Best Gretsch Guitar For Rock (2024 Update)

This was so good, you could tell alot of work had gone into making it. I bought it as a present for my dad and he loved it.kerrlinc-0

It's everything I was expecting. The neck fits perfectly, the sound is great and I couldn't be more pleased the overall appearance. Just a nice, well built guitar I know I will enjoy for years to come.Greg

The quality of craftsmanship is impeccable. The only complaint I have about it is at the head, there is a portion of the tuner that was scratched when it came in the mail. Naturally, being a gloss black, fingerprints and dust are easily visible, but as long as you take good care of it, it's not too much of a problem. Other than that, it is an amazing guitar and I would highly suggest it!Odysseus

After reading a lot of reviews I thought maybe it's time for a more in depth look at this guitar. I've played a lot of guitars – HUNDREDS over the course of thirty two years, but this is one of the very best that I've had the personal pleasure to play! The pickups sound very sweet, and pure Gretsch vintage. They aren't exactly the same from guitar to guitar since they are made to varying specifications from model to model. This is something that shouldn't be expected to sound the same with every amplifier as this is something that is impossible to recreate perfectly from one amp manufacturer to another! It's unreasonable to say that these sound differently from each other when playing the same model as these are wound with CNC powered pickup winding machines. The difference is in what string guage, and the settings of your amp, and the guitar are according to your own preference. I used a Fender Deluxe Reverb and this sounded exactly like all the old recordings of songs that I listened to from the 60's! Although I don't own one yet as I'm still on the fence as to what colour I want, I have played a lot of Gretsch and other brands of guitars and this is one of the best values for what some call an "entry model" which this guitar isn't. The Duo Jet, and the Double Jet are considered entry models, but not this kind of guitar that uses this hollow type of construction. This the affordable version of the USA custom shop models costing thousands of dollars, but the features, and appointments are on par with their USA counterparts. The fit and finish are perfect with no buffing marks on it, and the fret work is great. Although one inlay on the one that I played (white with gold hardware) was a little less than perfectly fit into the hole cut for it. It was very easy on the hands with the U shaped neck that was much like a Les Paul Custom with a fairly thick body that allows for that true hollow body honk that only comes from a guitar such as this! The weight is what you'd expect of a hollow body. The action could've been a little lower to my taste, but it was pretty decent with no choking out when bending notes, or playing chords. It stayed in tune really well even when using the tremolo bar with a little aggressiveness – it played all the way through songs without the need for retuning afterward! Even after an hour playing straight through it only had to be retuned twice since the strings were still new. The finish and the fit on the machine heads were nicely done with the tightness that you'd expect from USA made machines. The nut was precisely cut and allowed the strings to ring true which you won't get with just any type of material, but the synthetic bone kept it true to form tone wise. The bridge isn't the best, but it allows for unilateral tuning which is nice, but not authentic to the original Melita bridge design, nor is it as attractive. The control layout is correct, and a great looking setup for this guitar and it's easy to use, and makes sense. The bar is in the just the right place for easy use when needed swings out of the way when you don't want to use it. The finish on the chrome is smooth with no apparent scratches in the metal beneath that you usually see on overseas guitars made in the orient. The binding is well done with no finish overlap, or paint smudges. All the wood is smoothly sanded, and properly shaped with no high or low spots, and the grain doesn't show through the finish surface when looking at it at an angle, or straight at it. There are no joinery lines in the finish and all the plastic is uniformly cut with the wood where the two join together. All in all I say that Gretsch did their homework when deciding to capitalize on their own history and appeal rather than going with some new radical strat inspired designs, and stuck with the one true hollow body manufacturer shape that has withstood the test of time, and is the most beloved. Sure you could put a solid block through the middle, but it would lose a lot of the characteristic quality that Gretsch guitars are known for! The same is true with their pickup design – this isn't something that you're going to get from just any guitar. The same is true as if you put a strat pickup in a Les Paul and vice – versa. It may sound a lot like it, but the true guitar that this pickup was designed for won't be exactly the same! I nitpicked, and thoroughly inspected this particular model with several different guitars, and they all passed with flying colours! I'm a guitar maker, not just a builder, or one who modifies them, but I make them from scratch. Not all guitars are going to please all people, but that's where I come in; to alter either an existing guitar with whatever pleases its' owner or to make one from scratch with the appointments that anyone would appreciate. However, this guitar is one of those right off the rack! I wouldn't change it, or any of its' appointments. Gretsch's truly one of the few that got it right the first time!redwithbnwstripes

