Gretsch G5191TMS Tim Armstrong Electromatic Hollow Body

February 2013 Guitaris t 93
The tough construction makes it less
susceptible to unwanted feedback
than other full-depth hollowbodies
GRETSCH G5191TMS TIM ARMSTRONG ELECTROMATIC HOLLOW BODY £1,198
ELECTRICS
Gretsch G5191TMS
Tim Armstrong
Electromatic
Hollow Body
PRICE: £1,198
ORIGIN: Korea
TYPE: Single-cutaway hollowbody
BODY: 5-ply maple back, top
and sides
NECK: Maple, glued-in
SCALE LENGTH: 618mm (24.33”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graphite/43mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, acrylic
block inlays, 305mm (12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Gold-plated licensed
Bigsby B60G vibrato, Adjusto-Matic
bridge with rosewood base, Grover
machineheads
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Gretsch Black Top
Filter’Tron humbuckers, 3-way pickup
selector toggle switch, individual
pickup volume and tone controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.4/7.6
RANGE OPTIONS: G5191MS with
trapeze tailpiece and Man Salmon
finish (£1,090); G5191BK with trapeze
tailpiece in matt black finish (£1,090)
LEFT-HANDERS: G5191TMSLH with
(right-handed) Bigsby (£1,354);
G5191MSLH with trapeze tailpiece
£1,246; G5191BKLH with trapeze
tailpiece and matt black finish
(£1,246)
FINISHES: Man Salmon
Fender GBI
01342 331700
www.gretschguitars.com
be good to see this option
extended to the matt black
finish model, too…
Sounds
The two Black Top Filter’Tron
humbuckers fitted to Tim’s
guitar are modelled on the units
on his original Country Club.
Tim’s Rancid bandmate Lars
Frederiksen thumps out riffs
and powerchords on an
Epiphone Les Paul Custom in
the studio and a Gibson SG
when playing live. Now we
understand why Tim likes
these pickups so much. The
G5191’s brash-sounding bridge
pickup provides the perfect
counterpoint to all that
bottom-end grunt. It’ll never
get buried in the mix, that’s for
sure. Flicking the selector
switch and combining both
’buckers coaxes out a decent
rockabilly tone, while the neck
unit works well for blues licks
and jazz comping. All that
laminated maple helps prevent
muddiness in the neck position,
while the guitar’s tough
construction seems to make it
less susceptible to unwanted
feedback than other full-depth
hollowbodies we’ve tried.
Verdict
You don’t have to be a Tim
Armstrong fan, or a punk,
to fall for the charms of the
G5191TMS. In fact, a big pink
Gretsch with gold hardware
and a Bigsby vibrato is even
more likely to attract the
attention of guitarists on the
rockabilly scene. Those guys
and gals will appreciate the fact
that they’re getting a whole
load of Gretsch DNA for a good
few hundred sheets less than
the company’s Japanese-made
Professional Series models.
The excellent playability and
versatile tonal range of the
G5191TMS are the icing on a
guitar that, frankly, looks like
it’s made out of cake. Who says
you can’t be pretty in punk?
The Bottom Line
We like: Well-constructed;
excellent playability; bags of
eye candy
We dislike: We’d like to see
the Bigsby available on the
black G5191, too
Guitarist says: A pink
Gretsch is a bit of a rarity.
Tim Armstrong’s new baby
redresses the balance
The Rivals
It might be half the price of
the Gretsch, but Epiphone’s
Emperor Swingster (£549)
is a definite rival. Featuring
series/parallel switching
options and a licensed Bigsby
with Chet Atkins-spec long
wire arm, it punches way
above its weight in tone and
playability. For Gretsch-like
tone in a smaller package
see the twin-humbucker,
vibrato-equipped Italia
Maranello ’61. Also at £549,
it’s a bit of a tone monster,
and comes in Trans Blue and
Trans Orange finish options.
You don’t get a Bigsby, but
Gibson’s ES-137 Classic
(approx £1,499) offers oodles
of old-school tone from a pair
of Gibson humbuckers. It’s
great for punk, blues,
rockabilly – you name it
Test results
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
The B60G Bigsby and Black Top Filter’Trons are a recipe for classic Gretsch tone
http://vault.guitarist.co.uk
GIT364.rev_gretsch.indd 93 12/19/12 6:01 PM