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The mandolin reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
90 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Robb's Boulder Music
Year Purchased: 2012
Price Paid: 239 ($US)
I play mostly bluegrass and I have used it once or twice on stage as a back up. This is usually my lay-around-the-houe mando. I practice on this one daily. The sound is full and bright, and it has a nice chop.
Sound Rating: 8
The strings that were on it when I made the purchase were oldish and somewhat dirty/corroded. I still made up my mind to make the purchase, and Robb's agreed to throw in a new set of J74s as part of the deal.
Setup Rating: 7
This mandolin is very attractive. Mostly mahogany construction with a satin finish, it is certainly appealing to look at. The fit and finish are very polished and smooth. I find the headstock to be especially pretty; simple and elegant. This one draws a lot of positive comments.
Appearance Rating: 9
This one seems solid, with Grover tuners and a rosewood bridge. I have used it as a back up for 1-2 gigs, and feel confident to do so again. My only concern is the likely need for an armrest, as the finish does not seem prepared to stand up to too much sweat or other body contact. For now, I usually wear shirts with sleeves.
Reliability Rating: 8
N/A
Customer Service: 8
The construction seems solid, with good tuners, bridge and nut. The tailpiece, I suspect, will be the first thing to go. It seems to be the least substantial part, BUT so far no issues... Forgot to mention the fingerboard being relatively wide compared to my other mandolins. Easier for wider fingers to hit just the right notes.
Components Rating: 8
I have been very pleased with this mandolin. It is very attractive, and has good volume and a nice bright tone. Gretsch's YouTube video with Jon Rauhouse shows what this little one can do in the right hands. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3xxrZ94wuU
Overall Rating: 8
Where Purchased: Austin Bazaar, Austin TX on Ebay
Year Purchased: 2013
Price Paid: 239 ($US)
I got this mandolin online with a Birthday Gift certificate mainly because I needed to redeem the certificate on Ebay, and I love the look of this natural wood model -- a refreshing change from the usual sunburst mandolins that flood the market.
It is a solid pressed mahogany top and back with f holes, completely unbound and unstained. I love the look. Gretsch calls it part of their "roots" series which are copies of Gretsch New Yorkers from the 1950s.
The sound? Well, not bad for what it is -- a bit darker than my Rover rm50, but not terribly loud (this might be a problem for some folks, but is great for those who live in, or plan to live in, close quarters like an apartment building). I have only had it for a day, so possibly the volume/tone may develop with more playing. In any case, it's no banjo killer and probably won't irate the neighbors too much.
Sound Rating: 7
Mandolin was received with the bridge off and no tension on the strings, and the nut slots were a little high. I set the bridge up with a low action and it plays well. I also filed the slots with nut files to lower them a bit, but I've come to expect this from mandolins ordered from guitar stores.
Setup Rating: 6
All mahogany wood with what appears to be a clear varnish. Very nice looking wood grain. The finish is lovely to look at -- from a distance at least. Close up, the varnish has some dust specks buried in it, most of which I was able to remove with 0000 steel wool. Overall workmanship seens pretty good, but with a few crudities such as the f holes and the finish under the fingerboard extension.
The f holes are very poorly cut, as if someone did it on their back porch with a barlow knife.
The only inlay is the mother of pearl fret markers (with two dots at both the 7th and 12th frets, something I haven't seen before). There is no binding and the edges of the mandolin are nicely rounded.
The head stock is lovely, with a vintage shape and what appears to be rosewood or ebony overlay with very nice logo, just like the original models. The pick guard is very thick and is a kind of marbled black, not the more transparent tortoise shell imitation that I was expecting from the item description. Looks appropriate to the instrument, however.
Appearance Rating: 8
Tail piece is a single piece pressed steel cloud type imitating the old vintage tail pieces. Seems well enough made. I'm not sure how the finish will wear. It doesn't appear to be very thick.
Unable to give it a reliability rating since I've not used it for more than a day now.
Reliability Rating: not rated
Have not dealt with Gretsch but the folks at Austin Bazaar on Ebay were terrific in handling my initial ordering mistake (I ordered without the gift certificate, then cancelled the order and was issued a refund promptly. I then reordered the mandolin using the certificate). Outstanding Customer Service from the dealer and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them again.
As for Gretsch, they offer a limited lifetime warranty on this puppy, which ain't bad for such a low end instrument. .
Customer Service: 10
The fingerboard is nicely finished and straight, with even frets, and the playability is very good after my basic set up. The bridge seems of decent quality with small adjustment wheels, which I like. Appears to be of better quality than other bridges I've seen on inexpensive mandolins. The bridge seats perfectly on the slightly arched top right out of the box, no fitting needed.
I don't think any particular upgrades are required. It arrived with J73 strings on it which sound fine.
Components Rating: 7
Over all this is a fine looking instrument with a vintage 50s mojo about it, and with about the tone you'd expect from an all mahogany instrument for under 250 bucks. It isn't gonna set the mandolin world on fire by any means, but it is quite pleasant and I am pleased with it. I think it would probably make a very good beginner instrument, but maybe not loud enough for ensemble playing with fiddles and banjos. Doesn't matter to me, though, since I play mostly alone and don't require a loud mandolin.
It reminds me very much, in both tone and appearance, of some of the better Harmony models from the 50s and 60s. Not a great mandolin, but not a huge price either. You can do worse. I'll be keeping it, if for no other reason than its looks.
UPDATE: After playing this instrument for five days now, I have to say, in baseball terminology, Gretsch may have hit a triple on this mandolin - the tone seems to have deepened and become mellower and woodier (and louder), or at least I've become more accustomed to it and it seems so. It's developed a nice vintage sound and vibe and I think it may give other low end makers a solid competitor for those wanting an old string band sound and look. I do think, however, Gretsch needs to get better with quality control and eliminate the crude f hole carvings and dust in the finish if they expect to sell a lot of these.
As a consequence of this change in sound after a couple of months play time, I'm upping my overall rating to a solid 9. I'm beginning to really like this instrument.
Overall Rating: 9