Fender & Gretsch caught LYING to you! - Uncovering the Gretsch G2220 Deception - LEL Investigates

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SUPREME FINAL UPDATE: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bl6NNewD5ZY.html
MEGA UPDATE- Gretsch has updated their website and now lists these pickups as having "Gretsch Single Coils". www.gretschguitars.com/gear/build/bass/g2220-electromatic-junior-jet-bass-ii-short-scale/ The pajama clad lobster man was correct!
UPDATE - Here's a closer look at the pickup: ru-vid.com2CMPRfDDWsU?feature=share
Correction: The inner bit is just two bits of steel mushed together, not magnetized. The only magnetic bits are the two bar ceramic magnets underneath. Thank you!
EDIT: I incorrectly stated that Gretsch was purchased by Fender in 2019. Sorry about that! Bigsby was purchased by Fender from Gretsch. Gretsch is still maintains ownership of their brand, though production was handed over to FMIC in 2002. These instruments have been made under the Fender umbrella their entire lifespan. Thank you for the correction!
Hey everyone! This is a different type of video. We have stumbled upon some really troubling information in regarding the Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet II bass. This instrument is being marketed as having "Gretsch Dual Coil Mini Humbuckers" and has been produced for nearly a decade. However, it appears that these "Dual Coil Mini Humbuckers" are actually single coil pickups in a mini hum housing. I was shocked to discover this, as the Junior Jet II has been highly regarded among bass players as an excellent short scale value. Why would they lie and deceive customers like this for a $300 bass? How have they not become aware of this after making these basses for nearly a decade? Fender has been responsible for manufacturing these instruments since their inception, and we as consumers deserve answers!
I am awaiting Fender's response.
Magnetic Viewing Film: www.amazon.com/Luganni-Magnetic-Viewing-Film-inches/dp/B07CGMG1JL
Talkbass Discussion: www.talkbass.com/threads/has-gretsch-been-lying-to-us-for-over-a-decade.1557548/
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QtZdeV7Ngv0.html
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
Facebook: LowEndLobster
Instagram: LowEndLobster
Reverb Shop: reverb.com/shop/lowendlobster

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Опубликовано:

8 апр 2022

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Комментарии : 1,2 тыс.

@patrickhunter 2 года назад

This genuinely makes me curious where the disconnect or miscommunication between teams happened where it got labeled as "humbucker"; or maybe they genuinely just said "screw it, tell em it's a humbucker who cares". Either way, I'm happy you're bringing this up, Detective Lobster

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you Patrick!

@philipmcadam5339 2 года назад

It will be interesting to see how Fender responds.

@Ypsiroselee 2 года назад

If you’re making guitars, bass or otherwise, your teams should all know the difference. Or they shouldn’t be part of making guitars.

@dm4728 2 года назад

@@LowEndLobster did you check the resistance, that should also give you some indication.

@Kaltrish_ 2 года назад

There is NO excuse. If they knew it is wrong. If they did not know is wrong too. If at this point Fender is not hiring bass and guitar nerds like Lobster and pretty much everyone here, then they are not taking things seriously. Period

@ol.grumpy.bastard Год назад

As of Sept 9, the web page for this bass now reads: "A pair of Gretsch single-coil bass pickups deliver thundering sound, which can be commanded with a three-position pickup toggle switch, master volume and master tone." Good onya for calling them out!

@LowEndLobster Год назад

Thank you!

@gregorymartinez3535 Год назад

Did they drop the price? Lol.

@fraliubass Год назад

I still like the bass ✌️😎

@stoutlager6325 Год назад

@@gregorymartinez3535 I think you already know the answer to that. :D

@senhorspock 2 года назад

And, then... the BIG QUESTION pops in my head: "I wonder if Fender would be lying about something else in any other of their basses specs (or guitars)?"

@shuruff904 2 года назад

Yeah. When they say they're better than a Stingray or Ibanez lmao

@HckrNeo1 2 года назад

Their website is 100% onboard with the "tonewood matters in electric guitars" marketing b.s., so there's that.

@acoffeewithsatan 2 года назад

Well, let's dwelve into the wonders of CITES law, shall we?? Back before the ruling that made it very hard to import/export instruments using woods from endangered species, everything was labeled as having "Rosewood" fretboards when it used a dark wood. Yeah, sure. Owning several instruments with Indian Rosewood boards, I can definitely tell my low-end Squier SE, a model from circa 2006, has a much darker and uniform appearance than any of the others. Moreover, under some small chips in the nut slot, it appears to be a much lighter colored wood underneath. While some in the forums have stated this could've been a lower grade Rosewood board with lighter blotches that had been stained for aesthetic reasons, one gotta wonder. Well! It didn't took long for CITES law to be altered in order to exclude musical instruments, making the matter a non-issue (after all, I wonder how a small piece for a musical instrument compares to entire furniture made out of Indian Rosewood or Ebony). It appears this change wasn't as widely spoken, given Fender (and most other brands, in all fairness) have taken advantage to not only keep using the now accepted by the market, cheaper alternates, but also promote Indian Rosewood as a premium feature to differentiate more expensive models.

@nunoandradebluesdrive Год назад

hey, true. A lier would probably do it again and did it before, especially when it's business related lies, and lying to customers. I really don't understand this attitude, sure a company is here to make money, but at all expense? It's supposed to be about selling quality stuff, and take pride about it. It takes a very special kind of person to do crap like this

@briansotobassist 11 месяцев назад

Probably a lot😂

@kevbob 2 года назад

omg literal LOL here- "That's right Fender, you are being scolded by a guy wearing a lobster claw in his basement in his pajamas." Great catch, hope they respond to this soon!

