Demo of my new Gretsch, G5220 Electromatic Jet BT Single-Cut, in Dark Cherry Metallic finish. Played through my Blackstar Silverline 100 watt head, into my Blackstar 2x12 Cab.
Chris, keep up the awesome playing and videos. You're literally one of the best people to demo guitars and amps on RU-vid. They're straightforward, you don't talk too much, you're a fantastic player. Your videos are excellent quality, keep it up!!!
I've been searching for videos on this guitar and you're the only one who plays it with real distortion and in a style that I usually play! I always wondered how would the guitar would sound played like that. Thank you very much, I'm so getting it!
Thanks for the video! Been wanting one for a while, and it’s nice to see someone run it through it’s paces. Nice playing! That guitar just moved higher up on my gotta have list.
Hey Chris! Bought one because of this vid.. this thing is incredible... sound, build quality, all of it.. absolutely incredible! Just wanted to say thanks man!
I tried this exact guitar in this color at the store and took it home. It wasn't even on my radar I loved it. Im not used to this LP shape so I'm not used to it yet, but it's an amazing instrument
I have had one for over a year. I love it. When it is dry in the winter, there are static pops if I rub my fingers across the pickguard. I just took off the pickguard and enjoy more of the color of the flawless paint.
I got the slightly older model for Christmas a few years ago. Mine has the cloud inlays and the Bigsby, but otherwise identical. I adore the guitar. I got a black Double Jet version the year before and liked it so much that I had to get another one! The great sounds from the FilterTrons cut through perfectly. Very lively and dynamic. The necks are perfect and the fit and finish couldn't be better. I have MUCH more expensive guitars, but I find myself reaching for these Gretsch guitars most of the time these days. To explain why would sound like a retelling of the old "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" story.
So I bought an EVH Wolfgang a while back (fantastic guitar BTW) and I keep telling people it plays like a Strat but sounds like a LP. I just bought a Gretsch 5220 BT about a week ago and I feel like it plays a lot like a LP, but with some fiddling with the bridge volume it sounds pretty Tele-like (along with some unmistakeably great Gretsch tones). I guess now I need to somehow aquire a Tele that sounds like a Strat and my trifecta of weirdly-unique-but-also-not guitars will be complete.
Bought a jade grey 5220 recently on impulse at my local Guitar Center. Great fit and finish right out of the box. Had one pickup go bad on me after about a month. GC exchanged the entire guitar and I haven’t had any problems since. The stock pickups can be a little ice picky at times. I’m currently experimenting with flat wounds to try and tame it just a bit. Contemplating swapping out the pickups with some TV Jones classics, but the stock Broad’Trons aren’t bad and I’m in no hurry. Great demo Chris! Thanks for sharing.
i got this guitar and the g5420, awesome guitar too....well, much people complains about Broad'trons pickups, but for me they work great...i play mostly clean and slightly overdriven tones....i love these pickups...what i notice is some lack of pressure when hi gain playin', so if you want to play metal, hard rock or punk you may think of changin' pickups, but you must make sure the new pickups will fit in the hollows
From Leo: I may have solved the static pops from the Pick Guard. After trying and failing with the dryer softener sheet, I used 1200 grit sanding abrasive (from an auto paint store) and lightly wet sanded the gloss off the top of the pick guard. It only took 5 minutes, very little pressure. Keep changing direction to get it even. The back color and the logo still looks fine behind the now satin finish. After drying I rubbed the dryer sheet on the top for a couple minutes. The house is VERY dry, about 30% humidity, and the static has not been a problem for 3 different one hour practice sessions in 3 days. Maybe this will help someone.
While waiting for my fingers to heal in between practice sessions on the steel string acoustic that we had in the back of a closet I’ve spent a lot of time listening to demos of various guitars I think I’ve ended on this as my first electric. After realizing that the style of playing I most wanted to learn how to emulate never made use of a trem I just kind of found my way here. I was aiming for $300 and thought I’d end up with a Yamaha Pacifica 120H, but that guitar doesn’t have that “thing” that’s going to draw me to just pick it up and fiddle with it. This Gretsh in Midnight Sapphire is calling my name. From all the demos this sounds like it can cover a wide enough range of sounds to keep me happy for a long time.
