Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet Bass II - Walnut Stain Reviews

I've been a guitarist since 1969 and this bass is the perfect size for me. I have other short scale basses but this one is my favorite! It's built like a tank and plays smooth as butter! It has a good sound too. I prefer using both pickups together. I highly recommend it for anyone that wants a short scale bass!

I bought this bass guitar two weeks ago. Sweet waters Matt Emick helped me with everything perfectly as he always does. I bought the guitar in " Walnut stain ". It's absolutely beautiful. I wanted a lighter guitar due to back and spine issues. I have since retired my 3 HEAVY FENDER JAZZ BASSES. It came with the 55 point inspection card. The sound is perfect, the neck is straight and no fret buzz. I'll be using it 03/17/23 for our 1st show of the season. I highly recommend this guitar to beginners and playing pros like myself. Buy a hard shell case, it's work every nickel of it. Thank you, again Matt and all crew who made this happen. This is why I deal with Sweet Water exclusively. Thank you again.

It's my first, and it's teaching me how to play. In a manner of speaking.
Highly recommend, fit and finish top notch, sounds like a Bass.
As for Sweetwater, Moose is a great guy to deal with, very helpful
And he has a customer for life. I even ordered my second from him, standard scale this time.

Sounds great and plays very well. I know it's not on the higher end of the bass line. But I got to say you can't really tell. Once you figure out which setting you like on there. That thing will sing wonderfully.

For years, I've played a 1975 Fender Precision bass exclusively. While it's still my go-to bass, this little medium scale Gretsch is a lot of fun. It's fast, has great tone (a bit brighter than my stock P-bass) and is light enough to hang around your neck for hours without wearing you out. I got it just to have something different and a bit easier to cart around. I think it's a good value for the money. With it's shorter scale, it would also be great starter bass for younger players or folks with smaller hands.

As a beginner bass player, this short scale guitar is perfect for me. The quality of the guitar exceeded my expectations for the price. Very happy with my purchase and Sweetwater.

I had bought a Fender fretless jazz bass about 17 years ago as my first bass. Well-made, sounded good, but it was physically difficult for me to play - too much real estate to get around on the fingerboard, and hard to nail notes without frets. I think it discouraged me from playing bass as much as I should have. The Gretsch Junior Jet solves those problems. Much easier to get around on, and I don't have to be staring at the fretboard to make sure I'm hitting the right notes. And it sounds good (or as good as possible in my amateur hobbyist hands). It seems to be well put together, and is nice looking. Some reviews have mentioned a loose cable jack, and it is looser than my other guitars, but it hasn't been a big problem so far. The only other criticism I have is that it has eliminated my excuses for not practicing...

I've had this bass for about 6 or 7 months now, and I have to say, I LOVE it.
I've played six string guitar for about 35 years, but wanted to add my own bass lines for songs I'm recording at home. I love the sound of this bass, it's exactly what I was hoping for. And the short scale is perfect for my "I'm not a bass player I need a guitar sized bass" needs!
I can't say how a lifelong bass player would like this guitar, but for me, it is totally perfect and sounds great.

I love this little guy! I have 2 rather expensive basses but was looking for something a bit easier on my body for longer gigs. This bass is great. Especially when considering the price! The sound and feel are top notch and the price really only shows on the little things like tuners and knobs. The scale length is very comfortable as well. Overall I am very happy with it.

After trying an inexpensive long scale that didn't feel right, I bought the Gretsch G2220 short scale. What a difference for me. It's just way more comfortable to learn on. The walnut finish is beautiful and the fit is excellent.

I've played a P bass for years and it will always be my "go-to", but ever since I sold my EBO years ago, I wanted a short scale as a backup but didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I would only use occasionally. This Gretsch fits the bill perfectly. I've only had it a few weeks, but so far I've used it on two live gigs and one recording session. There is nothing "thin" about this bass except the price (it sounds so much better than my aforementioned "mud machine"). Great tone, fast action, good finish and at 8 pounds, it won't wear you out. Very happy with this purchase.