@sd3falco 2 года назад

Yeah, I laughed at that too!

@dominicrossitto5890 2 года назад

@@sd3falco I think we all did. 😄

@thebuck1152 2 года назад

Busting the big guys...love it! But wtf is up with the claw?

@kevbob 2 года назад

@@thebuck1152 well.. well.. he's a lobster.

@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer 2 года назад

"Basement Dwellers" get a bad rap. I often find them to be some of the more intelligent, insightful, earnest and apathetic members of our communities. Often simply disillusioned by the predatory, disingenuous, profligate, licentious and exponentially unsavory nature of the modern condition.

@time.5316 2 года назад

It doesn't make any difference how big a company is or what kind of past reputation they have. When they're caught deceiving their customers they need to be called on it. Thank you for this service to the customers of Gretsch and Fender and to the general public at large.

@rcboals 2 года назад

My friend Ricochet at Gretsch Talk says, "no one ever cared enough about Gretsch mini-buckers to crack one open." You say at 6:08 "This is a big deal and we as consumers deserve answers." Thank you for exposing another first world corporate conspiracy to defraud and shaft consumers. LOL 😉 That being said, I looked at your channel and am now your newest crustacean. Rock on Lobster!!!!!

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Welcome aboard! :) Thank you

@barrygibson1069 2 года назад

It makes me happy to finally get an answer to this... I actually returned 2 different ones because I thought they had electrical issues. I bought it specifically for the humbuckers on a bass, as I loved the other bass i had with them. This ultimately resulted in me buying a complete other product. Whether they will admit it, they will ultimately lose some product confidence... But they make so much every where else, they may sweep it under the rug and move on.

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

I'm glad you found this helpful and gave you a little closure.

@TheAtlantaThrasher 2 года назад

In a time where trustworthy journalists are hard to find, I wanted you to know that I'm extremely proud of you for coming forth with the truth. It's times like this that let us know that you are genuine, aren't paid for a positive review, and that you respect us enough to prevent us from getting taken advantage of. Plus, your expert analysis on the topic and showing us how you came about your results prevents any doubt that this is staged for views. You deserve a reward. But, the best I can give you is my thanks. God bless and keep up the amazing work.

@Kaltrish_ 2 года назад

My goodness! Thank you so much Inspector Lobster Gadget. Check this out: I actually had the same issue with this bass. A lot of noise. I actually returned my first buy of this bass because of it. But I wanted an affordable Les Paul bass. Then, I had the same issue with the second one. I spent A LOT of time trying to figure it out! Changing amps, checking the grounding, turning off all electronics in my studio, etc. (time wasted!). Then I went to a luthier to see if it was the wiring what was wrong, etc. (Money wasted!!). This is a VERY important video for accountability of companies that think that can get away with lying and making customers lose their minds over issues that are supposed not to be there. Thanks for your service Lob!

@norris_watkins 2 года назад

If you didn't get a cheap les Paul bass the hofner ignition club bass is amazing but not as loud.

@aaronerickson7928 2 года назад

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I literally just purchased one and noticed the way the pickups behaved.

@heftyjo2893 2 года назад

Gretsch will say, "Well, when you run the bridge and neck at a 50/50 split, they are technically humbucking....".

@Matman3124 2 года назад

Except when they install two bridge pickups 💀🤡

@12cmf 2 года назад

Only if they're RWRP, which they are not.

@sunn_bass 2 года назад

@@12cmf hello. They can be wound in the same direction to achieve hum canceling if one pickup has the magnetic polarity flipped and the wiring flipped. It achieves the same result. Original PAFs were done this same way. Switching current flow will reverse the electromagnetic field, but the physical magnet must also be flipped. I just had a lengthy discussion about this with a pickup builder about this. There is debate as to whether it sounds the same but thats a different matter. Check out the instructions for stewmac humbucker kits. They mention winding the coil the same direction, counter-clockwise. Then making sure the wires are soldered properly and magnets installed correctly.

@12cmf 2 года назад

@@sunn_bassDidn't you just describe RWRP? Regardless, Gretsch isn't doing any of that. They are using two bridge single-coils, identical pickups AFAIK..

@sunn_bass 2 года назад

@@12cmf In a true RWRP pickup set, one coil is physically wrapped clockwise and the second coil is wrapped counter-clockwise. The same can be accomplished with both wound the same direction as long as the leads on one are flipped. The effect is the same. And yea, Gretsch sounds like they are pulling a fast one on people.

@zahirmawji3178 2 года назад

Anyone watching your channel for any period of time knows you're fairly humble. So when I saw a video with a slightly "click-bait" title I knew something was up. Lobster, thank you for not looking for trouble, but rather investigating why things don't sound all too good. People watching this will immediately poo-poo Gretsch when in reality the fault lies on Fender wholly, Gretsch always have been a great company - and I am a fender guy at heart. I think more than likely this wasn't malicious but shows once again Fender's standards are really slipping... Jeez... no one escape the long arm of the (c)law!!

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you! I really appreciate your comment Zahir

@jeffjones1359 2 года назад

Lol, Lobster Holms…😄

@michaelkeefer4293 2 года назад

WOW! That certainly is something! I've never had any interest in that particular bass guitar anyway but it does make me wonder what else Fender and/or Gretsch could be lying about in other products.

@goose300183 2 года назад

Exactly, this is really terrible PR, no matter what the cause or intentions were. On the face of it, customers are being short changed! They need to come out and explain this, and somehow make it right.

@ThePunkPatriot 2 года назад

I know a lot of people on the baritone forums who were excited about buying the Jet Baritone 30" Bass VI style baritone, who are scared to buy one because they don't know if it's got the same problem.

