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Gibson. Up to par?

Ste_m3

Ste_m3

Mar 26, 2006
269
3
Northwest UK
www.purevolume.com
#1
These days, it seems basses seem to have an origin of place in a music genre. Pbass in all this new rock buisness, Rickenbacker in all the new indie. And you look all across the board, and there is a distinct lack of Gibson. Even on this forum everyone is madly in love with their fenders (and rightly so dont get me wrong!) but is there a reason you wouldnt go for a Gibson?
How do they sound compared to say an MM or a Jazz?
Id like to put it down to taste, but correct me if im wrong, they just dont seem publicly as "good" as the rest of the field. anyway, more food for thought i suppose.

Feel free to rip this wide open :smug:
 
#2
I think you don't see many gibsons here because

a)people don't like their sound
b)Gibson has had QC issues lately
c)they are way too overpriced

There are some Gibson loyalists though. There are several Thunderbird lovers here that I know of.

With Gibson, it seems that you either love them or hate them.
 
#3
i've also noticed too that Gibson basses are not a hot topic these days. I took a bit of interest since saturday when i unexpectedly tried a Les Paul double cut bass. I loved it, it had a great tone, great action and just felt right for me. There was one thing i didn't like.... the finish. It was bumpy and uneven. All the rest bass was quite good and i sincerely wish i will be able to find one to my liking.
 
#4
I've heard some people say that the Epiphone versions are starting to become better than the US ones (like in the "Fender MIM's/squires v Americans" argument:ninja: :hiding: )...does anyone have any experience of this? It's hard trying to find anything not Fender modeled in England (locally anyway)...but I'd like to try a Les Paul bass out maybe comparing both a Gibson and Epiphone back-to-back.... Dunno...I've got a nice Epiphone Les Paul gui*ar which (aside from the electronics being dodgy) is a damn fine instrument to play and I wouldn't have any problems recording with it.
 
#5
I toured the Gibson factory in Nashville and was really impressed. A buddy is the materials manager there.

They certainly have the capability to produce awesome instruments. But here..... so they have this Niki Sixx bass there...now I won't disparage any players but my son , who is 9 and just started with an upright at school, should be able to do everything that player does in a few years....

Now, having said that, I was going to approach my buddy and see if they'll do a modern passive 5 string with the continuous pole switching of my old T40. My question was actually more general in , " how exactly do you do your marketing for the bass line, since NO ONE I know wants or plays a Gibson. "

When I was a kid, they were aceptable. The Ripper was an excellent bass. I bought a used 76 Bird in 1979 and it jaded me. Sure it looked great, especially for a country/rockabilly band, but the tone was dead and it was uncomfortable to play ( and we gigged twice a week min ) being so darn neck heavy. I bought a Peavey T40 in it stead and really never considered Gibson again.

They can make superb axes and could make a damn fine bass as well. But not a Nikki Sixx 'Bird. I more thinking dual humbucker blond top EBO style 5 string, paasive with continuous pole switching, or 18v pre..
 
#8
I was thinking of getting a thunderbird and I played a gibson at the store just to see what benafit having a mahogany body did,

sure it sounded far warmer and fatter, but it was really muddy, the neck wasent very comfortable and the finish looked bad, I personally prefer the Epiphone's feel.
 
#9
People get really touchy about Gibson basses. Those out there that love them will defend them to the end.

I state catagorically, this is my opinion, so don't try and argue these points as fact.

When you try and think of Gibson player with a great tone it's tough. People will say Jack Bruce in Cream, EBO through a Marshall, better get Maylox. It's sounds like gas pains.

The long and the short of it is that Gibson designs and sound don't appeal to the vast majority of electric bass players. With good reason, their classic designs EBs and Grabbers and Rippers and the whole lot, were mud machines. To me, the visual aspects of the designs were almost as bad as the sonic qualities. IMO of coarse. They made a very expensive Les Paul Studio Bass in the seventies with tons of switches and dials. They forgot to include any distinctive and usable sounds.

Richenbacker distinctive, alive piano-like. Leo's designs...Fender, Musicman, G&L and millions of clones makers, those designs have growl, great slap, thick rich rock tones.

Gibson ummmm...hmmmm..oh yeah, the were short scale. That's the best I can come up with.
 
#12
I love the look of the Les Paul basses, but i have never seen or tried one. I'd immagine they are very neck heavy too.
Tom Hamilton played/ endorsed them for a while.
I think the SG bass is quite popular with the retro bands.
 
#13
marwady said:
Lots of tonal variations including Pbass thump, Jazz growl, and a Rick tone that would fool most. (Greg Lake, ELP).
Click to expand...
Now I could be wrong about this, but Greg Lake played, Jazz basses, and Ricks during the early years of ELP. I must have seen them 10 times starting with Gaelic Park, Brooklyn NY in 1972 or 73. Later he played Alembics. I never saw a Gibson bass in his hands. I checked his website and found that to be consistant with my recollection.

He did have a great tone back then, just not a from a Gibson.
 
#14
Its especially a shame over here in the UK, because we simply dont have the stock. As it is im 15 and not really doing to bad for myself, but i would have loved to have had a chance to have a bash at the les paul, and the explorer but NOWHERE had them in stock! i had a test with The Epiphone Thunderbird and i did like it, but i actually ended up walking out that store with a Cort C4 Ltd! i worry that gibson/epiphone have far to specificed instruments, for what, IMO are the most beautiful designs to date.

// i know a couple of bands to use gibsons, placebo and we are scientists use the thunderbird, and Goldfinger put the les paul to wonderful use. but we are scientists bassist has such a wonderfully rich sound coming from that t-bird!
 
#17
I've got a '72 Les Paul Signature bass that I think is the best sounding bass I own, and I have a few. I also have a '67 EB-2C that does that "Dark Cloud" thing that only they can do. I don't plan to part with either of them any time soon, if ever.
 
#18
I think Thunderbirds sound fantastic, but that's about it for Gibson. Do they even make Rippers anymore?

Gibson as a brand in general is losing popularity because it's not seen as a working man's guitar. The fancy tops, the association with 80's rockstar excess, the RIDICULOUS price tag, it all adds up to an uncool aura. They're seen as guitars for old, out-of-touch players and collectors.

Exception: The SG. I don't think the SG will ever be uncool.
 
#19
dancehallclasher said:
Exception: The SG. I don't think the SG will ever be uncool.
Click to expand...

Will the les paul ever be "uncool"? Will the Thunderbird ever be "uncool" (im waiting for you all to say yes!) but these are classic designs, something like that cant just dissapear!

And though im fighting in gibsons corner here, i think another huge factor is id love to see someone try to customize one... not going to happen really is it?
 

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