Gretsch G5715 Lap Steel Guitar

Feature:
Not much in the way of features - it's a simple, one pickup, two-control lap steel guitar. I would have liked to see it packed with a gig bag and a steel, though.

Quality:
The overall construction is decent, but the parts don't inspire a lot of confidence. BUT - there's not a lot to go wrong. If you treat it nicely, it ought to hold up just fine. The "fingerboard" appears to be just painted with the fretlines and designs, and might not hold up well over the long run.

Value:
Great value. It does what it is supposed to do, it has a fine sound, and it's gorgeous.

Desirability:
I wanted it the instant I saw it. Maybe I'm just a sucker for tobacco sunburst.

Sound:
I find this steel to have a wide range of sound. It's a single-coil pickup, so if you're in a noisy room, you'll have some hum. I find that I can minimize that by rolling off the tone a bit, though. The volume and tone knobs sweep smoothly through their full range, and there's no scratchiness or noise. I get a REALLY nice tone using just a tiny bit of phase-shifter and a touch of reverb. Use the tone control on the guitar and the amp to make sure you get fullness, not twang.

Ease of Use:
Straight out of the box - just plug and play - it sounds great. Nothing's simpler than a lap steel.

Support:
No clue on this one. I've been to the website, and there's a fair amount of information. I don't think thre's a lot to support here, though. It's really a very simple instrument.

Overall:
This will be a valuable addition to the stable. I don't know that I'll be replacing it or supplementing it any time soon. My main instrument is guitar, so this is more of an accent.

Feature:
it's a pretty instrument. i have the tabacco sunburst. i can't stress enough that all parts are as cheap as it gets. i will keep the pick-up for it's character, but the tuners, pots and bridge must go. buy the thing it's still a lot of fun. anyway, no one can just have one lap steel. you will at least need eight or nine of them,so get going. it's not a bad place to start.

Quality:
the finish is ok. everything else is extremely cheap. this is not a professional instrument. the slab of wood is great and i like the cheap pick-up (it has a cool tone). sitting stock, this instrument is not road worthy. it looks cool though. regardless of my complaints i still have a ball playing it.

Value:
i have seen other lap steels at a third of the price. my guess is that the quality is about the same. this is a beginners, made in korea instrument. this particular lap steel is probably a little too high in it's price considering you will have to replace everything.

Desirability:
it's a sexy looking little bugger!!!

Sound:
this steel has but one sound (more or less). it really is not bad, but the volume and tone pots are just plain cheap and really don't work at all. the volume is either on or off (period). the tone ever so slightly changes when swept from one end to the other. any volume or tonal changes have to be done at the amp (or channel strip if plugged directly into a board). when using an amp i run a fender reissue '65 twin and sometimes an ampeg echo twin. when going straight into a board i front end with an aphex tube pre-amp. i can make this thing sound great in any situation, but i am limited until i put good pots in. a volume pedal is highly suggested. a wah pedal also sounds good. it sounds terrible thru a rat, yet sounds great with a chorus pedal. this particular steel will need some help first. it's a beginners piece, but it can made to be a pro instrument.

Ease of Use:
there is only one volume and one tone from this stock lap steel. if you have never played steel, this a good first axe. there is no manual. it is playable.

Support:
honestly, i just picked any numer on the rating for this question. i have never dealt direckly with gretch. mod this baby out and it is a monster. it's a lap steel!!!

Overall:
i'm satisfied with this product. it needs massive modifications, one lap steel will never do when on stage. i hate having to open tune when playing out, so a number of steels in different tunings are necessary. the idea of different makes and models is also a lot of fun for different sounds and tones. these instruments are just not that expensive, so you may as well own a bunch of them.