Gretsch Electromatic Junior Jet

its a short scale, 19 fret bass. i personally dont miss the extra 2 or 3 frets as those upper notes dont matter as much on bass. being a short scale, the strings have less tension and are "floppier" but i dont nesscesarily see this as a bad thing. that looser feeling makes bending and picking more fun and easier. it has 2 dials, for volume and tone, its nothing fancy. i like the fretboard, i have nothing against rosewood. the bridge keeps the strings on the front of the body instead of a passing them through the body and i like this method much much better. 1 humbucker, in a metal casing. very easy to play though and a nice sound. awesome design though, best ive seen for a bass.

After wrestling with the whole "long scale is better than short scale" debate, i decided to just love the instrument for what it is, and unless your a professional, this minor sound difference isnt going to make a difference. even then though, this bass sounds better than some long scalers of the same price. I play on small 15W peavey amp and i get alittle buzzing, but this is most deffinately produced by the amp itself, not the bass. Even though i have 1 tone dial it feels like i have access to every sound i could want, when used in conjuction with a good amp. i've tested many basses and for the price, this sounds really good. it doesnt have that thin metallic sound some same priced basses have. everything is pretty smooth. I love to slap, and i find it quite fun to do so on this bass, despite what people have said about short scales i find it very much like any other bass in terms of sounding funky. Its higher strings also give a punchier sound and i find this to be more good than bad.

i think the bass is beautiful. i wanted soemthing that looked different than all the stratocaster styles in the store, soemthing that would make people look twice and see that it is a bass. its really classic, gives off a good jazzy vibe. it resembles a les paul, and everythign about it just seems to fit together. but, there are a few problems. i dont feel that the paint job is that good, as there was a few dents on it wen i bought it and the paint on those dents chipped off. nothing major though. also the back of the neck is painted as well, so its alittle harder to slide your hand up and down it. i suggest that if you get one that you lower the pickup, as mine was very high up and my strings started to scratch it (prob from the slapping and the low tension of the strings). the pickup is well protected though, it has a nice metal casing. the strings also buzz alittle on the lower notes, but it is a shrot scale and i guess this is the consequnce of having looser strings, though it isnt prevailent.

as for denting im not sure, but if it dents fix it fast cus that paint will chip off if aggravated. this thing is solid though, very thick body and just alittle heavy. the neck is bolt on, so ill see how that goes.

i went to the carle place guitar center in NY and they were great. website for gretsch isnt too bad. other than that, i havent needed too much support

despite it being a short scale (which i really dont think is a big deal) and all those little dents and such, i love this bass. the sound is great for me, i can play any style i want with it. if i lost it and could find it for the same price i would buy it again, im on a limited budget and i wouldnt shell out more for an instrument i just started playing. i only just started play bass after 4 years on guitar and i'm loving it. its a great bass though, really something unique.

2004, Made in Korea, 4 string 30" scale, volume and tone controls, 1 passive humbucker pick up, black/ grey burst finish, Les Paul style body, top loading bridge, Gotoh style tuners, fat neck with rosewood fingerboard

The pickup can be dialed in to sound very aggressive. Great with distortion. I use DigiTech effects and a Fender amp. It has a full, dark to warm sound.

The neck, action, intonation and pickup required adjustment. The bass had a small ding in the back of the body, about the size of a pencil eraser. The hardware, frets and wood quality are good.

The finish seems solid as does the rest of the bass. The neck has been adjusted once. It has survived a few bumps and is dependable thus far.

Gretsch is a part of Fender. I have not had to contact them. I believe the warranty period is one year.

I have been playing for a few years and have owned Fender, Ibanez and SX basses. After trying this bass in a store, I got a great deal online through Warp Drive Music (Ebay). If I had to buy it again, I would. It is a fun little bass to play!

Just bought this short scale Gretsch bass new in Houston, Texas. Mine was made in China, but looks and sounds great. It appears to be quite well made and only cost $250.00. I looked at some other basses in the same price range and none of them looked or sounded as good as this one. I kept playing it and looking at it thinking I'd find something wrong that would make me pass it up, but I really couldn't find much fault with it. The only immediate problem was lack of a case and I'm still trying to find one on the internet. I think this was a really good buy!

Sounds great through an old Crate guitar amp. I'm mainly a guitar player and actually bought the bass for my wife and kids to use.

Action was fine from the start. As I said above, very well made without any obvious flaws.

Just got it , but so far so good.

No experience dealing with company except I can't find any mention of this guitar on the Gretsch web site. Nothing but high end guitars there and no case available for this model.

One of the best if not the best cheap instruments I've ever bought. This thing is a bigtime bargain!

