Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Jet FT BLK

The build quality on this guitar is great for the price. There are some small shortcomings here and there, but no real issues like frets needing work or anything like that. The tuners are not the most responsive ones, but they keep the guitar in tune alright - even with the bigsby. I had some issues with the TOM bridge screws resonating and rattling, but this seems to be a common problem and was easily fixed with some nail polish. The finish on the guitar looks great. The black shiny cover fits perfectly with dark wooden back. The scratchplate comes off with two screws, one near the neck and one on the bottom edge, so removing it won’t leave much marks.

The black filtertrons seem to have a bit PAFfier tone than traditional ones, but they are definitely brighter than normal humbuckers. Pickup height will affect the tone a lot. I’ve played mostly blues and rock with this guitar, and it works great for those genres. No issues with jazzy clean tones either.

In conclusion: Looks and sounds great, but might have some minor issues that come with the price tag.