Best GRETSCH Guitars 2026: Iconic Tone For All Budgets

Gretsch are easily one of the coolest guitar brands of all time, aren’t they? Stunningly beautiful, bold statement-makers with a sound that no other guitar has, Gretsch definitely earn their space in the pantheon of great guitar brands.

One of the many excellent things about Gretsch is that they are available in a wide variety of price points, from budget right through to Custom Shop models. They are by no means all the same, but they do all share the same distinctive DNA that sets them apart from the other brands. This is a great thing, as it means everybody can enjoy a little of that Gretsch magic.

Today, I want to introduce you to a few of the Gretsch models that have caught my eye. At time of writing (July 2026), these are all available on our site, but they are just a tiny smattering of what’s available there, so take these as personal recommendations from me to you, and then also check out the rest of the range!

This first choice of mine today represents a side of Gretsch that is somewhat less celebrated than it should be: a hard rocking, solid body guitar. We think of f-holes and glitz with the brand, but consider Malcolm Young, Chris Cornell and a lot of the other rockers who took on the no-frills, no-nonsense Jet guitars and made history with them!

This Gretsch Streamliner Jet 1 Pickup is as straightforward as it gets:  solid, flat mahogany body with a bolted on neck, a single high output ceramic humbucker and a wraparound bridge tailpiece. Everything you need to lay down the law, with no unnecessary frills. That doesn’t mean that Gretsch haven’t added some of their signature style to proceedings, though: you get the awesome ‘split V’ headstock style and the ‘Neo Classic thumbnail’ inlays to give this a vintage edge and that notable Gretsch style.

Love it.

Now this is a pretty wonderful example of Gretsch style! The phenomenally popular Gretsch G2420T brings together all of the elements you’d hope to find in a big-bodied hollow Gretsch, at a price that is more than reasonable. You have the classic large shape, the Bigsby tremolo (you can also have it sans Bigsby too, with a trapeze tailpiece instead), those thumbnail inlays and a set of cool looking (and surprisingly hot output) Broad’Tron humbuckers: all in, a very cool package for those who want that big hollowbody charisma but don’t want to commit to one of Gretsch's spendier guitars.

One very cool detail that I love on this and other Streamliners is the f-holes. Take another look at them, and compare them to an Electromatic or Professional Collection hollowbody. Notice anything? Yes, they are smaller! And that’s not a cost-cutting measure, either: it’s a historical reference. I learned from Gretsch aficionado and Cult guitarist Billy Duffy that this was the norm in the 70s when the Baldwin company owned the licence to make Gretsch guitars. So, these Streamliner models can be seen as an official-unofficial nod to the Baldwin era.

The Electromatic range is where Gretsch have made the biggest dent in modern guitar sales. Looking, feeling and sounding like guitars of twice the price, the authentic stylishness of the Electromatics, and their gig-worthy performance make them a pretty hard option to refuse!

Of the many excellent, cool and stylish Gretsch Electromatics on offer today, I’ve decided to select one that illustrates a particular option. I’ve gone for the lovely Gretsch G5622T Electromatic, because it is a ‘centre block’ model. This means it is slightly more like a sort of Gibson ES-335 type of guitar: it’s semi hollow, with a solid block of wood running down the centre of the body’s inside, leaving the two ‘wings’ of the body hollow. This, in general terms, prevents harsh feedback and lends a little more midrange to the guitar’s sound. Whilst you lose a little of that distinctive body depth of the fully hollow guitars, it does mean that you can go a little more nuts with the overdrive without fear of howling feedback interrupting your performance.

Aside from this, the Electromatic range as a whole is worth exploring, because the price to performance ratio is very impressive, and the sound and feel are very authentically ‘Gretsch’.

Not technically a ‘White Falcon’, but a Gretsch Synchromatic Falcon in Snowcrest White, this is beauty personified. It also basically IS a White Falcon, okay? It’s just made in China so it’s cheaper than the Pro Series ones by a pretty large margin, and I basically cannot recommend this enough.

With Gretsch guitars, we all understand that they are - up until the Custom Shop models - factory made instruments that are built with layered wood. It’s how they’ve always been, so that’s no criticism. But that also limits the differences inherent in models that sometimes cost thousands of pounds more than others. 

