Gretsch G5220 Jet (£399) v’s 6128-TCG (£2.5k) 

Made me smile when listening to you and your Dad talking. My Dad is in his 80s and has been so supportive of my music over the years. He has been a music enthusiast all his life and its great to talk to him too about all things music. I am very lucky.

In less than 1 minute you have explained every key point of the guitar’s features & feel .. brilliant, thank you !👌🏼

Great father and son moments, very nice to share

Hi Paul ! Greetings from Akron , Ohio USA ! Well , I thought that your Gretsch sounded pretty good until I heard your Dad's Gretsch . He is correct about the tone . I am not a Gretsch expert , but in 2007 I bought a new Gretsch " Country Classic " , made in Japan , and MSRP of $2 , 900 American Dollars . I always thought Gretschs sounded good and looked cool . I loved the tone of the new Gretsch tone, but the 16" neck radius , along with the goofy strap buttons , and the way it felt when played standing up , meant I did not play it much , never did a gig with it , and sold it in 2013 . It was a beauty , loved the tone , but I could never get used to the issues that bothered me . Gretschs have such beautiful tone , but maybe some day I will put a Gretsch pickup on one of my Teles . Your Dad has great taste in guitars . I really enjoyed the video of his collection a while back ! I will say that a properly setup guitar goes a long way to a good tone , compared to an expensive guitar that is not properly setup . But , nothing beats quality . Kind of like comparing a Kia to a Caddilac !

Loved the interaction with your Dad, he seems a great guy. Clocked some of the licks I have been practicing , slightly slowed down which sounds fantastic. Great Vid Paul.

I recently bought this exact guitar. I cannot put it down. It is amazing. The sound, the feel of it. I can't believe how nice it is.

Really enjoyed this Paul. I had a Gretsch electromatic silver sparkle double cut that I sold a year ago. You’re making me wish I hadn’t! Hard to do a true comparison with the different pickups, electronics and build quality, but your Dad’s definitely has some Gretsch mojo that the newer one didn’t. I guess it comes down to what the player wants out of the guitar, in return for their investment.

Paul, love the “ in the family den” conversation- so much fun. Cute pooch too. I’ve got my white Gretsch 5420 t( I think) electromotive ( Korea)- and the sound really snaps... it needs a good set up and now - is very dependable. Your father is charming- brutally honest... yup!

Great to see you and your dad share your love for guitars!

Part of the problem the red one has humbuckers not the Filtertrons, the true Gretsch pickup. That's why it sounds like a Les Paul. I've seen Filtertrons cheap on Ebay or Gretsch has a similar model for have 100 or 200 more with Filtertrons the G5230. Great channel

Was a at a shop in february for a Les Paul P90 or a Maybach and finally fell in love with the Gretsch JAPANMADE version in Bourbon finish ! Play like butter 👍🥰

How awesome it must be to be able to talk guitars with one’s dad! Very enjoyable talk to watch

I'm a great believer in and fan of the Electromatic series and indeed I am half tempted to try a Streamliner but for lack of space and other 'wants' nagging me louder. Beautiful playing as always

These are my favorite kind of videos. Got pop in there sharing knowledge. 👍

Love the sound of the 6128, but it’s out of my current price range. I picked up a 5220 in jade grey almost two years ago. After my neck pickup went out I upgraded all the electronics and wiring. I’m currently running a pair of TV Jones Classic pickups. I’m very pleased with the results and still well under the cost of the 6128. My thoughts on the 5220 is that it’s a good entry point into the Gretsch lineup and has great bones for modding should one feel so inclined. Thanks so much for the video!

"I was trying to check my snobbery at the door but then realized I was a snob" is an incredible thing to walk away with lol.

You're dad is spot on. The warmth of the green is magnificent and this comparison really shines a light on the reason the red is $400 bucks.

Nicely done Paul , your Dad is magic.

