re: Gretsch Guitars

The Electromatics that cross my repair bench seem to get better and better and better with each passing year as far as component quality and overall craftsmanship. They used to be reasonable guitars that looked like their cool older upper tier Gretsch brothers. Now the the Electromatics stand on their own as good solid values. I'd buy one at the right price. I'd feel confident gigging or recording with it.

The high-end production Gretsch guitars are currently made in Japan and they are absolutely incredible. The Terada factory consistently makes stellar guitars with no shortfalls or shortcuts, period. If I was selecting between a vintage Gretsch from their golden era, late 1950s to early 1960s, and a modern MIJ Gretsch, the pure player in me AND repair/luthiery guy in me who knows about older Gretsch guitars' inherent and inevitable structural issues, would take the modern Japan guitar in a heartbeat, without hesitation, every time. They are that good.

In short, it's a great time to buy any new Gretsch guitar IMHO. All their stuff is winner.