Guitar reviews for you - Gretsch 5420T Electromatic Fairlane Blue upgrades project

                              The Gretsch Electromatic 5420T 2016 ready to upgrade

The Gretsch Electromatic 5420T 2016 is a great basic guitar but it needs a couple of upgrades to really improve it.

Firstly, the Bigsby B6 does not have enough screws, 2 only are fitted and they are too high up the plate to get the advantage that they should have, so that was going to be changed.

I colour matched this paint from MGTF Trophy Blue and Platinum Silver by eye

Prior to commencing the work, I purchased a Bigsby B6C trem, part no 60138100 from the US, suitable for archtop guitars. I thought it would be different to paint the indented part of the Bigsby casting with Fairlane colour blue, or as close to as I could get to it.

I cleaned the Bigsby to remove any traces of grease with a water and washing up liquid mix and rinsed it, let it thoroughly dry and mixed my paint by eye. I used a plastic mineral water bottle and cut the bottom off, it had convenient dimples in the bottom so I could use this as a palette to mix the paint.

I used MGTF Trophy Blue and mixed in MGF Platinum Silver. These are Acrylics and were in small nail varnish size bottles with a brush in the lid, shake well to mix and then add in paint to colour, I used a sable artist brush carefully to drop in the paint and flowed it out with the brush.

Don't worry about paint overspill when paint filling, it can be removed later. I did about 3 light coats and let it harden for a few hours, too thick and might chip out. I used my fingernails to remove any overpainting after the paint had hardened as the paint won't stick that well to the bare metal, but does to the black base coat already in the casting rebates.

To finish off, I applied a Hycote clear acrylic lacquer from a small touch up bottle again with an artists sable brush. I put on about 3 coats and let it settle for a couple of days to flow out and harden up. It looks like glass now and has sealed the paint in well. The metallic paints need this clear top coat to bring out the shine.

So first off, changing the bridge, which also needed the rosewood base sanding for a better fit to the body shape.

The Tunamatic is ok as a bridge but I prefer a roller type or Space Control bridge, but a Vanson roller bridge fits the tunamatic base fine, lastly a set of Wilkinson Kluson style tuners to replace the cheapo tuners in the future.

Using the curve of an optional saucepan to aid bridge base fit to guitar body

180 grit paper was taped with masking tape to the flat side.

Final sanding can be done on the body, but I did mine by hand and test fitted it until ok.

The first issue to overcome was the bridge base which required sanding to fit the body contour better. There were gaps under it which wasn't helping the tone transfer.

Slave Tunamatic in place, see holes in front of it,

these are where the bridge screws go into them through the bridge base,

they are not plain 'pins' as on the Setzer guitars

Warning Here!!!! The bridge is screwed onto the body, you need a Hex Allen key to undo the posts that the tunamatic locates on!!! These bridges are not 'pinned' as a Setzer guitar one is on plain round bar. So DON'T try and lever off the bridge base, unscrew the threaded stud 'pins' and it will come off ok.

Once the bridge is off I sanded that to profile and reinstalled the base carefully, it now fits a lot better. Then a Vanson Roller Tunamatic was installed onto the base, I did try the Gretsch Electromatic bridge to see if the Vanson saddles would fit into it but they were not compatible so I swapped over the complete unit. The strings line up perfectly so that works for me and the objective of the roller saddles achieved.

Now to the most tricky part, fitting the new B6C V type Bigsby. I did take my time with this as the mounting holes on the base plate would be different to what I had from the old B6.

I did a lot of measuring, checking and re-checking. I found it best to attach the strings to the new B6 and try it in place, using masking tape on the guitar body to which I had pierced the old string holes on the body side through as guides. I marked the place of the old holes to help with locating the new Bigsby which has a different end plate as an aid to where I thought it should go best.

My concern with the new B6C was that the silver Earth tape was going to be very close to the hole for the new strap button screw, so I took the new Bigsby off and drilled a new hole lower down for that strap button screw to go through, rather than risk going into wood with a hole next to it or damaging the Earth tape and causing screening problems.

Once that had been done, I put the strings back on the new Bigsby B6 and tried it in place, using the lines drawn on making tape as a guide, as you will see in the picture below.

I ensured a good 'fan spread' pattern of the strings when placing the new Bigsby in my test measuring so the new Bigsby would work properly in my calculations. I am glad I took the extra trouble, it paid off. I would rather measure it half a dozen times and get the best result than put up with a badly fitted unit!!

Much taping up and marking done, it pays off.

I  lined up the Bigsby so that the mounting pads on the underside of the casting were flat to the body, using my 6120 Hot Rod as a reference point. Essentially, if you do not have a guitar to hand with a B6C V type to hand, there are mounting pads under the casting and I ensured that they were both contacting with the top of the body and then adjusted the base height as I thought best.