Another Excellent Comparison Video Paul.. and Great to Hear Your Dad Playing Too ,Awesome !!All the Best to You Both👍😎🎸

My first electric was an epiphone Les Paul back in 2017, amazing guitar felt great and played great for $250. Since then I now own a Gibson historic Les Paul custom and an L5. At the time my ear could not differentiate the tonal difference. Now It’s night and day, just like your dad explains it. Air and bounce is how I can explain it. Justifies the price/quality and it certainly makes you play and bring out the EQ. Wonderful video

I bought a G5220 about three or four months ago. So far the only real problem I've had was finding a case, which I had to resort to buying a used Gretsch case, and getting it setup to my preferred strings. I've been playing since about 1986 (I always say that I've only been playing "well" since 1990), and you're definitely getting more guitar now than you did back then.

Thank you. Can definitely hear the single coil difference. Had the same static electricity problem

I played one of these (the burgundy-colored one) today at GC. I get your admiration for it 100%. My excuse for not buying it was "It's not my cup of tea." In reality, I've got too much else going on at the moment. But what a nice guitar through a Katana 50!

I have a 6120 (China) 2004 I think, with the Dearmonds. Wonderful clean tones. I'm with Jim, the warmth is what it's all about.

Never played a Gretsch but they are IMO the prettiest guitars on the market. The humble Telecaster is more pleasing to my ears though.

Great video both for the guitar comparison and the craic & interaction with your dad....brilliant!👍 As a Scot it sounds very familiar!👍 I have a bunch of expensive Gibsons & Fenders but am always on the lookout something different, eg I bought a PRS last year and love it and had planned to buy a Gretch at some point so after watching your review & a host of others, Ím having one of those 400 quid Jets in gold!👍👍😂

Really enjoyed this video👍 I own both a 6129T and a 5222, and while making a comparison is always fun ... IMO these two guitars are not really intended to sound or feel alike - primarily due to PU design (for instance, you would not expect a Tele with singles to make you feel the same as one with humbuckers!). Since I am a fan of Gretsch and particularly Gretsch PUs, I also own a 5435T (Black face FilterTrons) and a 5120 loaded with TVJones- Setzer SIGs - so, a full spectrum of what I consider "Gretsch Sounds" ... but, each carries it's own interpretation of that charater! Here we have a very classic Gretsch voiced with Dynasonics, or perhaps even DeArmonds ... while the 5222 is specifically aimed at a current market that demands higher output to push the amp tubes and where distortion and overdrive are king (definitely not 'softness'!!!). That all said, there is no denying that the Japan produced instruments have a definite Aire of Refinement.

Smashing stuff loving the banter, your auld man knows whats what. You can tell he don't move the Bigsby much, lube it, loved it thanks.🙂

Just found this - wow. I need to borrow this Dad when I go shopping. No nonsense that is for sure. He's so right.

First of all those are very different pickups, which is most of the tone/output feel. I bought a Korean Electromatic 5120 hollow-body private sale for $400 and invested in Filter'trons (which took some modification to get them in there!) but hey, for less than $600 that is pretty close to a top-of-the-line experience.

Brilliant vid, you and your dad are so alike, love the banter. This has nothing whatsoever lol Well big yin am finally going to guitar guitar in Edinburgh next month, got my holidays booked and £1200 saved up so hopefully get myself my guitar, if I like something more expensive will just save a few more months and get it 😎

What a cool dad. Wish I could play guitar with my father.

That was fantastic, your Dad's ace and all!

Loving hearing the accents! Haven't been up the Grassmarket for ages (fae Glesca masel' but been living doon sooth for 25 years, now in East Sussex)

To be fair, the Bigsby on the MIJ will colour the sound more than any difference in the woods or pickups, or place of manufacture.

