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Gretsch G5435T Electromatic Pro Jet review An affordable model that won’t let you down. • It definitely looks the part and this affordable beastie carries a discernible load of classic Jet DNA . Electromatic range has picked up a cult following over the past few years. ’Matic fans love pimping these things. Electromatic tweakers can also be somewhat cynical of the price tags on the Professional Series guitars, which includes our Vintage Select Editions. In recent years, it’s the sub-£1,000 guitar sector that has seen the biggest shift in build quality, and bang for your buck, with the Electromatic range playing an important role in that growth by offering iconic designs at affordable prices. Our G5435T Pro Jet features the same scale length, fingerboard radius and fret count as the Vintage Select guitars. Costs are kept in check with a chambered basswood body but you get the laminated maple top, a pair of Black Top Filter’Tron pickups and a licensed Bigsby. The set maple neck is topped with a slice of rosewood, 22 medium jumbo frets and again has a 305mm (12-inch) radius, the same as a Les Paul, which might give you an idea of the great playability on offer here. By the way, the fingerboard comes studded with similar, '57-era 'hump block' inlays to those featured on the recent Gretsch George Harrison Signature and Custom Shop Tribute model guitars: fab indeed. The Jet's complement of hardware includes a set of vintage-style tuners, classic screw-on strap buttons and beautiful chrome 'G Arrow' control knobs. You also get a horseshoe Bigsby Licensed B50 vibrato although this isn't period correct: '50s-era Jets would have been retrofitted with the longer-bodied B3 Bigsby. Just like the one on Beatle George's original guitar in fact. Sounds and feel Running the Jet through a clean channel it's immediately clear that the new Blacktop Filter'Tron pickups are more Gretsch-like than those original mini-buckers. The bridge Blacktop has much of that punchy clean sound that we expect from a Duo Jet. It's great for beating out old-school rock 'n' roll riffs. Gretsch guitars are more versatile than we give them credit for and both Jets pump out convincing rockabilly, blues and surf tones. Then there's the rock stuff. Steve Marriott of The Small Faces and Humble Pie, and Malcolm Young of AC/DC, have both proven how great Gretsch Jets sound with some overdrive. The Blacktop Filter'Trons work great with the filth. The inherent brightness of the pickups cuts through an gives the overdriven tones a ballsy edge. The Electromatic Pro Jet has a super slim neck that’s obviously aimed at modern players. Despite its more modest price tag, the Pro Jet can swing from classic 50s rock ‘n’ roll to hard rock and just about anything else. These Black Top FilterTrons are not just generic humbuckers. You actually get some Gretsch mojo wrapped around those bobbins, boosted no doubt by the chambered body. 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. Music Radar Read full review
Verified purchase: No