Gretsch...NOW WITH PICS!
 

Hello Friends!

I wondered if anyone has played, or owns, a Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Jet FT? I’ve been eyeing the Airline Silver. I’ve read their build quality is good. But, no one in my immediate area has any of these in stock so I welcome any input. Thanks in advance.

I have a 5420T in Fairlane Blue. Really cool guitar and fun to play. Of course that doesn't answer your question. :lol:

Hahaha! No you’re correct. It does not. But, thanks for sharing. I’m sure it’s a great guitar and I love that color. I’ve also been eyeing the Aleutian blue. :evilgrin:

My Pro Jet is a 5238 I think (no Bigsby). I think they changed the pickups. I love the guitar. I have the BlackTop Filtertrons. No complaints except a 3-way switch that feels on the cheaper side. I think in general these Gretsch’s are great bang for the buck. Sadly mine took a tumble and has some battle scars.

I use mine acoustically when the kiddo is sleeping. Sounds great.

Well, I ordered it today. Airline Silver! Little bit of metal flake. B-50. Blacktop Filtertons. So, hopefully it’ll be as good as I’ve read/heard. I’ll post more once I get some playing time with it.

Nice! Should we call you Mr. Zoom now?

LOL. Not sure it has that much sparkle...but I wouldn’t be opposed to it! Scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I didn’t waste any time I guess. I did read and watch all that I could find online, but being newer there’s not a ton of info out there.

Considering no one carries them locally I can always send it back (for less than a half tank of fuel...which is what driving to the nearest dealer would’ve cost. Not to mention finding the time to do that) to my friends at Sweetwater if it isn’t what I’d expected.

I’m hopeful. More to come. :D

We'll all be waiting to hear what you think. I too think of Billy Zoom when I see a Sparkle Jet.

I've been on an extended encounter with a Electromatic full-sized hollow-body. I'm playing it at least as much as I thought I would. I have a couple of guitars with Fender's doomed yet interesting DeArmond line from the turn of the century with their DeArmond single coil pickups that I loved, and I wanted to explore more of the Filtertron sound as well.

I am anxious to hear your thoughts on your new 5420. I am seriously thinking about that or the 5422. Leaning 5422... but... love the Aspen Green 5420. Please keep us up to date.

I am a bit confused here. I haven't bought a guitar in over 3 or 4 years and somehow now "must have" this Gretsch. It's like getting bit by a snake. Didn't see it coming.

Well...here’s an update on my new G5230T Electromatic Jet FT. I’ve not been able to spend a lot of time with it so far. But, initial impressions below.

Build quality...excellent. Very, very good. As many Imports have been as of late.

Pots, caps, wiring, switch, jack, and bridge...not the best. I’ll be changing out all of it.

The bridge...junk. I’ve read about Compton’s, and a few others but am not sure what direction to go. The board has a 12 inch radius.

The tuners seem to be decent. But, I think that I have some lockers laying around that I may use.

The Bigsby has the typical issues with tuning if used. I am intrigued with the “Palm-O-Low”...

The Blacktop Filtertons sound good. Actually, really good...but imo the wiring lets them down.

Playability is excellent. Fantastic setup (for my playing style) out of the box. 5/64 on low E. 4/64 on high E. Neck relief .008.

The neck is great (seems to be a mix between a Strat and a Gibson). I’d say an almost full U. Very comfortable.

I LOVE the way it plays/feels. I LIKE the way it sounds, but I know I’ll love it once I do a bit of modding.

I’ll update this as I go. As stated earlier, if you have any suggestions/recommendations please weigh in.

Thanks for reading! More to come...

I can COMPLETELY relate. I’d spent the last year downsizing with the specific goal of only keeping what I USE. No guitars in cases not being played. No drawers full of pedals in boxes...I even sold my unused 65 TRRI that sat in my music room with its cover for a long time.

I’d been to numerous shops with my son (who plays also), and other musician friends and had ZERO desire to buy anything. Seriously...NOTHING. I’d bought my Reverend from Maury in early 2018 with the intention of buying nothing else.

And up until 2 weeks ago...I’d been very satisfied. Then, I happened to stumble across the new G5230T’s and immediately told my wife...I have to buy one. Of course there aren’t any dealers around here so I did what research I could...but something inside me said that I HAD to have one.

I’d had a new rule that if one comes in, one must go out as I didn’t want guitars sitting unused. But, I don’t see that happening. It’s crazy. I guess there are those guitars that just have to be attained.

Hello Friends.

It’s been a while so I thought I’d post an update on my NGD Gretsch.

I’ve added the “Biggs Fix & “Squishy Spring”. As always, a great addition to any Bigsby. I also added locking tuners and applied some pencil lead to the nut and saddle (temp till I get my new nut). These come with “synthetic bone”
1 11/16” inch nuts. Very comfortable nut width for me, but I want to swap it out for a TUSQ.

I am waiting for my pots, caps, treble bleed kit, jack, switch, and switch tip from TV Jones. I’ll use some vintage pushback wire that I have on hand. I’m going to move to 500k CTS pots, and an Orangedrop .022 cap, as well as a SwitchCraft jack and switch. I believe that will “wake” it up some. It sounds decent, but seems to be a little dark at times.

The BT FT’s are really great sounding pickups! I adjusted them to the TV Jones recommended specs and that made a big difference in tone. Again, they sound great, but need a little help with upgraded wiring.

The neck is absolutely fantastic. Very comfortable. This is the first black walnut fretboard that I’ve owned. It’s very smooth. Not quite Ebony smooth, but definitely smoother than rosewood as far as feel goes.

Honestly the stock bridge will need to go. It’ll work for now...but it’s not a long term piece. I’m going to try a Reverend roller for $20. Can’t hurt. If it’s terrible I’ll remove it and look for an ABM2400, or...possibly a Compton.

It’s an absolute blast to play. I just can’t believe how far import guitars have come. It truly is remarkable.

I’ll post more as I go.

Agreed! The blacktop Filtertrons sound great (especially with flat wounds) but the guitar was wired by crackheads using bargain bin wire. Most unreliable thing ever. I can't gig with my 5422 until I remedy this.

Like you, I'll be doing a rewire very soon!

I got a good belly laugh from that...thanks! I certainly agree. They obviously focus on build quality and pickups and cut corners on the electronics, tuners, and saddle. I guess they’re not alone.

Latest update...

Installed Reverend roller bridge (honestly I feel it helped tremendously. Especially regarding rattles). It was a drop in replacement using original studs. I’m a bit surprised at the quality for $20 shipped! But my Reverend is a fantastic guitar so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’d purchased a roller from Stew Mac for a CP Jag and it was almost double the cost and didn’t feel as well made.

Also, strung it with .011’s and a wound G. It feels more solid. All the way around. Unplugged there’s definitely more body vibration/resonance. Plugged in it seems to have increased sustain as well.

I did a quick tweak on the setup after going from .010’ to .011’s. Plays very, very nice. Loving the black walnut board more and more.

More to follow.