gretsch junior jet ii pickups problems?

[Crobybass]

Hi!

I think the gretsch junior jet ii in Torino green looks lovely and it sounds good at the tests Ive watched. But I watched a video with Lobster or what he's called that said Gretsch have cheated with the pickups? Its marked as a humbuck bass but the pickups are singlecoils when he mounted them of or something? I also read that Gretsch can give you a compensation with 100 bucks for this problem.

I hear people saying that this causes noise and stuff when playing this bass, I was wondering if anyone in here have played this bass or know how bad this is? Should I buy another bass because of this? I think it looks killer and I would really want one but Im thinking second thougs because of this.

What do you think about this bass as a whole you who maybe have one or have tried one?

Thanks!!

 

[ThaCoast]

Hi!

I think the gretsch junior jet ii in Torino green looks lovely and it sounds good at the tests Ive watched. But I watched a video with Lobster or what he's called that said Gretsch have cheated with the pickups? Its marked as a humbuck bass but the pickups are singlecoils when he mounted them of or something? I also read that Gretsch can give you a compensation with 100 bucks for this problem.

I hear people saying that this causes noise and stuff when playing this bass, I was wondering if anyone in here have played this bass or know how bad this is? Should I buy another bass because of this? I think it looks killer and I would really want one but Im thinking second thougs because of this.

What do you think about this bass as a whole you who maybe have one or have tried one?

Thanks!!

They are single coils. Gretsch have since updated their website description about them (since @LowEndLobster's video). The compensation i believe was to those who had bought the bass prior to these changes/public made aware about the true nature of the pickups. If you buy the bass today, Fender will not compensate because they've since updated their description - to them, buyer knows these are single coil pickups & therefore cannot pursue claim against the statement.

The bass as a whole is worth it. I've played many, don't own any since i feel all short scales are toys to my tall figure/stance (& i've built my own short scale basses where the body is significantly larger in size so i don't feel like i'm playing a toy xD). The gretsch is a good quality short scale, for the money you can't go wrong. If you really dislike the pickup's tone, you can always have them swapped with actual Mini Buckers (by whoever company that makes them).

 

[jd56hawk]

Are you a beginner?
Do you need a short-scale bass?
What's your budget?
Plenty of good basses available for less than $500, short-scale or full.
(I've tried several. Not impressed. Nothing intrinsically wrong with them, but...)

 

[Crobybass]

They are single coils. Gretsch have since updated their website description about them (since @LowEndLobster's video). The compensation i believe was to those who had bought the bass prior to these changes/public made aware about the true nature of the pickups. If you buy the bass today, Fender will not compensate because they've since updated their description - to them, buyer knows these are single coil pickups & therefore cannot pursue claim against the statement.

The bass as a whole is worth it. I've played many, don't own any since i feel all short scales are toys to my tall figure/stance (& i've built my own short scale basses where the body is significantly larger in size so i don't feel like i'm playing a toy xD). The gretsch is a good quality short scale, for the money you can't go wrong. If you really dislike the pickup's tone, you can always have them swapped with actual Mini Buckers (by whoever company that makes them).

Hi! Thanks so much so if Im right the humming that could be hearable sometimes doesnt mean there is a product fault with these basses, but because single coils is less resistant to humming than humbuckers? Its the same if I buy a single coils bass with the exact same setup and bass-body kinda?

 

[Crobybass]

Are you a beginner?
Do you need a short-scale bass?
What's your budget?
Plenty of good basses available for less than $500, short-scale or full.