Just an observation on the noise issue you talk about around 16:00 as you did take the problem seriously. That noise isn't unusual and can't completely be eradicated by anything most guitarists are aware of. Despite what most non-electronically trained guitarists will scream out on forums, coating your guitar interior with cheap pieces of overlapping copper foil will not remove this. Industry spends millions each year trying to prevent this effect in its own sensitive equipment and accepts that it is a diminishing returns problem. The hash buzz type noise isn't definitively a sign of incorrect or inferior grounding on any guitar. It is caused because your own body is picking up high frequency EMI from all around it and, being wrapped around the guitar electronics, it reradiates it as a very large aerial into the guitar circuitry. People believe that when you touch the guitar metalwork just as you did your body is grounding the guitar and stopping the buzzing but the opposite is actually true. The situation is that the guitar is grounding your body and removing this pickup and hence its ability to radiate. Try this. Set up the guitar on your lap just as you did, so it buzzes with you not touching it, then ground yourself firmly on something else other than the guitar. Even a nearby radiator can do. You should find the noise decreases a lot, unless you are in a disastrously noisy area of course, there are always limits. Of course there can be poorly grounded guitars but the process is such a simple "done deal" now it would surprise me if any guitar from a decent known maker suffers from genuine poor grounding. I would say the expensive Gretsch could have less susceptibility because of differences in the pot quality or in the order of its wiring. If the pots that you are turning fully down do not fully drop to 0ohms, and many don't as say 10 ohms is nothing in the context of a 1Megohm pot, and as we are considering high frequency EMI signals here which brings in the new issue of wiring inductance, then there is still the potential for picked up signals to be passed and these can be significantly large in this context. If there are also components and wiring after the pot and before it passes out into the cable then, once again, this can happen. Differences may be down to issues like that. Just a final thing to consider for the argument about "copper foiling". Copper is non-magnetic so simply cannot affect any mains hum from transformers or high current mains devices at all. They require magnetic materials to "catch and bend" the magnetic field through themselves preventing it from gaining access to the sensitive electronics. Low frequency magnetic fields such as mains hum pass straight through copper. That's plain Physics! Even in the case of high frequency hash as is the problem from fluorescent lights or digital gear, the foil is too thin to be completely useful and the slightest gap in it, where cables come in or even between separate overlapping pieces, allows entry to RF. Even cables which are allowed inside the foil shield carry it in with them. Coat with super special (expensive?) paint or foil by all means but it is a waste of time in real terms. Some guitar manufacturers themselves do this nowadays but only as a token gesture to those guitarists who believe it solves all ills. It doesn't. In industry, where this problem is a major issue, it is solved (reduced) with very complex and expensive designing like nested enclosures often made from exotic materials, even then with only results lower than a permissible minimum.

Hello Paul! I LOVE your playing and insight. But what I'm really digging is the interaction between you and your Dad. Peace and happiness to you and yours.

Great playing in the vid. Recently got a 2005 6128t - the filtertron brother of your dad’s guitar. His wasn’t offered before 2005 by the way. It was a winter NAMM release that year. I absolutely love the mij Gretsch. The electromatics are nice, but I knew I would always want the higher quality one. Buy what you want, and you spend less in the long run.

Very helpful vid. Thx. I’ll take a lower priced model Gretsch until I can afford a higher model. They are fine by me! Some notes: I have a Boss tuner pedal and step in it to mute any guitar completely on stage when needed. Also, Try a lower model with P90’s. Awesome. And Cheers.

Wondered why I got another notification from you lol, it seems that you have re-uploaded this video, I commented on that one, great playing, just wanted to re-write the comment to give you a video idea just in case you missed the other comment. I was thinking that the reason your Gretsch doesn't sound like a Gretsch is because of the Tuneomatic bridge...l would suggest for you to get a Dusenberg Les Trem II and install it on your Gretsch, it's fairly affordable, you can install it within 5 minutes and it is one of the most stable tremolos out there.. I think that will bring some of that Gretsch springy sound alive, it will also make a great video! Cheers mate!

