Gretsch

[drbassman]

i'm your hoochie koochie man,  everybody knows i am....   

great tune.  nice bass.  love the TV Jones pups.

Thanks!  Yep, the Jones pups are excellent and really work well with the TI rounds.

[Pilgrim]

The Thunderjet bass is next on my list - but it's going to take a while and some other sales to build up the nest egg for that one.  It will be twice as expensive as the most expensive bass I have bought up to now.

[drbassman]

The Thunderjet bass is next on my list - but it's going to take a while and some other sales to build up the next egg for that one.  It will be twice as expensive as the most expensive bass I have bought up to now.

I hear ya! I got a good deal on mine from the HOG.  I had a big credit there on a return and I used that to fund most of it.  If Gretsch were smart, they'd do as Dave said and make an Electromatic version.

[Chris P.]

I have the idea the roller bridge on my Billy-Bo isn't as good as the normal bridge on the 32" I tested. I also had the idea of replacing it. Can you tell me some more about sound differences?

[ilan]

I always liked the Space Control bridge on my 6070.

[drbassman]

I always liked the Space Control bridge on my 6070.

I've had a couple Space Control bridges and wouldn't want another.  Just not my cup o' tea.

[drbassman]

I have the idea the roller bridge on my Billy-Bo isn't as good as the normal bridge on the 32" I tested. I also had the idea of replacing it. Can you tell me some more about sound differences?

The major difference is intonation on the two treble strings (D and G).  In order to intonate, you have to cock the treble side of the bridge up toward the heel of the neck.  In doing so, the strings tend to bind in the straight channels of the bridge.  I also think that binding effect might also lead to more difficulty with intonation and might even affect other things, like sustain.

The really big difference I noticed at my gig Saturday night was the TJ sounded great when we played "All Right Now" which is played mostly an octave high up the neck.  For a change, those high fretted notes were in tune!  Yeah!

I can tolerate a lot except poor intonation.  Surprisingly, as a comparison, the Hofner acoustic wood bridge intonates well with the little moveable metal saddles.  The spacing is just right for decent intonation.  It's all about saddle placement.

[drbassman]

This is my preferred bridge.  It's a genuine Gretsch.  Oddly enough, you can buy the bridge but the wooden base has been discontinued.  Duh!  So, I just make or adapt my own bases.

http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/gretsch-bridge-bass-adjustable-chrome-0

[eb2]

I used to own the Peter Tork bass, with the Fenderish headstock.  I got it in the early 80s with the tags for peanuts.  This was before the John Entwistle collection issue  of Guitar Player, so Gretsches were widely understood in the vintage and used guitar world to be worthless junk, like Kays.  Wonderful bass, and it recorded really well.  It was a short scale, but with the G tailpiece you could use long scales, thankfully.  I loved the pups, which were like a Supertron but the "polepiece" was not several thin laminates sticking together like on a regular guitar Supertron, but a big piece of metal with ridges in the top.  I never dug the pad manhole cover back though. The Tritone was fun but not my ideal.  It did feed back too, which bugged me.

[ilan]

This was before the John Entwistle collection issue  of Guitar Player

That was a groundbreaking issue... I remember reading through it like it was holy, in the pre-internet world, absorbing every pic and every bit of info. A couple of years ago I got a minty issue off eBay.

[Wilbur88]

Gratuitous repeat pic of my newish G6072 all the way from Western Australia!  Thanks to Bill - it is still #1 in my stable although the most recent addition.
All this talk of TV Jones pickups has be intrigued.  Not to mention the look of the TJ!   

[drbassman]

Gratuitous repeat pic of my newish G6072 all the way from Western Australia!  Thanks to Bill - it is still #1 in my stable although the most recent addition.
All this talk of TV Jones pickups has be intrigued.  Not to mention the look of the TJ!   

I'm glad you're enjoying the bass.  It is a beauty,even with the mile long neck!  The TJ is one of the top two basses I have in terms of tone, output and playabbility.  It's pretty much tied with my Hofner Club.  They both sound significantly different and are a joy to play.

[leftybass]

Closest I can get to a lefty Gretsch.

[drbassman]

Closest I can get to a lefty Gretsch.

So, how does that Eastwood sound and play?  It sure looks nice for the money.

[Wilbur88]

I'd love a walnut hollow body.  Looks cool.