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Gretsch G5120 Electromatic Hollow Body
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Gretsch G5120 Electromatic Hollow Body
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« Budget rockabilly dream! »

Published on 01/30/12 at 08:19
Model Name: G5120 Electromatic® Hollow Body
Series: Electromatic Collection
Color / MSRP* / Part # :
Black
$1,075.00
250-5811-506
Orange
$1,075.00
250-5811-512
Sunburst
$1,075.00
250-5811-537
Body
Body Shape: Nashville®
Body Back: Laminated Maple
Body Sides: Laminated Maple Sides
Body Top: Laminated Maple Top
Body Finish: Gloss Urethane Body Finish, Gloss Urethane Body Finish, Gloss Urethane Body Finish
Bracing: Parallel Tone Bars, Sound Post
F Holes Sound Holes: Dual "F" Holes
Body Depth: 2.75" (69.85 mm)
Body Width Lower Bout: 16" (40.64 cm)
Body Binding: Bound Top and Back
Neck
Number of Frets: 22
Position Inlays: Neo Classic™ "Thumbnail"
Fretboard: Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple
Nut Width: 1.6875" (43 mm)
Scale Length: 24.5" (62.2 cm)
Neck Binding: Bound Fingerboard
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: H/H
Bridge Pickup: Gretsch® Dual-Coil Humbucking Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup: Gretsch® Dual-Coil Humbucking Neck Pickup
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Master Volume, Master Tone
Hardware
Hardware Finish: Chrome-Plated
Bridge: Rosewood-Based Adjusto-Matic™ Bridge
Bridge Cover: Bigsby® Licensed B60 Vibrato Tailpiece
Tuning Machines: Die-Cast Tuners
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Tremolo Arm Handle: Bigsby® Flat Handle
Miscellaneous
Unique Features: Neo Classic "Thumbnail" Inlay Position Markers, Black Headstock Overlay, Pearloid Gretsch and Electromatic Headstock Inlays, Bound Top and Back, Bound Fingerboard, Silver Plexi Pickguard, Knurled Strap Retainer Knobs, Adjustable Truss Rod
Accessories
Control Knobs: "G" Arrow Knobs

UTILIZATION

This is a fantastic guitar from Gretsch, and it can be found for about $700 street. To start, it has a very nice, expertly-applied finish, and the fretwork is great at this level. The quality of craftsmanship all the way around is much better than most other guitars you see in the sub $1000 category. The playability is excellent, and the strings respond with a nice, snapping crispness. The Bigsby tremolo bridge is extra cool, and it makes those subtle chord bends and shakes sound just right. One thing I've always been a fan of is how cool the small hardware details are on a Gretsch - the knobs, switch cap, and strap buttons are just the coolest on any guitar, period!

SOUNDS

This thing sounds like a dream. It gets that twang, that spank, that hollow-jazz bebop tone, and that snarl. It really excels at rockabilly, jazz, country, blues, and alt-indie styles. The pickups achieve such a nice, singing tone, yet every tiny bit of the attack is reproduced evenly. I'm not sure there's a guitar out there with more of a defined "attack" sound than a good Gretsch.

OVERALL OPINION

Fantastic! At $700, this utterly smokes most other guitars in the range, even at guitars costing $500 more. The sheer playbility, warm sound, cool features like Bigsby and the small hardware, and the comfort of this axe make it a real winner. All this is not to mention how nice it looks! With this guitar onstage, a guitarist is definitely making a statement, and that statement is "I am classy, cool, and I have great taste in instruments. Snarl!"