Gretsch

[drbassman]

Well, I played the Thunder jet at a gig last night and it sounded great through my Musicman driven rig.  I had stopped paying it for a couple months as I couldn't get the full round tone out of it that I wanted.  That changed when I decided to run it through a tube rig.  The TV Jones pups really responded well to the setup and it did not sound like a diminutive short scale bass.  In short, it roared!

[Pilgrim]

BTW...I put the rounds back on my orange Gretsch 5123 and it is a bit more audible in the mix now.  It's never going to be really "forward" in sound unless I do some tweaking on the EQ specific to that bass.

[Dave W]

I'd love to find a used Thunder Jet at a reasonable price.

[drbassman]

I'd love to find a used Thunder Jet at a reasonable price.

I just don't understand why the gretsch basses made in Japan have to costs so much!  You could buy gibson CS for the same price in many instances.

[drbassman]

BTW...I put the rounds back on my orange Gretsch 5123 and it is a bit more audible in the mix now.  It's never going to be really "forward" in sound unless I do some tweaking on the EQ specific to that bass.

I have TI rounds on the Thunder jet and they made a huge diffence.

[Dave W]

I just don't understand why the gretsch basses made in Japan have to costs so much!  You could buy gibson CS for the same price in many instances.

Isn't Japanese labor cost almost as much as US now? Also it has genuine TV Jones pickups, not the cheaper ones designed by him but made elsewhere.

[drbassman]

Isn't Japanese labor cost almost as much as US now? Also it has genuine TV Jones pickups, not the cheaper ones designed by him but made elsewhere.

You are pretty correct I believe, but even US made j and p basses don't cost this much unless I missed something.  Either way, for those prices they ought to move the manufacturing back home!

[Dave W]

You are pretty correct I believe, but even US made j and p basses don't cost this much unless I missed something.  Either way, for those prices they ought to move the manufacturing back home!

They don't, but they're solidbodies with pickups made in-house. Even though the Thunder Jet is chambered rather than hollow, with the laminated arched top I'd say it's closer in labor cost to your Gibson 335 bass.

[drbassman]

They don't, but they're solidbodies with pickups made in-house. Even though the Thunder Jet is chambered rather than hollow, with the laminated arched top I'd say it's closer in labor cost to your Gibson 335 bass.

True, but I don't believe for a minute that human hands are routing the cavities or carving the tops.  In fact, I doubt a lot of human hands are involved at all, but I'm just speculating.

[dadagoboi]

True, but I don't believe for a minute that human hands are routing the cavities or carving the tops.  In fact, I doubt a lot of human hands are involved at all, but I'm just speculating.

Why should stuff made on Asian machines be cheaper than stuff made on American or German machines?  I used to sell furniture to Japan, their buyers were much more quality conscious than American buyers.  Even more so than the Germans I dealt with.

The Japanese factories outsource a lot of their product to Korea, Indonesia, China etc.  The good stuff they make in Japan and they charge for it.  BTW, their factory workers make as much or more than Americans.

[Dave W]

True, but I don't believe for a minute that human hands are routing the cavities or carving the tops.  In fact, I doubt a lot of human hands are involved at all, but I'm just speculating.

Why should stuff made on Asian machines be cheaper than stuff made on American or German machines?  I used to sell furniture to Japan, their buyers were much more quality conscious than American buyers.  Even more so than the Germans I dealt with.

The Japanese factories outsource a lot of their product to Korea, Indonesia, China etc.  The good stuff they make in Japan and they charge for it.  BTW, their factory workers make as much or more than Americans.

Besides labor cost differences, there's the cost of operating the factory. In Japan that may be as expensive or maybe even more so than in the US. In the outsourced countries, cost of physical plant, land, insurance and utilities may be quite a bit lower than in Japan. Not so much in Korea, though.

[dadagoboi]

Besides labor cost differences, there's the cost of operating the factory. In Japan that may be as expensive or maybe even more so than in the US. In the outsourced countries, cost of physical plant, land, insurance and utilities may be quite a bit lower than in Japan. Not so much in Korea, though.

I'd say Indonesia is the best potential place for guitar manufacturing.  Raw materials, lots of land and cheap labor.  There's a good woodworking tradition, especially carving.  Muslim country so the night life sucks but Bali is an hour away by air.  I just bought an Indonesian Ibanez Mikro bass.  $199 and flawless down to the nut string height.

[Dave W]

The Indonesian guitars I've looked at recently have been very well done. Right now, they're mostly being used for models built to be sold at a low price point. That could change.

[drbassman]

From where I sit, with my Southern Comfort Manhattan in hand, the best damn bases built are made in Florida and New York by Carlo and me!  Screw the Indonesians!  Sorry, it's the booze talking officer!!!

[jumbodbassman]