Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet Electric Guitar with Bigsby

With its Bigsby B50 tailpiece, Hump-Block inlays and Black Top Filter'Tron pickups, the Pro Jet gives you the tone and the looks of a classic Gretsch guitar.

Overall User Ratings (based on 14 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(14) (see rating details)
Submitted August 18, 2014 by Don A

"Excellent sound and value."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I recently purchased the pro jet in gold and it looks amazing. The fit and finish on this guitar are top notch and there were no electronic issues. It arrived well packaged and required little set up for my playing comfort, of course set up is subjective. There was no buzzing even though the action was quite low. The only problem I have had was a slight binding in the bridge, this is easily fixed even though I believe a new guitar purchase should require nothing more than two set ups I decided to keep and fix the issue rather than returning it as I was so happy with all other aspects. The Bigsby, though licensed, is very well made with no sharp edges or other issues. Holds tune and the frets were fairly well dressed even though this is a less expensive model. I have to add that I am very pleased with the sound of the pick ups and see no need for replacing them like many have done. They have plenty of punchy vibe and growl nicely with some dig in. This combined with the hollowed out body adds a very good distinctive sound. This is Gretsch through and through. While I feel it is unfair to compare this to the pro-line Jets this guitar will hold it's own. The Electromatic is a bit heavier and I believe that the pro-lines or either slightly more hollowed out or perhaps the woods are different attributing to this weight difference. Anyone looking for that Gretsch sound and look will not be disappointed in the purchase of this guitar.

Musical Background:

Home player, 20 years. Guitar, piano. .

Musical Style:

Rock, blues, jazz
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Submitted November 16, 2013 by Carl Martin in Chandler , OK

"Great purchase"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I just bought the gold gretsch 5438 t. After researching it for months. I would the gretsch sound but couldn't justify spend the $3000 + for the traditional models The minute I got it out of the box I loved it plugged it in to my amp and fell in love with the tone with all effects off It has a full body clean tone . It also has a great crunch sound. Played at church Sunday had lots of comment on look and sound It's not a heavy metal guitar. If that is what you want don t buy this. But you can pour the coals to the overdrive pedal and get a great southern rock sound

Musical Background:

Played for 40 years rocks band and modern church worship

Musical Style:

Rock blues, country, Christian
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Submitted April 2, 2015 by Stephen P in Clearwater, FL

"gretsch pro jet"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I just received my gretsch this week and it is my turn now to rate it. I have always been a firm believer in your hands having a lot to do with you style and the sound you can get from any guitar. If you don't have a feel or style for this instrument you might as well try something else. This pro jet I find is an awesome feel for the neck for me. I hate c necks...seems too fat, but this is really comfortable. The action was set real well. The intonation is off so that can be fixed by me. The sound is just great and has really good dynamics. So in my opinion, for the money...this guitar can go anywhere and just about play anything and sound great. Thank God for Gretsch guitars that we can afford now. I love that trademark sound!!!

Musical Background:

been playing since I was 13 and now I am 62..I play guitar,bass,drum program. pro

Musical Style:

I have liked rock and Christian and pop and blues .
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Submitted June 13, 2014 by Cris F in Williston, VT

"Excellent guitar for the $! Happily surprised."

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Unfortunately, I couldn't try this guitar before purchasing. But after reviewing lots of reviews, I pulled the trigger and was very happily surprised at how I love this thing! The feel while playing is great, it sounds excellent (love the pickups) and the quality is a shocker for the price. I did concur with some of the reviewers on detuning when using a heavy hand on the Bigsby, but for normal vibrato effects, it works fine. The controls and layout are (for me) perfect. And Zzounds was great.

Musical Background:

I've played music for over 50 years (guitar, bass keyboards). I played professionally for 8 years and now just do home recordin

Musical Style:

Classic rock, country, folk-rock
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Submitted March 14, 2016 by Jonathan Robbins in Asheville, NC

