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Just got an EB5 -- is there a war on Gibson?
- Thread starter oldfclefer
- Start date
I'm not going to wade around in the swamp that Gibson's made for themselves. Maybe they'll get their act cleaned up and start making stuff that more than a relatively few people want - and maybe they won't. That's up to their bean-counter management...
My only complaint about Gibson - basses in particular - is their reluctance to make anything that a left handed bass player can buy. Yeah, they do make lefty's; about once every other 3rd blue moon.. But, I've been lucky;
I snagged this beauty in late 2013, 
and I lucked into this black T-Bird in 2018. Both times, there were only one or two other models available - and darned few of any of them, as well. And, OMG, were these two expensive; especially the black one. The list price for that one was just shy of $4K. I didn't pay that, of course, but.. it cost me more - a lot more - than the list price for a right handed one. There's a spot in my herd that a lefty SG - or a Tribute - would fill nicely, but... I'm not holding my breath, waiting for one...
As for the build quality of mine? The '13 T-Bird is...flawless. The '18 T-Bird? Sadly, not so much. The outside of it is flawless, but inside the control cavity? Well, everything works, but there's enough extra solder splashed around to do about 6 more of the thing. And, it looks like a monkey did the job. Honestly, I could do a better job (and I have), and it's considered a misdemeanor to hand me a soldering iron... And the Babicz bridge is... not my favorite bridge. I need to take it off the bass; take it apart; and see why it's not doing what it's supposed to do. And yes, both of them had fret sprout. But, in all fairness, the only instruments I've ever gotten here in the Mojave Desert that didn't have fret sprout, were my aluminum necked Kramers. And it was pretty minor on the Gibsons...
So, personally, do I think there's a war on Gibson? No, I don't. I think they're suffering the result of stepping on their you-know-what several times; loudly, and in front of God and everybody. Which is a shame; and I hope they get their stuff in a pile - real soon.
My only complaint about Gibson - basses in particular - is their reluctance to make anything that a left handed bass player can buy. Yeah, they do make lefty's; about once every other 3rd blue moon.. But, I've been lucky;
I snagged this beauty in late 2013, and I lucked into this black T-Bird in 2018. Both times, there were only one or two other models available - and darned few of any of them, as well. And, OMG, were these two expensive; especially the black one. The list price for that one was just shy of $4K. I didn't pay that, of course, but.. it cost me more - a lot more - than the list price for a right handed one. There's a spot in my herd that a lefty SG - or a Tribute - would fill nicely, but... I'm not holding my breath, waiting for one...As for the build quality of mine? The '13 T-Bird is...flawless. The '18 T-Bird? Sadly, not so much. The outside of it is flawless, but inside the control cavity? Well, everything works, but there's enough extra solder splashed around to do about 6 more of the thing. And, it looks like a monkey did the job. Honestly, I could do a better job (and I have), and it's considered a misdemeanor to hand me a soldering iron... And the Babicz bridge is... not my favorite bridge. I need to take it off the bass; take it apart; and see why it's not doing what it's supposed to do. And yes, both of them had fret sprout. But, in all fairness, the only instruments I've ever gotten here in the Mojave Desert that didn't have fret sprout, were my aluminum necked Kramers. And it was pretty minor on the Gibsons...
So, personally, do I think there's a war on Gibson? No, I don't. I think they're suffering the result of stepping on their you-know-what several times; loudly, and in front of God and everybody. Which is a shame; and I hope they get their stuff in a pile - real soon.
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Looks to be a pretty fine bass! In the back looks to be a fine Kay Bass Viol as well, I've owned several of those and all were cannons.
Well I love both of my Gibsons in equal measure. I have TB and SG and they both are fine instruments! I am constantly gassing over that EB, Money Bass and Les Paul. And I play Fenders too!
let them say what they want, enjoy your bass, is great!!! i love the gibson sound and vibe. here's one of my 3 gibson basses, the eb 2014 5 string... since i got it only for 699 i could spent a few extra on cosmetics
Congrats...... just IMO: EBs are great basses and a newer long awaited contender from Gibson in achieving modern/newer tonalities because Gibson has few of these modern style basses........... further headscratching is that, considering retro 60s/70s with flatwounds has been a popular bass trend in the past decade+, I would've thought that there would have been a resurgence in Gibson classic designs, especially the EB3 considering how many classic records those were used on....ymmv
There is no war on Gibson basses, they've just never been all that popular compared to Fender / Fender-style basses which dominate the market.