Thanks Paul... I do love when I get into a guitar time warp zone...cheers mate..😊

The Electromatic is nice, but the Dynasonics are wonderful, even with an aggressive approach, sort of a Strat/tele on steroids. A great demo, with your cool dad.

this is wild......... I recently bought one of the Green ones, and my buddy bought the Burgundy one. Crazy you have both. My Vintage spec 57 is one of the finest guitars I own. My buddy got a Power Jet on his burgundy one- but I also have an Electromatic 5420T that is excellent. So the Korean Gretsch hold up pretty well against the Terada ones. I'm a believer.

Broadtrons really fill the room with an AC30 brother. Nice!

Loved this Paul " Your better with that than 5 of these " 😂 Gr8 Video again my freind So informative as usual 🎶🎵👊 That Green is rather nice with the mahogany and bling to be fair 👍 Not much wrong with the 400 quider gr8 value thou ... We can make comparisons all day but it all comes down to the dollar eh ...keep em comin Paul and your dads a natural at Ol skool honesty 👍🎶🎵

I just can't afford much so I went with an expensive amp and a decent guitar. Maybe one day I can spring for something amazing like your dad's Gretsch. On top of sounding great it's beautiful

The G5220 is great for just about everything, including high-gain sounds. The 6128 is like a piece of artwork. I'd be hesitant to play the 6128 out at a bar or party gig though.

You see why I love my Gretsch now. 😉

Paul, you can take the noodles out of a can of Chef Boy Ardee Spaghetti and string up the broom you sweep us other guitarists up with and make it sound amazing!! You are that damn good

I think you could make a cigar box guitar sound good, Paul. But I just purchased an Indonesian made PRS and it's quality is amazing.

One is blues & rock and the other is rockabilly & country.

This is so great :D Father and dad playing music and testing guitars :D

Some very interesting points raised about the quality difference and value. Especially when he said ‘would you rather have one of those or five of these’. My view would be that although the professional one is a dream guitar, I’d be comfortable taking the Electromatic out gigging anywhere, leaving it in the back of the car, leaning it against an amp on stage, letting my belt buckle rub against it etc!

Great stuff Paul really enjoyed the upload , I’m a relatively new subscriber and have just watched 4 back to back videos, great stuff, this being the last “ until next time” love the interaction between you both and as beautiful guitars are and believe me i have the guitar illness 😂 whats more precious than any of the guitars you and you father have !!!! Is That time with your Dad “ priceless “ Great uploads mate, love them. Cheers John

This is such a nice education in guitars.

You and your Pappy speak Scottish, not English! Even reading Irvine Welsh books (think Trainspotting* ) in my teens hasn't prepared myself fo understanding you two nabber on! It's heartwarming to listen to...but I cannae understand it!!!😂👍 *Never forget the fist line of Trainspotting. " The sweat was lashing offay Sickboy! "

I have a lefty Japanese Professional Player G6228 stoptail Jet with Broadtron pickups (and a lefty G6120TG). I have had a Chinese Gretsch which was great value for money but I sold it as I noticed the difference in quality when compared with the Japanese guitars. There is a range of USA made Gretsch Custom Shop instruments that are even more expensive than the Japanese guitars (Andertons had one in stock recently for £11k).

Really loved this, the dynas do really chime, sounds especially good with the solid body Gretsch's

Love you guys❤

I prefer the sound of the cheaper guitar to be honest.

I enjoyed this comparison, but you might as well compare a Squier to an American Ultra Fender. Not a reasonable comparison. I just purchased a Gretsch 5220 and can't wait to receive it.

Wow. I use to have the Same Guitar your Dad has. I purchased it in 2007 or 2008. I really miss that Guitar. Have tried the China made, but to me a Hugh Difference. May have to find me another Japan in The Cadillac Green just like mine was and your Dads.

Sorry but your father looked pre disposed to dismissing G5220. Did not take even one second and he states a negative judgment. Very subjective. To each to his/her own - moral of story.

