In a hurry? Here’s our verdict

Gretsch are good at affordable instruments, and this limited-edition Streamliner Jet Club is no exception. Great tones, good playability, and an exclusive colour that looks excellent – what more could you want?

What is this Streamliner Jet Club Bass?

You may well have seen the Gretsch bass range before, but you haven’t seen a Streamliner Jet Club bass like this one. We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to partner with Gretsch to create this exclusive limited-edition Cadillac Green model with gold hardware. It looks good and sounds just the way it should.

With twin single-coil pickups, it’s a versatile beast and should suit players across a wide range of genres and styles. If you’re looking for a bass with active pickups or humbuckers for dirtier tones, it may not be right for you. Anything else, though, and you’ll probably have some fun with it!

Gretsch Limited-Edition Streamliner Jet Club Bass review

First impressions

When an exciting box covered in Gretsch logos arrived in the office, the guitar team was excited to see how the green and gold aesthetic looked in real life. You’ve seen the photos, so you know it’s pretty, but we promise that it’s even better in person. This thing looks good!

It has classic Gretsch styling, with everything nicely finished. And clearly the colour combination of deep green with gold hardware just works.

Looks aside, a good bass, much like a good bassist, needs to do more than just sit there looking pretty. Picking the bass up, it felt good. Light and well-balanced, which is always a positive if you’re going to play it live. The neck felt good, nice and chunky but not too big.

There was one slight niggle out of the box – the G-string rattled a bit, but we’ve all been there! 30 seconds with a suitable hex key raised the saddle enough to get it sorted.

Given that the office is full of people with real jobs, we didn’t have the opportunity to plug it in and start smashing out some thunderous bass lines, so first impressions of the sound were limited. Acoustically it was pretty quiet, but we could feel the body resonate, which seemed like a good sign! A proper verdict on the sound would have to wait.

So, it looks good, and it feels good in the hands. As far as it’s possible to tell without plugging in, it sounds good. The Jet Club bass definitely made a good first impression.

Classic design, solid quality – what more could you want?

Have we made clear that we love the look of this thing? Because we really do. The exclusive Cadillac Green finish and gold hardware look great, and it’s unmistakeably Gretsch. Classic touches like those instantly recognisable pearloid neo-classic thumbnail fretboard inlays will make fans of the brand happy.

We’re pleased to report that there’s a rather good instrument lurking behind that stylish aesthetic, too. The nato body is paired with a bolt-on nato neck and bound laurel fretboard, and it’s all put together very nicely. In short, it’s a solid, well-made instrument with materials that suit its accessible price point without feeling cheap.

One of the most important features of the bass is its 30-inch scale length. The shorter neck reduces the distance your fretting hand needs to cover, so stretches feel more manageable, and moving around the fretboard takes less effort. If you have smaller hands, or struggle with a full-size bass for any other reason, it’s worth trying out a short-scale model like this.

Overall, the build strikes a respectable balance between distinctive Gretsch style, practical playability, and value. As part of the Fender family, Gretsch has access to their considerable expertise in creating good quality instruments at competitive prices. This Jet Club bass is an excellent example of what that means.

A comfortable, playable bass that’s great for smaller bassists

The single-cut Jet body shape is a Gretsch classic, in both six-string and 4-string formats. Here it makes for a bass that looks familiar and feels comfortable. The cutaway gives your fretting hand plenty of room as you move towards the higher frets, so if you’re one of those bassists who doesn’t want your guitarist to have all the melodic fun, you’re in luck!

That 30-inch scale length we mentioned plays a big part in the instrument’s playability, of course. It’s useful if you have little hands, but that’s not the only reason we like a short-scale bass – the shorter neck also helps keep the instrument nicely balanced when you’re using a strap.

Full-size basses with their longer necks are often prone to neck dive, pivoting on their strap to point at the floor. There’s none of that here.

The instrument’s compact dimensions help keep the weight down, too. That makes the Jet Club easier to play for smaller players, but it’s just as useful for gigging. Unsurprisingly, a lighter bass is generally going to mean a more comfortable time if you’re up on stage for a couple of hours. Your back will thank you!

