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The Gretsch Pro Jet Preaches To The Converted, But Worth It
Date of Review: Jan 22, 2007
The Bottom Line: If you are a Gretsch fan, this is a good one to add to your collection.
The Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet looks like a souped-up Les Paul copy, particularly the Ebony model which sports a pearloid pickguard. Like most Gretsch's of this type, the body length is a bit longer and leaner. This model also comes with a Bigsby (and costs about 100.00 more).
The body has some hidden value that Epiphones in this price range (or above for that matter) rarely have, which includes a 100% mohogany body and set neck. In addition, the body is chambered like a semi-solid, essentially creating a Les Paul Lite. Considering that the mass is similar to a LP, this is a good chunk of quality wood.
Add to that a great neck, with good action, medium jumbo frets, and, well, passable rosewood on the fretboard. The bridge section included their version of a tune-a-matic, and a nice, thick retro "G" tailpiece.
Before you go rushing to buy this 390.00 wonder (stopping off to buy two aftermarket humbuckers), be aware that the pickup configuration makes that virtually impossible unless you know how to rout out a guitar.
The reason is that the pickups are T.V. Jones designed mini-humbuckers, which can't be swapped out for virtually anything you can get at Guitar Center. Not even Gretsch has a clear upgrade path for this model, which given the body design, should be towards a Duo's humbuckers (but alas, it isn't).
Even more interesting, the humbuckers are classic vintage "H" style, with two rows of pickup poles. You can micro-adjust tone with those. However, be aware that if you adjust the poles too different, it may create an out of phase effect also. It'll be a challenge to someone used to single pole row humbuckers, but it's worth the effort.
However, if you're considering buying a Gretsch, you wouldn't be thinking about trying to mold this into a Les Paul anyway. This is a Gretsch, and moreover, it is a rocker's Gretsch.
Unless you have a pretty good tube or valve amp, you can pretty much forget the clean tone on this one. The front pickup sounds like baling wire, and the back pickup sounds OK. Lower the pickup, and you'll get a decent acoustic-like clean tone, but forget even sounding like an Epiphone.
Then, turn on the gain button, and suddenly the guitar comes alive. That chiming, bell-like sound with a hint of twang comes out of the front pickup, and the bridge PUP hits you with the smoothest twanging you'll ever hear. The Tele's worst enemy has arrived.
Crank the amp and you'll find that those T.V. Jones mini's make THE rockabilly sound, and all manner of classic sounds will come as you get to know the guitar. Also, crank the amp gain all the way up, and it's still the cleanest, smoothest distortion at this price range on up to the 1000.00 class.
Ironically, even though it has a poor clean tone (for many amps), it's "jazzy" tone with light distortion is exceptional. Experiment with amp and tone settings, and this guitar will pretty much do what you want with it (even sound a bit like a Les Paul when in gain mode).
This axe will chicken-pick at high volume as well as any telecaster, American made or not. If you are into the Gretsch sound, you'll shake your head at how a guitar like this could be so cheap.
Of course, the reason is simple. Like Epiphone, the guitar is made in China. Which has created the interesting and ironic comments now coming up on the internet (and in private deals I've seen and made) where Korean guitars are becoming preferable to Chinese ones. The reason? Quality issues.
However, and there are always exceptions, at least some of the guitars I've seen come out of there have been of exceptional quality and price. The Epi PR-5 Limited Edition was a superb value at 300.00.
Looking over my Pro Jet, I see no discernable flaws, the chrome parts are flawless, and the pearloid pickguard is too cool for words. Also, since I got it for 300.00, I have no cause for complaint. A guitar of this construction with T.V. Jones designed pickups would have been 800.00 if American made, probably more. Or else cheaper materials like alder would have been integrated into the construction.
This Gretsch is part of a new manufacturing cycle, now based in China, and it will difficult for even old timers to quantify how good this or that guitar is given that the price will often be quite low. I'm sure the parent company, Fender, is watching this quite closely for future Squire models.
like I said in an earlier review about import Gretsch's, it's nice to see a name brand company put it's name on it's entire model line. It tells you that the company stands behind every product it puts out, and that you don't have what they consider to be a "cheap" or "economy brand" model.
Gretsch has had it's ups and downs, but with guitars like this, that wild but cool sound will be blasting out of amps well into the next century.
As well it should.
