I was a bass player back in the 70's and although I was lucky enough to find a used non-reverse Thunderbird that I bought, I never saw an RD bass for sale in a store, in fact I don't think I ever saw one in person.
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New Offerings from Gibson
- Thread starter bassplayer8953
- Start date
I was a bass player back in the 70's and although I was lucky enough to find a used non-reverse Thunderbird that I bought, I never saw an RD bass for sale in a store, in fact I don't think I ever saw one in person.
I had a buddy that owned one in the mid 80's.
I remember it sounding good enough (preferred my G3 at the time though), but what I really remember about it was that it weighed a friggin' ton. It was heavier than any '70's Fender, Stingray or Peavey T-40 I had played. I bet it was 13lbs-ish.
Ugg, what did they do to the Flying V bass??!?
Now THIS is a V-Bass. Look at that headstock, so smooth, lacks those annoying angles of the reissue. They did the same thing with the V reissue they did with the Grabber one, made it harder to look at. The original V and Grabber had beautiful hardware and shaping, this new one is just...bleh. Plus, why reuse the same pickups for EVERYTHING, distinct instruments have distinct sounds. Have fun if you will, I'll be playing my G-3 from the glory days
Now THIS is a V-Bass. Look at that headstock, so smooth, lacks those annoying angles of the reissue. They did the same thing with the V reissue they did with the Grabber one, made it harder to look at. The original V and Grabber had beautiful hardware and shaping, this new one is just...bleh. Plus, why reuse the same pickups for EVERYTHING, distinct instruments have distinct sounds. Have fun if you will, I'll be playing my G-3 from the glory days
@the mojo hobo
I had an easy time, actually. One of my father's buddies was an employee of Norlin (Gibson's parent company at the time) and because of that, I got my '76 SG and '78 Les Paul Custom at cost. I could have gotten ANY Gibson or Epiphone instrument at cost back then. Unfortunately, I was just a college kid and barely had enough money for one guitar, must less more than one, or a guitar AND a bass. But I could have ordered ANY model. Despite the quality issues attributed to that era, still wish I'd been able to get a few more instruments. In particular, wish I had an L5S guitar. And an RD bass
I still have my '78 Les Paul!
segaloco,
I don't know where that pic came from of that blue V, but I love the way it highlights the antlers on those deer on that bitchin' paneling in the background!
I think the new V's look cool too. I have a 74 Grabber which I love, and a 91 T-bird which sounds killer. If these new V's sound anything like my T-bird, I'm in for one for sure....
I don't know where that pic came from of that blue V, but I love the way it highlights the antlers on those deer on that bitchin' paneling in the background!
I think the new V's look cool too. I have a 74 Grabber which I love, and a 91 T-bird which sounds killer. If these new V's sound anything like my T-bird, I'm in for one for sure....
They gave up. Not enough players are willing to un-learn all the terrible little quirks of Fender basses and learn all the terrible little quirks of Gibson basses.
I've always found Gibson basses to sound like gnarly mud. They are cool, but totally different if you are used to F-style basses. Heck, there is a market for expensive hand-build F-style basses for people who don't want to let go of that clunky heel.
Now THIS is a V-Bass. Look at that headstock, so smooth, lacks those annoying angles of the reissue. They did the same thing with the V reissue they did with the Grabber one, made it harder to look at. The original V and Grabber had beautiful hardware and shaping, this new one is just...bleh. Plus, why reuse the same pickups for EVERYTHING, distinct instruments have distinct sounds. Have fun if you will, I'll be playing my G-3 from the glory days
Nice looking bass by the way.
Maybe looks wise, but sound wise the new one should mop the floor with the old one, having TB pickups & all mahogany construction.
Which Gibson basses do you mean, certainly not the Thunderbird, Rd, G-3, Victory, Les Paul series?
Chunky necks are not on all the the basses they made either. You can't white wash a statement like that without pointing out which basses you mean and played personally.
Most people problems with mud are with 60's mudbuckers which when you plug in your amp with Fender settings sound like crap. You need to adjust your settings to the bass.
So many people make ignorant statements about all Gibsons being muddy, yeah 60's Mudbuckers, but what about the other dozen bass lines they did?
Would you say the Thunderbird is Gibson's P-bass, (exception maybe being the EB series) in terms of it being their best and most identifiable bass? Why wouldn't they re-issue that in the old form with the chrome and such? In my opinion, the V is and was never a great bass to start with, in comparison with the T-bird. Or maybe they should do a hollowbody Rivoili style.
Nah, I have it saved & just copy n' paste it anytime someone makes a bass racist statement about all Gibson's being muddy.
Its fine if its your experience about a bass you name, not a brand.
I love my Ripper 1975 bought it at the end of 1974 Killer growl never close to being muddy and it can pretty much sound like anything very versatile. I did play a friends V bass for a while to practice sitting down you need to sit the V on your one knee straddling your leg no pun intended this is the best way I found to play it sitting down
Call me crazy, but I believe Gibson designs, since they are so shy about a long horn, could improve a lot if they were headless for two reasons:
Better balance.
Headless always means a robust bridge.
Better balance.
Headless always means a robust bridge.
Hello,
No trolling here. I have not yet seen a bass in the current Gibson lineup that makes me want to spend the $$ that they cost. But I am looking at them.
