Gretsch Electromatic G5655TG

NOVEMBER 2019 TOTAL GUITAR
HE TG TEST
99
W
hen we talk about the
semi-hollow electric guitar,
often our rst thoughts turn
to the Gibson ES-335 and its
ilk; guitars with wide bodies
that you could use as life
rafts in cases of extreme
emergency. Are they
awesome? Absolutely. But sometimes it feels like
they are for players built like Mr Tickle. Not all
semi-hollow electrics need be that cumbersome.
Which brings us here. There’s a Gretsch
Electromatic G5655TG Center Block Jr not
dissimilar to George Harrison’s favourite, the Duo
Jet. If the Gretsch works a ‘50s mojo, the
Hagström Alvar turns the clock back to 1965,
looking much like a downsized version of the
Swedish company’s rst semi-hollow, the
Viking. While the Fender Vintera ‘70s Telecaster
Thinline takes its name very seriously with a spec
that is pure 1972, right down to the bullet-style
truss rod. These are vintage-voiced guitars, but
rounding out the round-up we’ve got the LTD
PS-1000, an opulent singlecut with two high-
powered Seymour Duncan P-90-style pickups
and a contemporary feel. Proof that not only can
Semis scale down, that they are as much about
the future of guitar design as they are its past.
SMALL BODY
SEMI-HOLLOWS
TGR325.gear_test.indd 99 10/10/2019 16:53