Simply for the fact that the cheaper version of the jet can accommodate playing multiple genres it takes the cake, the more expensive alternative is essentially a one trick pony. You get warmth yes but when you need that bite for heavier music you just can't achieve it. The fire stick red gretsch takes the cake I also own one that very same color and play it more than guitars I own that are twice the value simply because of the smoothness and playability. Gretsch for life🤘

TV gold as they say. ( just noticed the hammer at the door, I presume a theft deterrent lol )

15:42 I love whatever you call it when you drag the pick from high strings to low ... Paul I'm curious that your dad said he isn't even a guitarist??? Another fab entertaining and informative video.

This vid inspired me to visit Tom Lee here in HK to take a serious look at your new Gretsch - they recently got the new line in. Before I tried any, though, I got ambushed by a Cherry Red Japanese one w. Bigsby that had been sitting in the shop virtually untouched for several years - it was reduced from USD 2,500 to USD 1,200. Well, you know what happened next 😃 Neil Finn (fellow Kiwi) has famously used a Gretsch for years (and our George had a US original, of course) so happy bunny here - I guess I blame your Dad, then? Cheers, thanks for the vid as always.

Very interesting. The Electromatic is a great guitar for£400 but the green one does sound better. Maybe not 5x though! I like your Dad’s mancave!

I have replaced the Electromatic Broadtrons with original Gretsch Filtertrons, also changed the bridge. Now I'm very happy with the result.

Sounds like a banjo to be honest , I'd say the metal in the pick ups etc quality , and it's not a simple swap out , very southern , I've opted for the g5425 more humbucker sounds with warmth , The duo jet I think both you lads should play well That green Gretsch pickups are so sireal warmth and serenity , Great to hear classic vibes as I'm approaching 50 my wife bought me one , I'm know player though I twanga ,

I just ordered a G5220, itll be my first electric when it arrives. Im thinking about swaping the Broad'trons with P-90s. I dont know how easy is that gonna be but it should be a huge difference!

One thing I would say (that I haven't seen anyone else mention, though I might have missed it) is that those block inlays are also 'genuine Gretsch' and actually pre-date the hump inlays - look at any Gretsch from 1953 and you'll see them! The thumbnail markers are my favourites followed by the humps; those block markers are too big for me - for much of that neck you're effectively playing on a plastic fingerboard.

For me, Gretsch guitars have always been time machines. I have a Harrison Duo-Jet and words are insufficient. Such a wonderful fiddle.

lovely video, you are a blessed man

Great video, loved it.

Hi. Paul, I was enamoured by the Gretsch 2420... I pestered the local dealer to get it for me to demo ... finally I had it in my hand - was surprised that the sustain was absolutely dead. No matter what position, decay was very high - as if it had a Wes Montgomery mod in it.... I had been playing a wonderful gem Ibanez Artcore hollowbody... compared to it it was nothing. I think the models vary wildly, all QC apart...the high end is high end in the subtle way.

I'd hate to hear John's opinion of my Fender jag. He's brutally honest, as usual. 😏

Ah the pick ups , ( thats the snob in me mate LOL), that would make a big difference perhaps? it does sound great through an amazing amp by the way. I am looking at putting something similar in one of firebirds do they fit that PU cavity. More importantly I absolutely love the fact that you can play with your dad.

Pop knows the real deal Gretsch.

Great video, oh to have a Dad who's into guitars 😄 the buzzing sounds like an earthing issue.

There aren't really any bad Gretsch 's but the top end are just lovely and as the man says, you pay a lot for the extra 5%.

I own a G6117-T-HT Double Anniversary, a G5420TG ltd edition in Cadillac Green, and a G5220 ltd edition in Aleutian Blue. Yes the Professional series made in Japan are special but the new Electromatics made in Korea are bridging the gap! That said my Double Anniversary still feels more special. To be happy with my G5220 I had to file some frets, swapped out the Tune-O-Matic with a Gotoh, swapped out the tuners with Kluson Contemporary locking tuners, planning to swap out the pick-ups and all electronics! Only then will this guitar sound and feel more like a Professional series except for the walnut fingerboard which will never feel like ebony.

i think the G5230T would be a better comparison.. It has the bigsby trem and blacktop filtertron that are more similar to the real gretsch sound than those larger humbucker sized broadtron pickups.

