NGD: Gretsch heaven (G5420T, China)

[doctone]

My MIC G5420T Walnut Stain arrived yesterday.
I'm in love... what a guitar!

My favorite electric players - from Bill Frisell to Tom Morello - use Teles, but since I first tried a Filtertron PU I knew that it was the just that noiseless, Hi-Fi but warm and ballsy twang which I needed.

I was surprised how heavy she is, and how much I like the Bigsby. Another good thing is that the slim neck and a not too narrow fingerboard makes the transition from my Yam FS5, my main guitar on which I learn, quite easy.

The color is much darker than you would expect from the dealers' images. It looks almost black in dim light and has a wine-reddish hue which I like very much. The bindings are not snow-white but creamy. The frets, the smooth pots, switch and everything else feel top notch. Which brings me to the point which probably surprised me most:

How i-n-s-a-n-e is Gretsch's current MIC build quality and QC??? This axe is, as far as I can see after a day, near perfect @ 699 € (about the same in $).
Thank you Gretsch Guitars and my german dealer, Musik Produktiv!

[BoneDigger]

Those Gretsch guitars are fabulous no matter where they are made, from Japan, to Korea, to China. All great! I own the Tri Five version which is similar to the one you bought (mine is off white). Congratulations on a great new guitar! Now let's see pictures!

[Steve DeRosa]

Haven't played a Chinese Electromatic since before the lockdown, and at that time they couldn't match the Korean-made models they replaced in terms of QC/playability/tone; as a lifelong Gretsch guy I'm glad to hear they're getting their act together - Epiphone is also coming around after a long stretch of mediocre instruments, and Ibanez has always been a strong presence, so things should get real interesting in the under $1K step-up/intermediate hollowbody market...

If you don't already have an amp, this one is a natural match for Gretsch IME:


https://www.thomann.de/de/bugera_v22...iOjF9&reload=1

Use it well, often and LOUD...

[Lillis]

Congrats. I have a semi hollow 5622T on the way. Looking forward to having a Gretsch again!

[doctone]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Haven't played a Chinese Electromatic since before the lockdown, and at that time they couldn't match the Korean-made models they replaced in terms of QC/playability/tone; as a lifelong Gretsch guy I'm glad to hear they're getting their act together - Epiphone is also coming around after a long stretch of mediocre instruments, and Ibanez has always been a strong presence, so things should get real interesting in the under $1K step-up/intermediate hollowbody market...

If you don't already have an amp, this one is a natural match for Gretsch IME:
(...)
https://www.thomann.de/de/bugera_v22...iOjF9&reload=1

Use it well, often and LOUD...

Cool, thanks! Thomann is just around the corner over here and I buy there often.
I must admit that I already have a Marshall DSL1 combo with the dreaded 8 inch toy speaker and am currently saving for a decent 12" cabinet. My new Gretsch has a low enough output to get a nice cleanish sound from that amp.

[Glennwillow]

Congrats on your new Gretsch! Have fun!

- Glenn

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by doctone

Cool, thanks! Thomann is just around the corner over here and I buy there often.
I must admit that I already have a Marshall DSL1 combo with the dreaded 8 inch toy speaker and am currently saving for a decent 12" cabinet...

Save your money - I upgraded the 8-incher in my Bugera V5 to an Eminence 820H, and it made a big difference for about 1/4 the cost of a decent 12" cab...

Now grab your guitar and your credit card, take a walk over to Thomann, and check out that Bugera V22...

[Highroller]

Originally Posted by doctone

My MIC G5420T Walnut Stain arrived yesterday ... My favorite electric players - from Bill Frisell to Tom Morello - use Teles, but since I first tried a Filtertron PU I knew that it was the just that noiseless, Hi-Fi but warm and ballsy twang which I needed.

Not surprised there. A lot of Gretsch players have an affinity for Teles, too! Must be that "twang factor". LoL!

Congrats on the new Gretsch, Enjoy!

[FingahPickah]

Congrats!

I recently bought a Gretsch G2622 for $329.00. Very impressed with the quality for the price. Big bang for the buck.

[doctone]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Save your money - I upgraded the 8-incher in my Bugera V5 to an Eminence 820H, and it made a big difference for about 1/4 the cost of a decent 12" cab...