I want to know hollow body so I ordered this one it fit my budget. Was advertised as next day shipping but took 2 days to get it no big deal, finally shows up and I unbox it leave it sit out in the house overnight play with it the following evening which is today 5-17-2020. Looks great sounds okay noticed a little bit of fret buzzing so first thing I check is straightness of neck lo and behold I find about 5 frets that are not level with the rest of them so being curious as I am I checked the neck relief there is none maybe one thousandth of an inch. so I go ahead and do the truss rod cover go to adjust it and the truss rod is loose meaning I cannot put any under bow back into the neck so right out of the box just guitar was no good not to mention the inspection tag was dated 7 6 2018 which means this sat on the shelf for almost 2 years and we all know that that is bad for guitars or any stringed instrument for that matter. So hopefully when I get the replacement it's not an absolute turd like this thing is if it is I don't know what's going to happen probably refund and never buy a gretsch again, which is sad because I always wanted one but if you're spending close to $1,000 you shouldn't have to put up with that kind of poor quality. I would expect this out of epiphone but not gretsch so my message is directly to fender musical company get a handle on your quality control.David

1st it is just so cool looking 😀 just kidding, 1) For #1 it is hard to determine between build quality and comfort. I have a bad shoulder that makes my standard acoustic guitars uncomfortable. The thin hollow-body of the Gretsch G5420T overcomes that. But as well I am really impressed with the build quality. The fit and finish if the body and neck is impeccable, the knobs for the volume and tone have set screws so they won't fall off even if handled rough. The screw in strap holders make sure the strap won't accidentally fall off. Every fret extends the edge of the neck and is perfectly finished and all 22 are absolutely identical. The tuning machines are identical with the same stiffness feel in and they all hold evenly. The acoustic sustain on this guitar is as good as regular acoustics. The material, fit and finish are excellent. 2) The sound, I put the sound second because it is peculiar. It isn't good or bad, just peculiar. If you like it, you like it, If you don't you don't. I like it but that is probably relevant to my other guitars, it carries some qualities and tones the other don't. I have four guitars and they are all different and that makes each one of them special. 3) Finally, it is a totally cool looking guitar.johnintaegu

Best Gretsch to practice Malcolm's rhythms! I will switch over to my Gibson SG to practice Angus's riffs & lead patterns. To those about to ROCK we SALUTE YOU! Highly Recommended but beware it is EXACTLY how Malcolm converted his red Gretsch to this UNIQUE workhorse blond signature tribute guitar.sandyc

Its a great guitar, very resonant! The filter Tron is perfectly voiced for rhythm guitar crunch, but still has great cleans. Great for leads as well, easy to play nice satin neck. to get that Malcolm tone crank the volume all the way up, but leave the gain at 8 or 9 o'clock. i would buy it again, they really nailed this reproduction!THATS THE WAY I LIKE TO ROCK N R

Best guitar I've ever owned, it's alive. Quite an amazing experience playing it. It goes better with the correct guage strings. Shame someone nicked the middle and neck pickups, but I filled in the holes with polyfiller and then painted it with Ronseal eucalyptus stain. Nice.Mr B.

Love this Gretch guitar. So many versatile sounds from the two blacktop humbucking pickups. Smooth controls. Love the gold hardware. Bigsby bridge with tremolo is rock solid. The factory bridge setup for string height and intonation were spot on. This beauty plays like butter.Rick T

I'm a full time player in Nashville and generally believe 'you get what you pay for,' so I've long been skeptical of the cheaper Gretsches. I needed a good Gretsch for when that sound is called for, but with the pandemic, something like a 'real' Country Gentleman is out of reach at the moment. So I took a chance with the 5422 along with the AMS payment plan, and boy am I glad I did. Is it a high-end guitar? No… but the differences are mainly subtle. The build quality, playability and overall sound quality are very, very good right out of the box, and with a few tweaks it can definitely be a formidable tool in the arsenal. Nice, airy top end with some jangle, though maybe not quite as detailed & pristine as you might desire. All in all, it's a super solid guitar and definitely worth $1k. Works great for middle of the road roots-y music from Brit pop to modern country, and is a keeperJC