2001 Korean made
Short Scale, 4 string
Has a "Les Paul" style
Simple, one volume, one tone
One POWERFUL mini-humbucker pickup. Don't let that discourage, or fool you. The deep tones that comes from this bass is AMAZING.
Really cool black burst color, white pearl pickguard, black neck, headstock.
Fretboard is dark
Later models have Gretsch at the top of the headstock. Earlier models have Electromatic across the top.

I give this a 10 rating, NOT becauase of the variation of features, it's simple. But because of the quality of the features.

Excellent guitar for ALL types of music. I use it for Praise and Worship. We are currently using only a PA system, and the bass is PERFECT with no equalizer, or amp. No excess noise when played through PA or amp. I am using flat wound strings. The bass has a deep, warm sound that will give you chills.

If you are looking for variety of sound, bells and whistles this is NOT the bass to use. No frills, just the great Gretsch sound. Although, the bass is VERY nice looking. This bass is excellent for live music. Sounds great on recordings as well.

If it's sound that is important, this bass is TOPS.

Set-up wasn't bad. Added flat wound strings, had it adjusted slightly for a little buzz at the top frets. Action was good, not too high, just right for my taste. Pickup is AMAZING!! Very solid bass, yet lightweight compared to most basses.

I use this bass several times a month for live playing, and it hasn't failed me yet, after over a year. I had a strap break, and the guitar fell. VERY tough guitar. Not a scratch, luckily, and the guitar still plays perfectly, stays in tune. (may have to have some minor adjustments) I always use this bass without a backup. I was so pleased with this bass that I sold my USA made Fender bass. Talk about loving a bass!!

I got this guitar from Guitar Center. I dealt with the store located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The service from the company was TERRIBLE. Unfortunately, this was the only place to buy the guitar new, so I had no choice. I was FORCED to buy a hard shell case, in order for the guitar to be shipped. They refused to ship it without buying a case. I have NEVER heard of a company having this policy before.

When it arrived, the case was a poor fit, and the guitar has shifted quite a bit in the case. The guitar had been ordered, and it was well over a week and a half before my order was even processed. I was offered some "freebies" for my trouble, but never received anything, nor did anyone follow up. No warranty to my knowledge. So this rating is for GUITAR CENTER.. NOT GRETSCH.

Guitar was around $280 itself, with the worthless, oversized case, was about $360

I have played this guitar for little over a year now. It was love at first sight, and when I played the guitar, I loved it even more!! I am SO glad that I got this bass!! There are two bass players at my church, I use this Gretsch, the other guy uses a Rickenbacker. I have gotten more compliments on the sound of my inexpensive Gretsch, than the expensive Ric.

If this were stolen?? May God have mercy on the person's soul if I catch them. I would be devistated if I lost this bass. I would go IMMEDIATELY and try to find another.

I have played many basses from Fender, to Washburn, to Gibson, Jay Turser, and Oscar Schmidt. NONE can compare to this bass!!! The price, the look, and most importantly the sound are just INCREDIBLE and can't be beaten!!

I paid $150 for this slightly used bass. It was well worth the money.
This bass has few features, but looks absolutely sweet. It's Korean-made, so some of the parts are a bit cheap (Like the bridge). The little guy has only one pickup. But that's not such a big deal anyway, for I have little use for switching between pickups at this point. I especially like the short, 30 inch neck (for my short arms and lazy hands).

The sound is really quite amazing. I really didn't think that it would have such a big sound, with only one pickup, but I was greatly surprised. The sound on this bass is very deep, rich, dark, clear... almost crystaline. Slapping obviously isn't what this bass was made for, but it still holds its own in funk songs.

This is probably what stands out most about this bass. The short neck and low action make for great functionality. The finish on it is simply spectacular. On the body, it's a translucent black-almost ebon in color. And if you look closely, you can see the dark hardwood underneath. It's simply stunning. The action is superb. Overall, this is an extremely classy and easy to play bass.

The hardware and electronics seem to work pretty well. So far the bass has held up very well, despite the somewhat weak strap buttons, and my habit of dropping things. The finish is a bit fragile, though, as it scratches very easily. Other than that, however, it seems outstandingly well-built.

I've been playing bass for only about half a year, so I'm still a novice. I've played a Fender Jazz bass, a Squier Affinity bass, a Fender Geddy Lee bass, and a very nice (but heavy) Warwick bass. This is definitely my favorite out of all of them. It looks the nicest, and is much easier to play than any of the others. If it were lost or stolen, I'd search everywhere for a new one. I really love this beautiful bass.

Follow-Up to Earlier Review. Now I have had a chance to Play out Live with this Bass....it Performed Superbly.

