Slide Into Something New

If you’re looking for a total creative jolt—something that forces you to think differently about the fretboard while unlocking an entirely new palette of tones—you don’t need another standard six-string.

You need a lap steel.

The Gretsch G5700 Electromatic® Lap Steel is a compact, affordable, and flat-out addictive instrument that brings the unmistakable, crying voice of country, Hawaiian, ambient, and roots rock straight to your setup. Here is why this little slab of mahogany is a total game-changer for the Gretsch brand, how it slots into your musical world, and why it’s the most fun you can have with a slide.

1. The Heritage: Gretsch’s Secret Hawaiian History

When most people think of Gretsch, they picture the rockabilly roar of the 1950s. But if you take a time machine back to the 1930s and 40s, Hawaiian music and early Western swing were the biggest crazes in the country. Gretsch was right there on the front lines, building beautiful, iconic lap steels that helped define the soundtrack of that era.

The modern G5700 Electromatic isn't some brand-new experimental design; it is a direct nod to that golden era of roots music. Gretsch took that vintage, deco-style art design and updated it with stable, modern hardware and a hot pickup, making it a reliable, bulletproof tool for the modern player.

2. A Totally New Sounding Board for Your Riffs

The biggest reason to add a G5700 to your collection is the sound. Because a lap steel has strings raised high off the fretboard and is played exclusively with a solid metal tone bar (a slide), it behaves completely differently than a standard guitar.

• Microtonal Expression: You aren't locked into rigid frets anymore. You can glide smoothly between notes, hitting those subtle "in-between" microtones that give slide guitar its crying, deeply emotional quality.
• The Single-Coil Punch: Gretsch loaded the G5700 with a purpose-built single-coil pickup that has tons of clarity and bite. Plugged into a clean amp with a bit of delay or reverb, it sounds massive, airy, and ambient.
• The Dirty Secret: Lap steels aren't just for country or Hawaiian licks. Throw a high-quality fuzz or an aggressive overdrive pedal in front of this thing, and it turns into a howling rock monster. Think David Gilmour's soaring lines on Dark Side of the Moon or Joe Perry’s raw, dirty slide riffs with Aerosmith.

3. Why It's the Most Fun Creative Tool You Can Buy

Let’s be honest: your current gear collection probably has the standard bases covered. You've got your single-cuts, your double-cuts, and your acoustics. The G5700 provides something those guitars can't: a totally fresh perspective.

• It Changes How You Think: Because you play it looking down at the fretboard (which features a gorgeous, stylized geometric print to guide your hands), your muscle-memory shapes go out the window. It forces you to listen to the notes rather than just trusting your finger placement. It's a fantastic cure for writer's block.
• Open Tuning Freedom: Lap steels thrive in open tunings like Open G, Open D, or C6. Tuning the whole instrument to a major chord means you can start making beautiful, resonant music almost immediately, even if you’ve never played a slide in your life.
• The Ultimate "Couch to Studio" Companion: It’s small, lightweight, and doesn’t require a strap. You can sit with it on your lap on the couch while watching a game, or lay it across your studio desk to quickly track a haunting ambient pad or a soaring lead line on your latest mix.

Want to see how it feels on your lap or hear how that single-coil pushes a nice tube amp into sweet, singing sustain? Swing by the shop this week, grab a tone bar, and let's make some noise.

See you at the shop,

👉 Got some pedals or old gear gathering dust? Bring them in! Our trade-up program is the easiest way to add a brand-new sonic flavor like the G5700 to your setup.