Gretsch Guitars G2228B Limited-Edition Electromatic Junior Jet II Short-Scale Bass Guitar Broadway Jade

I love the look and style of this guitar. I was hesitant to purchase a short scale, but this had great reviews so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. Great warm sound, look and design seems way more expensive than it actually is. Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a short scale.

It's a great value in a bass. If you like the color and all, of course. I DO. Fit and finish are exemplary. It plays fine out of the box. String tension on mine is a little low on the E string so i have to tighten up my technique there, but its not too difficult. I love the neck. 12 inch radius means thin front to back, which is my preference. Now, be warned, the electronics are cheap, I had to replace them with better Switchcraft stuff in both my basses - I have two of these. One stock and one in which I switched the factory strings for flatwounds. And yes, it is easy to play and sounds amazing. These are single coil pickups that are hot, meaning loud, and sound really good. Lots of variations of tone are possible. Unfortunately, with the factory pickups and electronics I get a lot of hum when near electrical sources in the room. The controls are not shielded in any way and that might contribute to the noise. But still, I believe this Gretsch to be a great deal of bass for the buck.

I got this bass because I love short scale basses, the broadway jade color is a beautiful metallic surf green, I wanted a bass with a maple fretboard since all my other basses have rosewood or ebony, and the pearloid block inlays are really cool. What shocked me is how great this bass actually is. It plays fantastic, there are no sharp fret ends, the pickups sound really good, it's reasonably lightweight (mine is about 7.4 pounds), and it balances perfectly on a strap. My only complaint it that the neck is a tad thin front to back for my taste (I prefer more rounded C shaped necks), but considering what this little powerhouse cost, I really can't complain. I figured I was going to use this for a travel instrument when I didn't want to risk getting one of my expensive basses stolen, but this little bass is so nice that it's actually going to see a lot of stage time. When I first pulled it out at rehearsal, my bandmates all guessed that this bass is like most of my other basses: expensive and USA made. I played the bass for several songs before telling them what it actually cost and where it was made, and they were floored. They couldn't believe something so pretty and good sounding was that inexpensive. To be honest, I still can't believe it myself. I'm extremely happy with this Junior Jet II Bass, and I strongly recommend it.