Why yes, it's a 1968 Kay M3. My Bluegrass buddies called it a midget, until they heard it!
View attachment 3721756Looking at the pics you guys are posting of the previous edition of the EB5, I've noticed a few things that only a bassist would think to change, and that's why I think a bassist helped in the redesign of the EB basses. First, the upper bout has been extended so that the strap button is over the 13th fret so that the bass balances on the strap better. The next two things I've noticed lead me to believe that the guy/gal bassist was a Jaco aficionado like so many of the rest of us. We know that two of the first mods Jaco did on his pawn shop Jazz basses was to remove the pick guard and replace the stock top hat control knobs with chrome knurled knobs off of a Precision bass. Notice that the new model EB5 has no pickguard and chrome knurled knobs. Only a bassist would think to make those changes. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!
Glad to see Gibson is putting out good stuff at reasonable prices but there are many other brands that are doing the same that dont have a buffoon track record.
Well, yeah. Same could be said of Rics and just about any other brand. The reason I asked is because of some of the jaded reviews I read about the EB series basses and some of the negative comments on threads here on TB about the newer Les Paul Jr. style bass.
Yeah, I'd say they've got to live down some of their past hiccups, but they are a quality guitar maker and have the resources to bounce back big time. We'll see if they follow through.
Only played one EB and it was a dog, but the sample size wasn't sufficient to make a conclusion. The finish on the Jr is a love or hate proposition as soon as you touch it.
Right now, Gibson only has three basses in their line up - a T-bird whose design puts the strap button at the 17-18th fret, that's a non-starter for me, the SG has a similar balance issues, and then the Jr has a niche but limited appeal. IMHO, nobody hates Gibson basses more than Gibson.
The Gibson vs Kiesel story is funny considering that that new EB5, from the pictures earlier in this thread, looks a lot like the Bunny Brunel bass.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,667
- 2
- 16,466
- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
I didn't see your NBD thread, or I would certainly have posted to it. I really like the new design Gibson, kinda' borrows from the Tobias playbook and the Victory basses too. For that matter, I liked everything about the predecessor except for the symmetrical traditional Gibson headstock with 5 string posts... visually seems awkward to me.
Anyway, however belated... Congratulations & Compliments!
(is your Q-80 jealous yet?)
Anyway, however belated... Congratulations & Compliments!
(is your Q-80 jealous yet?)
Thanks for the congrats! Well, the Q80 financed this purchase. It was gone an hour after I put it up for sale. Great bass, but the world keeps turning, and since I'm moving to 5ers for now, I thought it was far too nice to leave it in storage.I didn't see your NBD thread, or I would certainly have posted to it. I really like the new design Gibson, kinda' borrows from the Tobias playbook and the Victory basses too. For that matter, I liked everything about the predecessor except for the symmetrical traditional Gibson headstock with 5 string posts... visually seems awkward to me.
Anyway, however belated... Congratulations & Compliments!
(is your Q-80 jealous yet?)
I've owned a Tbird, an EB0, and a Q80. I've been a hard sell on Gibson. I bought this to back up my Fender Precision Pro V, and I'm sufficiently impressed to say this might be the nicest Gibson I've owned!
I like the Gibson basses posted in this thread that aren’t Thunderbirds or SGs. Anything that looks like neck dive city doesn’t do it for me.
Again, (As someone stated) that pickup placement is just a copy of their GUITARS.
Its not any "war on Gibson", its just facts man. Then there's the neckdive on some of those designs..
then the shorter scales. (not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's your thing.)
T$
My main bass is a 2014 EB5. Fantastic bass. I'm not usually a Gibson fan, but this one's exceptional.
