Gretsch G6134T-58 Vintage select Penguin

those bobbins, boosted no doubt by the
chambered body.
VERDICT
We can just picture the Electromatic
faithful, arms folded and eyebrows raised,
daring us to justify the price tags of the
Vintage Select models. We agree that the
Electomatic Pro Jet is a solid bit of kit. It
looks the part, punches above its weight in
terms of build quality versus price, and it
puts out some convincing tones. It’s actually
more versatile than the Vintage Select ’57
Duo Jet simply because it can straddle the
old school and modern tonal divide.
That said, if you want a classic tone
machine that’ll transport you back to a time
when amplifier distortion was still regarded
as a fault, the ’57 is a dream. In terms of
presentation, this Duo Jet is as good as it
gets. The fit and finish are flawless; the
playability is perfect. Aside from the fact
you don’t get a nitro finish, the ointment
remains fly-free in every other regard.
Which brings us to the ’58 Penguin. Yes,
it’s about as subtle as Liberace’s piano but
it’s a masterpiece of guitar craft. We love the
1. The dazzling
headstock and Grover
Imperial tuners
are part of the OTT
charisma of the ice-
cool Penguin
2. A licensed Bigsby
vibrato helps the far
cheaper Electromatic
achieve an authentic
Gretsch shimmer
3. One of the most
recognisable Gretsch
features, the master
volume, allows you
quick access to either
tone down the Jet’s
intensity or kill the
sound completely
4. The DNA of the
classic Gretsch Jets
of the 50s and 60s
is there to see in the
G5435T Pro Jet’s slim
headstock. The small
button machineheads
are another nod to
the past
5. Gretsch die-hards
tend to get rid of the
stock Synchro-Sonic
bridge on the ’57 Duo
Jet but we like it just
the way it comes
6. In classic style both
master volumes are
manipulated via a
metal G-Arrow knob
fact that Gretsch fattened up the Penguin
– and the rest of the Vintage Select flock
- with a two-inch gut and sprayed it in a
vintage white nitrocellulose. We love the
TV Jones Classics: a pair of humbuckers
don’t tie you to a specific era in quite the
same way as the T-Armonds. Short of the
heaviest of metal there’s little these pickups
can’t handle.
Our only gripe? Believe it or not, it’s
the hard case. You get the same black
shaped quality number that comes with
the ’57 Duo Jet. Hiding grade A guitar
porn like this in a plain wrapper may be
good for inconspicuous transportation but
the Penguin deserves better. Opening the
Penguin’s case should be accompanied
by smoke, flashing lights, maybe an epic
tune like Aaron Copland’s Fanfare For The
Common Man.
Original White Penguins are rarer than
a X-Factor hopeful without a sob story.
The fact that you can own a vintage spec,
nitro blasted clone is the best thing that’s
happened to us Gretsch addicts for years.
Some might think that the price tag takes
the biscuit but we reckon there’s never been
a better time to p-p-p-pick up a Penguin.
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GIT426.rev_gretsch.indd 93 05/10/2017 17:21