I found that my G5222 in natural finish was the same way. The quality control on these guitars is amazing. I play it through a Marshall DSL40C and it just rocks. Clean to super dense crunch, this guitar does it all. The hardware is all finished super nice and feels like real quality. You cannot go wrong with these guitars and at this price point.
Hi Chris. Thanks very much for your excellent honest review of your G5220. I stumbled across your review on Friday night (30th of April)by accident just by scrolling RU-vid for random guitar reviews .I was that impressed that I started watching other reviews and started to read up on this guitar. There is a guy called Jack Fosset on you tube that has done a great review too on RU-vid Up until this point I’d never really looked at Jet guitars as I’m a Strat man . Then on Saturday night my brother turned up with £270 for me . Unknown time he’d sold some jewellery that belonged to our mam who passed away two years ago . If I bought clothes with the money they would be gone in a few years or spent the money on shopping etc if would be gone and forgotten so I thought what a great tribute to my mam would be to buy a guitar with her jewellery money . So yesterday (2nd May )me and my brother went to Newcastle to a store called Guitar Guitar and I bought the exact same colour G5220 as yours for £399. It was reduced from £512 according to the label and another guitar shop in Newcastle was selling them for £499 so as well as getting a great guitar I saved a hundred quid too. The guitar is absolutely fantastic and just like you said in your review the build quality and sound are top notch . When I tried the guitar out the first tune I played on it was a Neil Diamond song for my mam as she was a massive fan so I wanted the first tune played on it to be for her . I’m going to get her name Ann engraved on the truss Rod cover as a tribute to her. She’d have loved the metallic dark cherry colour because she liked a bit of bling . Thanks Chris it’s May bank holiday weekend here in the UK and you’ve made my weekend . As I’m off work today I’m going to enjoy rocking out my new guitar . 👏 👏👏 Nige Bryan
You didn't "get lucky".... I ordered mine on a whim, never having even picked up a Gretsch, based on the youtube reviews of Gretsch guitars by Andertons music in the UK, who called them THE DEAL OF THE DECADE. Right out of the box, mine was shockingly FLAWLESS. I had my hopes up but was not expecting a guitar of this caliber. It instantly eclipsed my $1800.00 Les Paul. Way to go Fred Gretsch the third. What a sweet guitar.
I was looking at one of these about 2 hours ago and thought I'd check what the experiences were on RU-vid. Awesome playing. I enjoyed how you boosted the distortion and even went drop D! 🤘
Great playing! I had questions about high gain (answered), why the neck pup was low (answered), quality (answered) and were you given this guitar for a demo or being honest (answered). I wish all the big channels would step back a bit and remember that we play because we love music. Great job and I’m a new sub.
Great value at pricepoint i have the jaded gray one and i didnt have to do anything it plays sweeeet right out of the box , the pickups are some of the best sounding for multi genre's excelllent instrument!!
I played two of these at my local shop. I love really low action and was absolutely shocked when I checked and they both were at 1.5mm high E and just under 2mm low E from the factory..ya, there was minimal fret buzz on the e a and d strings, but I can tell it would take a tiny bit of raising the strings to get rid of the fret buzz. And no fret buzz on the g b or e strings. Yes, I bring a 6" steel ruler with me, I swear! When I was playing the gold one...it looked just like a Gibson good top. So... I'm going to go back and grab the gold top one! I'll make a video and post asap.
I've been saying for a long time that Gretsch is the best kept secret in guitars! I know Gretsch has the (unfair) reputation of being nothing more than a country/rockabilly guitar brand but man, those Broadtron pickups will absolutely roar with power and clarity if you crank them with some gain! And the build quality you get at that price range is unbelievable!
