Controversial Opinion: Gibson Basses Questionable Design Choices

[WillyW]

 

[Hevy T]

Nothing wrong with the

Victory basses
Q80
Grabber
Ripper
EB (both models)
Growler

 

[Hounddog409]

I'm not intending to troll or upset anyone. First of all the example of an upright bass and violin is invalid since they are members of the same musical family. The electric bass, while having elements in common with a guitar, wasn't originally designed as a deep version of a guitar, but an easier to amplify version of the upright bass. This distinct purpose separates it from the guitar somewhat.

Furthermore I believe you're referencing the new Double Cut Tribute bass. However this bass is a double cut Les Paul Junior, so it is still just an upscaled guitar.

I am not aware of every single bass design Gibson released, although the seventies era, including their guitars, largely seemed to be a time of throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks.

I apologize for the title of the thread, I really don't mean to insult anyone who uses Gibson, my original title was going to be "Why do they suck" but I tried to rephrase to a less abrasive format.

I simply don't understand why they haven't tried some actual different bass designs considering their basses don't have a very large portion of the market that they could potentially have. It seems to me that their basses are more collectors' wall hangers than actual instruments that are widely used. Maybe I'm wrong, which is why I attempted to start a discussion on the topic. I have no problem being wrong, as long as I learn something in the process.

I can count on one hand the professional bassists who are linked to Gibson Basses and nearly all are Tbird players. That is what sparked my interest. That and checking out a Les Paul bass that was forbsale in my area and coming to the conclusion that it is not my style. The seller purchased it new from Gibson and hated it immediately and has been trying to sell it for several months at a fair price and nobody seems interested.

Maybe you are wrong? You are wrong. End of thread.

You dont loke then so they suck. Hemce the original title...

Tbird is a great bass. Wish i still had mine.
And my epiphone vintage pro TBird, which cost me less than a MIM fender, is 10x the bass than the mentioned MIM's. Quality, tone, everything.

But troll away

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Love my SGs. They’re fine sweet basses that make fat tones and sit right in the mix. They also look badass.

Imo they’re a really interesting and useful tone in the arsenal, especially for recording.

 

[Ggaa]

I sat in on an EBO that you couldn't play above the 5th fret because the neck was so warped(owner thought it was great). Also borrowed a Ripper that was like buttah.

 

[ixlramp]

Gibson's approach to basses is to simply make a larger guitar.

Actually a good design point. Bass guitars require dedicated or significantly reshaped designs. For example the upper horn needs to be longer (preferably to the 12th fret or beyond) for correct horizontal positioning and improved balance.
Re-using a guitar body design unchanged for a bass is lazy and often poor design, even Strandberg is guilty.

 

[ctmullins]

Actually a good design point, bass guitars require dedicated or significantly reshaped designs. For example the upper horn needs to be longer (preferably to the 12th fret or beyond) for correct horizontal positioning and improved balance.
Re-using a guitar body design for a bass is lazy and often poor design, even Strandberg is guilty.

"Require"? I disagree.

"Often benefit from" - sure, I'll buy that.

The minute we state absolutes, a counter-example pops up to check our arrogance.

 

[BobKos]

<SNIP>
They build some of the finest guitars ever made, why can't they make great basses as well?

Traditionalists refuse to buy anything that isn't a Jazz Bass, P-Bass, EB, etc, etc. Companies are afraid to risk money trying to be adventurous to a crowd stuck in history. The new EB is an amazing bass. It will die because it isn't a 'traditional' bass. Go play one and see how you feel about Gibson basses....

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

If Gibson definitely could Branch out but they've kind of left that to Epiphone, which I'm not complaining about just means a cool bass for the fraction of a Gibson!
The original eb bass they did was cool as hell, wish they held onto that one for a couple more years, I'm sure I'm not the only one that held off from buying one because of the inlay on the 12th fret. I've only seen a few for sale at stores and they all had the inlay.

 

[GretschWretch]

FYI, I don't see the OP as trolling here. The exact same point was made in The Bass Book: that there have been some exceptions, but to a great extent many of Gibson's most prominent bass designs have just been bass versions of their guitar designs. You can disagree but it's not a trolling proposition.