"Better than expected!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Couldn't be happier w/this guitar and with zZounds. I'm so leary of buying online, especially w/guitars. Researched it to the point of ridiculousness, and decided to pull the trigger. zZounds sent it out immediately, and it arrived 2 days later in perfect shape (and I'm picky). Other than needing new strings (which is typical of a new guitar), it played well right out of box. That was surprising. I love the filtertons, as I don't like brittle pickups which a lot of Gretsches have (in my relative opinion). I'd read that these are the darker of their options, and it's true. Lots of clarity yet without being brittle and too twangy. Close to my P90's but a slight bit more definition with a bit of overdrive and rhythm parts. It, also, feels like better quality than some Gibsons I've had at 3 times the price. Lastly, I can ACTUALLY utilize the tremolo arm and it holds tuned relatively well! I had compared this 2 the Epiphone Wildkat at the same price because I wanted something in my arsenal (for an album I'm currently in studio recording) that could "surf" a bit when it was needed for the song, but the Wildkat I tested would not hold tune, AND it feels like a cheap toy compared to this Electromatic. VERY Happy!!!! Total Gretsch Fan now.

Musical Background:

Professional Recording Songwriter and Musician

Musical Style:

Rock
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Submitted December 18, 2017 by Brett Huhn in Columbia, MD

"The Good, Bad, & Ugly"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Good: Guitar came perfectly intoned. IT was manufactured in June and I bought it in November. The strings were fresh and did not need replacing. The Bigsby did not take it out of tuning when used. The Pickups are clear without using distortion. They sound glassy and throaty. The Fit and Finish is absolutely flawless. nothing wrong with it at all, period! The Fretboard it a beautiful piece of rosewood that has a streak of Black running the length of it. Th Tuss rod took 1/8 of a counter clockwise turn to give me more pit in the middle of the board and it still stayed intoned. The wiring inside of it was neat and tied down. The pots are pots for a $400 Guitar and they go from on to Off in a fast way and not gradual as I expected it to do. I feel like the quality of this is way beyond the price. it has a Gretsch Growl like it should and is perfect as far as an addition to my Quiver of Axes. The setup of this guitar and the fit, Finish, and attention to detail, blows my Fenders away. I will be buying moreGretsch Guitars soon! The Bad: The Bad is that they do not advertise on this site just how fantastic Gretsch Guitars can be. The Ugly: I bought this Electromatic in Black 4 days ago. The Picture of it was from 2013 and showed Chrome Pickup Surrounds but it showed up with plastic pickup surrounds like the Silver Sparkle one. Im on a search for the correct surrounds for these surrounds now.

Musical Background:

2 Years. I jam at hoje

Musical Style:

Stones, Zep AC, DC, Classic, Surf!
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Submitted June 27, 2012 by Roy H in Brisgeport, CT

"Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet Bigsby Black"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I just bought one of these guitars after doing considerable research. Although a little skeptical upon ordering ( I knew I could return it if I was dissatisfied), I took the plunge using the four-payment plan. To my surprise, this guitar delivers the tone you'd expect from a Filtertron. Run it through a valve amp (like a Bugera or Vox) and you'll be amazed how sweet this guitar really is! I don't care for the Bigsby B50 and I'm replacing it with a B3 as comes with the Duo Jet professional Series and I'm also replacing the tun-o-matic bridge with an ebony base to really connect well with the chambered body. This model comes from the factory with "El Cheapo" strings... I switched out to Pyramid light guage which really improved tonality!Overall... an EXCELLENT guitar for the price!.Would like to have ebony fretboard (but that's only available on Professional Series models). You get genuine, "real deal" rosewood fretboards instead of the "baked maple" CRAP that Gibson has been using since they were busted by the Feds for illegal rosewood and ebony importation.

Musical Background:

50 years- guitar, keyboards

Musical Style:

rock, rockabilly, country, blues, pop
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Submitted November 3, 2017 by Clayton Richards in Keene, NH

"Oh wow"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Oh my gosh, this guitar really is just too nice. I love this thing. The bigsby is amazing. The silver sparkles are beautiful, the tuning knobs are super easy to use, really easy to tune. The strings are well wound. The fretboard is lovely and easy to fret on. It's an easy to play guitar. The fretboard is not too narrow and not too wide. The strings are not too high off the fretboard so I don't have to break my fingers trying to play it. The only bad encounter I've had is the strap pegs - they don't fit well with a lot of straps. They also don't screw in very deeply so when you try to loosen them to fit the strap on, they fall off. So you can't jump around much with this one unless you find the right straps. Overall, this guitar is gorgeous and I love it dearly. This is my new favorite thing. It is my 10th guitar and so far, my favorite.

