Hagstrom Alvar

KEY FEATURES: Maple body with
chambered spruce centre block, maple
neck (set), 24.6” scale, 22 medium
jumbo frets, laurel fretboard w/pearloid
thumbnail inlay, 2x Gretsch Broad’Tron
humbuckers, 1x master volume, 2x
volume 1x tone, three-way pickup
selector, Bigsby B70 vibrato tailpiece,
Graph Tech NuBone nut, gold hardware
FINISH: Orange Stain [as reviewed],
Cadillac Green, Azure Metallic
CONTACT: GretschGuitars.com
AT A GLANCE
KEY FEATURES: Mahogany body, maple
neck (set-through), 24.75” scale, 22
extra jumbo frets, ebony fretboard w/
pearloid abalone block inlay, 2x Seymour
Duncan Phat Cat single coils, 2x volume
controls, 2x tone, three-way pickup
selector, locking LTD tuners, Tonepros
Locking tune-o-matic bridge and
tailpiece, chrome hardware
FINISH: Violet Shadow [as reviewed],
Purple Sparkle
CONTACT: ESPGuitars.com
AT A GLANCE
TOTAL GUITAR NOVEMBER 2019
100
What’s the difference between the Center Block and the Center
Block Jr?
It’s all in the size. The Center Block Jr shaves a few inches o at its
extremes, measuring a svelte 10.5-inches across at the upper bout,
13.5-inches across the lower bout and a 8.625-inch waist. Looking at
the lower bout, that’s just under half-an-inch wider than a Les Paul,
and the G5655TG feels much like the Duo Jet.
What about the G5655TG’s build?
It has a laminated maple body and a chambered spruce centre block
This looks like a squished Eclipse...
It does, the sort of melted singlecut bodyshape of the PS-1000 is a
refreshing change and it is clear that ESP has put a lot of thought
into making this a semi-hollow for today’s player. Turn it around
and you’ll see a neatly sculpted heel for upper fret noodling – exactly
what this guitar was designed for with its extra-jumbo frets and
shreddable thin-U neck.
Is it a skinny neck?
Not skinny. In fact, there’s a little substance to this one, making it
that is crucial, with the extra spruce buttressing the body from the
lower strap button to the neck helping to stop the squealing
feedback that can blight fully hollow electrics when played with
high volume and gain.
But this isn’t a gain machine, surely...
Yes and no. This has loads of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll tone, and can
con dently deliver juiced-up country blues, but the Broad’Tron
humbuckers are not your Granddaddy’s Filter’Trons. These run a
darn sight hotter, voiced nicely for hard rock with a broad
frequency response.
hugely comfortable for assembling a fl urry of powerchords, while
the fl at 13.78-inch fretboard radius will accommodate fast lead
playing.
Are those humbuckers?
No, humbucker-sized P-90-style single coils. They are Seymour
Duncan Phat Cats and wound super-hot, with the metal enclosures
to try keep the microphonic hum and hiss to a minimum. They are
really hot and punchy, with midrange that could blacken your eye at
high volume. But that said, they are versatile. Just tweak your
volume and tone knobs to get the best out of them.
GRETSCH ELECTROMATIC
G5655TG CENTER BLOCK JR
Hot finish, hotter pickups
ESP LTD DELUXE
X-TONE PS-1000FM
Dial X for extreme
TH
E G
AS
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T
A
T
I
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£859
£1199
TGR325.gear_test.indd 100 10/10/2019 16:53