Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic vs G5422TG Electromatic
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic over G5422TG Electromatic
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic over G5655TG Electromatic
Other Key Differences
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic vs G5422TG Electromatic
Shared Features
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic vs G5422TG Electromatic
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic is probably the better product overall with its final score of 69 compared to the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic's 68 score, although not by a lot.
The Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic has the upper hand when it comes to.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic is the better choice.
The Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic Overview
- From Gretsch's 2020 Electromatic series
- Made in China
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Arched Laminated Maple top
- Laminated Maple body
- Maple neck
- Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron (Humbucker/Passive)
- 3 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby B70 bridge
- Thin U Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Die-Cast tuners
- Weight between 7.2lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.3lbs (3.3kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic Overview
- From Gretsch's 2016 Electromatic series
- Made in China
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- 5-Ply Maple body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch Black Top Filter'Tron (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch Black Top Filter'Tron (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby Licensed B60 Vibrato Tailpiece bridge
- Standard U Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Die-Cast tuners
- Weight between 6.9lbs (3.1kgs) and 7.5lbs (3.4kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Winner: Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Tie.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
They both share the following switching options:
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic compares to the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic has a NuBone nut. It's made by the same company that makes TUSQ nuts. It's slightly softer but hard enough to give you a brighter sound when playing open strings. It's also self-lubricating, so it's good for tuning stability.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Bigsby Tremolo. Bigsby tremolos are built differently than regular tremolos. They have a stiffer arm, which is something a lot of people like because the arm won't wiggle around a lot. On the other hand, this type of tremolo is more complicated to restring and it might not be as newbie-friendly as other simpler tremolos.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Die-Cast.
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic
- NuBone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, both have a scale length of 24.6".
This is a vintage-style scale length that's relatively short when compared to modern standards. A short scale makes the string tension lower, which makes the strings feel looser. This makes it easier to bend the strings, but it also makes fret buzz more likely if the action is set too low.
The shorter length also means a shorter separation of the frets. It also makes the overall tone sound warmer since the harmonics and overtones will have less space to breathe.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic and the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic have a U-shaped neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic and the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic favors large hands more than the Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic.
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic:
Gretsch G5422TG Electromatic:
Fret Size
Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.
