Gretsch Electromatic G5438 Pro Jet

The gold standard

This is kind of like a Les Paul, right?

Wrong. Okay, it is a single-cut and dates back to a similar era, but it’s very different. The Pro Jet has a basswood body with an arched maple top, and like many of Gretsch’s solidbody electrics, it’s chambered, making it lighter, and, they say, more resonant.

What’s the deal with those pickups?

The Pro Jet sports a pair of Gretsch’s Black Top Filter’Tron pickups, gving you a bright snap and twang that’ll cut through any mix. Created by Ray Butts as a means of killing the buzz that near drove country guitar legend Chet Atkins mad in 1954, the Filter’Tron is regarded as the first humbucker – just predating Seth Lover’s PAF, which became the core of Gibson’s sound.

So, what’s this ‘Great Gretsch sound’ you mentioned?

In short, it’s incredible. Uncanny, even. For here we are in 2017, and yet you fret a couple of doublestops on the Pro Jet Electromatic and all of a sudden it’s like you’re the Fonz, just waiting for Richie, Joanie and Chachi to show up. The cleans are sharp and jazzy, but just take your amp into overdrive and you’re in rockabilly heaven.