I've started gigging again with two acoustic guitarists. I considered an acoustic bass (and I may yet go there), but my 30-year-old Fernandes P-bass in "vintage" white basically turned a gross shade of stained-tooth yellow after years of storage in the garage where it gets pretty hot. Still sounds good, but just looks ugly. I wanted something that had a classic look to go well with the acoustic guitars, without being the same old P or J bass. Also didn't want to break the bank since I may consider going acoustic on bass in the future, or investing real money in a nice hollow body, or maybe even living the dream of owning a Rick. For now, this little bass is perfect. Looks great and sounds fantastic for what it is. I have a new Fender Rumble amp that has all kinds of amp models and effects, so I can make it sound like anything I want it to be, but it sounds great clean. And it didn't break the bank so I won't feel too bad getting another bass down the line and passing this one on to my kids. The short scale makes playing a little less work. I don't notice neck dive being an issue as mentioned in other reviews I read online - feels balanced. I'm sure there are heavier basses, but I wouldn't necessarily call this lightweight - so I'd invest in a comfy strap. Overall no complaints so far. I'll probably mod out the somewhat noisy 3-way switch in favor of a second volume knob and rewire it like a jazz bass for a little more tone control, but it's pretty nice as-is. Might be fun to do other mods, but not really necessary. The bridge looks cheap but the sustain is fine. The pickups are solid for this price point - no real need to upgrade. All in all a great little bass for the $.

I've played many basses over the last 30 or so years as a musician and also from the production side working with bands. This is the first short scale I've ever had the pleasure of playing and it truly is a pleasure. Not only is this lil thing extremely comfortable to play, but it has HUGE TONE AND SUSTAIN! The strings have a little more slop in them than a standard scale bass does without being sloppy. If you're a bass player, you know what I mean. If not, the best way i can describe it is that it is easier on your fingers as well.. The neck pickup is very warm and creamy while the bridge is hotter with a lil grit and earth to it. This makes for an amazingly versatile instrument. Flip that switch in the middle position and you get a wonderful balance of both tones that compliment each other perfectly. Gretsch killed it with this one! The pictures don't do it justice either. Much prettier in the flesh. I looked over several basses before settling on this one because I wasn't sure about going "tiny" but in the end I'm so glad I did. It's well worth twice what I spent for the comfort and the tones I'm getting in return.

For $... this bass kicks. The tone is thick and fantastic, the mini-humbuckers sound great.
It's light, and the short scale lends to an ease of playing.
My only real complaint is the neck dive, but otherwise it's great.

Fit and finish looks flawless.
Great work on the fret ends.
Pots feel smooth.
Sound is great.
Nothing had to be done.
Setup was great out of the box. Cust service was great.
Short scale is easy to move around.
Clear highs. And a suprising bottom end. Havent touched my JBass since.
Love it!

Love this bass. Perfect size for smaller hands but not too small its just right. The weight is good, not heavy at all.

The color and finish are beautiful. The neck is done in gloss finish and feels smooth and fast.

The sound is really good and flexible enough to have some fun with. This bass was a good purchase and I would recommend it.

I absolutely love and recommend this little Junior Jet Bass II. It's light and well-balanced whether I'm standing or sitting. It sounds amazing through my Eden bass amp; punchy and crisp, not boomy. I also have a pre-CBS Fender Precision bass guitar that I love and gigged with for many years. But now I prefer to not put so much strain on my hands and rest of my body. The frets are conveniently close together so I can move round the neck much easier with my tiny Asian woman hands. It is super fun to play and makes me play more often. It's also great looking and the finish is perfect. It came with brand new strings and I did not have to make any set-up adjustments. My only complaint is that the cable has a tendency to fall out even with the cable between the strap and guitar trick. I am actually using a small velcro strap to hold the cable to my strap so it doesn't fall out. But for the price, I am willing to do a little experimenting.

as an older player with hands that taken a beating for many years , the short scale is much more comfortable to play. but more than that, the tone and versatility is better than any other short scale , even at 2 or 3 times the price. I put flatwounds on mine and the warmth is terrific for the blues style I play. I would recommend this bass to anyone looking for a short scale instrument.

