For Blues, Funky, Jazz, Rock... Guild Starfire VI or Gretsch G5422TDC?

[Arroww]

Hi to all I know it's difficult try to play with one guitar all kind of music, but I am a newbie and it will be my first electric guitar and I'd like to have a smooth and warm sound so according to you between these 2 guitar, Guild Starfire VI and Gretsch G5422TDC which is better?

I live in Italy and the Guild costs 1475€ the Gretsch costs around 850€ in terms of quality exists this difference?

Wha should be the model to compare with Guild if I will look in Gretsch products?

Thank yoyu

PS: Guild is still a good brand?

[ras1500]

I purchased a Guild Starfire III this year. It has the smooth warm sound that you are seeking. As far as build quality goes, I cannot find any flaws in the fit and finish on my Guild. Gretsch are reportedly good guitars but I have no experience with them.

[blue]

There's only one question for me that'll make it easy. Is the guild 700 better? I'm going to bet it isn't...

[mr. beaumont]

the Guild will be more versatile and feedback resistant for the louder rock stuff.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

The Guild will be more versatile and feedback resistant for the louder rock stuff.

If that's going to be a source of concern, Gretsch has that covered too:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/gretsch_g5...5622T_322975_1

At €866 it's in the same price range as the full-hollow 5422, but this one's a true semi-hollow like the far-more-expensive Guild Starfire VI, which will allow you to play at higher volumes without serious feedback issues (and control the feedback you do get); FYI I also play in a variety of styles, and if you're looking for something that'll cover them all I can't think of another instrument that'll do the job as well, in a single package, for anywhere near the price (kick in that middle pickup for funk-rhythm tones or Mark Knopfler-style leads you never thought you'd get from a semi-hollow). In case you're not aware Gretsch is doing some amazing things with their current Korean-built Electromatic lineup, and speaking as a 50+ year Gretsch player - and the recent owner of a 5622T myself - both the tone and quality are absolutely uncanny for such an inexpensive guitar: not only better than many "golden era" '50s/60s originals, but I frankly see no reason to spend 3-4 times as much on the Japanese-built Professional Collection (yeah, they really are that good). While the Guild has those classic early-60's looks and is a fine-sounding guitar in its own right, the overall quality is about the same as the Gretsch - and given the prices of each, there's no question which would be my choice...

[aknow]

I recently got the 5420, it's far superior to its price. You should play both, but the new Gretsch hollowbody models are excellent. I am not a newby, own over 50 electric guitars.

[Arroww]

Thank for replies, I read about the Gretsch G5622T that many people think it is too much weighty (4,5 kg / 10 lbs).

I have no idea what is the ordinary weight for a Semi-Hollow guitar, do you think 10 lbs is too much?

Anyway is a pro to have 3 pickups indeed of 2? If it is, why the 5622 costs less than 5620 (with 2 pickups)?

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Arroww

Thank for replies, I read about the Gretsch G5622T that many people think it is too much weighty (4,5 kg / 10 lbs).

I have no idea what is the ordinary weight for a Semi-Hollow guitar, do you think 10 lbs is too much?

Anyway is a pro to have 3 pickups indeed of 2? If it is, why the 5622 costs less than 5620 (with 2 pickups)?

In order:

• I own a (Rosa Red) Gretsch 5622T, and mine is on the heavier side for a semi-hollow guitar at 9 lbs. 3 oz. (about 4,2 kg); however, it's lighter than many original Les Pauls from the 1950's (some of which I've seen at close to 11 lbs/5 kg.), and no heavier than most modern versions. The trick is to distribute the weight so that it balances evenly across your shoulder (or shoulders - more about which later), by using the widest strap you can comfortably handle (I'm using a single-layer 4-inch leather strap on mine and I have no difficulty playing for long periods); if this is still a problem there are a couple of companies that make harness-type straps that fit over both shoulders, some of which also come with a belt that directs part of the weight to the waist rather than the upper body. Many older musicians who play banjo (a good one weighs 13-14 lbs./6,4 - 6,8 kg.), as well as those who favor heavier solid-body electric guitars, use these with good results...
• The number of pickups in a guitar is not as much a question as what you do with them, and how well-suited they are for the music you wish to play. Many top-level jazz guitarists use guitars equipped with only one pickup, as do a comparable number of rock players; while this might work well if you're only going to be playing in one style, based on your original post you appear to need a versatile guitar than can cover a broad spectrum of music. I used a two-pickup guitar for nearly twenty years - I still have a few in my collection - but when I bought my first three-pickup instrument in the early-80's I discovered a whole new set of possibilities; as I said before there's no other way to get that Dire Straits tone, and that out-of-phase/scooped-midrange can bring both funk rhythm and country leads out in the mix...
• When I went to the Thomann website - they appear to be the main Gretsch distributor for the EU - I noticed that even within the 5622 line there were models that sold for less than others, depending on the color - not the case with the major American dealers (here in the US the 5620 sells for about $50 less than the 5622); just by way of information, it is not unusual for either manufacturers or dealers to price certain colors differently than others, whether due to increased cost of materials (such as better woods for natural or transparent finishes, gold vs. nickel/chrome hardware, etc.), slow sales, or discontinuation of a given color. In case you're not aware, the black and red versions of the 5620 are near-exact copies of the "cats'-eye" 6117, an ultra-rare model produced by Gretsch from mid-1964 through the end of 1966; while they still turn up on occasion over here (I was in a band in the mid-70's with a guy who owned two of them - one in each color) - at sky-high prices - I think it's fair to say that they're not only non-existent over in continental Europe but that there's more than a fair bit of collector interest. If that is in fact the case, then a vendor will charge what he believes the market will bear - the reason, in my opinion, for the higher price of the 5620...

Hope this helps...

[Arroww]

Really thank you!