Gretschmas ...

[uwe]

Edith has endowed ze Kölleckschün with a brand that had not yet graced it, what a lovely surprise:

"The G5440LS Electromatic Hollow Body Long-Scale Bass is a stylishly seismic new Gretsch bass guitar armed with two powerful new “Black Top” Filter’Tron™ bass pickups that endow it with an electrifying deep-end voice and identity.

Its single-cutaway hollow and bound body resonates with full bass tone and balance, and features sound-post bracing and elegant bound f holes. Other features include a maple neck, bound rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and hump-block pearloid inlays, three-position pickup switch, classic “G” arrow control knobs, rosewood-based four-saddle Adjusto-Matic™ bridge and “G”-cutout tailpiece. Available in Black and Orange."

Mine is an orange one like this (and looks even better than on this pic!)



It's long scale and utterly sustain block-less which I like. Previously, the short scale size of many other Gretsches has held me back and I found the long-scale Falcon a bit too overdecorated/ZZ-Top'ish for my taste. It's Korean-made and the workmanship is flawless. Love the sound which is even more semi-acoustic than a Gibson Les Paul Sig and puts a Ric 4005 and the Gibson semi-acoustics with all the way thru (back to top) sustain blocks to shame. Neck pup is full and phat, bridge pup brings mid-bite without being thin.

Marco of the Session Music Store in Frankfurt who gave Edith the tip for this one (initially, she wanted to buy a Sandberg, Marco talked her out of it: "Uwe hates anything Fender looking ..."  , in fact I wouldn't have minded a Sandberg at all, variety is the spice of life) plays mine in this vid (the colors are all wrong though, the orange of the bass is a lot more wood-tone and is translucent), but talks mostly about it ("don't slap with it, it's a crime)". The plonky sounds at the beginning are owed to overdampening by Marco, but towards the end of the vid at 3.44 he gets out the pick and that is then how it pretty much sounds when the neck pup is either off or dialed (mostly) down.

[Dave W]

I do like the looks of those.

Back in the day I wanted one of the big Gretsch hollowbodies in the two-tone smoke green finish.

[uwe]

The look is breathtaking, pretty much like Edith! 

[Dave W]

Impressive sounding both at the start and end of the video.

[Pilgrim]

He's playing a 5123, which is the short scale model I have!  I agree, the orange is classically Gretsch lovely.  Although the 5123 has ThunderTrons and the 5440 has FilterTrons, I doubt the difference is drastic between them.  If the 5440 follows form with the 5123, it's also a deeper body than most...something that required an extra-long strap in my case.  

Wonderful new acquisition, Uwe!!!  I hope it finds a permanent home in ze Kollekschun.

[Highlander]

Lucky man (wife and instrument)

[uwe]

He's playing a 5123, which is the short scale model I have!  I agree, the orange is classically Gretsch lovely.  Although the 5123 has ThunderTrons and the 5440 has FilterTrons, I doubt the difference is drastic between them.  If the 5440 follows form with the 5123, it's also a deeper body than most...something that required an extra-long strap in my case.  

Wonderful new acquisition, Uwe!!!  I hope it finds a permanent home in ze Kollekschun.

Huh, what Marco is playing looks long scale to me (and mine certainly is, I believe he played my specimen for the vid), aren't the short scale sister models double cutaway?

[patman]

Yes, you are a lucky man, Uwe. (not for the bass)...

[Pilgrim]

My 5123 is shown in my shot - it's medium scale but definitely not double cut.

The 5440 is a later model, and I believe there are versions in both long and short scale.  (Note that your model number is 5440LS for long scale) The G5123B is definitely 32" medium scale, but it's a LONG instrument - overall from tip to tip, it's longer than my 34" scale Casady.

The label on the video indicates that it's a 5123 But I can assure you that playing a 32" scale Gretsch is a very nice experience. The only real difference in sound should be the pickups.  I have a pair of FilterTrons upstairs I've never used, but Dr. Bassman had FilterTrons in one of his projects and can offer an opinion.  

About the only thing on my "to do" list for the 5123 is a stronger set of springs under the neck pickup - when it's well adjusted it's far enough out that it wiggles a little bit when I brace my thumb on its side.  Not a problem, but stronger springs under it would hold it a bit more firmly.

AH!  Found it!  Here's the G5442BDC...as far as I can tell, it's the same as the 5440 but shorter scale (30");
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/gretsch-guitars-g5442bdc-electromatic-short-scale-hollowbody-bass



I have no explanation for all of the Gretsch model numbers.  Maybe they have some ex-CIA guy making up acronyms for them.

[uwe]

Ironically, when I played mine first I thought it was medium sclae, it sure felt like it, but then my mind might have been tricking me because I assumed that all Gretsch semis were non-long-scale (I had forgotten about a long scale Falcon I once played at a Gretsch booth at a music fair).

So to clarify: You have the now deleted predecessor model to mine which seems to be identical except for the change in pups and the medium vs. long scale? Your bridge position certainly seems to be identical which is why I didn't even realize you were talking about a bass different to mine!

[Pilgrim]

Ironically, when I played mine first I thought it was medium sclae, it sure felt like it, but then my mind might have been tricking me because I assumed that all Gretsch semis were non-long-scale (I had forgotten about a long scale Falcon I once played at a Gretsch booth at a music fair).

So to clarify: You have the now deleted predecessor model to mine which seems to be identical except for the change in pups and the medium vs. long scale? Your bridge position certainly seems to be identical which is why I didn't even realize you were talking about a bass different to mine!

As an academic, I am pleased (and nearly obligated) to add detail which potentially can make this even more confusing.  

Ahem.....

The 5123 model is not deleted or discontinued, although the orange color on that model is NLA!  In the US, Gretsch made the 5123 available in late 2011 through Guitar Center as a stealth offering (one flyer for Thanksgiving 2011, no store or online ads).  Evidently they wanted to see how it sold.  It became the subject of a discussion on TB, which alerted me to it.  I went to my local GC, told them about the bass and asked them to find me one.  They got one from a store in Denver and I bought it sight unseen.  

The GC outlets were only getting one each, but over time they kept appearing - when a GC would sell one, then another would appear in a week or so. This made it apparent that there was some kind of ongoing supply, and possibly more than one production run.  Gretsch has done stuff like this before to test the market for a model they're considering putting into production.

This sell one - get one process went on until fall of 2012, when the 5123 suddenly appeared online and in the GC regular lineup with the price $100 higher, but no longer available in orange - only in burgundy.  
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/gretsch-guitars-g5123b-electromatic-electric-bass-guitar

So if you see a 5123 in orange, it's one of the early market test models.  If it's in burgundy, it's a later version that's part of the regular inventory at GC, Musicians Friend, etc.

And yes, as far as I can tell from the info available, scale length and pickups are the only differences between the 5123 and the 5440 and variants.  I am not sure how much difference there might be between these Electromatic models under $1000, and the high-zoot models like the Broadkaster and White Falcon which sell for more than twice as much.  That's why I jumped on the 5123 - it appears to offer 90% or more of the characteristics of the top Gretsch models at less than 50% of the price.

[uwe]

 

Ok, I always knew that getting a Gretsch would cause complications!!!

[Dave W]

From what I've read, it was the same way in the 50s. Just about everything was a transitional model.

[Pilgrim]

Ok, I always knew that getting a Gretsch would cause complications!!!

It's not a bug, it's a feature.  You vill enjoy it, jah?

[Basvarken]

Congratuliations Uwe!
Awesome present.

Edith rocks!