New Gretsch Electromatic

[Dave Bassincus]

I just got this Gretsch Electromatic in trade for an old painted Chinese standup bass that was gathering dust. It's a 2012, made in the Samick factory, and is in mint condition (as is the case).
Luckily, it came with flats. I used it last night in an acoustic combo (guitar, cello, 2 flutes) and the other musicians liked the tone. One cool technique is to slap by the bridge with the tone turned down; I was getting a sound like a tuned bass drum, which helped uptempo tunes a lot, especially with no percussionist.
Looking forward to playing it in a louder context. Here it is:

 

[40Hz]

Nice! I also "bounce-tap" (like a mallet) with the tip of a finger (rather than slap) down by the bridge a lot. I call it my "church bell" sound. It works especially well on my '74 Ripper which has that 70's midrangy-progrock mojo - but without the bright top end (and clank) that the old Rics and most modern basses have. I don't usually turn its tone or passive midrange down from their regular settings because I like the overtones and note bloom better leaving things where they are. Tapped and muted will get me closer to that tuned percussion sound with this bass. But not quite because this bass wants to sound clear no matter what you do to it. You can get it creamy. But you really can't get it to thud. Or at least I can't get it to. It responds best to a light touch. If you play it too hard it'll only start barking in a very unmusical way. What can I say? It's a Ripper. It is what it is.

 

[Pilgrim]

Beautiful bass, Dave. I think Gretsch's Electromatic line is easily the equal of other makers' top of the line instruments.

 

[UK Philip]

yeah, these are killer basses, they sound great and you can actually get a lot of different tones out of them by playing around like that.

i love the gravestone inlays on the neck, too.

 

[jd56hawk]

Very nice retro vibe to it.
One of the few hollow body basses I'd consider buying.
They always look like they're big budget basses and worth every dollar.