@AndrewAHayes 2 года назад

Trogly regurlarly gets Fender guitars thet have the wrong pickups in the guitar than was stated in specs, he emails them and they send him the correct pickups out, I think he has also had a few Gibsons with the same issue

@AndrewAHayes 2 года назад

@minibikemafia Nah! Squiers have thinner bodies

@jackjdolan 2 года назад

I bought one of these recently and have had no noise or hum issues. I bought it so I could carry it on a plane. The sound crew at the gig said it sounded good. It's weird that Gretsch or Fender would lie it's only a $299 bass. It's still great value for the money they didn't need to lie.

@jackjdolan 2 года назад

@@SO-ym3zs I'm amazed for $299

@RH-xs8gz 2 года назад

I smell a class-action lawsuit

@jackjdolan 2 года назад

@@RH-xs8gz I'll take some money.

@rikkousa 2 года назад

Was this a mistake in one bass (builder installed the wrong pups) or did they mislead everyone?

@RH-xs8gz 2 года назад

@@jackjdolan 🤘🏼

@leramos3102 2 года назад

May the company Fender respond to this. Thank you LEL for bringing this up.

@PatNetherlander 2 года назад

I think selling a product with naming a component it should have, but in reality it doesn’t, qualifies as fraud. And I think everyone who have purchased this bass and finds out it doesn’t contain a humbucker should be compensated. To prevent lawsuits and further name-damage for the companies. ‘Cause this is verrry bad! Good investigation Lobster!

@damianfennelly5752 2 года назад

This is interesting. I've got a G2220 and I'm going to get hold of some of that magnetic paper and have a look at the pick ups in mine. Thanks for posting this.

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you! Please let us know what you find

@damianfennelly5752 2 года назад

You were absolutely right with this one. My bass has single coils as well (I've just watched your follow up video as well)... Nice work bringing this one to light!

@czarevich 2 года назад

Class action lawsuit. Lawyers who do that work will salivate-- violations of state and federal consumer protection laws.

@czarevich 2 года назад

@@jonbongjovi1869 No one is talking about arresting anyone.

@collisw8302 Год назад

Stumbled on this channel randomly after seeing the gold foil jazz bass review, great content! The instrument world needs more of this kind of investigative journalism.

@kingdeedee 2 года назад

Another reason this is so concerning is that this may just be an intentional trial run. If a company finds they can get away with giving less than what they promise, they’ll do it over and over again in the name of maximizing profits. Really disappointing to see things like this in the bass world

@sunn_bass 2 года назад

Interesting and great job. Not defending Fender or Gretsch, but when companies outsource production, things like this can and will happen. I've seen some imports spec'd with wood like ash that clearly ain't ash. Other industries have had incorrect alloys in metal products. Remember the Chinese company putting melamine in baby formula back in 2008? Fender and Gretsch might have specified humbuckers and not even know they were/are being equipped with single coils. I actually think thats a bigger issue. If a company merely slaps its name on something without knowing what the hell it is, that's a complete failure in product integrity and a complete lack of caring about the consumer. I actually think the problem is bigger than mentioned in the video. I understand how this can happen without the company knowing, but it never should happen. Please keep us posted if Fender or Gretsch responds.

@dchauser4 2 года назад

If that's the case, then their QA department is absolutely at fault. That's something that should have been checked in both the prototype and in the line models.

@duncanb1981 2 года назад

I had a business that dealt with manufacturers of products in China, and it seemed common practice to order samples and have them try to pull the wool when a production run was done as they try to swap certain parts for cheaper substitutes outside of what was specified. I feel like it's more a supply and QC issue, followed by lack of follow up and poor supply chain management on their behalf than a blatant lie. It may have also been they changed the spec and failed to inform their marketing department. I could be wrong, but that's my take.

@sunn_bass 2 года назад

@@spaceghostandy Doubt that. If the russian invasion happened ealier, the sanctions were in place longer and these were alnico magnets then that might be possible. Since Gretsch doesn't advertise these "humbuckers" as alnico, I assume they are ceramic. Russia is the leading exporter of nickel which would affect alnico magnets. Some people say that cobalt would be an issue too since russia is the second largest exporter of cobalt, but since the Congo exports 70% of worlds needs and Russia only 4% many countries could cover that shortage.

@dchauser4 2 года назад

@@spaceghostandy This has likely been going on for over 10 years. When these basses came out, Russian hadn't even invaded the Crimean Peninsula yet.

@msev5713 2 года назад

I adore this bass. It’s constructed really well, the neck feels great, and the fretwork is awesome! I’ve always HATED the pickups though.

@1956chip 2 года назад

Thanks for the "heads up", great job on checking this. I am from Canada and some "large scale" music stores in this country now have made the correction on their website and list the pickups as single coil. (as you said) Nothing wrong with the bass or the single coils, just call them what they are.

@justinandsheba 2 года назад

Unbelievable that it took this long for someone to figure this out. Thanks, Lob...

@madeforbass 2 года назад

Thank you Mr. Lobster for bringing this to our attention. I own this bass; purchased earlier this year after seeing many great reviews. Even "the guy from Royal Blood" uses this bass is what everyone is saying. I'm sure he has some mods done because I do not love the stock model. Yes, for the money it is a decent bass. However, I have buyers remorse and hearing this news about false advertising only makes me regret my purchase more.

@davidvitale9338 2 года назад

Thank you for exposing this fraud. I've truly had it with Fender and this is the icing on the cake. My Sire V7 kicks the hell out of every Fender I own and it's a substantial number. Fender has not improved the value of their instruments proportionally to the shameless way they increase their prices regularly. That's enough.

