I got mine couple of days ago
This is my first ever Gibson Bass
Weight? Not heavy at all... I'd say it's average.
Workmanship (finish)? Pretty sloppy ... but nothing that has any influence on sound or playability.
(but hey - it was the cheapest Gibson bass they had in the UK webshop were I bought it form)
Sound? Extremely well resonating tone-woods. Very loud acoustic sound. I've had couple of basses in this price range but none of them was resonating like the explorer does. T-Bird pickups - so no surprises there... I am planing on buying the non reverse T Bird in couple of months - the sound should be similar - same woods with set-neck/ same electronics.
Ergonomy? For me it has a T-Bird feel to it when I play it standing. Strap over the fin and no neckdive at all. Neck is also comfortable to play - it's jazzbassish, I guess. Playing sitting down is not that great - but maybe I just haven't found the optimal position yet.
Price? Your other options for this price are basses made in the far east (I am not talking about Japan of course): Indonesia, Vietnam, India, China or maybe sth made in Mexicio.
On the other hand you get a USA made Gibson (in this case it only means amazing tone-woods, not workmanship) with a hard case. Sorry, made in the USA Gibson means another thing, too: less drop in the price over the years.
To sum it up - the three important things (to mee)
pros:
- value for the money: one of the best options out there
- tone-woods (major contribution on the sound): amazing
- wibe and playability: feels comfortable and I almost feel sexy playing this beast (but less ugly and lame for sure)
cons:
- I don't care...there is nothing worth mentioning that would ruin the three points above.
*Said the guy with the same situation at home. 
