Gretsch introduces the limited edition G5422TDCG in Cherry Blossom finish – 200 guitars that feature a white finish with a slight hint of red.
This unique finish was created due to a painter accidentally using a contaminated paint feed that mixed a bit of cherry red into snow crest white.
The limited edition G5422TDCG is a nice example of how an apparent mistake turned out to be something beautiful and useful. And Gretsch is honest enough to share the story behind this fresh new take on the G5422TDCG.
While reading through the story, I am reminded of a quote from John Maxwell: “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them”.
The story behind the guitar starts with an experienced painter at the Gretsch factory preparing Snow Crest White topcoats on 200 new Electromatic G5422TDCG double cutaway guitars. Everything is supposed to go as planned, however the painter did not realize that he connected the source of the paint supply with a contaminated feed line that was just used with Cherry Red finish.
When the paint cured on the guitars, the shop foreman was surprised to find the great looking high-gloss white finish that had a slight hint of red. The painter was embarrassed and unsure of what happened and in an effort to save face, he responded “What you see before you is not guitars painted the wrong color, but 200 instruments finished in the shade Cherry Blossom.”
So they found the new finish to be attractive, and decided to sell these 200 guitars as part of the limited edition Cherry Blossom finish G5422TDCG. I’m sure the painter was thankful that it turned out to be great looking, otherwise he’d probably be applying for a position at a rival factory.
Aside from its unique finish, this guitar follows the same design and material elements as the standard G5422TDCG. At its core is a double-cutaway hollow body with sound-post bracing, with the body and f-hole both featuring elegant bindings. The neck is bound and is made of 5-ply maple. It is topped with a rosewood fingerboard that has 22 medium jumbo frets and has a scale length of 24.5″. Adjustment is afforded by its adjustable truss rod.
Check out the Cherry Blossom G5422TDCG in action:
The guitar is equipped with a pair of Black Top Filter’Tron pickups, which is the same pickup used on the more recent Electromatic models. The pickup design is based on an old Baldwin-era Filter’Tron pickup and provides the same Gretsch trademark punch and twang combination. The pickups are controlled by a traditional 3-way pickup selector, a master volume and tone knob as well as dedicated volume knobs for each pickups.
To match the elegance of the shape and finish, the hardware is gold-plated. Other features include a rosewood-based Adjusto-Matic bridge, vintage style open tuners, a silver plexi pickguard, Knurled Strap Retainer Knobs and a great looking Bigsby-Licensed B60G Vibrato Tailpiece.
This guitar currently retails for around $1,050. For more information you can visit Gretsch.
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