Wow! My wife & I play hard rock just for our own"howling at the moon" pleasure. We own three hollow body GRETSCH guitars and especially love their signature sound! (More so then Fenders or Gibsons, even). Bought the GRETSCH bass;plugged it in to our Fender amps....and WOW! Couldn't be happier!!We are used to 22 fret guitars so this shortscale bass is a natural transition. Giving this instrument a full five

I bought the G2220 30.3" Gretsch short scale bass for the shorter scale length and lighter weight than my 34" bass, due to two injuries in my left shoulder. I had researched several short scale basses through YouTube videos and liked the sound options available with the G2220. I called Cassie at Sweetwater, and ordered the bass and gig bag. When the bass arrived at the house I unpacked it and I was really pleased with the quality of the bass, especially at Sweetwater's price point. I downloaded the setup specs from Gretsch and checked the bass. The setup was on factory specs from Sweetwater. After checking the tuning, I played the bass and I was able to play it without the pain I had experienced with the 34" scale bass. I'm a member of a three piece band so we set up the bass going through the Bose L1 and L1 Compact tonematch PA's that we normally use for our local venues and we were really pleased with the G2220's sound. I gigged two times with the bass three days after receiving it and we were really pleased with the G2220 in the mix. I'll keep my 34" scale bass as a backup, however, the Gretsch G2220 will become my primary bass. Thanks to Cassie and Sweetwater for helping me with this purchase. I really appreciate their commitment to their customers.

I bought this bass for my kid because he's 8 and needs a short scale. I listened to a ton of demo videos of short-scale basses and picked this one for the tone. And wow, it lives up to my expectations and then some. I've played the same fretless limited edition Pedulla for the last 30 years, and I've bought and sold a Music Man Stingray because it never gave me anything I liked better than my Pedulla. But this Gretsch sounds really beautiful. What's more, the component quality is really impressive. I've lowered the action and adjusted the intonation, and adjusted the pickup height, and it all moves really smoothly. And the tuning heads are as smooth as any I've had at any price. So far, the bass is also holding its tune beautifully. And the neck is a really gorgeous and sturdy piece of maple behind the walnut fingerboard. I'm gonna be "borrowing" this from my kid a lot.

Ordered this bass on a Wednesday and had it by Friday. Unpacked it and was playing a gig within two hours. Brought my Fender P bass as a backup but no need.... this little gem performed awesome. Was, as always, a little skeptical about purchasing an instrument before test driving it but I have to say after the four hour test drive... wow! I really enjoy playing this instrument. It has a real nice look and comfortable feel to it. My guitar player said, "those are humbuckers aren't they?" yes sir. The short scale concept was what I was looking for and this bass feels great, from the maple neck to its solid body provide an overall smooth feel. The tone is very solid and the three way toggle switch provides three distinct sounds, all of which are very tasty. Even the two knobs have a design that provides a very distinct feel in comparison to other knobs.I will be adjusting the neck/string heighth to my personal preference which is not uncommon when getting a new instrument. This instrument will remain in my arsenal of bass guitars. As a side note, this baby completes the Gretch family adding to my Gretch mandolin and Gretch acoustic guitar. This company pays close attention to detail and are affordable to players who don't feel like dishing out big money. No disappointment here. Thanks Kyle Malone/Sweetwater.

I've been looking for an easier-to-play, short scale bass for weeks, but it was really difficult for me to make up my mind which one to go with. However, I always kept coming back to this Gretsch G220 Jr. It tried one out on a few occasion and finally caved in and bought one. I love this bass! Compared to my Fender P-bass, this Gretsch is indeed, easier to play, but more than this, the quality if far beyond the price and the tones that I'm able to get out of this bass through by Fender bass amp are incredible. I love this bass - it feels really good in the hands, standing of seated. The neck is incredible - smooth, with no jagged, sharp frets, the hardware is really solid and the humbuckers are just right. I was thinking about upgrading the mini-humbuckers, but after playing this bass for several days, I'm going to leave it as is - no need to improve an already-great sounding bass.

