, and LOUD...

[rmp]

I was lucky enough to grab a MIK 5422TG back in 2020, just before all the "unpleasantness". It's been a fan favorite 'round here.

I may someday swap out the pickups for some TV Jones, or Filtertrons, but the stock blacktop pickups are fine really.