Gretsch 5120 Pin Striped!

When the car company Scion offered most modifications that people were already doing to their cars in an aftermarket sense, some people were incensed. For some reason it was considered not customized if it came from tthe shop like that which is understandable in a way. I mean, in an obvious way if it's stock it isn't "customized" (or "Kustomized" if you're into that scene) but honestly, when you really think about it, it's the exact same modifications, just offered to you before you buy the car which some would consider not just cool (cool because the company is obviously paying attention to what the buyers are doing to their cars and whether it be because they want to be part of this scene or they want the extra money to do it for you isn't the point. The point is they ARE paying attention to you and what you like) but convenient.

But what do cars have to do with guitars?

Well, a lot of people have had their guitars customized, or customized their guitars themselves. Some just have plans at the moment, some are working on them a little at a time, some all at once, much like the automobile hot rod scene. I mean, just look at Ger's amazing Squier Esquire conversion!

Pin striped hollowbodies seem to cater to a small market, a very niche market, more than likely filled with pompadours and cuffed Levi's but the market is there and Gretsch is willing to offer these fine folks all the glitz and glamor of a pin striped guitar in a considerably more affordable package than other limited number, niche-driven models.

For those of you out there that think the black Gretsch 5120 is cool, but in need of some extra spice, some more sizzle, some color, Gretsch is stepping up to offer you a mod-free way to scratch that itch!


California hot rod artist Jimmy C. has donated his time and energy into painting a limited number of black 5120s one at a time for public consumption. Here he is at work:

And those are the products. While most pin striping is usually not for me (most of the time the pin striping is way too busy and takes the attention away from the guitar where it belongs) I do like the thick lines and color choices. While gawking at Brian Setzer's prototype hot rod complete with empty hole where his tone switch used to be that was pin striped causes me to immediately pull to the red and white one, I find the blue one looking the best to me. Honestly, this is probably because it is not red and white, a color choice I am assuming (and I know what happens when you assume) most people will choose as their favorite even if they just say so and don't buy it.

I also like it because, although it seems to be inspired very much by Setzer's hot rod, it does not look like his paint job at all. This will give the folks who wouldn't be caught dead with a signature model enough room to say "it looks nothing like his!" and the folks that are looking for a really cheap pin striped hot rod enough closeness to the actual article to say "it reminds you of Setzer's doesn't it?"

And honestly, as a business, that's the line you want to tread, right?

Speaking of the finish, you can't have pin stripes on GLOSS paint so the tops of these are a matte finish while the backs and sides are gloss which reminds me of a letter sent to a car magazine where an enthusiast asks if anyone has painted a car (a Mercury in this case) primer black and then painted gloss black flames on it. If no one had, and the letter writer has not yet finished his car, he better step on it, because Gretsch is on to how cool gloss and matte look together.

But the best part is that this is not a standard model but a very limited model, leaving the standard 5120BK alone to folks that don't want this striping or don't want striping at all, and the finish-only upgraded version to the cats that want to stick out.

I know what you're thinking: How much does it cost? Well, so long as Gretsch uses a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy, the numbers are going to change depending on who you ask. My advice is to find a dealer that offers great service and prices that would put big box stores like Guitar Center and Musician's Friend to SHAME (really, give Joel at Shanghai Music and Sound a call at (580) 718-9122 to put me to the test) but the MAP for this guitar in any of the colors is $1,225.00. Honestly though, that number means nothing until you give Joel or another smaller, independent music store a call to find out how much they really go for.

I don't bet, I KNOW you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Enough talk though, let's see some more of these Electromatic Hot Rods!

-Pappy