Overall, it’s a nice bass to play. The neck is chunky enough to feel supportive without going too far. The control layout is simple and sensible, with individual volume controls for each pickup, together with a master tone for making the most of them both. It’s lovely and simple to balance the two pickups then find the sweet spot on the tone control. If you’ve played a Jazz Bass, this will seem strangely familiar!

And, talking of pickups…

How does it sound? Good, and surprisingly versatile!

As a general rule, if something is good, having two of them is probably better than just having one. These Gretsch pickups are an excellent example of that. By having two, you get a lot of versatility, with a wide range of tones available. While each pickup sounds good independently, we found that some of the best tones came from balancing the two.

Since playing bass though an amp in the office is frowned upon, your humble reviewer took it home, forgetting that he doesn’t own a bass amp. Happily, a JBL BandBox Solo came to the rescue, and even through such a small device it sounded good.

But the need for a more sensible test led to the Gretsch getting taken to band practice. Running it through a Fender Rumble 100 provided a chance to hear how it sounded in a louder, real-world setting, and it didn’t disappoint.

This is where the Jet Club really came into its own. With the volume high enough to play alongside an enthusiastic drummer, the bass had plenty of punch and presence. Thanks again to the versatility of the dual-pickup layout, we found it sounded great on its own and as part of a band, sitting nicely in the mix.

Fingerstyle grooves produced a satisfyingly percussive response. Switching to a pick for some pop punk classics brought out a more aggressive character, which worked particularly well when we wanted the bass to push forward in the mix. Even a slightly clumsy attempt at slap bass worked with a little tweaking of the controls.

Overall, the two-pickup setup gives you plenty of useful tones. Crucially, it sounds good while practising solo and when you crank it up in a band, something that matters if you’re looking for a bass to learn on.

Who is this Gear4music exclusive Gretsch Streamliner Jet Club Bass suited to?

Given its accessible price and 30-inch scale length, the Streamliner Jet Club Bass makes a lot of sense as a first instrument. Its compact dimensions make it very approachable for younger players as well as smaller adults, while guitarists moving across from six strings to four should find the shorter neck more comfortable and familiar than a full-size bass might be.

But, with that said, this isn’t a bass you’ll necessarily outgrow. As we found during our band test, it has the punch required to hold its own alongside a drummer, while the excellent build quality gives you an instrument you can confidently take to rehearsals and gigs. We’d recommend adding a gig bag to your shopping list if you’re planning on that, though!

So, yes, there’s plenty here for more experienced bassists to enjoy. If you want to add a little bit of that undeniably cool Gretsch style to your collection without spending too much, the Jet Club is an excellent way to do it.

Ultimately, its combination of easy playability, solid construction, and versatile sound gives it a broad appeal, well beyond its credentials as a starter bass.

FAQs

Are Gretsch guitars good?

Yes, Gretsch guitars and basses are good. They’re primarily aimed at players on a budget, but their quality makes them suitable for beginners and more experienced players alike. While they use cheaper woods and components than higher-end basses, the build quality is excellent.

Why are Gretsch guitars cheap?

Gretsch’s cheaper guitars are kept affordable through the use of budget components and materials, as well as the use of Asian manufacturing facilities with lower labour costs. However, these cost-saving measures are balanced by careful material and component selection, as well as good quality control.

What company owns Gretsch?

Gretsch is still owned by the Gretsch family, having been sold in the late 1960s and bought back in 1984. Since 2002, however, the company has had a deal with Fender Musical Instruments, with Fender handling manufacturing and distribution of the brand.

Final thoughts

So, following a happy weekend with the instrument, that’s our Gretsch Limited-Edition Streamliner Jet Club Bass review. It’s a solid instrument that’s fun to play, sounds great, and will take a new player from their first lesson right through to regular gigs. It also looks fantastic, which is always nice!

Not bad for well under £400, we reckon.