Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top

i know this guitar splits the room. but it all depends on what you want.

some might say it's too small, that it feels like a toy and that it doesn't sound great on modern songs.

for me, it's just the right size, and i can't see it being a problem for anyone. it doesn't feel like a toy, but it does have a smooth satin-like finish which i love, but feel that is easy to damage. and its not the best sound on some songs, but when it comes to blues? the older the better. the sound isn't something that's easy to compare, you either hate it or really, really love it.

volume isn't strong, but it's to be expected considering its size and you can control it with your playing. neck isn't too thick and your hand just slides along it. action is easy to adjust and the strings that come with it are very nice, felt no need to change them. pegs are reliably and hold the strings for weeks even with daily playing.

my #1 acoustic recommendation for anyone into blues since this is a guitar meant to mimic those of the 30's and 40's that were made on a budget but still managed to have a special sound

Well I opened the guitar and first impressions were, 'wow'!
As I tuned it up, it became clear to me that there would be some minor issues that needed addressing. (Which is pretty much standard for any new guitar, they all need adjusting to your style & liking at first)

- Firstly - The guitar (Body only) is very slightly warped, but that does not effect the tone or playablility. You can only tell when looking really close.

- Secondly - The bridge saddle was high so I had to sand it down a tad.

- Thirdly - The Bridge slightly bellies out under medium/heavy string tension. Not badly, but I was a bit worried at first. This made the action even higher than I would have liked. Bellying Significantly decreased after installing lighter gauge strings.

- Fourth - Two or three frets needed filing down. Easy job. 5 Minutes.

- Build quality? For a Gretsch within this price range, I'd have to say overall good. The neck is also very slighly warped. After adjusting the truss rod it was made better, again. Only visible when looking for it and doesn't affect the sound, tone or playability.

It must be said. That I am, at best, an intermediate when it comes to adjusting anything on a guitar.
So don't let any of this put you off the Jim Dandy!
A few small adjustments to personalise your guitar to your play style & liking is often needed when buying a new guitar.
The Jim Dandy is beautiful. It sings the blues better than anything I have heard or played.
The sustain is something I did not expect for a guitar of this price.

No guitar, whether you pay £100 or £1000 is going to be perfect, look close enough and you will find an imperfection.

Also, something worthy of noting, when I ordered this guitar, I did a lot of shopping around, not only did Thomann have the best price, but it arrived fast!
The guitar looks better when you see it with your own eyes. Miles better in person than it looks on any picture or video I have seen of it.

Overall - A beautiful guitar, with imperfections but the imperfections only make it more unique in my opinion.
Comfortable to play, plays and sounds beautiful. String bends sound almost too pleasing, adds a bit of class and a vintage look to any room you keep it in.

Buy one! You won't regret it.

P.S. Please don't use heavy strings on this guitar.

It's hard to pin down what makes this guitar so special.
I'd particularly recommend the Jim Dandy as a first guitar to any beginner since it's so compact and easy to handle and play. As a small scale parlour guitar it's relatively quiet compared to the bulky dreadnought but that's fine for a self conscious beginner who'd rather just play by themselves - on the other hand the guitar does open up when played assertively and has a strident 'boxy' tone that's (in a good way) reminiscent of vintage blues recordings; this Gretsch was modelled on the old Sears catalog mail order guitars commonly available in the early 20th century.
With this in mind the guitar lends itself well to finger style playing. The fact that the neck meets the body at the 12th fret gives the guitar its compact form and at the same time places the bridge in the optimal centre of the soundboard. This gives the guitar a fuller sound than one might expect from an instrument of this size.

This is the smallest, cheapest and most portable guitar I own. Because of that it is the one that gets left out around the house or thrown in the car and taken to friends houses, festivals, camping etc.

My Jim Dandy likes to get passed around and even players with 'nicer' guitars are reluctant to give it back. I do intend, one day to upgrade to a higher end 'premium' instrument. However, the unique vintage tone, playability and portability of the Jim Dandy ensures that it will always have a prominent place in my collection.