Pickups: Stock Blacktop Filtertrons

Fretboard: Rosewood

Neck: 2 Piece Maple (Scarf Join)

Body: 5 Ply Maple

Nut Material: Graphtech Nu-Bone 

Bridge: Gretsch Adjusto-Matic with Bigsby B60

Colour: Cadillac Green 

Country of Origin: Korea (Samick)

Weight: 3.4kg

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One of the very few guitars that I actually bought new. Well to be fair, it was a present but I did get to pick it out. The Korean Electromatic series from Gretsch have been steadily increasing in quality and reputation from year to year. When I saw this Cadillac Green and gold version I could not resist... 

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This is actually my first hollow body electric - it is completely hollow with no centre block. To be totally honest, it is not night and day to me. Of course there are differences but they are not great, tone wise IMO. Perhaps I need a change in pickups. I do like the blacktops that are in there at the moment though. If I were to be critical, or change them out in the future, it would be because they can be boomy and don't sound the best through a gained up pedal. Incidentally they can also sound harsh through higher gain. 

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One thing that lets the Electromatic series down is the electronics, and this guitar has been no exception. The switch crapped out on me within the first 2 months. I haven't got much faith in the hardware and will probably swap all of it out at some point. Until then a resoldering job is the order of the day. 

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Other than that, it please amazingly well, and as most guitars from Korea these days - is very very low on fuss and maintenance. The neck seems very stable and the frets are finished to a reasonable standard. When I first got it though, there were some sharp edges that I sanded back on the nut and the rosewood part of the Adjusto-Matic bridge. Funnily enough, the pickguard is the thing that is annoying me at the moment, as my finger has a way of finding itself between the strings and the pickguard, and that edge of the pickguard is sharp. Will probably bevel it down when I get a chance. 

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I'll likely swap in a bone nut and maybe look at getting a Tru Arc bridge down the line. But right now it is perfectly fine existing the way it is. 

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Jobs/Upgrades to be done:

Pickups

Roundover or bevel one edge of pickguard

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Upgrades done:

TonePros bridge

Bone Nut

Replaced Bigsby spring with higher one