Gretsch is writing a new chapter in the Jet saga with the Electromatic Premier Jet, which brings a higher-spec version of the versatile guitar to the fore.
The Fender-owned firm has been knocking some stellar electric guitars out of the proverbial park of late, from its feature-laden, Beatles-inspired Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic, right through to the minimalist, affordable Streamliner Jet-1.
The Premier Jet builds on the platform of the Electromatic Jet to form what Gretsch is calling its “the boldest evolution yet”. It boasts the same single-cutaway, chambered mahogany body, but adds a maple top, whilst the C-profile Performance set neck is also made from mahogany and capped with a 22-fret bound fingerboard, swapping rosewood for ebony.
The neck is crafted with modern playing in mind, with a 10" to 14" compound radius – versus the standard Electromatic's 12" radius – Pearloid neo-classic thumbnail inlays, and Luminlay side dots, while it also gets a gloss finish and Graph Tech NuBone nut.
Hardware specs take in a LockDown locking bridge, die-cast sealed locking tuners, and Sphera Twin Six nickel-finished humbuckers aided by versatile controls.
Features here include Master Volume with Treble-Bleed for clarity at all volumes, and push/pull auxiliary switching to engage the Lumen Filter, which cuts the low-end for a “tighter, snappier response.” That translates into percussive hi-gain tones and crystalline cleans, giving a little more single-coil response.
An upgrade from the baseline Electromatic’s PureVolt pups, the two Sphera humbuckers are voiced to be “exceptionally expressive and addictively powerful.”
Built with 12 adjustable pole pieces each, the pairing extends “unrestrained flexibility” to a player’s tonal palette. The neck pickup pairs Alnico VI magnets with clear poly-sol-coated wire, while the bridge wiring is plain, and specially calibrated coil winds are said to offer “brilliance and brute force.” They, too, are vacuum-wax-potted to minimize noise and interference.
The Premier Jet is priced at $799 and available in four finishes – Vintage Pearl, Robusto Burst (brown), Onyx Storm (black), and Clairvoyant (purple). While it might be a more high-end Gretsch Electromatic, it still sits comfortably under the $1k mark.
See Gretsch Guitars for more.
