The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-03-2021, 06:42 PM
Lillis Lillis is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: S.E. Florida via Indy
Posts: 2,146
Default Ordered my first electric. Gretsch 2655T jr P90

Well it’s a preorder really. Won’t be in until mid June or so being that it’s a new model. I have been kicking around on acoustics for several years even though i’m Not very good. Essentially a 54 year old beginner. I spend a lot of time on the acoustic side of this forum. It will be fun to have another section to frequent.

I’ve always loved the looks and sound of semi hollow bodies and I like the natural finish on the back,sides and neck on these new models. I honestly don’t know enough to judge the rest of the guitar besides what i’ve read.

I’m buying it from Sweetwater and they made me a decent deal on the guitar and amp. Speaking of amps i’m buying a basic Marshall MG15. I did a bit of research and it seemed like a good choice. I also thought about the VOX pathfinder. I have plenty of time to adjust my decision on the amp so any recommendations are welcome. Sorry,I didn’t think this would be so long!

Thanks
Jim
__________________
Taylor 322,512ce 12 fret cedar/hog & 362ce
Martin 00015SM
Guild 1966 F20
Larrivee P03 sitka/hog,simple 6 OM & OM 09
Eastman E100ss-sb
Gibson J185 & 2016 J35
Fender player plus telecaster & Mustang P90
Gretsch MIK 5622T

Last edited by Lillis; 05-03-2021 at 07:34 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-03-2021, 08:52 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillis View Post
...It will be fun to have another section to frequent.

I honestly don’t know enough to judge the rest of the guitar besides what I've read...

...I’m buying a basic Marshall MG15. I did a bit of research and it seemed like a good choice. I also thought about the VOX pathfinder. I have plenty of time to adjust my decision on the amp so any recommendations are welcome...
- and it'll be fun having another voice added to the conversation...

First off you own a couple of very nice acoustics so, beginner or not, you're unquestionably familiar with what a good guitar is supposed to sound/feel like; that said - and I'm speaking as a Gretsch owner since 1964 who's played several hundred (no exaggeration) examples over the last six decades - I'd strongly recommend you spend some quality time at your nearest local music store (you're probably not too far from either a Sam Ash or GC there in Florida) and do a thorough hands-on test-drive of the 2655 through the mini-Marshall. I don't know what genre[s] of music you'd like to get into, but if you're looking for what most of us experienced players associate with "Gretsch tone" - the sounds of Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, George Harrison, Brian Setzer, CSNY, et al. - be advised that you're not going to find it in your present setup, which is going to lean de facto toward a more hard-rock tonality; FYI just before I retired I had a student who owned an earlier iteration of your 15W combo, and the characteristic "in-your-face" Marshall tone was further exacerbated by the OEM 8" speaker - and not in the "good" way some 12" Celestions can)...

Since you asked for recommendations I'm going to post some sound clips of a few of my favorite low-midprice hollowbodies/semis, which should help you zero in on the tones you're after; FYI I own/gig with the last two - the three-pickup cats'-eye Gretsch 5622T-CB (unfortunately discontinued) and the Godin CW II - so if you're interested in either of these I can speak from extensive hands-on experience, and while they're all a bit more expensive than the 2655 (the Gretsch 5420T and Guild Starfirfe II can be had in the $700 range if you shop around) you'll find them to be a quantum leap in both tone and QC:







IMO you're on the right track with the Marshall in the sense that, as a beginner on electric, you're starting off with a no-frills WYSIWYG package - learn how a basic amp produces tone before you consider going down the rabbit hole of stompboxes, modeling rigs, etc. By the same token, if your preferences tend toward softer/older styles of music the Marshall might not be your cuppa tea - check out some other options in a similar size/power range, including a tube amp or two (the Bugera V5 Infinium sells for about $200, and can cover a variety of styles from jazz to hard rock depending on how you set the controls - makes a great complement to any of the above guitars BTW, and it's got enough grunt for coffeehouse gigs when you're ready), before you settle on a final choice...

Bottom line: An informed buyer is inevitably a happy owner - and while you'll undoubtedly get some conflicting opinions here remember that they're all subjective, based on our own experiences, and only you can make the ultimate decision what works best for you...