This is such a case. These are lovely guitars, well made, nicely detailed and well finished. You get the right look, the right colours, the ebony fingerboard, the Filter-Tron pickups and the Bigsby tremolo. They come in a hardshell case and you can have a black one or a white one, as well as other models such as a lovely take on the Nashville. 

What’s not to like?

Nothing that I can find, and for that reason, this is my essential guitar to check out, from this whole article. No matter how above or below your budget this one lands at, I feel like you’ll be wanting to have an opinion on these.

The Gretsch Professional Collection is where the majority of Gretsch’s famous original designs live nowadays. The Country Gents, the Falcons, the Nashvilles and the Jets, to name but a few. Some of these (as we’ve seen above) live in other ranges too, but those exist in relation to the Pro Collection, not the other way around.

There are a number of subranges inside the Professional Collection, and my choice for today comes from one such subrange, the Vintage Select Edition range. This group of guitars focuses on specific reissues from Gretsches of the 50s and 60s, which is when the majority of their most prized and lusted after instruments debuted. 

So, you’ll see it pictured below, but I’ve gone for the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition ‘62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. That name is quite a mouthful, but then this guitar is quite an immensity itself! As the title suggests, this is a signature model for Chet Atkins, and it has some really rather unusual features. How about this one: no f-holes? They are there but they are painted on rather than ‘actual’ and this lets you use the guitar at any volume and still enjoy fully hollowbody Gretsch tone. That’s because this has no centre block like the Electromatic I showed you earlier: instead, this guitar has internal tone bars to provide more stable tones amidst that hollow centre.

The painted f-hole situation was arrived at after Gretsch tried a few methods to curb feedback; fully sealing the body was the only way to win the battle, and so the decorative f-holes are on there to signal that the instrument is still going to give a hollowbody tone.

Additional goodness is had in a set of top quality TV Jones pickups, very kitsch string mutes with little levers to bring them up and down, an ebony fingerboard (24.6” scale, so a tiny bit shorter than a Gibson) and a rocking bar bridge that moves as you depress the Bigsby whammy bar arm. All cool, all classic Gretsch.

Gretsch guitars in this price bracket are all very impressive and beautiful. There’s a huge choice of guitars, so this one was my way of illustrating even more of the diversity on offer.

Honestly, this Gretsch Custom Shop G6134T Noir Penguin is one of the coolest guitars I have ever seen. And considering my job, I’ve seen loads and loads of awesome guitars, so let that sink in! This is absolute top-tier Gretsch, built in the Custom Shop and given a pretty astounding Heavy Relic treatment.

The Gretsch Custom Shop is actually located within Fender’s Californian premises: there’s a small team of Master Builders (who also appear on the roster for Fender Custom Shop) who build these instruments as Master Builders.This means that one individual Master Builder crafts each and every Gretsch Custom Shop guitar. No team build for Gretsch! This is reflected in the price of course, but we are talking about the best of the best here, along with some of the smallest build-runs of any Custom Shop. I’m talking about a few hundred guitars A YEAR from the Gretsch Custom Shop!

Okay, to the Penguin itself. It’s a masterpiece, basically. TV Jones Classic pickups are just the best choice ever for that inimitable twangy-yet-gutsy tone that we all want from a Gretsch Jet (check out the Super’Tron in the neck position!), and three big fat pickups is a visual statement that I’ve always enjoyed.

It’s a super-playable guitar that has that worn in, moreish way that only genuine vintage guitars (the good ones, anyway) and the very best modern builds can manage. It’s a wonderful guitar, a brilliant looking statement-piece and a sweet sounding instrument with a voice of its own.

Gretsch are definitely a brand with an image. Owning a Gretsch says something about your attitude and priorities as a player, namely that you are super-cool and that you like to add some grime, some zing and some hazard to your guitar playing. You love classic romantic looking guitars that sound rich and specific, and you want to be on a stage playing one as much as possible.

Does that sound like you?

If so, then thankfully Gretsch most likely have a guitar that’s perfectly suited to your needs. All budgets are catered for, as you’ve seen in today’s article. You can have a Gretsch that purrs like an old Plymouth or a Gretsch that spits out fire like a raging dragon! Click the button below to browse our entire collection of Gretsch guitars, or visit us instore to see them in the flesh!

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