No Gibson's??

[Boom762]

Sounds a little bit like Fender to me

I agree. I'm not a fan of either products but Fender does at least release a few signatures and variants of each of their lines every year... not to mention Amps as well.

 

[petey293]

I agree. I'm not a fan of either products but Fender does at least release a few signatures and variants of each of their lines every year... not to mention Amps as well.

Yeah, they've got that going for them. Whenever they try something new they get slammed by the purists anyway, so they're kind of stuck making the same 2 models

 

[Funk³]

Gibson only really made three good basses IMO:
TBird
RD
EB

Even the Gibson six string are mostly all crap. Sure they LOOK pretty, but their sound and pups are just normal.

 

[StayLow]

It's Gibson's fault. They don't put the same amount of attention or advertising into Basses as they do Guitars. I got curious to see what they had to offer this year for basses. Oh what a suprise... 2 model of a 40+ y/o body or you can get a different 40 y/o body in 4 or 5 string. They've really revolutionized the bass industry and broken out of the box making a 5 string variant, eyeroll

The company did not evolve their bass section.

Yeah, it's not like the vast majority of basses out there, especially boutiques, do all they can to look and sound like a 40-year-old Fender Jazz bass. Then there's that P model that died off quite some time ago, around the time when 7-string basses became dominant and necessary in most musical styles.

 

[Boom762]

Yeah, it's not like the vast majority of basses out there, especially boutiques, do all they can to look and sound like a 40-year-old Fender Jazz bass.

I disagree. I think most Boutiques are trying to break the mold, not fit to it. These basses look nothing like Fenders.

 

[StayLow]

^ True. And how many do they sell compared to Sadowsky, Lull, or Nordstrand?

Or how about a brand like Dingwall or F-Bass who have their own original designs then come out with a Fender-looking model... why would that be?

I stand by what I said, "the vast majority" ... yours are examples of the small minority (by sales volume).

 

[Ianhin]

Gibson Basses are around.

Wow! It just seems so wierd looking at an SG that s a bass! I m so used to seeing them in the hands of Angus Young Tony Iommi etc.

 

[7dollarbologna]

Let's just say they don't cater to us.

 

[FA108208usat2]

Gibson makes some wonderful guitars, but bass not so much, I would take Epiphone Jack Casady over Gibson any day.

 

[Ianhin]

Lots of Gibson lovers, I'm a huge fan of Thunderbirds but also of these...
View attachment 610801

I love the sound Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy got with their LP s. But only on the live shows, with Wah wah just awesome.

 

[Ianhin]

I m

I see several in the four Guitar Centers I frequent...new Gibson Thunderbirds in all four...and a used Gibson EB4 at my local GC. Not to mention Epiphone T-birds in all four stores.
I have my eye set on this one.
It has the Gibson pickups but it only costs $499 new. Anyone at the Thunderbird Club will tell you it's a killer!

I meant in South Africa.

 

[GBassNorth]

There's obviously a few clowns on ths thread that are completely addicted to the Fender kool-aid and know nothing about Gibsons. Just about every bass company out there has good and bad basses. But to make blanket statements like all Gibsons are crap is just showing how ignorant some people are.

I have Fenders I love and some I hate, same with Gibsons. However, if you look past your nose you'll find some truly nice gems out there. Here's two of my Gibbys that get lots of love...

That SG Supreme has bumped every bass I own out of the main player spot! No neck dive, light wight, lightening fast neck, short scale, crystal clear hifi sounding pickups, rock solid neck, ultra low action and killer looks, made in USA and about the same cost as a MIA Fender Jazz deluxe (which I also have and doesn't sound as good). The Tbird is a real keeper and sounds and plays every bit as good as it looks. No neck dive or mud on ths one either!

Lesson for some of you to learn - open your mind, try new options and pick and choose the best instruments you can afford regardless of the name on the headstock. Note my tagline.

 

[drakson]

I m a rookie bassist, but it just struck me the other day, that there s barely a mention of Gibson basses on TB? In fact u hardly EVER see Gibson basses except with Gene Simmons and a very small handfull of others?
Why is this, i mean they make stunning guitars but u hardly ever hear or see Gibson basses? Looking forward to the answers!

