Gretsch Syncromatic Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI purchased this axe from The Music-go- Round in Columbus, Ohio for $299.00 new. I actually was there to trade in a Tascam 4 track MTR,..with nothing in mind to purchase inparticular,{because "the wife" was with me,..you know how that goes!!!} I just wanted a "new toy" and something I had more use for, since I had replaced the MTR with a Roland Digital VS840EX.
Lots of their guitars are trade-ins, and some are new. Since Gretsch guitars are a bit harder to find,I was attracted to it right away, also being the only one there,and the first one I had seen in awhile.
I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw this guitar! It has a finish similar to Sparkle finish in 60's drum sets, but the flakes are slightly larger. This particular one has the deep Yellow/gold finish, with solid black back. You can see this guitar from anywhere in a club, with or without lights on it! The sound is VERY "crisp" and clear,as you would expect from Gretsch. This is due to the single F-HOLE,and the two stock Gretsch pick-ups. The Tuners are good,and the weight and shape are comfortable. I really like the headstock being the sparkle finish too! Its also nice to play just unpluged,thanks to the F-HOLE.
My dislikes are the unfinished bolt on neck mostly. They should have made it the same as the back,{in black.}It also has a very Harsh sound,unlike distortion, and sounds very different than other guitars. Finding the right sound is difficult, {clean and clear is easy}, but distorted sounds are harder to simulate, and require special settings for this guitar, lots of tweaking to find just the right thing. Also,it does not have a pick guard, like the Gretsch "Silver Jet" that it is trying to emulate! Instead, it has a master volume knob under the neck pick-up. This guitar seems more limited to certian styles of music than most guitars.
The guitar seems very sturdy,and can take some serious hard struming.The tuners are good,and you don't really need to worry about scratching the finish too much, its very durable,..unlike laquered wood. Its a four bolt neck design,and the knobs and switch are fairly responsive. It also has screw off/on strap knobs. Body style is shaped something like a Les Paul,except this is a semi-hollow body design.
The bottom line on this Guitar in my humble opinion is that it is very different in terms of sound, feel,and looks. With this in mind,{its uniquiness} it is a really nice guitar for any collection of "players". For the price,its good. I would consider it more for Country music,very twangy,not alot of sustain, but a great guitar where you want to hear a nice clean chord,and sounds really nice with chours effect. Besides,its hard to add a Gretsch to your collection without spending a lot more money!
Eddy James rated this unit
on
2003-02-05.
