Orange Blossom

GRETSCH G5422TG ELECTROMATIC

- Paul Riario

PLAYING A GRETSCH requires a great deal of commitment. I say this because chances are, your electric leanings have primarily been solid-body choices, and Gretsch guitars are predominantly hollow bodies, which often requires some finessing of your amp’s tone if you’ve ever switched between the two. But that isn’t a condemnation nor a dissuasion, because if you’ve never experienced the joy of that primal “Gretsch Sound” roaring through an amp, you just don’t know what you’re missing. The only problem for those of us who have an itch for a Gretsch has always been their typically out-of-reach prices for their most prestigious hollow body models. But behind the scenes, Gretsch has assiduously revamped their Electromatic collection of instruments, making them not only more robust and player-friendly but, more importantly, temptingly affordable.

The new collection of Electromatics includes a slew of Classic Hollow Bodies, a Jet BT, Jet Baritone, a short-scale Junior Jet II bass and even a Lap Steel, all in wildly cool and arresting finishes. For this review, I was able to strap on the lovely Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic Classic Hollow Body Double-Cut with Bigsby and Gold Hardware, which verbosely tells you the kind of Gretsch it is, but even so, I can succinctly say this guitar is destined to become your next favorite model.

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