I play my 63 EBO that I bought new for $180. It has a lot of cracks etc and shows it age but the sound is very good. I go to blues jams and I am
the only one with a Gibson. I see a few G & L's (sounds great) and a lot of Fenders, some sound good and some don't. However my bass seems to
get all the attention for the Old Time Big Fat Sound. Playing it through the houseband SS Eden 500 watt head and 2x12 I hear no mud. Also playing it through
my Ampeg PF-500 and 1x15 HE I do not hear mud but big low end with sustain. It is the only bass I have. I have ordered a Dlakin P bass which should
be her this month but frankly I think it will be my back up bass. When I tell people I have another bass ordered the response it "Why?". I so think my EBO is
also popular since I am the original owner and that is a long time to have anything. Sort of an oddity I guess. I am looking forward to my new bass however. The reason I didn't buy another Gibson was basically just to have something different.

 

[BassHappy]

Forgive me for posting, if this is old news, or you have already seen them - but new for this year - yeah, they are short scale, which isn't a fit for me. Apparently they are catering a bit to the guitar players of the world, with the exact Les Paul shaped guitar neck and guitar size body - but unlike Les Paul basses of the past, these are super light due to frame/knock-out construction and from all reports the new pickups sound great. Not cheap at a list of over $3K but Gibson may be onto something here. Called the "Memphis ES series" they are certainly a break from tradition with a hollow body Les Paul bass. They are touting the maple-poplar-maple top and back sandwiches as "brighter" but you have to wonder if it is simply a cost-cutting measure.

I am having a very similar one being built in medium scale, although mine will be heavily chambered rather than using the "frame" concept and I am leaving off the F holes - basing mine a little more on the Florentine guitar.

New for 2015

• F-Hole emblem engraved truss rod cover: The iconic symbol of the Gibson ES line is now the hallmark of Gibson Memphis.
• Hipshot Ultralite tuners:
• Short scale bass neck: 30.2" scale
• Historic truss rod: Superior Adjustability due to the Teflon coating, larger diameter rod, original brass anchor and larger washer.
• Bone nut: Bone for smooth tuning and excellent durability.
• Rolled neck binding: Binding is rounded off to comfortably fit the contours of the player's hand.
• Low profile frets: Lower fret height provides smooth playability and accurate intonation.
• New finish colors: New variations on your favorite vintage color schemes as well as all new, eye catching colors.
• New design bass humbucker pickups: Big, full tone with clarity and punch
• Bass tune-o-matic bridge:
• Bass stop bar tailpiece:

Build thread on mine is here which includes quite a bit of history if anyone is interested: My Les Paul Bass Build - I need a Gibby too... | TalkBass.com

 

[Neon Blues]

I love the SG shape, just not when it's made by Gibson. To me, the reputation of Gibson basses have a lot more to do with the players that used them than the basses. I remember Jack Bruce saying how garbage his old EB was.

They really were nothing special. Great designs, badly executed.

Each to their own though.

 

[darren1970]

Also a Thunderbird lover.

I've played many different basses over the years ( Fender, Warwick, Spector, Ibanez, Schecter etc. )and if I'm honest when I plugged a T-bird in for the first time I found "my" sound. Yes it's a touch awkward shape to get comfy with, but I just love the sound. So much that I'm currently building a "Fender-bird" style bass to join my two other Gibbo T-birds ( build thread in the Luthier section )

 

[MegaSwing]

Gibson basses have always been wonderfully out-of-step with prevailing trends, whatever they are. That's just what they do. It's a bass for non-conformists.

 

[LanEvo]

They have their own thing going. With round wounds through modern amps, they're not "muddy" at all.

I've been playing conventional basses since the mid-'80s. Got turned into Gibson basses by Mike Watt.

Here's my '69 Les Paul Bass:

I can't put it down!

 

[Joe Nerve]

 

[SturmUndDrang]

I am interested to try one of these - my last great hope.

The odd thing I find about Gibson is that a number of the basses seem to be derived from guitars - 4 string SGs etc. Perhaps basses derived from guitars is not a good thing.

I also think Gibson is simply just not trying to make good basses in the jazz music sense - they seem to make basses to rock hard and that is it.

Check out Steve Swallow playing an EB-2 back in the day.