Musical Background:

Been playing music 10 years. I play 13 different instruments. Professional musician.

Musical Style:

Indie rock, chillwave, alternative rock, synthwave, pop, electronica, dream pop, and all different other genres. I have 11 diffe
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Submitted March 21, 2016 by Dave E in Phoenix, AZ

"Awesome rig for an amazing price!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I'd been shopping for a new guitar for a while, and while in a famous guitar store, I stumbled onto this. I plugged it in and could not believe how incredible it was right off the rack. So I logged into zZounds and bought it. When it arrived, I was amazed at the quality and the setup right out of the box. It honestly plays like a $3000 Gretsch. Solid workmanship, great fretboard, and that crunch! Now I know why Malcolm Young has used Gretsch for the last 40 years. For $500 this is a STEAL.

Musical Background:

20 year guitarist. Mostly local stuff.

Musical Style:

Rock... AC/DC, Cult, hard blues.
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Submitted January 25, 2012 by Kirk Lange in Kirkland, WA

"Amazing guitar!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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After trying out numerous guitars, I finally found the one that fit. I have the G5438T Gold Top and the guitar is beautiful and plays even better than expected. Don't shy away because the guitar is made in China. This baby is better built than most American made guitars! The new Filters give it a nice deep tone. For the money, it's the best value out there! A must buy!

Musical Background:

Intermiediate

Musical Style:

Blues, rock, some jazz.
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Submitted March 24, 2015 by Joshua Mitchell in Mechanicsburg, PA

"Love that great Gretsch sound!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I love the playability of this guitar from the body and neck. I love its vintage looks, reminds me of George Harrison's Duo Jet from the Cavern Club. Overall a great guitar, I'm glad I got my hands on one.

Musical Background:

Playing guitar about 15 years, Intermediate player, Electric guitar, Coffeehouse acoustic.

Musical Style:

Rock, alternative, folk, classic rock.
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Submitted January 23, 2018 by Scott L in Austin , TX

"Great at any price point!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Got the candy apple red one for Xmas and it is a thing of beauty. My first Gretsch but definitely not my last.......once you have one you’ll understand. Filtertrons are nice pickups and pretty versatile. I’m still getting used to the guitar but loving it. It came setup well and the Bigsby holds tune just fine for me (I don’t crank on it, just finesse it for a nice vibrato). Next for me will be the streamliner with the the hotter pickups and I’ll be pretty versatile between these two guitars. My 3rd guitar from zZounds and great experience as usual. I’ve also purchased other equipment (amps and ukes) and never had a problem.

Musical Background:

Home player for four-five years now.

Musical Style:

Blues and Country
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Submitted July 24, 2014 by Don A in Victorville, CA

"Gretsch Gold!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Arrived today, well packed. Unpacked it and plugged it in, GREAT SOUND! Electrics has been a problem with this model from what I understand but this one had no scratchy pots at all. Fit and finish was good except for a tiny spot, about a half millimeter in the top. Bigsby is great, but will go ahead and put a bit of a heavier spring as per recomendations on the gretsch talk forum. Just arrived so we will see how it stands up to time but it seems well built. This is a great buy, and you can change the pots for a twenty bucks or so if you want a different sound. My first gretsch and my first filtertron guitar and I couldn't be happier. Next is a 5420T! Do not hesitate to pull the trigger one this one! ZZounds was top notch in the shipping department, and payments plans are fantastic.

Musical Background:

Inexperienced

Musical Style:

Eclectic
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Submitted April 25, 2014 by Wayne W in Colorado Springs, CO

"Great Gretsch Electromatic Solid Body"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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OK a few several years ago I saw a black sweet guitar hanging on the wall at Guitar Center. It was up high, but I could see it was a Gretsch with a Bigsby and mother of pearl pick guard. Awesome I loved it. Unfortunately I had to pawn it and couldn't afford to get her back! Well I found a new and improved on right here on zZounds! It has better pick ups and just looks fantastic! I love it because I get that Les Paul thing and Fender sounds all in one! Thanks zZounds for the payment plan. This is guitar #2 from you guys! I am a customer for life and my electromatic is 100% amazing!

Musical Background:

Jam at home. ! Fender 54 relic Gold 50th anniversary Strat, 2013 Epiphone got it from zZounds, Fender
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