Gretsch Junior Jet v Sire U5

[flea64]

Hi

 

Will be purchasing a short scale this week and I've narrowed it down to the junior jet v sure U5 The sire will be £60 more to purchase and the reviews on both look superb.

 

As I won't be able to try these prior to purchase would appreciate thoughts etc on which one to go for

Edited June 25, 2023 by flea64

[Newfoundfreedom]

I can't comment on the Sire, but I had a Junior Jet. It was extremely well finished and sounded absolutely monstrous. Superb for the price point. 

[TheGreek]

U2? 

 

Pretty sure that Sire didn't build a bomber or created a shite band.

 

OTOH they did make a cracking short scale bass called the U5 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by TheGreek

[flea64]

Sorry I've changed it, have been listening to U2 this afternoon . Thank you for your input on the junior jet, I see that Mike Kerr uses one and gets some fantastic sounds out of it 

[Rayman]

The Gretsch is a great bass.
 

Bought one for my ex……wanted to hate it……. ended up hating her instead…… kept the bass…… loved it……. needed some money……. sold the bass…… still hate the ex……. the bass is highly recommended.

[grenadillabama]

I have the one pickup  Jet. Mine does not get any twang . I wish it had a single-coil 50s Fender pickup like my Sire D5.

[Guest]

Possibly too late but I had the Gretsch and now have a U5; the U5 to me is far superior. Better balanced, better range of tones and definitely my choice. As ever, ymmv.

[nicsim]

I'm looking at the Junior Jet as an option. I've got an Ibanez Mezzo (medium scale) I might trade-in/sell, but I'm interested to know how the neck on the JJ compares with an Ibanez SR series - which of course are famously slim/fast. Can anyone offer any experience of the two? Is the shorter reach of the JJ neck traded for a slightly wider neck?

[Frank Blank]

On 25/06/2023 at 18:46, Newfoundfreedom said:

I can't comment on the Sire, but I had a Junior Jet. It was extremely well finished and sounded absolutely monstrous. Superb for the price point. 

 

Having tried one out I agree with this ☝️ entirely but I did find it rather heavy for a short scale, that was the only reason I didn't buy one.

Edited January 7, 2024 by Frank Blank

[shoulderpet]

On 05/01/2024 at 13:44, nicsim said:

I'm looking at the Junior Jet as an option. I've got an Ibanez Mezzo (medium scale) I might trade-in/sell, but I'm interested to know how the neck on the JJ compares with an Ibanez SR series - which of course are famously slim/fast. Can anyone offer any experience of the two? Is the shorter reach of the JJ neck traded for a slightly wider neck?

I haven't played the Gretsch but I have heard the neck on them are quite chunky

[Pea Turgh]

I’ve only played the Gretch - didn’t notice neck thickness.  I usually play a P bass.

The Gretsch is a nice looking, easy playing, good sounding thing.  Will happily gig again.

[Pea Turgh]

Oh hang on, this thread is 7 months old 😂

[nicsim]

On 07/01/2024 at 16:49, Pea Turgh said:

Oh hang on, this thread is 7 months old 😂

I know - I picked it up instead of starting a new one - may be I should have 😄?    Thanks for replying re: neck size. It's always a consideration for me because I'm not blessed with long fingers - Ibbie SR's make life so much easier.
I like the idea of going to short-scale, but just wanted to see if anyone had comparative experience of the JJ  and an SR bass. 

[shoulderpet]

Only thing that is stopping me from getting one is the lack of body contours, I moved my PJ Mustang on for that same reason.

[jd56hawk]

16 hours ago, nicsim said:

I know - I picked it up instead of starting a new one - may be I should have 😄?    Thanks for replying re: neck size. It's always a consideration for me because I'm not blessed with long fingers - Ibbie SR's make life so much easier.
I like the idea of going to short-scale, but just wanted to see if anyone had comparative experience of the JJ  and an SR bass. 

Unless you need to buy a bargain bass because of your budget, so many better short-scale basses out there than the Junior Jet.

Other than that, one's a $300 bass, the other is a $900 bass.

Are they the only two available?

Edited January 16, 2024 by jd56hawk

[nicsim]

On 15/01/2024 at 17:22, jd56hawk said:

Unless you need to buy a bargain bass because of your budget, so many better short-scale basses out there than the Junior Jet.

Other than that, one's a $300 bass, the other is a $900 bass.

Are they the only two available?

I definitely have a budget. I think its going to be a case of "trying for size" - ideally if I can find a store that has a couple of options in. Maybe a branch of PMT. 

[Vin Venal]

Can't say I've played the Gretsch but I had the U5 for a while, and it was great. Probably like, third best bass I've ever owned. It's with a close friend now, so I know where it is.

 

One thing I'll say about em, they don't really sound like a short scale imo, if you're into that wooden thumpy thing a lot of em do.