...and it feels even bigger, a huge plus IMO. I've never cared for "shortscale" basses. I bought the SX thinking it was a full-sized instrument, and it's been a nice challenge to try and adapt my ungodly aggressive playing to a more pliant string. If I hadn't known the Gretsch was 32", I would have sworn it was 34" by the feel, both in string tension and neck positioning. I played it awhile unplugged. If the electric sound had been half what the acoustic response was, it would have been a monster.
I'm thinking that the pickups were either seriously miswired or shorted somewhere. There's a 70's 6070 Gretsch there that looks to have the same TV Jones Thundertron. Even with its baseball bat neck and shitty tuners, it still sounds like you'd expect: a big round bass tone. I A/B'ed the two and the constrast could hardly have been greater.