At 19:00 the dad calls "Lenny" by SRV HENDRIX. Because as we all know but some refuse to admit...it is HENDRIX

love the green gretsch

10:41 Paranormal theorists: and that's a super natural orb/ghostly light flying in front of the the door. :))

but what if you put dynasonics in the 5220 ? I suspect that once you add new picks ups and reverb/delay that it will be a very minor difference and not even detectable in a live situation.

Is the green one hollow but the Electromatic solid or semi? I have a high end Japanese G6120 which is hollow and also an Electromatic 5655T which is semi with a centre block and this are the most significant differences, although pickups and Pots are also slightly poorer quality (to be expected).

I'm hearing more mids in the Jet and more acoustic-like clarity in the TCG. One thing I'm noting though is that the Jet has humbuckers and the TCG has single coils. I know that vintage spec Filtertrons are full frequency and can have a lot of clarity, but those broad-trons have much less, and they will not ever match the clarity of good single coils. I could be wrong, but just speaking tone-wise, I think if the Jet had the exact same pickups as the TCG, it would probably sound pretty much as good.

Are you using any pedals at the beginning of the video when you are playing through the Romany 12? If so, which ones? Thanks Paul! Such a sweet sound I want to know how to replicate it.

Newer Gibsons have static issue,especially in our cold Canadian winters when the house is dryer because of the air-conditioning, sounds like there is a wiring earth issue on the cheaper one.

I have a Cadillac green Duo-Jet and love it but I hated that bridge!! I have an avr1 on it now and it’s much better!

This was a great video and how cool is that you've got a Dad you can talk guitars with? Nice playing too. Too bad I read you sold the guitar. This video almost demands a sequel where you put the same Dynasonics in the Electromatic and do a comparison again because I think every Electromatic owner daydreams what their guitar would sound like with a top quality pickup upgrade. Would that few £100 upgrade get you to the £2.5k level of the 6128-TCG? That's the blockbuster video. Will it twang?

Ah! The law of diminishing returns...... It's up to you folks..... Love the video! But on a serious note, I bought my first electric guitar in 75 and it was horrendous, What is available today for what was comparable money then is way way better and the £400 electromatic would be a phenomenal guitar for a young person, where as many people who own their top of the range dream guitars have had to wait until they are older.

Hi Paul, I’ve been considering to get an electric guitar for a while now after my acoustic’s tuning machines broke and the G5220 seems to be a great choice for my first electric as it seems to be the best guitar for its price range. The problem is I love the sound of a telecaster as well and I’ve been torn to choose between the G5220 and a squier classic vibes Tele. They’re roughly the same price so I would like to ask for your advice on what I might be better off choosing.

Dad rips Beatles and then says "I'm not a guitar player." :) I scored one of the CMHOF 1954 Chet Atkins G6120 prototypes and the TV Jones T'Armond Dynatronics blew my mind. I was worried about "yet another single coil design", but this ain't that! I suspect that there is a Player's Edition Jet (G6228 in Cadillac Green Metalic???) in my future.

love the sound of the neck p/up no way am letting yer Dad play my Harley Benton HB35 not really a fair comparison sound wise cause of the bridges and the p/ups, floating bridge makes a lot of difference .

Listen to Billy Zoom of X and you will know Jets with Dynas rock loud and strong.

Oh great !! i like your song at the beginning (so emotional) and i would like to learn it...Can you tell me the name of this song ? I have not yet a g5220 as yours ...this color is so beautiful... but i think i gonna buy one in few week... thanks ^^

The Guitar Mugs are cool too... sounds like the ground wire on the guitar is in the wrong place ?