Gretsch Streamliner P90s

PelliX

PelliX

Well-Known Member
England
So, not an NGD.. yet... but maybe soon. I've been looking for a hollowbody electric for a while and I was initially basically angling at an Epiphone Casino or a Gibson (or Epi maybe) ES-335 or similar-ish. Today I stumbled across this Gretsch at a very modest price. I don't actually have a Gretsch and the handful I've played have been alright but didn't blow me away. The tone was generally nice, and one would often associate Gretsch with Filtertrons or similar. This one has a couple of P90s loaded which I've also been casually looking for.

1784219840794.png

To be honest, I might well remove the P90's, put in Filtertrons and find another guitar for the P90's. Not a fan of the Bigsby, but I'm not opposed to them either, I'm just not an avid user of the whammy bar generally.

I don't have a production year for it yet, but I'd presume it's fairly recent - within the last few years. Curious, any thoughts or personal experience with them?
 
OK, well... NGD incoming. At the price I figured I'd end up with either a guitar or some parts and and increased urge to finally build a lapsteel if all else fails. We shall see....
 
I have been eyeing a streamliner for awhile now. I like the smaller body. I don't own one, but I would like to add a 335 style guitar to my humble collection and these certainly fit the bill. I have picked up and strummed a few at guitar shows the past year or so and I like the size and the feel of them. There are a few different models with varying pickup selections and single vs double cut, with or without whammy bars.
Keep us posted and good luck.
 
Ozzie said:
Ahhh, I wasn't quite finished typing before you pulled the trigger. HNGD, can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I get that. I don't generally move that fast, but the seller made a good offer and I wasn't going to turn it down or sleep on this one. Sometimes you have to take chances, right.

Ozzie said:
I like the smaller body. I don't own one, but I would like to add a 335 style guitar to my humble collection and these certainly fit the bill.
Click to expand...

That is my thinking, also. I'm not the world's biggest guy and Gretsch's tend to be a little larger than comfortable for me. This should fit nicely. Not that I complain, I mean, I play bass and dreadnaught acoustics and don't complain. If the sound is right, I'll play it or do my best to try but I prefer a comfy package, hehe.

With a little luck, the case might also fit my Red Special for which I only have the original 'gig bag'. The "we dare you to use this" type of the cheap variety...
 
Mmmm, hope it brings years of joy.
I've been a big P90 fan for the past couple of years so i imagine it would sound good to me.
I played a Gretsch acoustic a couple of weeks ago and liked it so much I've been eyeing them on-line.
However; I have 3 acoustics and don't need another, but I liked the Gretsch better than my high dollar Breedlove so maybe a switch is in order.
Best of luck :cheers:
 
HNGD, it looks classy!
While a Bigsby looks good, it is not the most functional Tremolo system.
But yes, it kinda belongs on a guitar like this. The length of string behind the Bridge definitely changes the way a guitar feels, even if the Tremolo is not used. That difference in feel alone makes it worthwile to have at least one Bigsby- equipped guitar.
That one also has P90s, another plus. I love the sound of a P90 in the Neck Position, so why not get a Filtertron for the Bridge and go with mixed PUs?
 
Eric'45 said:
But yes, it kinda belongs on a guitar like this. The length of string behind the Bridge definitely changes the way a guitar feels, even if the Tremolo is not used. That difference in feel alone makes it worthwile to have at least one Bigsby- equipped guitar.
Click to expand...

Agree, though only relatively few models of the Streamliner series appear to have had Bigsby's for whatever reason, and even fewer P90s. I'm not planning on changing or removing the trem, but you do raise an interesting point about the bridge pickup... yes, a Filtertron there and the P90 in the neck.... hmmmm!! :hmmm:
 
PelliX said:
Agree, though only relatively few models of the Streamliner series appear to have had Bigsby's for whatever reason, and even fewer P90s. I'm not planning on changing or removing the trem, but you do raise an interesting point about the bridge pickup... yes, a Filtertron there and the P90 in the neck.... hmmmm!! :hmmm:
Click to expand...
The Idea was not quite coming out of nowhere, because that is what my Duesenberg has.

Their Version of a Noiseless P90 in the Neck position, their Filtertron-ish HB at the Bridge and their slightly improved (but still kinda weird) Bigsby.
And that would be my only experience with a guitar vaguely similar to this.
 
I also wasn't going to sleep on this one. I can be a bit tightfisted at times and that's a good thing. Sometimes you have to put things into perspective, though. I've often been lucky with cheap guitars. The seller responded very quickly, took the offer which wasn't exactly generous and told me straight away he could ship it the next day. I have close-ups and it seems pretty much mint. Seems eager to move it, why? Worst case it has a buggered neck or something like that. Ideally, there's a problem with the electronics or hardware. We'll see.
 
PelliX said:
To be honest, I might well remove the P90's, put in Filtertrons
Click to expand...
I'd give those staple P90's a try before yanking them.
They may have been paired with that guitar for a reason.

Eric'45 said:
The length of string behind the Bridge definitely changes the way a guitar feels, even if the Tremolo is not used. That difference in feel alone makes it worthwile to have at least one Bigsby- equipped guitar.
Click to expand...
I agree.
No experience with a Bigsby on a hollow body, but I like what it did to my Firebird tone and feel.
(and a little more a$$ weight also helped the suicidal neck dive...)

If you want to change anything, I'd highly recommend the Chet Atkins arm on the Bigsby.
And the Vibramate String Spoiler makes string changes way less of a chore.

G-Firebird.jpg

PXL_20250116_232626700.MP.jpg
 
Last edited:
PelliX said:
Well, I'll be damned. A pic popped up in the featured gallery, leading to this post by Robert (RIP):

Inspector #20

Post in thread 'Best Dark Stain For Possible SG Build:'

Like this without rhe black edge fade:

20220412_070301.jpg
  • Like

Seems he may have had the same thing basically.
Click to expand...
He was a good friend of mine. He worked at the Fender facility in San Bernardino, CA. He saw all kinds of Fender products as a QA and setup guy. Hence his, nickname Inspector #20. He was also a great musician and a studio musician for Capital Records.

That’s a picture from his workbench at Fender, so not his personally.
 
fitz said:
I'd give those staple P90's a try before yanking them.
Click to expand...

Sure, I always give things a fair chance first. I don't have any Filtertrons worth using laying around anyway right now.

fitz said:
(and a little more a$$ weight also helped the suicidal neck dive...)
Click to expand...

Indeed, I figured this can only help.

fitz said:
No experience with a Bigsby on a hollow body, but I like what it did to my Firebird tone and feel.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I uhm... don't really know how much I want to push and pull on a hollowbody instrument anyway. Sure, it's intended for light work, not crazy dive bombs. I'll let you know...

Don O said:
That’s a picture from his workbench at Fender, so not his personally.
Click to expand...

I see, thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top