I Having established a good angle for the Bigsby, I then drilled the bottom hole on the mounting plate first and screwed the new screw in, having lubricated it with a smear of Vaseline beforehand to ease fitting. I then checked the contact of the pads and then drilled partially the holes for the remaining 2 screws..

Once all looked ok, I removed the Bigsby B6 and removed all the masking tape and cleaned the body up of dust. I remounted the Bigsby B6 and then drilled the holes finally for the top screws on the rear plate and for the strap button and screwed that in.

I found that the standard height spring put the arm of the Bigsby a bit high, so I used the one from the original B6 which is about 5/8" of an inch as opposed to a 1" on the new B6. This brought the arm to the right level for me.

The superb sparkle finish in the Fairlane Blue

I tuned up and test played the guitar and it sounded a lot better, the roller bridge was a good improvement and the look is just so much better than the old style B6.

This just looks so good, like a 6120 Hot Rod! New strings fitted and sounds much better!!

Gretsch 5420T and mid 90's 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod

Last but not least, I also purchased a set of Wilkinson WJ45 EZLock tuners and may fit those in due course.

I tried them for size and they fit the bushes in the headstock ok, but the screw holes are in a different place and new ones will need drilling and the old holes filling with cocktail stick and touching in with the auto paint.

I think these will be better and I have greased them with Silicon Auto grease from a syringe

Anyway, that's the work about done on the guitar, the pickups are good sounding so I will keep those in and fit the Wilkinson tuners in time.

The 5420T is a great guitar and this new version for 2016 is well worth buying. My upgrades have improved mine a whole lot and it has better tone and look as a result. Side by side with the 6120 Hot Rod, it looks almost like a Regent Blue 6120.

A pity tht they did not do the upgrades as here to the base unit and fit Filtertrons to it!!

Gretsch 5420T in Fairlane Blue - Joe Carducci could take this to another level!

Gretsch 5420T in Fairlane Blue - nice Candy Sparkle finish

The Gretsch 5420T is a step up from the previous model, 5420T, the next question is why not take it on up a step further?

I love the videos that Joe Carducci of Gretsch makes, he is very enthusiastic about the products and he does have some good stock to show and market these days. The quality generally of Fender instrument stock is improved over just a year or so ago, having recently acquired a 2015 Mexican Sunburst Stratocaster it is nicer to play than a 2013 one I owned previously, it sounds great and I am pleased to have it.

I have owned the gamut of Gretsch guitars from a 1968 6120DC through to a new Streamliner 2420T, 5120 Electromatic (which I upgraded), to the 6120 professional series guitars.

When I saw the new 5420T in Fairlane Blue, I was really taken with it and I think that this guitar could be taken onto another pricing point because it just needs to go there and fill that place.

The thing that I thought when I saw this was it looked a similar colour to the Duesenberg guitar which is around £1300 in the UK and that's partly what made me want one. Except this new Gretsch  not only looked good, it was just over half the price less of the D and it had Gretsch on the headstock.

My feeling having been involved in product, business development and marketing is that there is a strata that Gretsch are not exploiting, that is beyond the Electromatic and below the Hot Rod / Professional series bracket of £2600 GBP, around the £1000 GBP bracket.

This is where they could place this improved guitar with this great colour and other similar 'Hot Rod' type colours such as silver sparkle, blue sparkle, red sparkle, gold sparkle some with big metal flake used to give the dramatic effect in the paint.

In fact why not offer some 50's Pastel Colours as special options too, Shell Pink, Mint Green, Daphne Blue?

Whilst you are there, stick in some Filtertrons, put on a roller saddle Tunamatic bridge and put on a proper V Gretsch Bigsby B6C as the B6 that is on the Electromatic as standard only has 2 screws unlike the USA one which has 4 and is not adequate for the job.I upgraded my 5120 with more screws and nearly 10 years on I am surprised this has not been changed to four screws as standard.

That is why my 5420T is getting a brand new B6C V style USA Bigsby on as soon as it arrives. It just looks a nicer design of unit visually and the USA ones work better.

Whilst you are there, lose those cheap open back machine heads, they are not very strong and put on some Grovers or Sperzl locking ones.

Then you will have the guitar that fits another bracket and looks so good too. I just love that 'Kingfisher Blue' look of my 5420T.

These guitars have come along way from the 5120 that allowed me to own a Gretsch guitar again without it being an unaffordable dream.

My final request is the headstock overlay. That needs to be upgraded.

The Indonesian made Streamliners and the Rancher acoustics have a lovely 50's style Gretsch logo in the squared design font, it just looks miles better than the Electromatic one which looks cheap and doesn't do the guitar any favours, the Streamliner one looks miles better and makes the guitar look more expensive than it is.

So go to it Joe. The market needs this new option! You're the man to do this! A request from Gretsch lovers everywhere.