Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Review & Prices

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Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Review
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  • 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-Licensed B70 Vibrato bridge
  • Thin U Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Die-Cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 78
Sound 71
Build quality 60
Value for money 75
Overall Score 70
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gretsch G5655T 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

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $750, which means that the Gretsch G5655T Electromatic costs around 7% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Bigsby Tremolo bridge that are made in China.

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Videos

Jeffrey Kunde on the G5655T Electromatic Center Block Jr. w/ Bigsby | Tone Tuesday | Gretsch Guitars
Gretsch G5655TG & G5655T Electromatic Center Block Jr. Single-Cut w/ Bigsby | Demo | Gretsch Guitars
Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic Centre Block Jr Review
Guitar Talk - Gretsch Electromatic G5655TG Centre Block JR Review
Gretsch G5655TG in Black Gold - Best Budget Gretsch?
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Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Is it Easy to Play?

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's 24.6" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Scale Length Comparison
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is similar to some of the Les Paul guitars made in the 50s, and it's slightly shorter than modern Les Pauls (24.75''). Short scales like these make the tone sound more bassy. It also makes the frets closer to each other, and bending is easier due to the lower tension of the strings. However, it comes at the cost of not letting you set the action of the strings as low without hearing fret buzz because the low tension will make the strings looser.

Remember that you can still try a thicker string gauge to increase the tension to let you lower the action.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Neck Profile
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a U type neck. This shape usually has more 'shoulders' than a C neck. It's great for guitarists who love the feel of a vintage neck. Most of them are thick, which makes it better for people with big hands. However, some of them can be thin like a C neck but with more mass to the sides for a better grip.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic has a 12" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's fretboard radius compared to others

This is the same radius that Gibson uses in most of their guitars. When compare to the other popular radius of Fender Stratocasters, you can see that it's a lot flatter. Guitars with this radius are usually made to bring a good balance between single-note and chord playing.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Gretsch G5655T Electromatic has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

24.6'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.685'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
Asymmetrical Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Nut Width
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Nut Width

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic has a nut width of 42.8mm (1.685''). This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.

Frets

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic Fret Size Comparison
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's frets are Medium Jumbo size. These sit somewhere between a Jumbo and a Medium fret. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. This is a good size if you want to make it easy to press the strings but would also like a little bit of ''feedback'' to know when to stop pressing so the notes don't go out of pitch.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 60
Playability 78

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Body, Neck
Laurel wood pattern used for guitar building
Laurel Fretboard

Maple Body and Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Laurel Fretboard: 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.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Gretsch. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Bigsby Tremolo Bridge
Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron Bridge Pickup
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Bigsby Tremolo Bridge
Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron Bridge Pickup
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Bridge Pickup
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Bigsby Tremolo Bridge
Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron Bridge Pickup
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Bigsby Tremolo Bridge
Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron Bridge Pickup
Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

Diagram

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Gretsch G5655T Electromatic's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Semi-Hollow guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Jazz or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 90
Sustain 70
Versatility 58
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 71

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Gretsch G5655T Electromatic is made in China. So you can expect lower build quality when compared to others made in Korea, Japan or the United States. Guitars made in this country are meant for mass production, which translates into less attention to detail and quality control. This doesn't mean the product is made poorly at all. Chinese products have a bad reputation since long ago, but they've definitely improved a lot the last few years.

Bridge

Bigsby-Licensed B70 Vibrato: This is a classy bridge that will make any guitar look vintage. It's a subtle tremolo, so it won't change the pitch of the strings too much and is very friendly with classic Jazz and other retro genres. The big disadvantage is that it's difficult to change the strings and setup correctly.

Also, if it's not well done, this type of bridge can cause your guitar to get out of tune often. For this reason, it's often better paired with roller saddles.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Gretsch G5655T Electromatic has a NuBone nut. It's a synthetic nut from the same creators of Ivory TUSQ. It's a hard and self-lubricating material that helps a lot with tuning stability. It produces a brighter tone similar to TUSQ, but it's not as hard.

More with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Set neck joint. This type of neck joint consists of using different pieces of wood for the neck and the body of the guitar. Both pieces are then glued together. This is more expensive to make than a bolt-on neck, but it's cheaper than a neck-through guitar. Some people believe that this gives more sustain than a bolt-on neck due to both pieces having a 'better connection' than with bolts. Still, it's something difficult to prove.

However, this type of neck joint does have the disadvantage of not allowing you to easily swap the neck for another. This makes this type of neck joint less mod-friendly.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 60
Features 60
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 60

All Specs

Gretsch G5655T Electromatic
General
Brand: Gretsch
Year: 2020
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: China
Series: Electromatic
Colors: Gold, Red, Gray
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Top: Arched Laminated Maple
Type: Semi-Hollow
Body Material: Laminated Maple
Bridge: Bigsby-Licensed B70 Vibrato
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Die-Cast
Fretboard: Laurel
Neck Material: Maple
Decoration: Pearloid Neo-Classic Thumbnail
Scale Size: 24.6"
Shape: Thin U
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 12"
Nut: NuBone
Nut Width: 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Speed
Volume Controls: 3
Tone Controls: 1
Bridge Pickup: Gretsch Black Top Broad’Tron (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron (Humbucker / Passive)

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