@patrickfoster4586 2 года назад

There's been no need for "improving the value" of their instruments since they perfected the solid body guitar with the Stratocaster in 1962.

@Mechagnostic 2 года назад

@@patrickfoster4586 Really? So stainless frets, AlNico pickups, roller nuts, improved neck profiles, humbucking pickups, adjustable pole pieces, improved audio sweep potentiometers, and improved bridge designs all belie the "perfection" from 1962? Guitars have improved dramatically in 60 years. A new eart is a more playable guitar out of the box than a 1962 strat. They were far from objectively perfect, granted they could be set up brilliantly, but perfect... that's a bold assertion.

@ande047 2 года назад

@@patrickfoster4586 Why the 62? Just curious what would’ve been on the 62 compared to the 54 (first year).

@nicholasmoses3583 2 года назад

Thank you Lobster. It’s appalling that Fender and Gretsch, two iconic musical instrument manufacturers, are lying to their loyal customers. I am thankful for your research, videos, and musicianship Lobster.

@PeteCarlton 2 года назад

I replaced my bridge pickup with a TV Jones Thunder'Mag because I was disassatisfied with the weak and muddy output of the mini hum, but I don't remember any noise issues with the old conformation. Having kept the old pup, I'm now on the lookout for some of that magnetic viewing paper to see if it too is a single coil. Thank you so much for your detective work!

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you Pete! Please post on the TB thread or reach out to me directly via email (channel name at gmail), TB, or instagram with your findings. The magnetic viewing paper is linked in the description. Thank you again!

@PeteCarlton 2 года назад

@@LowEndLobster Will do! I've just ordered some paper from the UK Amazon store.

@PeteCarlton 10 месяцев назад

@@LowEndLobster This is nearly 18 months later and I have to apologise for not getting back to you - but my pups were definitely single-coil. I did post on TB at the time, but then got a new job and - well, you know... Thanksa gain for yoru work on this - proves sticking to your guns (rather than pulling them out) works in the end!

@djf817 2 года назад

Bought the same guitar Lobster has in the video as a first bass. Not going to lie, I really do like playing it, but this has soured me a bit, especially as someone new to the instrument who is not fully educated on the topic. I have always been suspicious of fender for some reason (seems like you can get better bang for your buck) and this cements that fact. Thank you Lobster for your no nonsense honest reviews, I am learning so much from your videos. Looks like a Serling ray4 HH next, real humbuckers here I come!

@johnyrocksville 2 года назад

Mind blown! 🤯 I have one and it is fantastic with no noise, but still upset about being deceived! I think Gretsch needs to send me some replacement humbuckers!

@ThePunkPatriot 2 года назад

They won't do it. They will lie to you and gaslight you. That's what they did to me. They will tell you that they are supposed to come with single coil pickups, and that they are in "humbucking mode" when they are in the middle position (untrue, since the middle position of two pickups with the same polarity is just a louder bridge pickup). They will tell you that they are stacked humbuckers. They will tell you that they are humbuckers that just aren't humbucking. They will never send you replacement pickups, they will force you to surrender your bass, cut the headstock off, and then drag their feet on cutting you a refund check until you threaten to sue. That's what they did to me. We should start a class action lawsuit.

@kdwinkler4 2 года назад

I just started playing Bass 18 months ago. I play Keys in my band but we needed another bass player. I got this Bass because I wanted an affordable short scale (I'm a short round girl). It sounded great, comfortable, good price range, not knowing anything about basses. Bragging to the guitar guys and other bassist in my band about the humbucking pick ups. They all love the sound of it but called it an "old school" sound. This is upsetting but I still like it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

@emilyg8960 2 года назад

I have this bass too as well as 2 high end basses. Its still a great value imo

@yessitsme6884 2 года назад

A friend got a Gibson Thunderbird 5-strings bass with non-humbucking humbuckers. A Gibson! A much more expensive instrument. Noisy as hell and would also squeal. To make things more fun... Finding replacement 5-string Thunderbird pickups is a lot harder than you'd think it would be.

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

A friend of the channel had one of the Epi Pro V's, like the one I reviewed. It turns out they used the same 4 string pickups on the 5 string which made for terrible B coverage. He ended up routing out the pickup cavities and putting in some larger bart soapbars or something.

@yessitsme6884 2 года назад

@@LowEndLobster interesting. His Gibson's stock pickups actually sounded really good, if you ignored the hum and squeals. The only replacement he found turned out to be 4 string pickups in a 5 string cover like that, but the coil was centered so both the B and G strings were weak.

@Jonathan_Doe_ 2 года назад

@@yessitsme6884 Squeal is usually bad, or no wax or epoxy potting causing microphonics… Hum could be a complete lack of cavity shielding, or badly mismatched coils in the humbuckers meaning they don’t cancel the hum completely. Or they actually used single coil soap bars and messed their spec sheet up.

@yessitsme6884 2 года назад

@@Jonathan_Doe_ shielding in the cavities was good, we double checked everything. What made things worse is that not only were they not humbucking pickups, but they were also the same phase and coil direction so turning both pickups on made the hum worse (e.g. on a Jazz Bass the pickups are reverse wound and reverse coil so the noise cancels out when combined). He managed to get a set from a custom winder, took a few months and cost twice the price of off the shelves pickup.

@hetul784 2 года назад

It would be easier for you to write it off as an error and continue to review Gretsch basses. However, you chose to stick to your morals and not review more instruments from Gretsch going forward and even made it a thing for all your viewers to know and I have to say I really appreciate it. One of the many things that make you my favourite Bass RU-vidr 💪🏻

@alessandrocarrubba8558 2 года назад

Love your directness!