Loathe as I am to disagree with a disgruntled-looking warthog brandishing a Saxon broadsword, I have to disagree (to a point). This may not be a troll thread, but OP is giving Fender a free pass on their bass designs copying their guitar line while faulting Gibson for doing the same thing. This appears to be a double standard. In fact, in the sixties, which is when the electric guitar thing really took off, everybody modeled their basses to match their guitars. I challenge anybody to identify a brand where no bass in their line matched any guitar in their line.

 

[Tom Gallo]

All I can say is if I had the scratch, I'd definitely buy one of those Tribute DC basses. The LP Jr double cut style has always been one of my favorite body shapes.

 

[Border]

I have been following this thread for awhile and can offer that I own several Fender and Gibson basses, and enjoy playing all of them. The Gibsons are unique, and benefit from a different technique and amp settings. I have received compliments on my tone, and endured comments about all the perceived shortcomings of Gibsons. These are often from folks who have never played one, let alone owned one. I enjoy the fact that my Gibsons definitely have their own personalities, and tone for days. Perhaps an acquired taste, but in my experience, they are great playing and sounding instruments.

 

[ajkula66]

The new EB is an amazing bass. It will die because it isn't a 'traditional' bass. Go play one and see how you feel about Gibson basses....

Sadly, you're probably correct about the future of the (post 2017) EB series. The most versatile bass that Gibson ever made IMO/IME. The same holds true for its 2013 predecessor.

As for the designs...Gibson made several pretty brave designs during the much-maligned Norlin era, including some that really redefined what a Gibby can sound like, let alone look like. The Ripper is not necessarily my cup of tea, but it definitely moved very far away from the mud bath often associated with the previous Gibson basses. The same or similar holds true for RD, Victory, Bass IV/V, Q80...although none of them was such a staggering break with the tradition as The Ripper was. Until 2013/2017 EB, that is.

My $0.02 only...

 

[Tim Skaggs]

I have a Gibson bass. It’s heavy and neck divey, and doesn’t sound as good as some of my other basses, but it instills a different attitude in me when I play it, so I play it occasionally when I need the attitude. It’s OK if it’s just a big Firebird. They have attitude, too.

 

[Tubehed]

 

[Pauly 4001]

I have no particular opinion, pro or con, about Gibson in general, but I'm genuinely fascinated by this comment. Can you expand a bit on this, and mention any well-known bands that you feel are actually defined by the Gibson bass sound?

Well, yes, I'm aware that Jack Bruce used an EB-something, and that the bassists for Jethro Tull, Mott the Hoople, Mountain, the Who, and I'm sure plenty of other bands, all used Gibsons. But I was wondering about the notion that the entire band's sound could be literally "defined" by the bass. So for instance, when Glenn Cornick left Tull and was replaced by a P-bass player, or when Entwistle moved from Fender to Gibson to Alembic, can you actually say that the very definition of those bands' sound perceptibly changed? That's what I'm curious about.

RQ: Trevor Bolder, David Bowie's bass player in the early 70's during the 'Ziggy Stardust' period, used a Gibson EB3. It is very prominent on cuts like 'John I'm only dancing', 'Starman', & 'The Jean Genie' - to name but a few. In short, if you listen to any Bowie from the early seventies, you're hearing Trevor and his EB3. That booming, slightly saturated bass sound was perfect for David's music, and IMO was the defining bass sound for early-mid seventies glam-rock coming out of the UK

You beat me to it and you said it well but we should all remember Trevor played a EB3-L.

 

[ajkula66]

You beat me to it and you said it well but we should all remember Trevor played a EB3-L.

Doesn't look like a 34" to me......great bass player Mr. Bolder was, and may he RIP.

Speaking of people putting Gibson basses to good use on legendary recordings...

Bob Daisley Interview: Gibson basses

 

[bassgrackle]

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?

They did back in the 90’s when Gibson purchased Tobias and brought Michale Tobias in, but Gibson even messed that up. The stories from Mike about the quality control issues at Gibson are horrifying. Just glad that we got MTD out of that experiment.

 

[Chad Michael]

MMmmm the black on red.... plus, it looks as if you could lift a manhole cover with the headstock. That is all kinds a cool....

 

[Snibborwocky]

I stopped reading the op after "poopie in anyone's cereal". Fabulous. Bravo.