First came the White Falcon, then the White Penguin...

[Steve DeRosa]

- and now the "White Sparrow"...???

https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/...are/2509700567

Not my favorite size/shape, but with the current trend toward mini-hollows and the unmistakable Gretsch "Whitebird" visual vibe - not to mention the near-$4K price of admission for the full-size Professional Series item - they'll probably sell a bunch of them...

[DukeX]

Very cool! And the price is digestible (for me). I had a smaller Japanese semi-hollow back in my young days and loved it. Had to sell it to pay rent.

[Steve DeRosa]

Yeah, Duke, this one should definitely scratch the itch if you're looking for a small-body semi - and if you're the kind of player who's looking for his own "signature tone" outside the usual Fender/Gibson mold, nothing else sounds like a Gretsch but a Gretsch. Only possible drawback IMO is its Chinese origins - you can get a full-size Filter'tron-equipped 5400/5600-Series instrument out of their Korean plant for comparable money (I've written about the MIK E-matics on several previous occasions, and their QC is through. the. roof.) - but it seems Gretsch is using its MIC limited editions as a sort of skunkworks to test-market potential additions to the regular lineup; some recent examples include a Filter-tron single cut White Penguin (recently added to the Professional Series as the "'58" at $3K+ street), a near dead-on copy of the rare '63 double-cut Jet Firebird (also added to the Pro Series; frankly, I liked the E-matic version better - and I'm sorry I didn't get one while I had the chance), and two-tone pastel double-cut Duo Jets (Gretsch was rumored to have been in negotiation with Mary Ford for a line of her own - equivalent models to Gibson's LP Junior, Standard, and Custom - after her divorce from Les Paul; while similarly-colored double-cut Duo-Jet "Standard" prototypes are said to exist - possibly as a single example, almost certainly no more than four or five - as well as her personal double-cut Penguin that was to be the platform for the "Custom," only the Corvette-based "Junior" model was released in 1963 under the Princess name, when the endorsement deal fell through). Won't be in stores until the Christmas season, but if you're an outside-the-box kinda guy when it comes to your equipment I say give it a try...

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

...and if you're the kind of player who's looking for his own "signature tone" outside the usual Fender/Gibson mold, nothing else sounds like a Gretsch but a Gretsch...you can get a full-size Filter'tron-equipped 5400/5600-Series instrument out of their Korean plant for comparable money (I've written about the MIK E-matics on several previous occasions, and their QC is through. the. roof.) ...

Thanks for the additional info, Steve. Because of you and others I have actually had my eye on the 5422TG Double Cut Hollow to compliment my Tele and Epi Dot (upgraded with Vintage wiring kit and SD Antiquities).

However, I have a new Martin 000-15SM on the way, and my wife is insisting I abide by our agreed one in/one out guitar policy. It's not the cost, it's the number of guits. So she already wants me to sell one of my five guitars. I don't want to. Gotta work on increasing that 5 guitar limit! I also have three amps.

But that Gretsch is definitely calling to me.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

- and now the "White Sparrow"...???

https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/...are/2509700567

Not my favorite size/shape, but with the current trend toward mini-hollows and the unmistakable Gretsch "Whitebird" visual vibe - not to mention the near-$4K price of admission for the full-size Professional Series item - they'll probably sell a bunch of them...

Very nice, the size actually appeals to me personally (perhaps being all of 5' 10" and 145 lbs.)

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by DukeX

Thanks for the additional info, Steve. Because of you and others I have actually had my eye on the 5422TG Double Cut Hollow...that Gretsch is definitely calling to me.

Nice guitar - never played a bad one - and easily worth two to three times its very reasonable street price; truth be told, our band had gone to Sam Ash on a shopping trip back in June, and I came within a hairsbreadth of buying one - wanted a double-cut White Falcon since I saw my first one in the '63 Gretsch catalog as a kid, and I was going to buy a (white) 5422TG and "Falconize" it with a couple hundred dollars' worth of aftermarket parts (pickguard, PAF Filter'tron pickup covers, "Cadillac" tailpiece, jeweled knobs, gold-sparkle trussrod cover). Things sometimes happen for a reason, though - located a NOS '62 White Falcon RI (they were discontinued about five years ago) for a decent price a couple days later, and decided to take the plunge (NGD here: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=514002)...

If you're a fan of the walnut/gold version, I've seen a couple local Beatles tribute bands using it as their "George" guitar - crank it through a Vox AC30 and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the 5422 and the '62 Gent RI at three times the price...

You need a Fender in your stable - for me it happens to be a Strat - but if I were in your shoes I'd happily unload that Epi Dot in favor of the Gretsch; of course, you could always try to up the inventory limit, but you might want a contingency plan just in case...

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Nice guitar - never played a bad one - and easily worth two to three times its very reasonable street price; truth be told, our band had gone to Sam Ash on a shopping trip back in June, and I came within a hairsbreadth of buying one - wanted a double-cut White Falcon since I saw my first one in the '63 Gretsch catalog as a kid, and I was going to buy a (white) 5422TG and "Falconize" it with a couple hundred dollars' worth of aftermarket parts (pickguard, PAF Filter'tron pickup covers, "Cadillac" tailpiece, jeweled knobs, gold-sparkle trussrod cover). Things sometimes happen for a reason, though - located a NOS '62 White Falcon RI (they were discontinued about five years ago) for a decent price a couple days later, and decided to take the plunge (NGD here: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=514002)...

If you're a fan of the walnut/gold version, I've seen a couple local Beatles tribute bands using it as their "George" guitar - crank it through a Vox AC30 and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the 5422 and the '62 Gent RI at three times the price...

You need a Fender in your stable - for me it happens to be a Strat - but if I were in your shoes I'd happily unload that Epi Dot in favor of the Gretsch; of course, you could always try to up the inventory limit, but you might want a contingency plan just in case...

Steve, you're killing me. I do have a Vox AC4HW1 (I don't gig). I need an ES335 guitar, and I love the Epi. I think the wife is going to allow the stable to increase to six guitars when the new 000-15sm arrives. Hopefully, if I am good, she'll eventually let the stable increase to a lucky seven.

Goals are important to have.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by DukeX

...I do have a Vox AC4HW1 (I don't gig)...

Check out an AC10 if you haven't already; I tested the aforementioned 5422TG through one on the Sam Ash trip and I was extremely impressed - frankly, if I didn't have a Bugera V5 Infinium and 2010 "blue-light" V22 covering much the same tone/power range I'd be playing through one as we speak. If you're an early Beatles fan playing smaller houses/looking for lower stage volume (as I am), can't handle the 72-pound bulk (or the raw power) of an AC30, or want a home practice amp with a bit more chime and clean headroom than the AC4 is capable of providing, you need one of these in your arsenal...