I have both a Gretsch like that (double cut with a Bigsby) and a Tele which had the static noise. Buy a roll of copper tape, take the pickguard off and cover the backside with copper tape. Works perfect, totally eliminates the static .
Thanks man, that was an excellent review. I'm currently looking at hollow/semi hollow bodies and you've got me really considering picking one of these up next week.
Just purchased one. I noticed the "clicky" noise coming from the plastics. I took the pick guard off and it stopped it. But other than that I had the same experience. Fit and finish are perfect. When I bought the Gretsch I also tried a few Gibson's. Then scratched my head how a $500 guitar could play better than a $1800 guitar. I had every intention of walking out with a Gibson but brought this home instead
Thank you so much for this review and awesome demo. New to your channel and now a subscriber. The it’s built like a tank description really spoke to me 👍
Hi again. Thanks for your quick response! Just one more question...Would you recommend this guitar for beginners in terms of ergonomics, neck weight and playability? Again, the best guitar reviews in the internet! Thanks for your work
You are right. They are great. Those pickups sound great, through my Vox ac 10. I have the same guitar with the Bigsby. Don't get the Bigsby. It's kind of antiquated, junky tuning hassle. Mine fell apart twice. The solid tail piece version is a great instrument.
The version with the Bigsby has different pickups as well. The Bigsby version has Filter'tron pickups that are a bit more jangly and twangy. The solid tail has their broad'tron pickups which are a bit chunkier like a LP, but maintain their highs like a tele instead of getting real muddy on the bridge pickup. I didn't know the pickups were different at first and almost went with the Bigsby model, but something told me the tuning issues just wouldn't be worth it so I went with the solid tail at the last minute, and I'm glad I did.
I really enjoyed listening to you talk about your guitar. I can tell by your tone that you're extremely proud of it, as you should be. It's been about a year since you posted this video and I hope you've played it so much that the frets need leveling and crowning.😃
I have one and it's absolutely beautiful and I love it but, the cord doesn't click when you put the cable into the guitar and it is very easy to pull it back out, which I don't like. My strap lock fell out completely, bolt and all, 3 days after I got the guitar. I bought mine from Sam Ash and it didn't come with a box or a case or even one little paper, stating what model it is and how to use the knobs or whatever. I did get a good service plan for 2 years / warranty and I got $100 off of the retail price. Overall, in my opinion it's an amazing guitar from an amazing company
One problem I found is that the screw going through the pickgaurd is really long and will probably scratch the body if the pick gaurd gets pressed down a little. Im going to file that down and maybe pad it.
Love mine. I bought it after perusing Guitar Center, stumbling across it and decided to play a while. They were the only area store that had one in the box, Jade Grey color. I thought about ordering a black one online and exchanging if I liked it more. But I'm sticking with it. It really is a beauty and plays so smoothly.. a real great feel. Hoping once I get my gigging amp the Gretsch will sound just as great playing loud music with a band.
I got a black one use for around 300 bucks Very nice super light touch no buzz I think med jumbo frets. Switch is scratchy intonation is perfect, and nut is cut correct. Very sweet for the bucks.
Wow, your guitar chops are really good. Yeah, these Gretsch guitars from China are fine guitars. My brother got one, and it really impressed me when I played it.
I bought one of these. I have more expensive guitars. Frankly I was shocked how good this is.... btw I have owned mine a while so not writing this having just taken it out the box. Thanks Christopher for the tip on buying one of these.
@@user-pp1ub8er9i Thanks, I sold it not long after, it's a good guitar I just didn't bond with it. I sold it along with an Fgn Les Paul and my G and L legacy strat in order to purchase my Sienna burst Fender Strat Professionnel. I did regret selling the g and l legacy for a little while, excellent guitar, however the strat pro is really great. I have a g and l Tele and I will not be selling that one.
@@marksystemed4678 Good to know! There's no better moment in history to have GAS syndrome though.... there're so many cheap options out there with exceptional quality, design and manufacturing.
I don't have this model....but I've got one of their hollow bodies (5420T), and it's really a fantastic guitar.....it's a Korean model, and it's really changed my mind regarding import guitars.
