Gretsch Streamliner CV: No-Nonsense Twin Humbucker Tones
Loaded with HotWire humbuckers!
3,7 / 5,0 | 
The Streamliner CV is a new affordable model from Gretsch and is available in four finishes: Jet Black, Sea Foam Green, Aged White and Olive Drab.
Contents – Gretsch Streamliner CV
Streamliner CV
The Streamliner CV is the latest release from Gretsch and is a relatively basic, straight-to-the-point guitar. The design consists of a mahogany body with bevelled contours and a nice rounded heel, all designed for comfort.
This is paired with a bolt-on mahogany neck with Gretsch’s ‘Fast “C” neck profile ‘, and this is fitted with a 12-inch-radius aged-white bound laurel fretboard. It has the Pearloid Neo Classic Thumbnail inlays and is fitted with 22 medium jumbo frets.
Gretsch states this model also comes with their Pitch-Perfect head angle (along with a GraphTech NuBone nut) for much “superior tuning stability”, which I would say should be a given and not really a selling point. However, these models are pretty basic, and their PR department has to make claims like these to upsell them.
HotWire
The twin pickups design consists of a pair of HotWire (high-output ceramic) humbuckers wired with a master volume and master tone, along with a three-way toggle switch. Expect a rockier tone for this model, I guess? They use vacuum wax-potting for the pickups, so hopefully not too much noise with these models.
Hardware
Hardware consists of a compensated wraparound bridge and a set of die-cast sealed tuners all in a chrome finish. They all have a black pickguard and matching black speed knobs, so they look pretty slick.
Verdict
They look, on paper, like a pretty solid guitar build; you get the Gretsch styling with a split V headstock shape and the thumbnail inlays, etc. They are possibly going to be better for people who need a punkier, rockier guitar tone, as the high-output humbuckers are generally better for those styles.
Affordable
Price-wise, they are very reasonable, and the colour selection is decent. Just a real shame they aren’t offering any left-handed models. Come on, Gretsch, it is 2026, not 1996; left-handed players do exist. Just reset your CNC machine for lefties.
A great guitar for modding? Or perhaps for your teenager who wants a solid guitar that will last a lifetime.
I’d like to try one, and am looking forward to hearing some demos. If you want a solid guitar, all the ingredients are here.
Price & Availability
The new Gretsch Streamliner CV is available now at Thomann, priced at $278/£249/€289. They look like a solid guitar, and for the money, they offer some nice features.
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