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Gibson basses. When Burt calls.
- Thread starter SteffanB
- Start date
My 2013 Thunderbirds are 8 lbs. How much lighter are you looking for?
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,043
- 45,893
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
“Well Boss, we just bought Fender and Ibanez. Let’s take Alembic down next to show we really mean business.”
Stop making basses and guitars with the "Qwik-N-Eazy Detachable Headstock Feature". Consult any hack carpenter who can tell you that putting short grain under high tension at a neck/headstock joint is Basic Bad Carpentry.
I know what you mean, but have never heard it expressed quite that way before. Made me laugh.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Make it a reverse Thunderbird and I am all for it. And actually, colors. Lots of colors. Burgundy Mist Metallic, Rallye Green, turquoise, lots of colors.
All shorts - Most Gibson shapes would just work better as shorties due to their lack of horns.
I already have a shortscale Tbird, but it should be reissued in more finishes because it's great, AND i think a shortscale NR Bird would be killer in Pelham.
I would sell off who knows what to get a shorty G3 in black and maple. I wouldn't mind a standard-body shorty LP bass either, or another flying V - in any color besides godawful cherry!!!!! Good lord, Gibson, stop with the cherry.
I already have a shortscale Tbird, but it should be reissued in more finishes because it's great, AND i think a shortscale NR Bird would be killer in Pelham.
I would sell off who knows what to get a shorty G3 in black and maple. I wouldn't mind a standard-body shorty LP bass either, or another flying V - in any color besides godawful cherry!!!!! Good lord, Gibson, stop with the cherry.
My opinion:
-Tighten up QC across the board.
-Reissue authentic Ripper, Grabber, Victory, and RD basses with a focused effort towards overall weight and balance.
-Bring back the '13-'14 EB models as "vintage" styled and the '17-'19 EB models as "modern" styled, but offer a better quality finish.
-Add forearm and tummy cuts on the Les Paul Jr line as well as a nice gloss finish.
-Rework the ergonomics on T-Birds and offer 2 models geared towards either "vintage" spec and "modern" spec (maybe also a 5 string with a Darkglass preamp), as well as non-reverse reissues.
-Move the neck humbucker into the 70s position on the SG basses.
-Offer a USA version of the old EB-2 or Jack Casady bass (why not both?)
Here's the problem: No matter what they do, they will never have the support and respect of the mass bass playing market. Most would never give them a snowball's chance, even if the product offerings were stellar, and well priced. Gibson cannot win in the bass world, even if they were amazing.
-Tighten up QC across the board.
-Reissue authentic Ripper, Grabber, Victory, and RD basses with a focused effort towards overall weight and balance.
-Bring back the '13-'14 EB models as "vintage" styled and the '17-'19 EB models as "modern" styled, but offer a better quality finish.
-Add forearm and tummy cuts on the Les Paul Jr line as well as a nice gloss finish.
-Rework the ergonomics on T-Birds and offer 2 models geared towards either "vintage" spec and "modern" spec (maybe also a 5 string with a Darkglass preamp), as well as non-reverse reissues.
-Move the neck humbucker into the 70s position on the SG basses.
-Offer a USA version of the old EB-2 or Jack Casady bass (why not both?)
Here's the problem: No matter what they do, they will never have the support and respect of the mass bass playing market. Most would never give them a snowball's chance, even if the product offerings were stellar, and well priced. Gibson cannot win in the bass world, even if they were amazing.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Also these in both fretted and fretless. They were/are seriously great basses. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I think Gibson should stay at first with the Thunderbird as a point of departure. I hope that Gibson R&D would try some experiments: a T-bird with a graphite neck laminated to the wings or a laminated maple center neck in attempt to get some brightness in the sound and have active pickups. A T-bird with acoustic sound chamber wings but with the traditional neck-through laminated neck (strap hanging points may be different, the wings could look different). They have a good thing going with the T-Bird, it just needs a few new ideas to generate some excitement.
