Gretsch G2410TG Streamliner review: classic aesthetics belie meatier tones
The tagline for Gretsch’s Streamliner series is ‘brave new sound’, so you might well be a little confused by the oh-so-familiar look of the fully hollow G2410TG. That is, until you look at it side-on.
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The ‘G’ denotes gold hardware, but the big difference between this 2021 guitar and the G2420T we reviewed back in 2019 is that the archtop body is half an inch skinnier: 2.25 inches at the edges instead of 2.75. Combine that with the punchy Broad’Tron BT-2S humbuckers and we could be closer to a thinline Gibson than a traditional Gretsch twang-box here.
This is still much more of a handful than a 1.75-inch Gibson ES, though, and most of its key features remain very much in the 6120 tradition – from the double-bound single-cutaway shape to the Bigsby-licensed tailpiece and wood-mounted bridge.
Completing the ‘lounge bar on the Titanic’ look of our review guitar is a natural amber finish with smart purfling, a tidy tort pickguard, humped pearloid fret markers and four controls – master volume and tone plus individual pickup volumes – in a black-tinted clear plastic that only slightly detracts from the luxury vibe.
In use
A ‘thin U’ carve and a 12-inch fretboard radius combine to make the G2410TG’s neck feel wider than it really is – the prominent shoulders mean it fills the hand nicely when playing open chords. And higher up? Well, you won’t be going very high: the heel starts around the 11th fret, and access to anything above the 18th requires telescopic fingers.
The relatively shallow body inevitably brings a more brash and middly acoustic voice than a full-size Gretsch, but it’s not unpleasant. DC resistance readings of around 9k for both pickups, meanwhile, make it clear they’re not low-output Filter’Trons in disguise.
An amplifier soon confirms that. If your favourite thing about Gretsches is the sparkly treble, move along – there’s nothing for you here. Like the two Streamliner models with FideliSonic 90 pickups that we reviewed in June, this one’s all about the chunky midrange.
There’s plenty of vintage twang on the bridge pickup, though. This is no shredding machine but for rock ’n’ roll riffage it’s got all the attitude you need – and it’ll take more gain than you might expect. The lack of a centre block means you’re never far away from the next feedback squall, but it’s not as uncontrollable as some deeper-bodied types – and of course, with a little help from the Bigsby, those howls can be harnessed to create a whole other kind of music.
The neck pickup is pure jazz, warm and whumpy even with the tone control wide open, while the middle setting keeps the low end full but introduces some phasey colour in a way that begs you to play pretty arpeggios. In theory there are more pickup blends to be explored by turning down one volume control or the other; in practice, the tapers are so all-or-nothing that this doesn’t quite happen.
This isn’t a guitar for the rockabilly purist, then, and nor is it a slinky blues machine. But if you’re eyeing up a space between the two, the G2410TG might just fill it.
Key Features
PRICE £609
DESCRIPTION 6-string hollowbody electric guitar, made in Indonesia
BUILD Arched single-cutaway fully hollow maple laminate body, set nato neck with 12” radius bound laurel fingerboard, humped block inlays, 22 medium jumbo frets and synthetic bone nut
HARDWARE Adjusto-Matic bridge on secured laurel base, Bigsby B60 vibrato, vintage-style tuners, all gold-finished
ELECTRONICS 2x Broad’Tron BT-2S humbucking pickups, master volume and tone plus individual volume controls, three-way pickup switch
SCALE LENGTH 24.75”/629mm
NECK WIDTH 42.8mm at nut, 53.9mm at 12th fret
NECK DEPTH 22.1mm at first fret, 23.9mm at 9th fret
STRING SPACING 35mm at nut, 51.5mm at bridge
WEIGHT 3.1kg/6.8lb
LEFT-HANDERS No
FINISH Village Amber (as reviewed), Ocean Turquoise, Single Barrel
CONTACT gretschguitars.com
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