@thebassplayification 2 года назад

This is how the emergency PR meeting at Fender is going to go Monday morning; "Hey so, did we actually KNOW that we were selling single coils as humbuckers or...?" "What's Humbuckers?"

@mvp6692 2 года назад

This totally answers my question about this bass. I bought mine in 2020. Never had the noise issue until I moved. Now I get the hum. Checked the grounding and it was good. Good to know it really doesn't have humbuckers.

@sd3falco 2 года назад

Good work my friend. I considered getting one of these awhile back. I didn't because I heard they have considerable neck dive. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't. Thanks!

@PierceThirlen2 2 года назад

FYI, there is minimal cost difference between making a humbucking pickup and a single coil pickup. The bobbins probably cost about a dime each in quality. You only need one bar magnet between the pickup coils in either case. The pole piece or pole pieces through each pickup coil can be made from cheap steel. The most expensive part of the pickup is the copper wire, and that is the same whether you wind all of the wire onto one pickup coil bobbin or split the wire between two pickup coil bobbins. You have the ends of two extra wires to solder together. So you need to make one extra solder joint. You have to screw one more pickup coil in place. You probably increase the pickup making cost by no more than 10% at the highest. The material cost to make good quality humbucking pickup is typically under $5.00.

@internetselling 2 года назад

Your considerations seem to be based on individual costs and pricing to you as an end purchaser not as a supply chain middle purchaser, with no scaling. It costs a company much more to acquire parts than the cost of the part. Please consider the scale, just in your amounts what is $.10 cents times 10,000, what is $5.00 dollars times 10,000? Now times that by every part.

@PierceThirlen2 2 года назад

@@internetselling The larger the scale the cheaper the cost per part, not only in material cost, but also in the cost of production. There is also very little development cost to recoup. The biggest development expense is the tooling costs for the bobbin molds, and the stamping dies for the frame and covers. It's a no brainer part for a manufacturer.

@davedixon2167 2 года назад

VERY interesting Lob! We already shot my review of this bass (vid hasn’t released yet) and had no idea of any of this; the one we shot didn’t seem to be noisy! maybe if there’s time I can add a note to that vid. Good investigation! Cheers - Dave from The Bass Channel

@abouc 2 года назад

Magnetic viewing paper sounds like a Doctor Who prop

@dominicrossitto5890 2 года назад

Fender NEEDS to respond to this. Who knows, did they start to use the single coil for the last year? The five years? All of the past ten? If they do not have an answer, it is fair to assume that it HAS been for the last ten, even if that is not the case. The company is responsible, even if this is the action of only a few within the company. That is why they need to respond and THAT is how they can start to make things right with their customers.

@ghostrider2ification 2 года назад

A lawsuit could happen

@dominicrossitto5890 2 года назад

@@ghostrider2ification Well, we'll see. It could be an honest mistake, but either way the company that produces these is still responsible....and if that is the case, Fender needs to do a full investigation🔎🎸 and make a statement and respond publicly to any concerns. How they handle things after that will reflect on how they are viewed publicly. 🤷‍♂️ I don't think it is the end of the world, and from all the rave reviews I have seen about this short scale bass, it shounds like it is still a great value and quality instrument. But something needs to be fixed, either the basses sold or the website,...or both. Fender's response will be interesting and the most important thing to come out of this.

@dantesinfernopurgatory7826 Год назад

An excellent piece of investigative reporting! Well done, Lobster!

@Codalily 2 года назад

I have been playing this exact bass for over 3 years and the hum is extremely noticeable. I just chalked it up to the wiring in my band's practice space.

@fciscus 2 года назад

I just bought this bass, 4 days ago 😉. I already knew about the humbuckergate, thanks to Lobster. Great job! But even with SS, I loooooove this little piece of wood and metal. Great playability and, in my case, no hum

@Wombatmetal 2 года назад

I'm curious if they've been doing this all along, or at some point changed to single coils to keep costs down, and older models do in fact have humbuckers. At what point did they go off the rails, and on what other models are they also lying? Cause I doubt this is an isolated thing

@Pepsidud32 2 года назад

See there are 2 versions of this bass, the one shown in the video is the Jr Jet 2. The original Jr Jet only had 1 pickup and came out in the early 2000's. My guess is that the original version had humbuckers but overtime got replaced by a cheaper single coil to keep costs down. If we can put the test on that og model then we can see if its true or not.

@Viper-dz2kw 2 года назад

Pretty sure the first couple runs of this had humbuckers, my evidence being that Royal blood uses these live with no noise gate and a ton of gain, but no hum

@RHINOSAUR Год назад

I bought one exactly one year ago, thinking it had humbuckers. I didn’t question it because this bass is louder and more responsive than my other 2 short scale basses of different brands. I didn’t even notice any hum or noise… until I added effects pedals, at which point the noise was so obnoxious. I eventually bought a noise gate pedal which works wonderfully. I have no regrets about buying the Gretsch. It’s so playable, feels just right in my hands and over my shoulder. It has a nasty bite and punch when pushed, is loud AF, flush frets, and the knobs are so well made and smooth-turning. It’s the best short scale bass of the 4 I own.

@Fotosaurus56 2 года назад

I am reminded when I decided to replace the noisy single coil pickup on my old Fender Music Master bass with a Fender Lace Sensor. The original pickup as many of you may know is simply a covered six pole guitar pickup. It sounds great now.. in addition I changed the barrel saddles to swivel saddles for on the spot intonation. I was interested in this short scale bass, but nope, not anymore.

