N(to me) BD

Oh yeah, I used to have one of those several years ago. I was doing double duty in a band and the short scale worked well for my little guitar player hands.

 

I have one and like it alot. Well made. IMO that TVJones humbucker is hot and gives the bass it's unique voice. Not everyone likes it. I'd like to hear what you think of that tone compared to your split coil P.

Edit: I swapped out the bridge for a slighly higher-mass Gotoh that tightened up the sound nicely. Mine is currently wearing GHS Boomers. I had flats on there for a while but like the rounds better.

 

Yeah, I've thought that the Gretsch leans to the P side of the scale with the thud I associate with short scales. It's not as light as I expected either.

I wouldn't give up a full scale bass, but IMO the shorties are just pain fun to play. I've had mine for 2 or 3 yrs now and no intention of trading it off.

I was surprised at the build quality for a bass in that price range. The fret dressing is considerably better than most others in that range and more expensive. I haven't felt the need to swap out the pots. But if you're inclined to tinker a bit, for $40 I'd recommend the Gotoh bridge.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

I had one for a while and really liked it, but eventually went to full scale for a little more body on the low end - found that mine couldn't quite cut through below the low A in a full band situation but that was just me. Loved the humbucker and gray burst finish. Wanted to swap the body with my junior jet guitar but the pickup route was too small and I didn't want to mess around too much with it so I sold it and covered most of the cost for my J bass that I picked up.