Gretsch $189 Wonder – Gretsch Streamliner Jet Club 1 Pickup Guitar

On the bench today is the Gretsch Streamliner Jet Club 1 Pickup guitar.
It has been a while since I have put a budget level electric guitar on the bench for a video. Recently I was reading in Guitar World about Gretsch releasing a single pickup guitar that is only $189 plus tax.
Gretsch has updated two lines of affordable guitars – the Electromatics with three guitars and the Streamliners with four guitars.
This guitar is part of the Streamliner series and is called the Gretsch Streamliner Jet Club 1 Pickup.
A no frills no nonsense guitar with just what you need to produce great sound.
I wanted to get the olive green version of this model, but I found so did everyone else because they were all sold out wherever I went. Black was my next choice and what I have.
Here are the guitar’s specifications.
• Mahogany Body with Bound Carved Top, Belly Contour & Rounded Heel for Excellent Comfort
• Mahogany Neck with Fast “C” Neck Profile
• Pitch-Perfect Head Angle for Superior Tuning Stability
• GraphTech NuBone Nut
• 12″-Radius Bound Laurel Fingerboard with Pearloid Neo Classic Thumbnail Inlays and 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
• HotWire High-Output Ceramic Humbucking Pickup
• Master Volume and Master Tone Controls
• Vintage-Inspired Knurled Radio Control Knobs
• Available in several Gretsch Colors
• Split-V Headstock
• High Gloss Finish
The guitar comes with a checklist of what has been checked in QC before the guitar was shipped. I decided to go through the checklist and see if they missed anything.
One phrase they make about the guitar is: Pitch-Perfect Head Angle for Superior Tuning Stability.
I spent time on the Gretsch website to see what they specifically mean by this statement.
By claiming a “Pitch-Perfect” angle, Gretsch is stating that they have engineered a precise angle that provides optimal down-pressure for consistent tone and seating, while being shallow enough to minimize friction and binding at the nut, especially when using techniques like aggressive string bending or vibrato. This ideal balance is what leads to “superior tuning stability.”
In short, it’s a proprietary marketing term for an engineered headstock angle designed to strike the best balance between string seating and low friction for reliable tuning performance.
The fit and finish of the guitar is very good to excellent.
I checked the neck for raised frets and found no fret rocking. For a guitar at this price point surprised me. The edges of the frets were great until about the 15th fret where the edges were sharp and need some attention.
The tuners are pretty good and what I would call “serviceable.” Serviceable to me means they do the intended job at a satisfactory level.
I really like the look of the fret markers. They make it very easy for you to see where you are on the fret board and they look cool.
The bridge is made of steel and very adjustable. I was surprised by the weight of the bridge. Usually, the wrap around bridges on a budget guitar are lightweight and probably made of aluminum. I will say that although the checklist said the guitar had been checked for intonation – it was not intonated. I ended up having to use the set screw on the bridge on the bass and backed the bridge off a couple turns. Then I was able to intonate the guitar.
The neck is easy to play and feels great. I am really happy that the guitar actually has a GraphTech nut installed from the factory and not the normal plastic you would expect from a budget guitar. Way to go and thank you, Gretsch!
Talking about the electronics and pickup. The electronics and pickup on the guitar are VERY budget in the fact you have very small low cost pots and a ceramic pickup. Here is the deal though. They work and they work really well. I really like the clean and distorted sounds that come out of this guitar. Do I plan on upgrading them? Yes, because this is what I do on the channel. Do I need to upgrade them? Nope.
Overall, for an entry level budget guitar for either someone just learning or a more experienced player that wants something they can play around with and modd without any concern or guilt – this is a great guitar.

The only thing that would have made my “out of the box” experience better was if the guitar was truly intonated the way Gretsch said it was on the check list. For a new player I want a guitar that out of the box they can tune up and plug into an amp and – it just works.
For $189 you can’t go wrong with this guitar. I can honestly say (and I purchased my guitar) that I think this is probably one of the most “value” friendly budget guitars you can buy today. Period.

#Gretsch #Gretsch #Streamliner #Jet #Club #Pickup #Guitar

Originally posted by UCRvDWHLh1q7WA3qMlKlTt2w at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyHXw3t9GaE