Hi everyone,
Thinking of getting a new bass, in this case short scale with vintage sound, I’m mainly between a Tokai sgb or Greco EB both Gibson gb style or Gretsch G2220 Gibson lp style. The Gretsch is 200-250€ cheaper. So is it worth to expend the extra money? I prefer a bit more the sound and shape of the Tokai, but not sure for the difference.
Thx for your help
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They all sound great. Not many differences in the tone as far as my (beginner) ears can hear. Something I did when I was first getting a bass was listen to demos of the bass I wanted and also look at the price. If I didn’t like the tone but it was cheap, I didn’t get it. If the tone was good but it was expensive, I didn’t get it. For me, I wanted good tone without breaking the bank. Hope that helps.
Edit: Almost forgot to mention hardware and overall aesthetic. If there’s a bass that has a great tone but has mediocre hardware or an ugly design, don’t get it. You’d be better off getting a beautiful bass with good electronics, even if it has a bad tone.
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Check the return/ exchange policy wherever you are buying it from. Most places have lenient policies right now. I was recently stuck between two when choosing my newest bass. Ordered the one I thought I wanted from Sweetwater, there was nothing wrong with it, but I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. They payed for me to ship it back and exchange it for the other one I wanted. Stinks to waste time playing the shipping game… but it’s an option.
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Hi @Ricardo. Welcome to BassBuzz!
Don’t underestimate the importance of liking the way your instrument looks. The more you like looking at it, the more likely you are to pick it up. The more you pick it up, the more you’ll play.
If you can afford it, you want three things…
- You want to like the way it looks.
- You want to like the way it feels.
- You want to like the way it sounds.
If you can find all three, then you’ve found the best instrument for you.
Tokai SGB60 This Tokai is pretty awesome looking.
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Hi, thx for the answers. Actually, I think the Gretsch is also nice, even if I prefer sg shape. Checking also Vintage VS4, same price that Gretsch, but not sure if same quality
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I have a Gretsch G2220 and love it to death. Decent sound, great action and it looks like a Les Paul Jr - what’s not to love? I tend to reach for it over my other basses (Squier PJ and Sterling Ray 4) when I just want to play for fun.
The only thing I don’t like (and probably will eventually change) is the control setup - a single volume and tone with a selector switch (bridge, neck or both). I much prefer a setup like the PJ, with a volume control for each pickup.
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