So I was at the Guitar Center
before work Friday. They had a Gretsch Jr Jet bass, the 2-pickup model.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/gretsch-guitars-g2220-electromatic-junior-jet-ii-electric-bass-guitarI had one of these when they first got reissued in the late 90’s. I really liked it, it sounded and played great. Unfortunately the body was Plywood, and before it was a year old, the finish “sunk” and you could totally see the layers or plies. Also, the neck warped so bad that even with maxing out the truss rod, I had to pull the bottom dozen frets just to keep the strings off them... I took it back to GC several times for adjustments (before I just yanked the frets, obviously) I tried returning it or making a warranty claim, but the manager refused and told me it warped because I must have stored it wrong... l
I ended up using the pickups and tuning machines on my Hofner, and giving the rest of the “husk” to my luthier friend (who did the fret pulling).
So I saw the Jr Jet at GC, it played and sounded good. Plus it was a burst finish instead of all black like all my other basses... I have 2 black P copies and I want something different, and I can afford this one. I just don’t wanna get burned again...
Have any of you-all gotten a Gretsch lately? Are they better made than the one I had? I remember the other one I had, said “Made in Korea” and this new one says made in China. Oh, and I remember paying about the same in 97/98 as these are listed for.
I just tried for way too long to attach a picture of this, but Photo Bucket is being stupid again. You’ll just have to click the link to see them.