Got the black Gretsch 12-string 2 weeks ago and have probably played it for over 30 hours total by now. What a fantastic guitar! Looks great and sounds even better! Fit and finish are excellent, I can't really see any difference in terms of quality to my Country Gentleman, which cost nearly 3 times as much. When I tried out some Electromatic guitars a few years ago, they felt kind of cheap and flimsy. Not this one! A major improvement! I'm also glad that Gretsch changed the headstock shape, relocated the Electromatic logo and used a nicely aged looking binding on their newer models. Overall, this guitar looks very classy, a bit like the Black Falcon.Right out of the box is was set up well, it has good action and a very comfortable neck. The neck is fairly wide, which makes it easy to pick single notes. I used to own a Rickenbacker 12-string years ago but found the extremely narrow neck of the Ric to make it difficult to play. It didn't take me long to get used to the Gretsch at all, it feels great!Even unplugged, the Gretsch 12-string sounds excellent, rich, full and resonant. Through my Vox amp the pickups sound clear and chimey, with good differentiation between the three settings. The master volume, bridge and neck pickup volumes, and tone knob allow for good customization of the sound. All in all, it's actually a pretty versatile guitar, obviously great for strumming, but also capable of heavier, distorted chords and leads. The only downside is that this guitar does not come… read more with a case or even a gig bag, however, it fits perfectly in the Country Gentleman case. Despite that, it's still a great value for $950 and I could not be happier with this guitar!

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