Over the weekend, I was in Guitar Center trying to demo some pedals, since tax season is coming up and I'll have some cash to burn. While I was there, I saw this bright orange Gretsch bass sitting amongst the basses with a price tag on it that just couldn't be right (normally, you can't touch a Gretsch bass for less than $1800 and they average $2700. This one was new for $800). I drove home as fast as I could get away with and hit the interwebs to look this baby up.
Nothing.
Nothing on Gretsch's website.
Nothing on Guitar Center's website.
Nothing on Google (WTF?!?)...
...except one tiny little 2-page thread on TalkBass about it.
According to the guys on TB, this bass was produced in very limited quantity (between 75 and 250 or so) in Korea by Gretsch specifically for a Guitar Center promo. Once built, they were shipped one-to-a-store to several (but nowhere close to all) Guitar Center locations across the US. This is what's called a 'doorbuster tactic', as the existence of this oddity of a bass is supposed to get you into your local GC where a sales associate can promptly raid your pocket.
Considering the very limited run of this bass together with the fact that I've always wanted a Gretsch but could never afford one, I just could not in good conscience leave this thing sitting all lonely-like in Guitar Center. I worked a little magic and made $800 appear out of thin air, went to GC, and bought it. I might not be getting any pedals at tax time like I had planned, but I don't think I'll mind much. Besides, who needs pedals when you can create the tones this beauty puts out?
Seriously, if you're reading this and there's one of these at your local GC, GO BUY IT. You will NOT be disappointed! Literally overnight, this has become my 'go to' bass.
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