Im a bassplayer as a ground instrument but Ive played guitar for like maaany years in band. Ive starting to play bass again mostly because i cant sing at the same time i play guitar

I fell for the short scale because its easier to han around with tighter frets and I really think its good looking and sounding in the videos at least. I know you shouldnt care much for the bass looks but i want it to look killer when playing live, i dont want a standard p bass

 

[jd56hawk]

Im a bassplayer as a ground instrument but Ive played guitar for like maaany years in band. Ive starting to play bass again mostly because i cant sing at the same time i play guitar

I fell for the short scale because its easier to han around with tighter frets and I really think its good looking and sounding in the videos at least. I know you shouldnt care much for the bass looks but i want it to look killer when playing live, i dont want a standard p bass

Epiphone Rumblekat

 

[CaptainLeisure]

A friend left both a Gretsch and a Rumblekat (Allen Woody) at my house for use when he visited. I didn't notice any noise issues with the Gretsch. I preferred the Gretsch because it had a beefier neck and a nice ringing tone. The downside is that it's heavy. The Epiphone is very well made, high quality, light. It's very Hofner-influenced, meaning a tiny neck and no high end to the tone. I don't know whether it has humbucking pickups. The Gretsch costs half as much as the Epiphone ($300 vs $600).

 

[Ostie]

A friend left both a Gretsch and a Rumblekat (Allen Woody) at my house for use when he visited. I didn't notice any noise issues with the Gretsch. I preferred the Gretsch because it had a beefier neck and a nice ringing tone. The downside is that it's heavy. The Epiphone is very well made, high quality, light. It's very Hofner-influenced, meaning a tiny neck and no high end to the tone. I don't know whether it has humbucking pickups. The Gretsch costs half as much as the Epiphone ($300 vs $600).

I have both and they are both fun to play. If I could only keep one it would be the Allen Woody. The Jr Jet is a cheaper bass. Not cheap, just cheaper than the Allen Woody. Also, I've had no noise issues with the pickups on the Gretsch.

 

[Old_Noob]

I have a junior jet. Pickups are fine--I never got much hum from them. Yeah, I guess they are only single coils, not humbuckers as advertised. My 2 issues with the bass are 1) after less than 2 yrs and infrequent playing, I had to have the selector switch replaced. Startled crackling and then one pickup went out, then the other....repair tech said the selector switch is really cheap/thin aluminum, and the contact pads warped--$50 fix; 2) the dark coating on the fingerboard is wearing off, causing it to be "splotchy."

Soundwise, the bass is fine, I like the low-end tones of the neck pickup for reggae and the bridge has a nice growl to it. The neck is narrow and shallow, so it plays very fast. Not too heavy and it hangs well. It does feel and play more like a guitar though. The front man for Royal Blood used to use one exclusively and still works it into his live sets.

That said, I am probably going to sell mine just because I don't play it a whole lot.

 

[jd56hawk]

One of the nicest short-scale basses out there.
G&L Fallout Tribute.
Very versatile single-pickup bass.

 

[Old_Noob]

One of the nicest short-scale basses out there.
G&L Fallout Tribute.
Very versatile single-pickup bass.

That has been on my wish list for quite some time. The white and black one is money. Have yet to be able to find one to try out though.

 

[mrperkolator]

@Crobybass I had one. I liked the playability, but hum drives me nuts, so I started digging. I got another player to open up his pickups after replacing them with TV Jones and there's only one coil. Lobster saw that thread and others and launched his own investigation (he had same issues with hum). Then you see the video.

The pickups are also a problem because they're both "bridge" pickups. The pickups need to be reverse wound/reverse polarity to make it like a jazz bass. Since they are not reverse wound/reverse polarity it makes for noise no matter if you are soloing or playing pickups together.

In short, you will always have hum with the G2220 till you swap pickups, and pickups are hard in that size. TV joes is virtually the only replacement, and those cost more than a better bass.

I was lucky enough to send mine back for full refund. I wanted to like the Gretsch because it was so nice to play. but the hum got me, and it's too expensive to mod. If you like it, keep it. If you're like me and hum bothers you, take it back. It's too expensive to fix unless you really like the style. If you want a short scale that plays nice, I've played on the SBMM Short scale ray and it's fantastic. I've heard amazing things about the Sire U5. I have a Sire V3 and I can vouch for Sire's quality at least.

 

[mrperkolator]

For those who do want to keep their Jr. Jet, I'd advise getting a 3 way rotary (make-before break version) that way you can replace the not so great switch @Old_Noob mentioned. That's a relatively cheap part from an electronics supply and will get rid of that popping when switching pickups.

