Product: Gretsch G1222 Junior Jet Bass II
Price Paid: US $299
Submitted
12/18/2003
at
10:41am
by
Dave
Features
:
5
Black sunburst
2 chrome humbucker pickups
maple bolt-on neck with rosewood fingerboard, 19 frets
adjustable bridge
one volume, one tone control and selector switch
die cast machine heads.
Don't know the year made; made in Korea. Gave it a 5 for features as a neutral score; it has everything it needs and nothing it doesn't.
Sound
:
8
Sounds surprisingly nice for a short scale bass. Good range of tones possible with stock pickups and controls. I bought this bass primarily for recording at home. I'm a guitar player and for me the short scale is much easier to play than my old MIM P-bass. My only complaint is that I'm getting a lot of noise, regardless of the pickup selection, but I'm trying to figure that out. Might be something in my environment causing it; I played it in the store about six inches in front of the amp, and it was very nice, no buzz. I'm giving it a conditional 8 for sound, providing that I can eliminate the hum.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
Bass was set up perfectly for me. Action was wonderful right off the shelf, very easy to play, no fret buzz at all, unlike my P-bass, which always buzzed no matter how many times it was adjusted. Stays in tune, bridge is nice, intonation perfect. I had to tighten up the cable jack nut, no big deal. The back side of the bass was kinda scratchy, so the shop threw in a gig bag. The fretboard is kind of dull looking, could look nicer, but no mechanical problems. Don't really care for the black "sunburst" finish, kinda looks like a mistake, but I'm not playing out with it, so no big deal.
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
I don't plan to do any live playing, but I think it could stand it. Probably some upgrades would be in order for making it super solid, but I can't really say for sure. So, I'll leave this rating at "No Opinion".
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't had to (yet), so "No Opinion" here, too.
Overall Rating
:
8
I've been playing guitar badly for about 25 years, and dabbling in bass occasionally. I mainly got this to add bass to some recordings, but I enjoy playing it, much more so than my old Fender MIM P-bass. It's easy to play, it's small and solid, and once I eliminate the hum, I think it will sound really good. I think I get a better variety of tones than with the P, too. If it were stolen, I'd wait 'til next Xmas and buy another one :)
