Initially, this guitar had some pretty annoying fret buzz. But after adjusting the truss rod and putting on a new set of strings, it sounds great. Small enough to be convenient, but still lots of volume. The printing is pretty cool looking, too. Definitely a good "kicking around" guitar.

When shopping for guitars the "you get what you pay for" rule will usually apply but it also helps to know what you're looking for and how you intend to use it. A bit of experience will also teach you to trust your hands and ears before you trust your eyes. In terms of price this was a very low end guitar so my expectations were not high. I bought two of them. They are solidly built of budget grade wood with tuners of equal quality. For the price I paid, they sound quite good. There is an issue with some buzzing on the first and second strings between the third and thirteenth frets (requiring some adjustments and maybe more to make them fully playable). Even with the need for repair/adjustments I'm pleased with my purchase and I would be likely to repeat.

Received the Showdown just prior to Christmas, having received the Way Out West and Sundown Serenade earlier. The Showdown's strings were resting on the fretboard and could not be convinced to rise above, even with aggressive tweaking of the truss rod. However, a couple of shims under the saddle and some Curt Mangan 12-54s made a huge difference and I am satisfied with this guitar. The best of the best has been the Way Out West, for whatever reason. Overall, very happy with my purchase and with Overstock.com!

I have been playing guitar for awhile, Have hade expensive Larrivee and less expensive guitars from various makers. The Gretsch Americana Guitars, dismissed by so many, as toys are really decent little guitars. They are 3/4 sized which actually puts it close to a parlor guitar....The sounds they put out remind you of the inexpensive small guitars of decades past, perhaps the sound of Harmony or Stella models. it is a neat sound nice for blues and country yet have can sound good for acoustic rock as well..... .These are great for a round the house guitar, sitting on a sofa or porch, very comfortable, good camping guitar as well! They do not have a loud volume, not a great deal of projection. Build wise they are generally well made, some have had poor setups, some have had strings that were rusty needing replaced, Mine in particular had decent setups, did adjust truss rod on one of them though. One had a few sharp frets, just a minor polish and problem solved....I did wait a few days for the guitar to aclimate to my enviorment before deciding to do any tweaking of the setup, allowing the guitar to settle in. Several have complained of the bad setups, most guitars come these days with bad setups, just some dealers will take the time to make it right before you purchase. There has also been talk about some of these being unplayable, and un set upable......That can happen in a production run of a product, there will always be a few subpar models squeak by quality control, it is a shame when this happens, but it is something that does happen, The thing is that is the exception not the rule. I have purchased 5 of these guitars, 2 serenade, 3 showdown, All of mine have been decent . People seem either to love or hate these little guitars, I love them got both the showdown and the serenade models, whis I would have gotten the other two to have the whole series. The are great conversation starters with their painted graphics, unique for today, yet in the past their were many such cowboy guitars. Many have purchased these as decorations, which I suppose is fine, but they are really a guitar that has a little uniques sound of a decent quality for what it is and they should and can be played and enjoyed! I am glad I added these to my collection . i gave a pair to a friend that has been playing over 40 years, he too was favorably impressed by the little guitars and will be keeping his. We both feel they are a unique and worthy addition to our guitar collections! (And we are keeping our eyes open for a deal on the other two)

I bought this guitar because it's so cute. It's a great little guitar! I love the size and the graphics are so cool. Very playable! Love it!

I bought "all" three of these guitars without even realizing that they are the size of a "REAL" guitar that you actually play. And, wish Overstock offered the fourth one in the series. I don't play the guitar, but maybe on the Wii game and am not very good. Anyway, I absolutely LOVE these for what I bought for~ to decorate the walls of my husband's Cowboy bedroom. My house is completely western so I LOVE the design on them to display. Now I just need to figure out how to hang them. YES, if you want them to play or just complete your western decor, GET them. I bought more to give to my son's for Christmas. And, they only play the Wii guitar?? Maybe we'll start a playing guitar & singing group?? Who knows??

Unsetupable... Took the first to local luthier and he could do nothing to raise the action- strings lay on fretboard, even after all possible fixes and adjustments. Sent first back to overstock and second one arrived in the same poor condition. Unplayable. Overstock is very good with service and returns. I also got one very nice Showdown from overstock, but several months earlier. Also got 2 Sundown Serenades, one Sweethearts, and one Way Out West that were in good setup shape upon arrival. So, it is hit or miss with these Gretsch Americanas. They are great when they work, and they look great, regardless....

guitar is everything I expected it to be,plays great ,i mostly use as a practice tool....looks great on my wall also,have it hanging in my living room,and string change is a breeze. Also came in a timely manner from overstock.........very happy with this purchase!

Product arrived quickly, in good condition. This guitar looks cool in "real life". Buzz on one string but otherwise sounds pretty good.

the guitar doesn't look as nice as in the picture.The white color inthe picture is more like plastic yellowish color..A lot of buzzing when played.The fret iron bars stick out at the bottom (were not glued precisely)The painting's quality look childish/ much better in the picture on internet.Delivery was quick but it is delivered in another box (just box, only thicker)