I realize I'm late to the thread and entirely too lazy to read all the posts.
If a monkey on a unicycle with a banana in one hand and a laptop in the other works at Gibson and is given the task of creating business for bass guitar products...
The monkey can open the laptop and get to work, but would have to put down the banana. Or the monkey could eat the banana, but would have to put down the computer and not create a marketing initiative for basses. This is a very difficult predicament that Gibson has found itself it.
But...
If Gibson started Today investing in marketing their bass products within a few years they would be relevant. Because without question Gibson basses are very good and have been very good. But since the dawn of electric music Gibson has neglected marketing them or worse, treated the entire market segment as an afterthought.
The best example I can think of is AC/DC. Angus Young is the face of Gibson, his SG is among the most popularly known guitar images of all time, Tens of times more recognizable than even Lucille. So ask someone you know who is not a bassist about AC/DC's bassist. Turns out they do have one. So with one of the most recognized rock icons of all time playing Gibson, where is the bass? Where is the marketing department? This is a huge failure for them. Except that it's not because they don't consider it a profitable market.
No, wait, this is not a crazy post. Hear it out.
Someone authorized 6 or possibly 7-figure endorsement with Angus to play Gibsons in all concerts, videos, pressers, etc. In the room (or next room) when that happened was Cliff Williams. Do you think EBMM has to pay or even could pay enough to fight off Gibson if Gibson wanted to lock the whole band in marketing? No, the answer is no. It comes down to Gibson doesn't sell as many basses as Fender or even EBMM because they don't want to. They don't want to because they don't think they have to.
So back to the beginning, if you hired a marketing product manager and gave them the financial backing and autonomy to make proactive marketing decisions and fund initiatives instead of trusting a monkey on a unicycle you could fix this in short order for your CEO pal.
If a monkey on a unicycle with a banana in one hand and a laptop in the other works at Gibson and is given the task of creating business for bass guitar products...
The monkey can open the laptop and get to work, but would have to put down the banana. Or the monkey could eat the banana, but would have to put down the computer and not create a marketing initiative for basses. This is a very difficult predicament that Gibson has found itself it.
But...
If Gibson started Today investing in marketing their bass products within a few years they would be relevant. Because without question Gibson basses are very good and have been very good. But since the dawn of electric music Gibson has neglected marketing them or worse, treated the entire market segment as an afterthought.
The best example I can think of is AC/DC. Angus Young is the face of Gibson, his SG is among the most popularly known guitar images of all time, Tens of times more recognizable than even Lucille. So ask someone you know who is not a bassist about AC/DC's bassist. Turns out they do have one. So with one of the most recognized rock icons of all time playing Gibson, where is the bass? Where is the marketing department? This is a huge failure for them. Except that it's not because they don't consider it a profitable market.
No, wait, this is not a crazy post. Hear it out.
Someone authorized 6 or possibly 7-figure endorsement with Angus to play Gibsons in all concerts, videos, pressers, etc. In the room (or next room) when that happened was Cliff Williams. Do you think EBMM has to pay or even could pay enough to fight off Gibson if Gibson wanted to lock the whole band in marketing? No, the answer is no. It comes down to Gibson doesn't sell as many basses as Fender or even EBMM because they don't want to. They don't want to because they don't think they have to.
So back to the beginning, if you hired a marketing product manager and gave them the financial backing and autonomy to make proactive marketing decisions and fund initiatives instead of trusting a monkey on a unicycle you could fix this in short order for your CEO pal.
What if? That's how I've always visualised it.
Yep. Because they make great basses. Just not many. If the Tbird wasn't awesome people wouldn't be copying it still. LP and others, too. In my observation Gibson offers a limited bass line because they think they have to. They just don't seem to have any urgency. It's a hole filler for them. I suppose that's OK. But it's too bad because they have the ability to be a viable product. Marketing and nothing else.