Also.... @Kev1955 has modded his out and they sound good. Care to share some links Kev?

 

[LBS-bass]

Hi! Thanks so much so if Im right the humming that could be hearable sometimes doesnt mean there is a product fault with these basses, but because single coils is less resistant to humming than humbuckers? Its the same if I buy a single coils bass with the exact same setup and bass-body kinda?

All single-coil pickups hum. It's inherent in the design. You can reduce the hum if you have two pickups and turn them up equally because the magnetic interference cancels itself out. But you have to like the tone you get when both are turned up.

In short, it's not a fault, it's a longstanding result of the pickup design that humbucking pickups were designed to address.

 

[mrperkolator]

All single-coil pickups hum. It's inherent in the design. You can reduce the hum if you have two pickups and turn them up equally because the magnetic interference cancels itself out. But you have to like the tone you get when both are turned up.

In short, it's not a fault, it's a longstanding result of the pickup design that humbucking pickups were designed to address.

Normally what you've said is spot on. However in the G2220 it is a fault for 2 reasons:
1. They used to claim they were humbuckers
2. They aren't reverse polarity, so they wont buck hum when both are turned up like you mention. They put 2 "bridge pickups" in almost every example we found when Lobster's video came out.

That's not to say they may be reverse polarity now.

ANYONE: If you have a new one that's been manufactured after lobster's video, Can you take a compass to your pickups and see if they did the reverse polarity?

 

[LBS-bass]

Normally what you've said is spot on. However in the G2220 it is a fault for 2 reasons:
1. They used to claim they were humbuckers
2. They aren't reverse polarity, so they wont buck hum when both are turned up like you mention. They put 2 "bridge pickups" in almost every example we found when Lobster's video came out.

That's not to say they may be reverse polarity now. If you have a new one that's been manufactured after lobster's video, Can you take a compass to your pickups and see if they did the reverse polarity thing?

1) I'm pretty sure the OP knows they used to claim that, but they don't now, so they've basically owned the fault and people buying today are getting what's advertised.

2) I don't know if they've added the polarity correction on this model; my statement is about single-coils in general and the designs typically used to address the hum, so you might be right about that.

When everyone was taking theirs apart they were all labeled either bridge or neck (I forget which) so it would seem they'd been putting the same pickup in both locations then. It'd be interesting to see if anyone's able to actually cancel hum on the newer ones that are being marketed as single coils.

The one I have is old, so I'm not the person to do that test.

 

[mrperkolator]

@LBS-bass I didn't intend to come off aggressive If I did. I'm still a little salty over that whole thing since I was one that specifically bought it because it was humbuckers and I wouldn't have to mod it like a short scale PJ to get humcanceling. No matter, it wasn't you who sold that to me, so I apologize if I came across aggressive.

Things I learned from the #Humbuckergate
1. buy basses with common sized pickups (just in case)
2. Green magnetic paper is kinda fun. cool way to look at coils when pole pieces are hidden.

 

[LBS-bass]

@LBS-bass I didn't intend to come off aggressive If I did. I'm still a little salty over that whole thing since I was one that specifically bought it because it was humbuckers and I wouldn't have to mod it like a short scale PJ to get humcanceling. No matter, it wasn't you who sold that to me, so I apologize if I came across aggressive.

Things I learned from the #Humbuckergate
1. buy basses with common sized pickups (just in case)
2. Green magnetic paper is kinda fun. cool way to look at coils when pole pieces are hidden.

No worries, I was just further addressing your points. I'd be interested to know if they've fixed the polarity issue, myself.

 

[mrperkolator]

Or if they are offering replacements that are reverse polarity to retrofit older basses to have at least some hum canceling like a single coil jazz

Or even better.... allow Nordstrand to make a Zen blade in that size.

 

[Crobybass]

Thanks for all the replys we play like crappy Swedish -77 punkrock so maybe some humming would even do well