Gretsch G5425 Electromatic Jet Club Electric Guitar Firebird Red

Been buying, selling, working on and attempting to play guitars since The Ventures played Wipeout. Still can’t play worth a #&@$ but I have become a pretty good guitar tech and judge of what a good instrument is and this Gretsch is a good one! And that’s a big understatement! The fit and finish of this guitar is absolutely amazing. The quality, playability, feel and value for the money are as good as any guitar I have ever owned or worked on regardless of price. I know, sounds like hyperbole but honestly it’s that good. As I said though I’m just a mediocre player so I can’t fairly assess how it’s going to stack up in a band situation since I only play at bedroom level volume and only play by myself but for my situation it sounds fabulous. The pickups are not traditional Gretsch sounding, they are very clean, not muddy humbuckers that sound fabulous with just a touch of reverb and delay, just the way I like them. I may at some point try a couple of TV Jones’ but for now I’m more than happy with the stock ones. I’m not a gear snob but I feel justified in saying this Gretsch blows any Squier or Epiphone in this price range clear out of the water. Mar9. After playing for several hours I’ve a couple of things to be aware of, first make sure the stop bar tail piece is not set to low or the B and high E string will touch the back edge of the bridge causing a faint sitar sound, also the pickups are very sensitive to height adjustment. Start with Gretsch recommended 3/16” then balance them to each other by raising or lowering but as I said they’re touchy so do it in small increments.

Really love this guitar. I'm a beginner and I was looking for an entry guitar at a reasonable price point. No doubt in my mind that the quality of build and sound better other brands. A friend with many years experience is amazed that the jet club was only $299. I got the firebird red. In most on-line photo this color looks to be a bright red, but it is actually a beautifully rich red without being too dark. The weight and tone are nice and I seem to be able to mange most cord lower-level cord shapes with less strain that on an acoustic guitar.

Not as good as my first Gretsch. Let me explain , the first Gretsch electromatic jet was not in perfect condition but it was set up , stays in tune like no other , that " Great Gretsch sound " was what led me to keep it even though it was a bit banged up . This one , wont stay in tune , is not set up , no tags no warranty card though the seller states all that should have been included and I even inquired before purchase will it be set up ? They said " Yes " and so I purchased it . My initial excitement turned to dismay and I have lost all trust in this seller due to every thing they said being untrue . It is not set up , it did not have warranty card or tags , it does not stay in tune like Gretsch guitars are known for . I do not know if the guitar would be ok with a good set up or if there is more issues, without paying for a skilled professional Luthier to evaluate it and this just adds more cost . So I am returning it as soon as I have time to be there for a pickup or take it to UPS . So much stress and time wasted . Never again Chesbro Youll be waiting a long time for your money back and CS will tell you untruths along the way . I recommend you get your guitars of any high prices elsewhere in person .

Great guitar for the price.

I got this at a really good price and I was surprised how nice it sounds and feels with barely any set up out of the box. I tech all my own guitars and there were no sharp frets they were level. The fretboard was nice and level, intonation was spot on and I set the action nice and low.

I'm pretty sure this is discontinued -- the current replacement line is the Streamliner single-cut solid-body at roughly $259. This is my first electric guitar. Despite what you hear about entry-level Chinese-made guitars, my 5425 was playable out-of-the-box with no significant buzzing or dead spots. Once I lubricated the nut (by rubbing a pencil tip through the slots) it's had pretty solid tuning stability The neck is straight, the action is low, and it intonates "competently" (meaning the 12th fret is very close to a perfect octave above the open string). Despite the Gretsch name, though, the pickups are fairly standard humbuckers that may be (it's debatable) voiced "similar" to the classic Gretsch sound. They are not Filter'Tron type pickups. While a lot of Gretsch fans will complain about the Broad'Trons (available on the Jet Pro, one model grade above Jet Club in the pre-Streamliner era), they are at least similar in design to the classic Filter'Tron. Nevertheless, for entry-level humbuckers, they sound great. There are aftermarket pickups that can be swapped in (most notably TV Jones, widely recognized as the superior 'Tron-style pickup manufacturer, closest to the original sound and better overall than Gretsch to the point that mid- to high-end G's just come with TV Jones' in them.) Anyhow, the 5425 is an easy-to-play Single Cut vaguely les-paul-shaped entry-level guitar with good tone, good construction, good intonation and tuning stability. I have no regrets. I now own a P90-based Tagima (also entry-level) and love each one for its own qualities.

I'm a total beginner at playing the guitar. I really don't know anything, except that George Harrison and Chet Atkins played Gretsch guitars. I wanted a good quality guitar on which to learn because, just as a cheap first telescope with crappy optics can discourage someone from further pursuit of astronomy, a junky feeling guitar with high action can cause a beginner to quit playing. Beautiful guitar. I got a red one and the finish is sensationally smooth and glossy. I would have preferred a red glitter finish for an even more vintage look, but the Thunderbird Red (as Gretsch calls it) is stunning.

Beautiful guitar with lovely sound quality- my fiancé is made up!