I purchased the walnut version with the cloud inlays. It was listed as a 'Blemish' and marked down $150.00. I cannot find a blemish anywhere, and the plastic coating was still on the components. I am thrilled with the guitar. The action and intonation was dead on perfect right out of the box. It took about a half hour to get used to the settings and adjust my amp to handle the tone from this, as the sound is completely different than any other guitar I own (all high end Strats and Gibsons) The neck is comfortable, silky smooth and the frets are well done, properly crowned and polished, and no sharp edges anywhere up and down the neck. The sound is crisp and clean, almost bell like, and chimey, almost like a 12 string. The finish is perfect, although a bit 'plastic' feeling, more like an Epiphone heavy polyurethane finish than a nitro finish, but it is beautifully applied and no ripples or defects at all. The clean tone is perfect for rockabilly, country twanging and mellow stuff, and with a bit of overdrive, it can pass as a good rock and roll axe as well. All in all, it is a fine instrument, well built and has that great Gretsch sound. I couldn't be happier.Bluesman Sammy Guy

I have been a PRS and Gibson player for years and decided to try this Gretsch out for it's Bigsby and great looks. Well the sound is amazing and the neck to my surprise is very fast and slim. I also like the shorter 24.6 in scale as I can comfortably use 10s instead of 9s or 9.5s. I'm am digging the preset toggle tone control instead of the potentiometer as it is more practical for me during live performance.gtrforsale

There are few woods as beautiful to look at as Koa, and it's an excellent tone wood as well. Fit and finish on the guitar are first rate, and it sounds as beautiful as it looks. Can't wait to hear how much nicer it sounds after the wood opens up. This guitar is delightfully versatile in the tones it produces, even with the mud switch instead of a tone rolloff knob. Great clarity and the sustain is excellent. Les Paul? No thanks, not when you can have this baby!jamsk

Couldn't find this guitar in the stores so I pulled the trigger and ordered online. I don't listen to Rancid, so I bought this guitar more because it's a baldwin-era gretsch with a cool finish and filtertron pups. The pickups are crisp and clear and take dirt well, love the control over tone with all the knobs. I am impressed with these blacktop pups. They sound very close to the hs filters in my 5120. I see no need to change them. The top is thicker than my 5120, binding all over the place, beautiful headstock and wider body. The action was high and I set the intonation, but otherwise no work needed. Here's the thing, the flat finish does wear off leaving shine spots where your arms and hands come into contact. Like on the neck and upper body, and where I rest my pinky or fingers while picking. It looks cool to me but something you should be aware of before buying. Tuning is pretty stable, never seems to go way off. Body is balanced and neck plays smooth and fast. Love thJesse

Sound: I luv pyscho Billy , rocks Billy ,punk ,thrash , doom , this does it all , and sounds treat doing it , not just for rock a Billy , sounds great and uniqe in all genres Features: I'm not fond of the knurled strap locks , they come lose easy , I'll switch em out, and why no case ??? For such a great , expensive, signityre guitar , from gretsch and no case !?? Otherwise perfect Ease of Use: It goes great with my little peavy blazer158 till I upgrade, can only imagine the rocks Billy sound with a twin fender amp , and slapback!! Quality: Built like a tank , exept the knurled strap locks Value: Great price , awsome payment plan , never thought I could afford a great gretsch like this!!! The Wow Factor: Its stunning , beuitiful, punk rock looking! Built like a tank , looks like u can play it out and it can take abuse like Tim Armstrong himself does every show and his country club is still as good as the he bought it so if exepct the same of the replica Overall: This guitar sounds great , even in my little peavey blazer158 , I can't wait to get a twin fender amp!! The looks are are beautiful, yet still punk rock with the flat black color, the harp tail and the gold hardwear add to the beauty, and it has that great gretsch sound and twank gretsch is known for , it can roar one sec then get all twankyvon the flip of a switch and turn of a dial or two ! This is my dream guitar come true , always wanted a gretch , and Tim Armstrong is my favorite front man of all time so I feel lucky and proud to own this, and thanx to the great payment plan zZounds offers i can offerd this treasure!!!Robert

I had promised my granddaughter a Gretsch a few years ago, but life happened. Now, the time was right, I had her find the guitar she wanted and she chose a Gretsch. How do I get her to stop playing it 24/7? Just kidding on how long she plays on a daily basis, but she loves it. She actually has musicians offering to purchase it from her! A couple are professional artists.Gramma of 4

Lo strumento è più bello dal vivo che in foto e suona magicamente. Consegna e assistenza anche post – vendita perfette!Ormai sono cliente fisso!Francesco Corallini Garampi