Most of the ... disdain ... for the TK 300 when it was introduced came from 3 things, IIRC:
1. It was one of the first - if not the first - of the Baldwin-era Gretsches. Die hard Gretschistas hated everything that Baldwin came up with; and as you can see, piano companies aren't exactly the world's greatest bass/guitar designers, anyway...
2. It was one of the first - if not the first - solid body Gretsches. Die hard Gretschistas hated solid body basses/guitars...
3. Die hard Gretschistas aside, TK300's were inexpensive compared to a "real" Gretsch; they didn't sound like a "real Gretsch; and back in the day? Yeah, they were pretty funny looking; even if you liked solid bodies...
Personally, I didn't like them because - IIRC - there were (as usual) no leftys...
The Broadkaster solidbody bass ran from 74-77 - before the TK300 - and gretsch had been making jet guitars pre Baldwin. The basses all have blacktop filtertron's - they sound like a Gretsch.
Baldwin - had its fingers in too many businesses (insurance among other things) - Gretsch had turned the corner but the mother ship took Gretsch down with it. The bad Baldwin guitars is a great talking point for Fred Gretsch JR., "Phoenix rising from the ashes". The Fred Gretsch era however reintroduced what the self anointed aficionados call real gretsches - hollow bodies. Good business move, catered to expectations but devoid of the reality.
The 3 Baldwin Gretsch basses TK300, Committee & Broadcaster all have a good sound and the workmanship was stellar - at least on the ones I own whereas the Fred Gretsch era are clearly more cheaply made instruments. The Fender era are well made - but I prefer the pick ups in the older Gentleman and Tennessean basses over the TV Jones and the modern Gretsch bass pick ups do not sound as good as the Baldwin blade blacktops.