@g.medina3717 2 года назад

Wow that’s some great investigative work there my friend thanks for the Video.👍🏼

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you!

@aaronstonebeat 2 года назад

Great investigating! I couldn't help but take a look at their website and they indeed advertise 'Gretsch mini dual-coil bass humbucking pickups'. They also claim that the instrument is '... easily capable of filling a room with massive subsonic tones'. Do they know what 'subsonic' means?

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

They will fill the room with tones slower than the speed of sound!

@glenndjubilee 2 года назад

I wouldn't get one in the first place and thanks for pointing this out. This makes me rethink purchasing anything from them from now on.

@wilfredovazquez2942 2 года назад

Awesome video. We need more people like you in our bass comunity.

@BassedInVegas 2 года назад

Great video, makes me wonder if Fender/Squire is also lying about the newer 32” Jaguar Affinity H humbucker as well ?

@AlanJWatkins 2 года назад

I got one of those. Have heard other people have issues with hum, but mine is completely silent. Without shielding too. That said, pickups seem on the bright to harsh side so for a "ss humbucker" at least, so I wouldn't be surprised in that regard.

@samuelsmith6281 2 года назад

I wonder if it's a wiring fault with Lobster's that led to him spotting the lie about humbuckers...

@chriso6119 2 года назад

Good for you, Lobster. I have to admit tho I do find it funny and perfect that you would be the person to uncover this. I wonder if all lobsters hate single coil hum as much as this one does....

@vernsorrelhorse2949 2 года назад

In my experience I have had issues with these basses live. I've had sound people bring it up a few times I own two and even though they are cheap I play them full time professionally cause I like the sounds and feel but I've had suspicions about these pickups and sheilding for awhile. I was going to have my tech shield it himself cause of the problem. I feel decieved. Thanks for bringing this issue out. As always love the videos.

@TenFalconsMusic 2 года назад

. Customer: "It's not a humbucker?" Fender: "Well, if you put both pickups together it is."

@michaelfuria4257 2 года назад

this is the response that I am expecting, too...

@joshtucci468 2 года назад

I always wondered why this thing had more noise coming from it then my J bass, now I know why… Bought it as a cheap alternative to the Gibson LP Junior DC bass (still almost $2k in Australian dollarydoos) because I liked the pickup from the Gibson and wanted to find a bass like it for cheaper. Quite disappointing really to find this out

@kjackson5946 2 года назад

Very balanced criticism. I really appreciate how you stuck with the facts, & weren’t necessarily trying to attack Fender/Gretsch. Can’t wait to see if they respond. Musical instruments (even budget ones) means so much to the people that buy them. If this ‘legendary’ company can’t figure that out, there are a lot of new kids on the block, that are kicking ass. ❤️😷🎸 PS: This was my first Lobster video, but it certainly won’t be the last. Great job!

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you! There's an update linked in the description talking about their response and what folks can do moving forwards. Welcome!

@311afox Год назад

Just bought this bass, the description on Musicians Friend says Single Coil now. Pickup configuration: SS Neck: Single-coil bass pickups Bridge: Single-coil bass pickups Control layout: Master volume, Master tone Pickup switch: 3-way

@LowEndLobster Год назад

Thanks Aaron

@smop 2 года назад

I see the Gretsch webpage now calls them single coils, but at this moment, retailer websites still say mini humbuckers. Curious to see how they respond.

@NeoRichardBlake 2 года назад

I was just coming to post similarly. 😋 You beat me to it.

@alexsausl 2 года назад

I have this bass as a 2018 model and it sounds great - no hum on my. BUT I ordered another one recently and it had atrocious build quality. Seems Fender cut some quite big costs and I noticed the following differences: On the headstock the vertical "Electromatic" writing was missing. Also the pickguard is different, much cheaper than the "older" one. So they might also cut costs in the pickups. Will look at mine and report back what they look like.

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thank you Alex

@jameshumphrey2345 2 года назад

Are you sure you bought an Electromatic? If the model number starts with G2 (which is the case with the bass reviewed in this video), it’s a Streamliner, a lower-grade range than the current Electromatic line. If the model number of the instrument you bought starts with G5, and the build quality is that much worse, that is really troubling.

@keithvandegryp4673 Год назад

Thank you! I have been very unhappy with Fender business practices for some time. Please keep your viewers posted with updates. Don’t let Fender silence you, we deserve better.

@Mr3DBob 2 года назад

I have one, and I love it for studio work. It's quite heavy, so I don't like to stand up and wear it for long. I bought it used, and never asked or cared if they were humbuckers or not. I also have the matching 6 string guitar, and I was always sure it's single-coils. They can bite like a Tele!

@billnelson9413 2 года назад

Usually with less expensive import guitars there is fine print that says materials and components may change according to availability. Buy one new. If you decide it’s not worth what you paid then return it.

@ChipsA17 2 года назад

Was looking at fenders and squiers for my second bass.i have a stingray and wanted a more jazz or even pbass vibe. Now looking at getting a sire u5. I heard great things and it looks fantastic. Thanks to lobster for giving it a review. I knew fender was overated

@fauhdemcdoo9090 2 года назад

Get a Musicman Cutlass passive if you can, you won’t regret it. Blows the fender P out of the water for quality, sound and will still feel familiar as you play a stingray.

@ChipsA17 2 года назад

@@fauhdemcdoo9090 not in my budget. But the cutlass is so cool. I'm looking at the site U5. It has flamed maple top. Rolled edge fretboard. PJ pickups. And a great price and sound. Also a short scale which I want. I love music man basses thought. The cutlass and big al are my favs but they are so pricey

@qlindsay 2 года назад

I was not fooled. I bought and returned three of these. In the end, I went back and got one because I loved everything else about the bass. It was the right bass at the right size. I loved the intonation and I could slap with it. I don't mind spending another hundred dollars or so to reduce or eliminate the hum. My eyes were wide open.