Good luck...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-03-2021, 09:12 PM
Lillis Lillis is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: S.E. Florida via Indy
Posts: 2,146
Default

That’s good info/advice thanks! Fortunately I haven’t put into motion anything that can’t be adjusted. I’ll further my research. I like the idea of the smaller Gretsch bodies. What are your thoughts on a 5655T? One thing I like about the new 2655T P90 is that it has a satin neck. All the others seem to be painted gloss necks.
__________________
Taylor 322,512ce 12 fret cedar/hog & 362ce
Martin 00015SM
Guild 1966 F20
Larrivee P03 sitka/hog,simple 6 OM & OM 09
Eastman E100ss-sb
Gibson J185 & 2016 J35
Fender player plus telecaster & Mustang P90
Gretsch MIK 5622T

Last edited by Lillis; 05-03-2021 at 09:53 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-04-2021, 08:00 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillis View Post
...I like the idea of the smaller Gretsch bodies. What are your thoughts on a 5655T?
FYI this model number was shared by several different Electromatic instruments in recent years, with not only wildly divergent specifications but also points of manufacture (Korea vs. China); I've tried them all, and my clear favorite for both tone ands overall construction is the Korean-made G5655T-CB Electromatic Center-Block from 2013-2016. Never produced in large quantities, it was a latter-day reimagining of the 1962-63 Duo-Jet/Jet Firebird associated with Malcolm Young of AC/DC - here's a photo:



While I've never been a fan of smaller hollow/semi-hollow designs as a whole, this one has its own visual/tonal thing going on (almost bought one for my wife BTW), and if you're looking for "That Great Gretsch Sound" (which FYI comes in many flavors depending on pickups and period/locale of production - too many to elaborate here) the Super Hi-lo'Tron neck pickup - my favorite of all the recent OEM designs (in fact a humbucker based on a modified Baldwin-era Filter-tron rather than the true single-coil architecture of the Brooklyn-style Hi-lo featured on the G6118 1960 Double Annie reissue) - and the honest-to-Chet blacktop Filter'tron bridge PU will give it to you in spades. FYI I own the big-brother G5622T-CB cats'-eye semi-hollow with three Super Hi-lo's - been using it as my go-to gigging guitar for the last five years, and it's by far the most versatile electric in my stable - so I speak from extensive in-the-trenches experience here...

That said, if you're bound-and-determined to have a 3/4-size Gretsch semi that looks like the iconic 50's hollowbodies you'll want to seek out a pre-2019 5655T; these were also made in Korea and equipped with blacktop Filter-trons - again, the key to "true Gretsch" tone - built to a standard of tone and QC usually associated with instruments three or more times the price, and came in a variety of colors that reflected their full-size counterparts (including a white/gold version nicknamed the "White Sparrow" by some Gretsch aficionados, and similar in appearance to Stephen Stills' '59 White Falcon). Frankly, I'm disappointed by the post-2019 Chinese 5600-Series: while they may look the same to 90% of the Saturday afternoon GC crowd their finishes lack the depth and richness of the Korean versions, the QC is nowhere near as good, and the Broad'tron pickups (also standard in the entry-level 2000-Series Streamliners BTW - which to me speaks volumes) sound nothing like a genuine Gretsch pickup - and IME there are far-better ways to spend the same amount of money, not the least of which is a full-size 5400-Series E-Matic. As of this writing they're still being made in Korea to the same standard, and if you've ever had a jones for one of those iconic Brooklyn-era hollowbodies - White Falcon, Viking, Country Gent, Country Club, 6120/Nashville, Double Anniversary, and the Model 6075 "Nesmith" 12-string - they are (or were, as limited editions) all represented here in a version accessible to the average Working Joe/Jane; speaking as a fellow converted acoustic player there's a lot to like in guitars of this type - an airiness of tone (especially with the Gretsch pickups), lighter weight compared to a semi or solid (my 5622 semi scales in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. - about the same as some of the early-70's Norlin-era Gibson 335/345/355 semis - which makes those cool-looking skinny Gretsch straps a no-no) and the feel of string vibration against your body as you play - and if you haven't had the pleasure, take one for a test drive before making your final decision...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-04-2021, 09:46 PM
gfirob gfirob is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Central Vermont
Posts: 1,273
Default

Boy Steve is the guy for Gretsch advice. There is a big difference between p90's and Filter'trons though. For me the Filter'tons have always been the leader, but the p90's deliver too. If I had the choice, I'd give a listen to somebody's version of the Filter'trons and see what you think.
__________________
2003 Martin OM-42, K&K's
1932 National Style O, K&K's
1930 National Style 1 tricone Square-neck
1951 Rickenbacker Panda lap steel
2014 Gibson Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe Ltd, Custom Shop, K&K's
1957 Kay K-27 X-braced jumbo, K&K's
1967 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Nashville
2024 Mahogany Weissenborn, Jack Stepick

Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina
Tonedexter
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-05-2021, 08:55 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by gfirob View Post
...There is a big difference between P-90's and Filter'trons though. For me the Filter'tons have always been the leader, but the P-90's deliver too....
That's precisely why I own both; although the 5622 can do about 90% of what I'll ever need, I keep a goldtop/P-90 LP for the straight-ahead rock gigs (and with flatwounds I've yet to find a better surf guitar, believe it or not) and a Godin CW II for jazz/vocal comping and some blues/rockabilly/Americana (listen to the YouTube clip above) - has the near-acoustic airiness of a vintage Brooklyn Gretsch but with the drive of P-90's (the Godin dogears are among the better OEM's in this respect - sound much like the underwound aftermarket PU's, and the reason I originally bought it was to allow my '64 Double Annie to take a well-earned retirement), weighs about as much as a Seagull mini-jumbo on the strap (just a tick over five pounds), and considering Tony Bennett's guitarist was using one on the road for a number of years I'm in good musical company...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-08-2021, 07:15 AM
Eucatastrophe Eucatastrophe is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: The Shire of New England
Posts: 243
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillis View Post
That’s good info/advice thanks! Fortunately I haven’t put into motion anything that can’t be adjusted. I’ll further my research. I like the idea of the smaller Gretsch bodies. What are your thoughts on a 5655T? One thing I like about the new 2655T P90 is that it has a satin neck. All the others seem to be painted gloss necks.


I’ve been in a similar search and just recently bought my first electric, an Eastman T386. I took Steve’s advice and looked into the Bugera V5. To my surprise I found a used one locally (in Maine?!?!) and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! Super versatile amp with a sweet tone.

Good luck on your search
__________________
2020 McIlroy AP25 Custom (K&K Trinity)
2017 Taylor 712E 12 Fret
2022 Eastman T64/V-GB
Line6 Pod Go ("Helix Lite")

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-1...c00vCM5OTc-dmA
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-08-2021, 05:38 PM
Lillis Lillis is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: S.E. Florida via Indy
Posts: 2,146
Default

Well kinda went against some of Steve’s advice and I have a new black gold 5622 non Bigsby arriving tomorrow. I decided to go with the larger body instead of the jr. I did cancel the Marshall amp. My housemate has a Spark amp I can use until I decide what I’m going to get. This electric thing is so new to me I don’t know what I don’t know. I’m confident i’ll be happy with this as my first electric.

Looking forward to the ride.

Jim
__________________
Taylor 322,512ce 12 fret cedar/hog & 362ce
Martin 00015SM
Guild 1966 F20
Larrivee P03 sitka/hog,simple 6 OM & OM 09
Eastman E100ss-sb
Gibson J185 & 2016 J35
Fender player plus telecaster & Mustang P90
Gretsch MIK 5622T

Last edited by Lillis; 05-08-2021 at 05:54 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-08-2021, 06:01 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillis View Post
Well kinda went against some of Steve’s advice and I have a new black gold 5622 non Bigsby arriving tomorrow. I decided to go with the larger body instead of the Jr. ...
Not completely - the 2017-2019 MIK 5622 was in fact one of the guitars I recommended (check the video clips above) - but be advised that the current Chinese-made models use the same Broad'tron full-size humbuckers as the entry-level Streamliner series, so in spite of the looks it's not really going to have the characteristic Gretsch air, clarity and chime...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-08-2021, 06:18 PM
Lillis Lillis is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: S.E. Florida via Indy
Posts: 2,146
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
Not completely - the 2017-2019 MIK 5622 was in fact one of the guitars I recommended (check the video clips above) - but be advised that the current Chinese-made models use the same Broad'tron full-size humbuckers as the entry-level Streamliner series, so in spite of the looks it's not really going to have the characteristic Gretsch air, clarity and chime...
Yeah,I meant I was going against your advice by getting the Chinese model. I do appreciate all your input though, it’s been helpful. I have a feeling i’ll Be thrilled with it.
__________________
Taylor 322,512ce 12 fret cedar/hog & 362ce
Martin 00015SM
Guild 1966 F20
Larrivee P03 sitka/hog,simple 6 OM & OM 09
Eastman E100ss-sb
Gibson J185 & 2016 J35
Fender player plus telecaster & Mustang P90
Gretsch MIK 5622T
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 05-08-2021, 07:41 PM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: McLeansville, NC
Posts: 7,449
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillis View Post
Yeah,I meant I was going against your advice by getting the Chinese model. I do appreciate all your input though, it’s been helpful. I have a feeling i’ll Be thrilled with it.
Once you get your guitar, spend some time with it. Use that spark amp and explore different amp models. That will give you some BASIC ideas of tone preference. THEN, take your guitar to the music store and audition different amps. Some amps and guitars pair better together than others.

Good luck and welcome to the dark side.
__________________
Roy


Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin
G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2),
Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft

Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=