Now grab your guitar and your credit card, take a walk over to Thomann, and check out that Bugera V22...

Oh my... the Bugera looks REALLY interesting. Thank you so much again! Your recommendation means a lot to me.
You mean it can play clean AND loud at the same time, right?
I actually think I will go the 12" combo way and let the little Marsh stand by and wait for that "extra moment" now and then...

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Haven't played a Chinese Electromatic since before the lockdown, and at that time they couldn't match the Korean-made models they replaced in terms of QC/playability/tone; as a lifelong Gretsch guy I'm glad to hear they're getting their act together - Epiphone is also coming around after a long stretch of mediocre instruments, and Ibanez has always been a strong presence, so things should get real interesting in the under $1K step-up/intermediate hollowbody market...

If you don't already have an amp, this one is a natural match for Gretsch IME:


https://www.thomann.de/de/bugera_v22...iOjF9&reload=1

Use it well, often and LOUD...

I'll second this. I bought a V22 Infinium (based on Steve's recommendation, BTW) and I love everything about it, except to 40-pound weight! I did replace the stock tubes with JJs (Steve, I believe, uses higher-end tubes), and I replaced the stock TurboSound speaker with an Eminence Cannabis Rex. The stock speaker, by the way, was fine, but I got a super deal on the very slightly used Cannabis Rex, which has given me marginally better sound.

I have this paired with my MIK G5420TG. I love the combination!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by doctone

...You mean it can play clean AND loud at the same time, right?...

Yes, and you have two switchable options: full 22W pentode mode (which offers a clean, crisp, high-headroom tone reminiscent of certain similarly-powered, mid/late-60's New York and Southern California amps) or reduced-power 15W triode (which not only drops the volume to genuinely useable bedroom levels for home practice - providing you like your tones on the cleaner side - but opens up a plethora of low-watt vintage-style British tones from the pre-Top Boost Vox/18W Marshall playbooks). Although as Patrick states I did indeed swap out my entire tube complement (I'm using Soviet-era mil-spec stuff, available from thetubestore.com) and speaker (mine's also an Eminence, but the heavier - in tone, power handling, and poundage - Swamp Thang), FYI recent OEM upgrades have rendered such aftermarket tinkering largely unnecessary unless you have a specific tone in mind - and know precisely how to mix-&-match the necessary components to get it...

FWIW I have two Bugera amps I've bought within the last year (T5 and T50 cage-style heads) and I haven't felt the need to swap tubes (it looks/sounds like they're finally sourcing some higher-quality glassware from the Shuguang factory - until 3-4 years ago the tubes were the weak link in the chain); I've also tried some of the current Infinium models (mine's a late-2009 "blue-light" version), and the upgraded Turbosound speaker is actually quite good for OEM - a definite improvement over the Celestion G12-70 wannabe that came stock in my own V22. The only caveat here is that you'll need to stick close to factory specs when it comes time to replace the power tubes: while the self-monitoring/-biasing Infinium circuitry does in fact perform its intended function, it only does so within a narrow operating range - but since you most likely won't need to do so for a long time I'd just plug in, enjoy that sweet rich old-school tubey goodness, and not give it a second thought...

[doctone]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

Those Gretsch guitars are fabulous no matter where they are made, from Japan, to Korea, to China. All great! I own the Tri Five version which is similar to the one you bought (mine is off white). Congratulations on a great new guitar! Now let's see pictures!

Thanks!
Here are just a few details... you can see a small part of the trestle block and the height difference of the Filtertrons. The neck and fretwork are beautiful, and I like the laurel fingerboard very much, too.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by doctone

...you can see a small part of the trestle block and the height difference of the Filter'trons...

In case you haven't discovered it yet, one major advantage the Electromatic lineup has over the vintage Brooklyn stuff (and its reissues) is that both the individual polepieces and the entire pickup are height-adjustable: there's an amazing variety of sonic potential with a few simple adjustments - and IME the key to dialing in your tone is finding the balance points for your chosen strings/style/amplifier. FYI there are some good videos on YouTube that can walk you through the basics (type in "Gretsch setup guide") - and check in here if you need further clarification...

All the best...

[doctone]

Thank you so much again Steve! It is great to have you here.