Gretsch Electromatic G5135 CVT Electric Guitar

Web Item #GRE2505200

$629.99

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Overall User Ratings

Overall:: 10 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
The Wow Factor:: 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10

Features:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 10 out of 10
Manufacturer Support:: 10 out of 10

User Reviews for Gretsch G5135 Electromatic CVT Electric Guitar

Overall:: 10 out of 10
Features:: 10 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
The Wow Factor:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Manufacturer Support:: 10 out of 10

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By a customer from hotmail.com

Submitted: 1/14/2011

Style of Music: Classic and original rock

Experience: Hobbyist 25 years

"A Must Have! Truly Outstanding!"

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Sound:

Absolutely fantastic sound, comparable to a Gibson SG. The Gretsch Corvette has great clarity and bite. The Megatron pickups handle distortion exceptionally well, and sound especially sharp with the distortion dialed back a bit, but without losing the ballsy gain kick you're looking for. The Corvette has a little less sustain than the SG, but it's not as potentially muddy as the SG can be at high gain, due to it own wonderfully long sustaining properties. The Corvette has the capacity to stop sound on a dime, which gives real definition to chords and notes without a hold-over from whatever changes you're coming off of. In the final analysis, the Corvette could easily substitute for an SG in every respect, and I love SGs and all they bring to the table.

Feature:

From the tuners to the pickups to the set neck to the knobs to the pickguard to the Bigsby, the guitar is expertly crafted. The beveled mahogany on the Corvette is glossed, rich, and utterly gorgeous, with a nice wood grain; it is not a dull mahogany. The Bigsby, which I was worried would throw the guitar out of tune, or be in the way, or not measure up to Floyd Rose's locking trems, is actually well secured, has good resistance, does not interfere with strumming or picking, though it doesn't dive bomb like Floyd Rose trems. It's a more subtle machine. The Bigsby does not throw the tuning way out, so don't believe the hype. In short, everything is quality made and well appointed on this model.

Ease of Use:

The Corvette has the body shape of the Rickenbacker 330 models, but is vastly superior in every way. The neck is wider than a strat, more like an SG, but comfortable, with a high level of playability, boasting taught and low action. Good rhythm or lead guitar, but played cleanly through an amp, it has very limited sound variances. This instrument is a rocker, not a sonorous jazz vehicle the way Paul Reed Smiths can transform into from a rocker sound. In the end though, the Corvette is a snap to play.

Quality:

The Corvette is thin as an SG, but has more weight and substance. Nothing about the Corvette is cheap or flimsy. It's solid through and through. Absolutely beautiful to behold and undoubtedly durable as a tank. You'll want to baby it, it's such a thing of art.

Manufacturer Support:

Have needed no support on this order, and have never gotten a defective product from Same Day Music. They've always been spot on in my experience. If you have an issue, call them up. I have a few times for reasons not related to to my instrument's condition on a past order, and they've been very helpful. Good customer service.

Value:

Gretsch makes some very good stuff at mid-range prices. I've played their hollow-body model priced at $699. While the Corvette is perhaps not as tonally versatile, I'd take the Corvette over the aforementioned Gretsch model in a heartbeat. You'll almost always pay more for a hollow-body model, and the only reason I've ever been able to discern is that it's because it's a hollow-body. The pickups on the Corvette have more balls than the Gretsch hollow-body, and the Corvette is the better instrument across the board, hands down. I'd pay a thousand bucks easy for the Corvette, but it's meant to rock, ala Malcom Young, not Pat Metheny. The tonal range outside of AC/DC or The Cult is not so rich, though it is clean and clear. But dull isn't what this Corvette is aiming for.

The Wow Factor:

A 60's retro look, but with the guts to cut razor sharp with a modern sound, the Megatron humbuckers somewhat unique from Alnico or Duncan humbucker pickups. A dazzling instrument to behold.

Overall:

I can't imagine ever letting the Corvette go. It's an instant staple. I own guitars by Charvel, Gibson, Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Epiphone, among many others. While Paul Reed Smith may have the best pickups and the best tonal variety I've ever come across, and while Gibson is the superior rock guitar in my opinion, the Gretsch Corvette, while being somewhat of a one trick pony tone-wise, has all the quality playability, construction, aesthetics, and sheer draw to it of any model I own. I couldn't be more satisfied. Save your money on the Rickenbackers and go for the Corvette. You can sound reminiscent of the 60's, 70's, and beyond with this model when you plug it in a Marshall and set to it. As far as mid-priced instruments go, this is about as good as it gets, though check out PRS single cut models. I'd pick the 'Vette over any MIA strat without a second thought, and I own one.