New Gretsch G5123B Limited edition medium scale bass

[Chris P.]

Monday or tuesday I have one at home for a review

[drbassman]

I'm happy with mine, I'm keeping it! 

[Chris P.]

Could it be good for a rock band? Or better for acoustic gigs, blues, ...?

[drbassman]

Could it be good for a rock band? Or better for acoustic gigs, blues, ...?

I tried it with my R&R band and I had some feedback problems.  If you can get away from the front of your amp, it would probably be fine, but our cafe is tight and I don't have enough room to move out.

[Pilgrim]

Are you referencing the 6072 or the 5123?

I believe both are hollowbodies, so - tight areas will probably lead to feedback.  If you're away from the amp or have some room in the space, it should be OK.  However, I have played mine in front of the amp in a moderate volume band with no feedback.

Late news - the 5123 bass is now available from Musicians Friend and Guitar Center in a Burgundy color as part of their regular line, but the price on that model is $999! If you like the orange and/or want the lower price on the earlier model in orange, get the "off the books" model that has been available for a while.

The "on the books and the website" model:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gretsch-Guitars-G5123B-Electromatic-Electric-Bass-Guitar-H79131-i2258736.gc

[drbassman]

Cool, the walnut is nice, but orange screams GRETSCH!  I was referring to the 5123 in my feedback comments.  Our set up space is compact with a low ceiling, so there's really not enough room to play the 5123 at a volume that would work for our music.  It sucks for sure!   

[Pilgrim]

Agreed. ..NO ONE does the orange like Gretsch. I'm not an orange fan in general but I make an exception for that Gretsch  orange. It's a classic.

[Chris P.]

It is in! Keep ya posted!

[Pilgrim]

We want pickshoors!

[Chris P.]

I have 'm. Will post them asap!

[Droombolus]

They're already on evilBay .......... shorty and long-neck They're f*ckin' beauties ..........  

[Basvarken]

Wow. Bit prices are a bit higher than I had hoped they'd be...

[Pilgrim]

Keep your eyes open and you may pick up one of the original 5123 series in orange for less than the current street price.  They don't show up often, but they do show up.

Frankly, comparing the $999 street price to the $1700 street price for the next model up, it's still a good value.

Incidentally - just for the record, the body on my Gretsch 5123 is roughly 2.75 inches front to back, which is significantly deeper than most hollowbodies.  In contrast, my Jack Casady bass has a body 1.75" deep, and my 1970's Univox hollowbody is 2" front to back.

[drbassman]

Very nice and still a better deal than a Broadkaster, although used Broadkasters often don't do well on eBay.  I've seen used ones for for $800 to $1000 before.

It looks like the same hardware as the 5123 and it sounds pretty good on mine.

[Pilgrim]

I notice that the two new models have the "black top" FilterTron pickups, and the 5123 has the ThunderTron pickups.  I have no idea what the difference in sound would be.  IIRC Dr. Bassman installed FilterTrons on one of his projects and may have some basis from which to comment.