I agree, im so sick of shit review videos. this was just easy to watch and nice to hear. and also, yes the guitar is very impressive. im super picky but this tickels all the right places, i need to check gretch out more! xD
I just ordered the same guitar in black. I've been looking for a new electric guitar for a while. I was in guitar center on Saturday playing the new 60s Les Paul Standard ($2,500) and afterwards I saw the Gretsch 5220 on the lower rack so I grabbed it, plugged it into the same amp. Played it and couldn't put it down. I'm not sure if it's the pickups or what but it was great. I wouldn't compare it to the new les paul standard but I would say it's better than any factory Epiphone les paul I've ever put my hands on. Personally, it feels and plays like an $800-$1,200 guitar. BTW I ordered it online from Guitar Center, it's coming from Kansas City, is set for delivery today. I also used a 20% off coupon, ha ha.
As for the stetic electricty buildup on plastics on an electric guitar-supposedly you can get rid of it by wiping it down (or at least the plastics/pickguard) with a fragrance free clothes drying sheet-you know the. dryer sheets that are used to prevent static cling between your socks,.etc. But dont mistake these for the dryer sheets that have fabric softeners in them. Stick with fragrence free, no fabric softener, anti static cling sheets and just use them on the pickgaurd/plastics. If body finish is polyurethane it probably would be safe on the body itself, but I wouldnt risk it on a nitrocellulose finish body. Have never personally had to do this, but saw this trick on another youtube channel and it seemed to work well (think it was on Phillip McKnight’s channel-a truly great source of guitar repair info as well as awesome gear demos and weekly live chat forum with questions/answers -check it out if you haven’t seen it.) 🤘
I ordered a G5222 Double Cut looks like Malcolm Gtr. I ordered a Fillertron bridge pup for it. Not sure is the FillerTron will fit right in the BroadTron Pups hole? I wish I could find the tail piece like Malcolm's Jet has where he has the wiggle bar removed it's crome diamond shaped tail piece part the strings go thru. If I that take out bridge pup & route out another hole like Mal did when he made The Beast into a 3 pickups Guitar at one time before he sanded it & added those chrome half dome pieces covering the hole I could a dead ringer for the $3500 Malcolm Young Signature model. So soon I'll a set of those BroadTron pups for sale if anyone wants them. Sounds great. Btw you can use that """Static Spray""" for Clothes on a rag & wipe down the plastic that cause that static noise .
I have a G5222 in Walnut stain it's more red then Brown I don't know why they call it Walnut stain it is gorgeous plays nice I would go with the Billy gibbons powertron TV Jones p/u The leads sound really good but I think the chords are a little muddy in my opinion, I'm seriously thinking about getting all nickel hardware , upgraded tuners, pots, and those TV Jones pickups, with black besels to match the black pickguard, I will have less than $1,000 in it and it'll play like a $3,000 guitar. And it will be one of a kind "mine" I really love the neck and the frets don't have to do anything with that I got it from Sweetwater picked it up as a demo for $400.00 Otherwise it looks and plays and sounds nice just the way it is, incredible value for what I got it for... I was thinking about the natural one myself but this one was $100 cheaper as a demo, it actually wasn't a demo, it just had a few small nicks in it that you can't even see. Enjoy yours Oh one other thing without the bigsby tailpiece they're a Little neck heavy so get a wide sticky strap
Love how the plastics around the pickups and pickguard blend in with the design. That thing looks and sounds amazing. How do you like the U shaped neck?
Best review on this guitar I've seen. Plus I trust Chris's reviews cause if he doesn't like something or it's just not worth the price tag, he'll definitely let us know. Was about to order a $1300 Reverend Contender RB (sorta like an Electromatic), now...... I'm not sure.🤔
So I spoke with someone who owns the Grestch 5230 his complaint was the electronics. According to him the pots were like on of switches, so I'm wondering if this is true if it would be a good idea to have them replaced straight away. Even if I put a couple hundred dollars into it, the Grestch would still be considerably less than the Reverend but still no bass contour.
