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Controversial Opinion: Gibson Basses Questionable Design Choices

#21
peteygrizz said:
So I was thinking about why Gibson Basses are so rarely used and why I have never felt a connection to any Gibson bass I have ever played and it hit me:

Gibson's approach to basses is to simply make a larger guitar. There is no consideration of it being its own instrument with its own needs. They simply make a larger version of their guitars, take two strings off, and call it a bass.


Now I understand there are many guys who like their Thunderbirds, and I'm not trying to poopie in anyone's cereal, I'm just pointing out that while Fender designed the P and Jazz basses from the ground up as unique instruments, Gibson simply made a Les Paul bass, an SG bass, a Firebird bass... Why couldn't they have a designer work with some working bassists and design a bass that wasn't just an upscaled guitar. They build some of the finest guitars ever made, why can't they make great basses as well?
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Flamebait. DFTT :p
 
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#22
Deleted member 271037 said:
I've never played an original Embassy but the Epi Embassy Pro is a really cool instrument and amazingly cheap. The pickups in that thing are INSANE! Too bad they messed up an entire batch by installing the bridge in the wrong spot, making it impossible to intonate. But if you find a good one they're amazing basses with tons of character.
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I did not know that about the bridges! Something to keep my eyes peeled for then! Thanks!
 
#25
I think being the industry leader in electric basses, Fender has dominated the whole market for quite a few decades. And interestingly, even though a lot of musicians loved playing the Fender instruments, be it a guitar or a bass, I understand that the industry was quite skeptical about the way Fender instruments were manufactured. For instance, a bolt-on neck was quite unacceptable for a lot of luthiers then, including the Gibson folks. But somehow it worked and Fender became the big company that it is today.

As far as the electric bass goes, the first mover advantage brought a big market to Fender (there were few failed attempts before Fender though) and the Gibson management at the time might have simply thought, if at all, that there would be no way an investment in bass guitars would have a decent return on investment now that they have missed the boat already and lost that segment of the industry to Fender.

"The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock'n Roll" by Ian S. Port gives a very nice history of the rivalry between the two companies. It is not bass-specific but, of course, talks about the Precision and the Jazz Bass.
 
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#31
MtManiac said:
I did not know that about the bridges! Something to keep my eyes peeled for then! Thanks!
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Serial number starting with 1809 is a potential red flag. Every Embassy Pro I've seen with this serial number had the bridge mounted too close to the neck, making it impossible to intonate the E and A. They're usually easy to spot because they came with all the bridge saddles adjusted all the way back from the factory. The ones with the bridge mounted correctly have the bridge saddles in more normal positions from the factory.

Any other serial number I've seen has been ok. But I obviously can't say 100% that all other serial numbers are ok or if every 1809 is faulty.
 
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#32
two fingers said:
One guy telling him to his face is the most respectful and responsible thing to do. You don't want to call a meeting and gang up on the guy all at once. Text/email is lame and cowardly.
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The answer is simple: if you want a Gibson, buy one. If you do not want a Gibson then do not buy one. It is the old Tube vs SS.
 
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#34
weapon of choice :thumbsup:
 

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#35
two fingers said:
I have rarely played a Gibson bass I liked. But your premise simply isn't true. Some of their basses are/were the Grabber, Ripper, Victory (Standard with one pickup and Artist with two), and more recently the two versions of modern EB.

Also, how about the Telecaster bass? Then there's this. Stratocaster bass anyone?
View attachment 3688208
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Wow, I actually like the looks of that Strat bass. But then I'm a huge fan of weird vintage style "pawn shop" stuff. What model is that? Is that a Guild bridge or just Fenders version of it?
 
#36
Deleted member 271037 said:
Wow, I actually like the looks of that Strat bass. But then I'm a huge fan of weird vintage style "pawn shop" stuff. What model is that? Is that a Guild bridge or just Fenders version of it?
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Rascal. And I'm not knocking Fender for making it. It was just mentioned to prove that others make "big guitar" basses.
 
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#37
Allegrus said:
To be honest, I think another reason Gibson may have less bass presence (let's call it that) ... their designs take more chances and are generally less 'safe' than Fender's ... and that's why I love them.

I'm willing to sit on the other side of the spectrum ... Fender bass guitars are ... boring to look at ... some are ugly.
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I know what you mean and generally agree but the P-bass was anything but "safe" back in 1951.
 
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