Say what you want about this short scale bass.
This baby puts out. Big time. I play the neck pickup and I have had to dial it back due to the output. Never have I've had to do that before, with any bass. Go ahead, name a bass,I've played it.
And through many different amp configurations.
I have always played long scale basses, for over 40 years. This Honey knocks me out!!!
I can't stop playing...

This is my first experience with a bass after playing conventional guitars for many years. After some research, I narrowed my choices down to a Sterling Sub Ray4, Sire U5, and Chowny SWB-1 in the short scale options, yet I was continually drawn to this walnut Junior like a magnet. It is an absolute stunner! I am glad to have chosen a short scale over a tradional 34" as it is so much more familiar and natural, esp. with fret spans. It is very comfortable to play and hold, and has a decent degree of sound variation. The finish is outstanding for an instrument in this range, and the set up by Sweetwater was perfect. I did not have the opportunity to physically compare other options, but overall I am extremely pleased with this choice and Sweetwater's outstanding service.

I wanted an electric bass that would fit my small hands and lack of experience. I couldn't be happier and I'm having a great time.

This is just what I needed to lay tracks in my recording sessions…..
Small size and comfortable to play

I upgraded the tuners to Gotohs and put a heavier bridge on it. Also changed the strings to Rotosound flats. Why? Because I like this bass. I could have taken the same money for the bass and the upgrades and bought a better bass but it would not have been THIS bass. I like it. The body, the sound. Why Sweetwater doesn't sell the Gretsch gig bag I'll never know but got one on Amazon. I'm happy with this little knock around bass. I gave it four stars because it was made you know where. Just look at the pic of the back of the head. Oh, and it came complete with a little gnat or some insect under the finish.

Surprisingly playable and perfectly set up. Arguably the best looking bass in the price range and it has it's own tone.
Nicest fret work and overall finish I've ever seen in a $... instrument, it's better than most in the $500 range. In fact the fret work is better than my TRBX 504.
Now my comlaints and the reasons for the 4 star review.
The D tuner on mine is crooked. In looking at the pics here and elsewhere it seems about 3 out of 4 of these have a mismounted tuner. Come on Gretsch it's not that difficult to get this right.
The set screws in the G Arrow knobs bug me. For appearance I'd much prefer splined pots and press on knobs.

I wanted to try a short scale but didn't want to spend a lot, so I bought this one based on the reviews and the Gretsch name. When I tried to lower the action I discovered that the second fret was way high, and I mean really high. There were several other minor high spots (which is to be expected on an import).After doing the fret work and getting a decent set-up on it, she played just fine. The strings sounded like they were made from old beer cans (again, to be expected), so I put on a set of DR Legend flat wounds. She plays and sounds great now. It's a good solid guitar and surprisingly good tonal range for the limited controls. With those flats on it, she's got a mean growl while maintaining good mid-range. Over all It's a decent guitar. The reason I only gave it 3 stars is because of the poor fret work. In my opinion, to make it truly playable it needs a fret job and professional set-up. That's fine if you can do it yourself but if you have to pay a luthier it would double the price. Seems to me that you could find a better guitar for the $$$.

This little bass is hard to put down. It's hard to explain but it just feels great in my hands. Lightweight, short scale, easy playability. I watched this bass for half a year and always assumed it had humbuckers. When I finally pulled the trigger someone had just figured out they were really single coils. I missed the cutoff by a few weeks to get any reparations from Gretsch/Fender, which left a really sour taste in my mouth. Now I can't unhear the single coil noise. (Looking at Thundertrons at the moment.) Great bass if you're looking for a very decently priced short scale with single coils.