@CAGED1702 2 года назад

I was about to buy a G2220, but after having tried it out I chose a Fender Mustang MIM. So now at least I know when it says "single-coils" it is NOT a Dual Coil Mini Humbucker... 😉 Great video, LEL! Keep up the good work!

@grantkoeller8911 2 года назад

I'm am so pissed that Fender would lie, This is outrageous, those dirty bastards!!!!!!!They knew all along that humbuckers are more expensive, and lied in their marketing! They just put single coils in humbucker containers!!!Special thanks to Lobster for uncovering a scandal!!!!!!!

@AndrewAHayes 2 года назад

Thats the smoking gun, they put single coils in humbucker casings!

@npg68 2 года назад

@@AndrewAHayes if they make these pick ups themselves then they would know but if these pick ups are out sourced then they may have been played themselves. In saying that from reading other comments it seems these basses are quite noisy and surely someone at Fender would have asked questions at some stage.

@twistdmojo 2 года назад

I have one of these and honestly, I love the tone. So I don't really consider this a big deal. It plays well (after a proper setup and installed a set of LaBella flats) and it sounds awesome. Ain't gonna fuss about it.

@2000SkyView 2 года назад

Well done! I have called Gretch support (Fender) about pickup in another guitar. I asked about the magnets when considering a mod, they informed me that they could not share this information since the construction of their pickup are a secret or proprietary. Come on, please, this is not high tech, anyone can reverse engineer the pickups to discover how they are made, if they are willing to destroy them in the process. False specs is a big NO NO !!! Great work!

@YourWifesBoyfriend 2 года назад

I wonder if Fender is even aware of this. Chinese factories substitute inferior components all the time, without strict oversight from the people who contract them.

@ThePunkPatriot 2 года назад

They are aware. I assumed it was a QC issue and that they would want to be made aware, but they gave me the runaround for nearly a year trying to run down their 1 year warranty, and it was only after I threatened to sue that they gave me a refund, and even then, I first had to surrender the bass.

@YourWifesBoyfriend 2 года назад

@@Narrowboat.and.offgrid.living Try again, genius.

@davidmeek8038 2 года назад

They still have a responsibility to quality control. They knew. There are component control protocols that they must adhere to (so mathematically they KNOW to the cent what their profits are) to report to their share holders.

@YourWifesBoyfriend 2 года назад

@@davidmeek8038 That's nice, honey.

@krogwaugh 2 года назад

@@YourWifesBoyfriend I am thinking it isn't just Chinese companies.

@BassedInVegas 2 года назад

Lobster, perhaps you should take apart the humbucker you recently replaced on the Jaguar Affinity H and see if it’s also a fake humbucker,,, I’m definitely very curious about that. Thanks for all your great videos !!! Cheers, Davyo

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Not a bad idea

@renhoek3851 2 года назад

I've always wondered how accountable guitar manufacturers are for their quality. Tone and sounds are so subjective and there are so many factors, that people probably won't notice if Fender put cheaper pickups or worse electrics in even the higher models. People like you are a godsend, thanks so much!

@AndruJorj 2 года назад

Very valuable information, Lobster. Thanks for doing the research! This needs further investigating...

@paulmccourt6185 2 года назад

Your timing could not have been better, I was looking at purchasing a short scale bass a the gretsch was more than likely going to be my pick, looks like I'll be giving them a hard pass. Thanks for heads up

@michael_caz_nyc 2 года назад

Bought a Sterling Stingray and it's phenomenal.

@tad5920 2 года назад

Wow! That is dissapointing - I had one of these on my list, partially due to the dual mini-humbuckers as claimed. Thanks for revealing this!

@emilyg8960 2 года назад

Hey Lobster, I recently got this bass and I really like it, but glad you’ve brought this up. I had no idea, and honestly don’t care too much what it comes with for the price, however false advertising is always wrong. ANYWAY, are there any replacement pickups you would recommend??

@user-pk6gx5cz4k 2 года назад

Very interesting. Thank you for your discovery and sharing this with us bass players. The question is, what will the great and powerful FMIC say!

@gary9564 2 года назад

You're the man Lobster. The truth always comes out even if it takes years!

@alexanderlyon 2 года назад

Oh dang!!!! Whether it’s an error or a lie, it’s a bad look!

@Shutupletstalk 2 года назад

Great video! Just subbed. Also, love the cat meow at 00:54 lol

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Welcome! Yes she's a chatty kitty, she makes many appearances in my videos :)

@frankrodriguez8971 2 года назад

Thank you sir. I'm sure I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I appreciate the work you do and the insight you offer! Well done!!!

@erichanderson1491 2 года назад

My guess is that Fender/Gretsch had every intention of these basses having humbuckers, but at some point the overseas pickup maker decided to switch to single coil pickups , pocket the difference in cost and just pray they're not found out.

@Leo_ofRedKeep 2 года назад

This is the most likely explanation and one more case of not getting what we're not paying for: in this case, a constant scrutiny of deliveries for matching against specifications.

@lvstogofst2002 2 года назад

Also... covid supply chain... The fact it had two neck pickups, made me immediately consider that as a factor. Maybe the pickup manufacturer was running low on parts and just slapped together a buncha single coil pickups to fulfill the order on time. I'm real curious if other folks with older versions of these, see similar results.

