Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Has Gretsch been lying to us for over a decade?
- Thread starter LowEndLobster
- Start date
-
- Tags
- g2220 gretsch gretsch g2220
- Status
I updated the description in the original video and the short that I posted today stating the interior metal bit is non magnetized steel, and the only magnets are the two ceramic bar magnets underneath.
I'm going to open this back up. It's a valuable thread, and it deserves to be open. But I do need to say a couple of things:
Don't take legal advice from strangers on the internet.
This is not, as someone said upthread, a problem on the order of someone sending you home from the hospital with the wrong baby.
If you need to take a break from your computer, please do. Go pet a dog, look at flowers, or read to a little old lady in a nursing home.
If that doesn't work, the 'ignore' feature might.
I'm not going to clean up any previous messes because I don't have three years to spend. But more messing will result in reply bans.
Thank you.
Don't take legal advice from strangers on the internet.
This is not, as someone said upthread, a problem on the order of someone sending you home from the hospital with the wrong baby.
If you need to take a break from your computer, please do. Go pet a dog, look at flowers, or read to a little old lady in a nursing home.
If that doesn't work, the 'ignore' feature might.
I'm not going to clean up any previous messes because I don't have three years to spend. But more messing will result in reply bans.
Thank you.
I'd just like to clarify that the picture I posted of the cut open pickup is from my now deceased G2220.
There was a lot of talk of semantics earlier in the thread with people saying "Well, specs say the pickups are humbuckING but they're not listed as humbuckers..." and it didn't seem like that was ever resolved, so here's a screenshot pulled directly from the spec sheet at Gretsch's website, clearly calling them "Mini Humbucker"s
Perhaps it will reincarnate into some interesting. Simple revitalization usually just results in zombies.
Thanks for slicing that "mini humbucker" open!
Fortunately, I don't have a dog in this hunt. I'm a lefty - and Gretsch doesn't make lefty basses. Well, not for a few decades, anyway; I do have a '90s lefty Gretsch bass. And, the spot in my herd for "Short Scale Solid Body Bass" is well filled by a Warmoth Mini- Precision Bass, thank you. However...
Are the pickups on the G2220 basses really humbuckers? I don't know; never had my hands on one of those basses. I really have no interest in basses in this price category any more; certainly wasn't going to buy one; so... why bother? It would kind of bother me if they said they were Filtertrons - and it turned out to be a fib. Those really are humbuckers. Pretty... well, primitive is one way to put it... humbuckers, but they were also one of the first ones. And, IME, they're probably the most single-coil sounding humbuckers ever made... but, humbuckers nevertheless. In any case, I hope those pickups really are as advertised. It's hard to imagine that they aren't; in today's litigious society, it's hard to see the company lawyers ever letting them pull a stunt like that. I'd hate to have a brand of instrument I love and respect, pull something that stupid...
Well, this whole thing is certainly turning out to be a bummer...
I guess my feelings about the entire affair are best summed up by that famous philosopher, Marvin the Martian; "I'm not angry - just terribly, terribly hurt..."
This right here is what I think is setting people off the most and causing the backlash towards Mr. L E Lobster. The use of the term fraud and implication that this was intentionally done to screw over the bass population as a whole. I never doubted that it was a single coil but I do have serious doubts that they knew about this or planned it out. Your first point is exactly why I would think that. There is practically NO extra profit in this. A cheap Chinese humbucker is probably one cent more to throw in there vs a cheap Chinese single coil. There is no drive or reason to fraud people when there is no money involved. Its WAY more likely (as many people have pointed out) that the factory started doing it and Gretsch/Fender have no idea. This actually happens a lot with oversea factories. Check out some of those Warwick/Sadowsky threads to show how they cut tons of corners when people aren't watching.
Even if it's unintentional, it shows a huge disregard for quality control on the part of Gretsch. Regardless of intent, it's now on them to own up to it and make things right.
Actually I think this is just a marketing mistake. Some summer intern making their website and catalog. Reason I suspect, some of the Jet Guitars the pickups are called "mini humbuckers". And indeed they look like humbuckers. Then when the bass marketing stuff was made, this intern who probably knows nothing about guitars figured the bass had the same type of pickups since they are big shinny rectangles!
or not......
or not......
It might be news that these pickups are not as advertised but its not news that large companies don't have great oversight especially when it comes to the overseas offerings. This is a lower priced entry level bass so while disappointing its still good to keep things in perspective. Gretsch is not going to do a thing about this other than to correct the website information and/or maybe try to get mini-humbuckers used for real in the future. I bet there is legal text buried somewhere saying that specs as advertised are likely to change or could be inaccurate. But if anyone wants to sue them for the difference in cost between the two cheap pickups they have more time and money then I do. I appreciate the work and effort that @LowEndLobster put into this and all of his other videos. Always fun to watch.
I don't have one and really don't care beyond this being an amusing thread, but I know here that if I'd bought it recently, I could make them make it right. They can't just refund if I chose not to go down that path, at least I'm pretty sure as I had to do this for something else a few years back (not MI related). I'm sure there are consumer laws in other parts of the world that would allow for that as well. I can fit PUs and solder so I'd happily just accept a replacement set and install them myself if that were an option, but I realise some people can't.
Just pointing out an aside here, not suggesting anyone actually do it.
Just out of curiosity, has anyone had the same experience I have had with these? Besides my aforementioned experiment where I found that there is a definite 60Hz hum when soloed and even when both pickups are selected, I have found this odd thing where, when both pickups are selected, it almost sounds as if there is a tiny bit of chorus to the sound of the bass. It also exists when the pickups are soloed, but only very faintly. When both pickups are on though, I can definitely hear what sounds like just a little bit of chorus effect there. Now, I know there isn't a chorus effect built in, but I have experienced this both with my own G2220 and also another G2220 at a LGS. With my G2220 it also goes from one amp to the other.
Just another oddity for these basses, but one that I really liked when I tried it at the LGS and what prompted me to purchase mine from Sweetwater (in an acceptable color. LOL).
Just another oddity for these basses, but one that I really liked when I tried it at the LGS and what prompted me to purchase mine from Sweetwater (in an acceptable color. LOL).
This 100%. I honestly doubt there was an intent to deceive, at most it was willful ignorance.Actually I think this is just a marketing mistake. Some summer intern making their website and catalog. Reason I suspect, some of the Jet Guitars the pickups are called "mini humbuckers". And indeed they look like humbuckers. Then when the bass marketing stuff was made, this intern who probably knows nothing about guitars figured the bass had the same type of pickups since they are big shinny rectangles!
or not......
So I recently bought a used G2202 Electromatic Jr Jet - the original single pick-up model. As I’m converting to all gold hardware I removed the pup cover to have it plated. Here is my pick up.
- Status
