Gretsch Guitars

For sale, 1 Gretsch G5126 Electromatic Hollowbody guitar with some nice mod's - in excellent condition. Brilliant Silver Sparkle finish that demands attention. Hardshell case affixed with Gretsch sticker will be included with the guitar (an $80 value).

This guitar is from the now discontinued Gretsch Electromatic Hollowbody line which came with the excellent Dynasonic-style DeArmond 2K single coil pickups. It is a perfect set of pickups for Rockabilly, Surf, Cowboy Jazz, vintage Rock'n'Roll - a real twangy, hi-fi kind of pickup. I actually like this model pickup better than the standard Gretsch Dynasonic pickups that come on their professional series line of guitars. It really has incredible definition, sparkle, and a percussive low end that cuts through. It is a shame Gretsch does not manufacture their hollowbody guitars with this pickup anymore.

I changed the cheap "licensed by Bigsby" tremolo system that came stock on this guitar by having a real, American-made Bigsby B-12 professionally installed at a cost of nearly $200 parts and labor. I found this mod to make a huge improvement in playability over the stock Korean-made Bigsby knockoff that originally came on this guitar. The Bigsby B-12 improved the playability and looks of the the guitar greatly, IMO, and really takes the Electromatic series to the next level. The whole system feels much more solid and the tremolo action is now as smooth as butter.

The Bigsby B-12 was a nice upgrade in terms of looks and fit and finish, as well. Legendary X guitarist Billy Zoom made the same mod to his original Gretsch Duo Jet, and this Gretsch Electromatic Hollowbody in Silver Sparkle now looks like the Billy Zoom signature guitar on steroids! - and at a much cheaper price. There is a small screw hole barely visible on the top of the guitar where the stock Bigsby used to be attached. The Billy Zoom Duo Jet model also has the hole visible from the Bigsby B-12 mod, filled in with a silver screw as to be barely noticeable. Please see picture below.

I also had a custom grey pickguard made with a Gretsch logo at the cost of about $35. I still have the stock black pickguard and will include it with the guitar.

Finally, I purchased an Ibanez hardshell case which I found fits this model perfectly. I covered the Ibanez logo with a Gretsch sticker - total cost about $80 or so, and I will include it with the guitar.

The neck is really straight and comfortable on this guitar, and there are no playability issues. The only aspect of this guitar I would still consider upgrading would be the switches, pots, and wiring harness, as they are not quite up to the level of the Japanese-made Professional model Gretsch models. Other than that, I think this guitar holds it's own with most of the Professional line, and looks killer to boot.

I mean, how often do you see a Gretsch Silver Sparkle hollowbody? These don't come up very often!

The guitar is still in excellent condition. I'm not a gigging musician, and always keep the guitar in the case when I'm not playing it. Other than a few light scuffs from normal playing wear only visible upon close inspection under a bright light, and the before mentioned visible hole left over from the stock Bigsby, the overall condition is pretty much the same as when I bought it brand new from an authorized Gretsch dealer.

The guitar currently is strung with Thomastick 11-47 flatwounds, which I find sound great with these pickups. However, the strings have been on there a few years - so I would recommend a new setup if one wanted to change to a different gauge or style of string.

I've done my best to honestly describe all aspects of this guitar, and will be sorry to see it go. The only reason I'm selling it is I scored an actual Billy Zoom Custom Shop Gretsch Duo Jet late last year, and play it almost all the time now.

Considering that Gretsch originally sold these guitars for $799 street price without a case, and the nearly $300 in additional value the upgraded Bigsby, hardshell case, and pickguard bring to the package - one would be hard pressed to find a nicer playing, cooler looking, hollowbody Gretsch for the price I'm asking.

I will accept PayPal or a cleared Cashier's Check as payment.

Flat shipping cost of $49, insured, to lower US 48 states only. I have the original Gretsch shipping box for this guitar and will pack carefully with full visual documentation.

I also have this guitar for sale locally and reserve the right to pull this auction at any time, unless purchase is made with Buy It Now.

Thanks for looking!