However, it means that not only is the bridge stable, but that intonation shouldn't be a problem, especially if you want to up the string gauge from the supplied 0.010s to 0.011s.

The Electromatics have had 'secured' wood- foot Adjusto-Matic bridges since 2015, so that's not a new feature here. There are no locking tuners or USA 'String Thru' Bigsby vibratos instead, we have standard open-backed tuners and licensed Bigsbys with the standard-pin string anchors. With arrow-thru-G control knobs, knurled screw-on strap buttons and standard Filter'Tron pickup mounting rings, the package is all very Gretsch - much less generic than the cheaper Streamliners but not as pro- spec'd as the Professional Collection's Player's Editions. Under the hood, the wiring has been upgraded and the nut material changes from Delrin to Graph Tech's NuBone. Other visual changes include the larger 'oversized', bound f-holes and 'aged' cream- coloured edge binding with inner black/ white/black purfling strips. There's a textural, grainy nature to the sound that, on one hand, seems very lo-fi but with some reverb and amp-like tremolo, plus that Bigsby, it can sound other-worldly and ethereal.

One change to all of these new models that will please Gretsch fans who couldn't afford the higher-end Japanese models, or vintage pieces, is the headstock: not only is it reduced in size to late-50s 6120 spec, with binding, but the previous models' Electromatic logo that ran down the centre of the head and told everyone you were playing 'a cheapie' is now cited below the Gretsch logo on the pickguard - much more discreet.

So, in what amounts to a 'refresh', it's the Electromatic Hollow Body models (the single-cut 5420, the double-cut 5422 and the double-cut 12-strings) that have received the attention.

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