Gretsch blew us away with the Jack Antonoff CVT Princess model, which presented an all-new electric guitar inspired by its vintage Corvette and the Fender Jazzmaster.
It had the offset guitar’s tremolo system – and the P-90 pairing with obscure rhythm circuit. And yet you had this beefy solid alder doublecut body. There was nothing quite like it, and clearly, we were not alone; it was a hit, and Gretsch has today launched a sequel.
If you liked the look of the Antonoff CVT but could live without the vibrato, and perhaps would prefer humbuckers, your ship has come in; meet the CVT Electromatic Series.
This range presents this CVT platform with solid mahogany bodies, bolt-on maple necks with “Performance C” profiles, and a pair of Twin Six humbuckers that promise “gut-punching power with remarkable balance and articulation”. Oh, and there’s a no-fuss, super-tidy wraparound bridge.
We have seen these CVT models in person and had a noodle. They are something compelling, something different from what we would think of as a quintessential Gretsch guitar (is it just us or would these look good in Midnight Sapphire or in a classic Roundup Orange paint job?).
And maybe – unlike Antonoff’s signature guitar – the kind of guitar you would use for big riffs. The CVTs have that Dunable look about them; you could see them being used at a stoner/doom all-dayer in Portland, Oregan.
We like the stripped down platform. Those humbuckers are hooked up to a treble bleed circuit and are controlled by volume and tone knobs, with the three-way selector located in the middle.
Vital stats are as follows: the scale length is 24.6”; the laurel fingerboards are inlaid with Neo-Classic thumbnails and have a radius of 12”; the nut width is 42.86mm and made from Graph Tech NuBone.
We mentioned colour finishes earlier, but what we have is pretty decent. There is Antique White, a deep cream that pairs nicely with the three-ply tortoiseshell pickguard, Havana Burst, again with the tortoiseshell ‘guard, and Wychwood, a dark-green burst the colour of hemlock, which is paired with a black ‘guard.
This is the one for tuning down to C, engaging the fuzz pedal, getting involved with some low-end.
Gretsch is also offering the CVT Electromatic as a bass guitar, a 32” scale four-string that changes up the recipe with a mahogany body, mahogany neck, a real bone nut and tear-drop shaped pickguard (tortoiseshell on the Antique White model, black on the Bristol Fog).
It has a Gretsch Low Down single-coil at the bridge position, a Low Down humbucker at the neck, individual volume controls for both and a master tone. As with the guitars, the knobs are knurled metal. As with the guitars, well, these are pretty reasonable.
Both the CVT guitar and Bass retail at £499/$419, which strikes as a pretty good deal. These could be in the mix for this year’s best electric guitar under 500 bucks. Gig bag/guitar case sold separately.
For more details, head over to Gretsch.
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