Holy shit, your words at the beginning and the end just convinced me to go and get it right this Saturday. At least I'll try it IRL at a local store. P.S. I'm totally a newbie-player and just want to learn
got one of these about 2 months ago, the only issue i have is the g string will not stay in tune, everything else is great on this guitar, pickups are awesome once you figure out where you like the tone control. I'm normally a fender guy but wanted a les paul like guitar. this one is perfect for me can make it a bit jangly like tele ish but it screams with some gain
I had the static sounds with two of my guitars, after purchase. It disappeared from alone over the months. So, I always assumed it was due to humidity during delivery in the package.
i have the 5230tg bigsby and black top filtertrons and it rocks for a china guitar. i have changed the crappy tuners with locking grovers and file the edges of the sharp fretts but thats normal. sounds great.
I just got one of those a couple weeks ago and the fretwork was beautiful on it up to the 18th fret. I don't play a whole lot above that. My tuners suck, too. One is really messed up.
Just bought one, like new condition but used, and unfortunately the used market is tough, l paid new price at $449.00 a certain guitar store, sorry l can only give the first letter of the store "GC" lol. But they were nice enough to throw in a decent hard shell case and l couldn't be happier!! Love this guitar, your review is spot on !!! Would have been happy if l paid $800. But glad not too, l put this guitar up against many other guitars at that price point and nothing touched it !!!
Ya buddy I've owned the gold one for 4 years and still haven't had to get a set up its hard to believe how good these instruments are I'll never sell mine
I used mine on a cover of Monkey Business by Skid Row and it surprisingly did rather well. Did the Dave Sabo Drive track with it, pinch harmonics and all.
Sounded quite good in a couple of positions, it very usable in certain applications I think, but it's not able to breathe to my liking personally, it sounds like it's been internally chambered too much and in my ears it's having to rely on the pickups and volume and tone knobs to be fiddled with too much to let it get out the cage, I was considering getting the model you've demoed here in the exact same colour but I don't trust it to be stable enough, I'd kill for an Indo built if I could get one with the BT2S pickups only on board...it's behaving in your demo like an Indo assembled and I reckon it is regardless of the stamp saying otherwise, maybe China put the electronics into it perhaps? ...In my honest opinion the greatest Gretsch ever built is the Indo Streamliner Jr, particularly for harder driven stuff, it's a very nasty little beast indeed!!!..it's also smart enough not to have the Bigsby on it...it's a V tail too.
Awesome guitar! Thanks for showing it, and for giving us some tones. I am going to grab one of these.... in Bristol Fog. I see where the prices have gone up on them, but Guitar-Center has a sale (in-store-only) right now for $449. I'm grabbing it this week.... I've got one on hold... killer finish! This one is really nice too. And the Casino Gold.
You're not kidding about the quality. I don't know which chinese factory they are using but it's astounding. I have a Jet Club I bought for $349.00 new and it's flawless! Now they offer a Junior Jet Club for $299 and I'm sure it's sweet too.
I have one in Jade Gray, more closer to blue I've noticed but it might just be me. The only real problem I've had so far is finding a case for it. I had to break down and get an official Gretsch case.
Great chops man. I have the same exact model but in the blue metallic color. These things are amazing, build quality is FAR beyond what I could have ever expected. I would put it up against South Korea’s finest, seriously. Take all the badging off and you would swear it is a $800+ guitar. Fender owners Gretsch, I wonder if the Chinese factory that made these went far and beyond even making at a loss to impress fender hoping to get some Squier business in the future. Only possible weak point is that the pickups really lean towards the treble side, high gain too. But I guess that is the Gretsch sound, more Beatles than Zeppelin. Just use the tone on the guitar or eq your amp to cut some highs and mids. Again, don’t let the country of manufacture sway you on this one. I will be the first one to say China makes low quality but this is the exception. Get one while the secret is not out yet how nice they are.