Another poster mentioned that they all have the same pickup (thunderbird). I think this is one of the things that keeps Gibson from being more popular with bassists. While the old mudbuckers are really a thing of the past, the TB pickups just aren't known for being that bright. And let's face it, bright is "in" with bassists (unless you play reggae). Now, of course not everyone plays their Fender Jazz bass with the controls dimed, but many do.
If I were president of Gibson's Bass division, I would:
1: _Listen_ to bass players. Talk to them, hear what they are playing and what they like and don't like about their intruments, Gibson or otherwise. And then incorporate those ideas within the "soul" of Gibson (ie: don't make a Gibson IV just to copy a Fender).
2: Produce a 5 string in a couple of models.
3: Shake up the pickup selection. TB pickups are good. How about single coil? How about active? Something to give bassplayers a selection. You don't have to go too far here, Fender doesn't. But something that makes the different models sound like different models.
4. Set the model selection and back it up with support instead of abandoning every idea if it doesn't outsell a P Bass in one year. One of the selling features for Gibson basses is that the body shapes are quite original and definitely fit the rock world. So:
a. Thunderbird - bread and butter. it ain't broke, don't fix it. Should have a 5 string option.
b. SG Bass - again, bread and butter. I prefer long scale basses, but some like the shorties, so either way stick with this model.
d. Money Bass - this is a doublecut version of the the old LP bass. This was one of their masterworks, but they backed away from it. Should have 5 string option and 24 frets and ability to switch to single coil.
e. Grabber series. This was also one of their masterworks.
Deluxe models:
a. G3. One of the best they've ever made. make sure you get those Bill Lawrence single coils included. This is a bass that doesn't sound like a TBird.
b. Explorer - make a long scale 24 fret explorer with active pickups and single coil capability. 5 string models available.
c. Les Paul Oversize - the new ones look great, but 24f neck would be thinking like a modern bass player.
d. EB-2 Hollowbody. Hollowbodies are back, and Gibson used to make one of the most beautiful. But the mudbucker made it unusable for modern music. Have you heard the TV jones pickups on the modern Gretsch basses? Get something like that on an EB-2 and market it like the high end hollows that about these days.
e. Flying V - make it fancy. IF you're playing one of these you want people to look at you.
No trolling here. I have not yet seen a bass in the current Gibson lineup that makes me want to spend the $$ that they cost. But I am looking at them.
Another poster mentioned that they all have the same pickup (thunderbird). I think this is one of the things that keeps Gibson from being more popular with bassists. While the old mudbuckers are really a thing of the past, the TB pickups just aren't known for being that bright. And let's face it, bright is "in" with bassists (unless you play reggae). Now, of course not everyone plays their Fender Jazz bass with the controls dimed, but many do.
If I were president of Gibson's Bass division, I would:
1: _Listen_ to bass players. Talk to them, hear what they are playing and what they like and don't like about their intruments, Gibson or otherwise. And then incorporate those ideas within the "soul" of Gibson (ie: don't make a Gibson IV just to copy a Fender).
2: Produce a 5 string in a couple of models.
3: Shake up the pickup selection. TB pickups are good. How about single coil? How about active? Something to give bassplayers a selection. You don't have to go too far here, Fender doesn't. But something that makes the different models sound like different models.
4. Set the model selection and back it up with support instead of abandoning every idea if it doesn't outsell a P Bass in one year. One of the selling features for Gibson basses is that the body shapes are quite original and definitely fit the rock world. So:
a. Thunderbird - bread and butter. it ain't broke, don't fix it. Should have a 5 string option.
b. SG Bass - again, bread and butter. I prefer long scale basses, but some like the shorties, so either way stick with this model.
d. Money Bass - this is a doublecut version of the the old LP bass. This was one of their masterworks, but they backed away from it. Should have 5 string option and 24 frets and ability to switch to single coil.
e. Grabber series. This was also one of their masterworks.
Deluxe models:
a. G3. One of the best they've ever made. make sure you get those Bill Lawrence single coils included. This is a bass that doesn't sound like a TBird.
b. Explorer - make a long scale 24 fret explorer with active pickups and single coil capability. 5 string models available.
c. Les Paul Oversize - the new ones look great, but 24f neck would be thinking like a modern bass player.
d. EB-2 Hollowbody. Hollowbodies are back, and Gibson used to make one of the most beautiful. But the mudbucker made it unusable for modern music. Have you heard the TV jones pickups on the modern Gretsch basses? Get something like that on an EB-2 and market it like the high end hollows that about these days.
e. Flying V - make it fancy. IF you're playing one of these you want people to look at you.
I've played a '75 Gibson Grabber since 1981 and just bought a new SG this summer. They are my favorite basses. But they fit MY STYLE and have the tone I WANT.
Which opens a secondary topic - I've long since tired of people trying to tell me how they think I should play and what I should play. This seems to be common with Gibson basses.....and comes from people who don't play them.
Which opens a secondary topic - I've long since tired of people trying to tell me how they think I should play and what I should play. This seems to be common with Gibson basses.....and comes from people who don't play them.
I like Gibson basses. Have for many years. First rate quality. The ones I own are very comfortable to play. The necks are stable and the overall quality is terrific.
I hope Gibson reissues the non-reverse Thunderbird IV with the appropriate chrome plated covers and pickpus.
I hope they reissue it in a color other than vintage-burst, black, and cherry.
Gibson just reissued this:
Link Removed
...hopefully they add the bass version shortly. A n/r T-bird is long overdue.
