A mistake or purposeful misrepresentation, there has been ample time for Fender/Gretsch to respond to the bass community.
That they have not done so, leads me to believe they're trying their best to come up with a plausible explanation that will basically amount to bs.
Never really considered one of these in my eight years of playing, though I've owned a number of Epiphone Thunderbirds.
Took one for a spin last week and discovered I've been missing something special.
(Hipshot Supertone 3-point bridge and Magma black tapewounds.)
This question comes up so often, and the debate never gets resolved.
The sad thing is, it's often best to think outside the box, and I'm not talking about Musicman, G&L, Ibanez, etc.
Reverend Thundergun, still the best-kept secret in the bass world.
No tone control in passive mode, just like the new Meteora.
That's some forward thinking, there!
Not to mention they still refuse to properly shield them.
They know it's an issue but they just don't care.