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No Gibson's??

Ok, I usually layout of a lot of threads but this one hit pretty close to home. So here you go before I delete it all...

Gibson basses are rubbish - even their expensive basses. With no other company have I picked up their key basses and thought "Wow, I hate this bass".
Go down to your local shop, pick up a Thunderbird or EB (even the expensive US versions) and get back to me.
Gibson basses = ugly, expensive door stops.

I kindly disagree. But my experiences as a bassist growing up were quite different.


You might look here Gibson Bass Guitars and spend a few minutes to actually check and see how many very different basses Gibson has produced over the years.

Here's my 63 EB3, from the EB3 section of that site.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


I m
I meant in South Africa.
Mmmm. Miller Guitars in Cape Town maybe. Nice people.

From last years NE GTG. I let people try it out and got shocked when a guy slapped the bejesus out of it. Knocked that sound perfectly. I am a much more melodic player, but it killed.

TBGTG2014.jpg

Quote from GTG thread by RickC "First pic from this years GTG: circa '66 (?) Kalamazoo EB-0 and
Thor's '63 EB-3"

I used to play it back in the 70's pretty ******** loud.
Photoshop by Jive1.


thorJam.jpg


I always played it through an Acoustic 140 head with the 106 2x15's cab, a rig that I still have. Used this rig Monday night. Not with the EB3 though. That stays home.

I agree with the EQ'ing statement. My EQ on using the EB3 was radically different than my Jazzes or Ibanez PJ Roadster. You could solo the bridge pickup and step right up to the Acoustic cab and get in the right node and it would pull a great feedback sustain note out that would go forever. Plenty of woolly bottom. I never went to the DiMarzio One mod, now I am glad I didn't. All stock, no changes, no headstock repairs. Awesome bass if you take the time to learn how to use it. Played it for 30 years till the first 34" showed up in the house.


146_2015.JPG


:thumbsup:
 
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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.


Thanks for some of the likes. Just wanted to add something else. Back in the day when I had a Fender bassman head with 2x12 I could get plenty of the mudbucker sound and lots of "FARTING' when I wanted and sometimes when I didn't want. But with plenty of headroom in todays amps I can get a nice clear fat humbucker sound all night. I find myself hitting less notes on slower songs because the sustain will last all measure or until I take my finger off. Less just sounds more. There is one guy with a Fender P bass that sounds good, 4 or so with Fender Jazz bass but only one of them sounds really good. Some of the guys want to play before I get up because the Jazz sounds a little thin. The Fender Telecastor bass with humbuckers hold up pretty well but not near as hot as the Gibson pups, I usually have to turn about 20% down in volume so I won't be too loud. Both the G &L's have humbuckers, one is an ASAT and I am not sure what the other is but they can hold their own. I wouldn't mind have the ASAT someday. I also like looking at the pics you guys post of your bass and rigs.
 
My first three basses were Gibsons. The first was a medium scale EB something which is what I learned on. My second bass was a 76 reissue Thunder Bird that taught me about neck dive and even though it sounded good, was for me, un-playable. My third bass was an RD Artist which though it was well balanced and had great sustain, was just to damned heavy to play comfortably. Though there are many fine basses out there for people to enjoy, Fender or Fender like basses have proven to be for me, very comfortable instruments to play.
 
My first three basses were Gibsons. The first was a medium scale EB something which is what I learned on. My second bass was a 76 reissue Thunder Bird that taught me about neck dive and even though it sounded good, was for me, un-playable. My third bass was an RD Artist which though it was well balanced and had great sustain, was just to damned heavy to play comfortably. Though there are many fine basses out there for people to enjoy, Fender or Fender like basses have proven to be for me, very comfortable instruments to play.

Couldn't have been medium scale; would have to be short-scale, if it was a Gibson. My third bass was an Epiphone Newport, my fourth a first generation Gibson EB-2 -- both short-scale.. Somewhere along the way I got a fretless Ripper (long-scale), an Epiphone Thunderbird for which I do not care at all, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass (a SUPERB instrument except for the weight, arguably the best bass for rock I ever have owned), and a heavily-modded Epiphone Embassy Deluxe, which likely is the solid-body bass I will keep if I ever get down to just one.
Lately, my Gibson jones has been satisfied by these, even though they are not Gibsons.
Left Handed Dillion DB-335-004 Electric Bass
 
Note that 2013 was the only year they made left-handed Thunderbirds (after 50 years). There are basically no LH 2015 Gibsons. The ones they feature on their website are 2013 models. At any rate, I bought a [This invalid link has been removed] before they went strictly custom shop.
Checked out the link... That's a really odd bass, I don't remember any knobs that far up the neck on other Tbirds:):whistle:
 
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Never met a Gibson bass I liked. The 335 is my favorite guitar...

I agree on the bass sentiment, and maybe on the guitar.

I had a 1962 (dot stop burst) 335 that was beautiful, bought it in the late 1980s for $1250, sold it about two years later for $2650. I guess I should have kept it, as it would be worth a bundle now. I just don't care for the way Gibson guitars usually won't stay in tune like a Tele or Strat.

The only Gibson I own now is a late 1970s white SG guitar. It's a pretty good guitar, stays in tune pretty well, and has no pitch problems up the neck.

I'll keep that one, because, hey... it's a white SG. I still like Telecasters better, and I own about ten Tele variants. And one Strat.