@BG-xn5ni 2 года назад

Maybe, but it’s a stretch that they never checked what they were contracting. I am guessing Fender/Gretsch knew this

@joshporter5205 2 года назад

Well, this sucks. I'm not a bassist, but I recently bought a gretsch guitar, which plays beautifully while being their lowest end hollow body. It sucks that Fender/Gretsch do horrid crap like this.

@cameronblanchette6687 2 года назад

Those guitars are really nice, gretch produces pretty good quality guitars. But there definatly is something to say about the deceptive marketing

@neerajbenjamin9264 2 года назад

Thanks for the time & effort investigating this whole affair........very sad to hear this....

@bulobeloo 2 года назад

When looking for a shorty that Gretsch was in consideration however I was lucky to get a Sire Marcus Miller U5 not only is it noiseless, but sounds good and plays well high build quality

@mentula3784 2 года назад

Nice find, I wonder what they'll have to say about it. Outright lie calling those humbuckers

@rickeguitar9086 2 года назад

Makes you wonder if that was Wretch's orginal design or something Fender did to cut their costs and lie. The other question I have now is with the Gretch electric guitars that have the appearance of humbuckers in them. Thanks for sharing

@katrat5450 2 года назад

The original version only has 1 pickup. I’ve not taken it apart to check but have recorded several tracks on Ableton with it and I’ve never had any noise after any sort definitely no 60 cycle hum. I’m thinking they most likely originally had legit humbuckers but when they came out with the new version they either cheeped out on the parts but didn’t update the marketing team , or it could be that the company selling them the pickups was scrupulously trying to cut corners and no one noticed… or they just decided to change them to cheeper ones and knowingly decided to point blank lie on the tech sheet …

@DJBuglip 2 года назад

If you can't hear the difference between a filtertron and a single coil, you should find a new hobby.

@jasongoestoshows 2 года назад

My friend had this exact same bass and hired me to fix the hum issue. I discovered exactly what you discovered. popped off the cover and found basically a P90 style pickup floating in a pool of wax. the least the could have done is at least make one of them reverse would reverse polarity so it's quiet in the center position.

@ThePunkPatriot 2 года назад

Oh hey Jason, lol

@matsgoalkeeping2448 2 года назад

This is such an awesome video, I want more!

@alanshewitt 2 года назад

Might’ve been useful to demonstrate the magnetic paper on an actual humbucker (of which you have many visible within the frame) for comparison.

@LowEndLobster 2 года назад

Thanks Alan. I did post a bunch of pics in the Talkbass thread, but I'll probably do a follow up video addressing some of the more recent points and requests in regards to this topic. I appreciate the suggestion and will try to deliver!

@asherplatts6253 2 года назад

In science that's called a control, and I think it would shut up the apologists who think it must be a sidewinder

@12cmf 2 года назад

Go Lobster! I have one of these and love it, except for the hum and lack of truth in advertising.

@pilummurialis6490 2 года назад

I honestly love this, Lobster, could you do more videos like this? cause then we can be wary of false advertisement and shady brand practices, this is not on from both Gretsch and especially Fender, and I for one am glad this is out there

@phillips7188 2 года назад

I had one of these for a while. The bass played great and sounded pretty good too. I did find that it was noisy which I found odd at the time since they were supposed to be humbuckers. Makes sense now. I think the very first runs of the single pickup version of this bass had a TV Jones designed pickup that was probably actually a humbucker?

@thelastchannelonyoutube 2 года назад

I was actually considering getting a gretsch until I saw this. They might still be quality guitars, but if the information on their website is just outright wrong is very worrisome. Besides, I wouldn’t feel good buying from a company that lies about the specs. If they’re doing this willingly, they’d be committing a crime.

@axellukkien 2 года назад

I would have expected some reaction from Gretsch or Fender by now. On the Gretsch-forum some people are reacting very hostile towards LEL, blaming the messenger for the message. Lots of ad-hominems, but no serious reaction or explanations. This seems like a great bass, and a great buy with or without humbuckers. But if such a big brand lies about such an important part of the specs, it really hurts the confidence.

@jbradleymusic 2 года назад

Hi, I work for one of the mid-sized brands in the industry. First, a humbucker can be sold with only two conductors on it. I have several in my house. Second, especially with import models, overseas factories can and will cut corners without the company knowing. My company works with several Chinese and Korean factories, some of which we share with Fender/Gretsch, and we constantly have to be on the lookout for components swapped without our knowledge. It's unfortunate, but it happens, and if the instrument passes a visual inspection and a quick playing inspection, it's very likely that no one will investigate further because no one will have the suspicion that we should. I can think of three different models right off the top of my head that had similar things happen. Hardly nefarious. So, good job. You found a product issue that missed Fender/Gretsch's quality control team. Why on earth should they respond to you?

@lawrencelerner6817 2 года назад

Finally, with some common sense. Best answer in this entire comment section and the most likely scenario.

@Mike28625 2 года назад

Well that sucks. Good that you checked though. Has this made you curious about other Gretsch pickups like the broadtron?

@kitsvn 2 года назад

Wow that’s very deceptive! I don’t want to buy anything from Fender now. Thanks for letting us know. Edit: may be a class action lawsuit situation for folks who own that bass…

@seancca 2 года назад

People would only get pennies, the lawyers would get the lions share.

@kitsvn 2 года назад

@@seancca thank you, you’re probably right. You’d hope a company like Fender would make it right, but I doubt many company have that kind of integrity these days.

@jeffjones1359 2 года назад

@@kitsvn Integrity vs profit? Guess what wins…

@budduggly7781 2 года назад

Exactly why I subscribe to your channel. I have learned a lot! I wonder what sellers like Sweetwater and others will say and do about this? Continue to sell a problem? We'll see, I guess.