Ran the Bass through another Bass Player's Ampeg V4-B 140 Watt Tube-Head & 2x15 JBL Cab...Sounded Absolutely Awesome ! I did have to turn back the Bass and turn up the Mid and Treble to get the Right Blend of Clarity and Punch. For a $200.00 U.S. Bass I am shocked at how good the Sound is. I have Yet to use it with My Hartke Kickback 10 120 Watt Bass Combo, but I don't anticipate any problems. The Hartke Sounds Great with any Bass !

FretBoard looks a Bit Cheap.

Already proven Gig-Worthy. Seems very Solid.

N.A.

It doesn't have the Super-Slim, Ultra-Fast Neck of My Hagstrom 73' H 1 B, or Gibson 70' EB-3, but it is a Back-Up Bass only. It is intended to be used where I won't take the Vintage Basses, and possibly Risk having something happen to them.

For the Money it can't be Beat. Period.

It should be noted that these Basses are now Discontinued, but appear from time to time on eBay.

Year Made 2001 in Korea by Gretsch.
Previous Review says it all...Terrific Bass for the Money. I Sold a " Beat " 1978 Fender MusicMaster Bass to get this Gretsch because the MusicMaster had " Wimpy " Pickup Output & Needed a Pickup Upgrade. I didn't want to Spend the Dough on the Fender. ( I Play through a Hartke Kickback 10 so I don't have unlimited Power....the hotter the Pickup on a Bass, the better. )
The Neck is Short and Kinda Chunky, but Thinner than the MusicMaster's was. With Low Action and D'Addario EXL-170S Strings, it Plays Beautifully !
I Bought this Bass as an Inexpensive, but Good Sounding Back-Up Bass for My Vintage 1970 Gibson EB-3 and Vintage 1973 Hagstrom H 1 B Basses. I'll be able to drag this Bass anywhere that I wouldn't feel Safe bringing the other Basses to.
Came with Extremely Cheap Gig Bag ( I've since bought a Better One ! ) I also Bought a Strap.

This is a Preliminary Review. I will Play out this Weekend and run the Gretsch through another Bass Player's Ampeg V4-B Head & Bottom ( ought to be interesting ! ) Then, I'll have a better Idea of how She does Live. I think things will be just fine, I have Played this Bass through My Fender BXR25 & Hartke Kickback 10, but only in My Apartment at Low Volumes. It has a very Rich, Full Sound, no doubt due to the Dual-Coil Humbucker and it's Nice Positioning between the Neck and Bridge.

For the Money...Very Good. I Adjusted the Bridge to get the Action as Low as I like it, without Buzz. Overall, appears to be a Good Quality Bass, but Time will tell if it lasts.

Later on this Stuff...it needs to be Played Out a Whole Bunch Yet !

Playing since 1968. I Own a Vintage 1970 Gibson EB-3 Bass that is currently being restored to Original Specifications. I Own a Vintage (and Rare) 1973 Hagstrom H 1 B Sunburst Bass, and a 1977 Vintage Yamaki ( HOB ) 6-String Sunburst Acoustic Guitar.I Own a Hartke Kickback 10 Bass Combo Amp & a Fender BXR25 Bass Practice Amp.I also Own a Rolls Mini-Mix 51 System for at-home practice.

Once again, I'll know more after I Play out a Few more times.

Inexpensive Korean-made solid body Gretsch bass.
One pick-up (centered betweent the bridge & neck).
One volume, one tone knob...nothing else needed.
Cool black "sunburst" finish, black neck & headstock,
cheesy pearl flake pick guard. Solid machine heads.

I ususally play guitar, but recently aquired bass duties...
needed an inexpensive bass that didn't sound like crap, and
this one was it! I put flatwounds on it and now run it through a compressor and a Big Muff Pi into a Kustom 100W combo and a 600W Lee Jackson Ampeg head/4x10 Jackson cabinet (via a Morley A/B box)...it sounds monsterous. I also run an octave of the bass note out of an AKAI UniBass through a phaser and tremelo pedals and into a 60W Roland keyboard amp... fills in sound of a three-piece quite nicely (heavy fuzz rock stuff).

I get the occasional buzz, but it's probably more due to my lack
of prowess than the guitar itself...still need to get it re-set-up
since I put the flatwounds on it, though.

Everything looks and works perfectly...easy to play.

I've had this for about 5 months and still love it like the first day I got it. I put strap locks on it and had it set-up right after purchasing it. No problems. Me likey!

Who knows...who cares.

The only other bass I would consider buying at this point is the elusive Rickenbacker Dark Star (only 200 ever made)...other than
that, this Gretsch looks and sounds great. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if I had to.

Kudos to Gretsch for making an affordable, quality bass available to
musicians on a budget.