GRETSCH G5220 ELECTROMATIC
OCTOBER 2022 TOTAL GUITAR
THE TG TEST
87
GRETSCH G5220
ELECTROMATIC JET BT
G5260 ELECTROMATIC
JET BARITONE
The venerable Gretsch single-cut gets
updated for the modern era as two classy
Jets are served up two different ways
T
oday were are going to take a look at two variations on an
iconic single-cut electric guitar. No, not that one – the
Gretsch Jet, a model that has been in production in one
way or another since 1953 with the arrival of the Duo Jet. The
Jet has put some miles under its belt over the years, nding
its way into the possession of an array of players, including
George Harrison, Matt Bellamy, Chris Cornell and many
more, and like an old-fashioned blues standard that’s been
passed down generations there are all kinds of variations on the theme.
You’ll nd them with hard-tails or Bigsby vibratos, with pickups ranging
from the DynaSonic snap and denition of the G6128T-GH George Harrison
Signature Duo Jet to the PAF-power of a Broad’Tron humbucker.
The G5220 and baritone G5260 from Gretsch’s mid-priced Electromatic
range are Chinese made but conform to the classic Jet recipe, with
chambered mahogany bodies as standard. They both look like they pre-date
decimalisation but are new for 2022, and arrive with a host of updates
bestowed upon all new Electromatics. They look the part, with bound
headstocks and bodies, vintage-style puring, Big Block pearloid inlays,
sealed tuners and a number of nish options.
While they are clearly siblings, sharing the neat V-Stoptail hardware,
not to mention the very welcoming Thin U neck proles and Indian laurel
ngerboards found across the series, they are both very dierent guitars.
The G5260 has a bolt-on build, a longer 29.75” baritone scale to
accommodate the lower tuning, and has mini-humbuckers, whereas the
G5220 houses a pair of Broad’Tron humbuckers, with its newly upgraded
body sporting a maple top.
All the classic guitar brands have their purists, yet none are as devout as
the Gretsch super-fan. These electrics have a retro appeal, sure, but are not
necessarily for those whose idea of Gretsch doesn’t extend beyond twang,
chime and the radio hits of the 1950s. Sure, you’ll get a taste of that here but
the G5220 and baritone G5260 grant today’s player plenty of license to give
‘That great Gretsch sound’ a new cadence.
Words Jonathan Horsley Photography Phil Barker
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