Jack Casady bass or Gretsch 5440LSB
 

Hi all,

Cant really find a lot of reviews on the Gretsch, I have tried the Casady bass and thought it is a good bass, but those Gretsch basses look great.

Has anyone managed to play both? If so, what did you think?

I got myself a Gretsch 5440 last November, after much comparing with a Gretsch 5123 and a Jack Casady: it's all down to personal preference, of course, but firstly I felt that the Gretsch build quality was marginally better than the Epiphone (both are Korean, so don't expect perfection on either!) and secondly, the Epi didn't offer the same extent of upper fret access than either Gretsch (I noodle a lot up there, so it matters to me!). I also found the Epi neck a bit too fat for my liking - my norm is a Ricky 4001, so slim is my preference: the Gretsch 5440 has a slim neck with no taper (thickness-wise), although it's a little wider than the Rick. I ultimately preferred the 5440 over the 5123 again because the 5440 has better upper fret access and I liked the more piano-like tone the longer scale gives; also, more bang for the buck! Hope this helps?

i think they're both really cool. there aren't many newer hollowbodies that have some character to them. most sound sterile and clean to my ears but these two sound good to me. the proper usa-made guilds and german hofners top my list with the gretsch and jack casady following.

i would lean towards the gretsch for construction quality and tonal versatility. it is a much more open sound than the jack casady. not sure what other gear you have but the openness should offer a nice contrast to most collections. the pickups in the gretsch are better quality too. another option which would probably be my first choice in this price range is going used vintage HB for a much more interesting developed midrange, EKO comes to mind.

whatever you decide it sounds like you're on the right track!

Jack here