This is why Gibson sucks at making basses...

[ajkula66]

I think if they put straight up Gibson headstocks and logos and made subtler changes on their $600-800 guitars it would be a LOT more palatable to customers.

An imported guitar/bass with a Gibson logo would sink the company once and for all. For a vast majority of Gibson players that I've met over the past 40 years, Gibson is an American product. Period. End of story. I'm reasonably certain that a good portion of Ric players feel the same way about their instruments.

Even the vulture capitalists running the show right now seem to understand that much. Or at least I hope so.

 

[40Hz]

I believe there is some kind of preconceived bias against a cheap Gibson. They keep trying to compete - but people just don’t buy them.

A preconceived bias against Gibson basses? No! That’s impossible. Bass players aren’t like that at all.

 

[40Hz]

An imported guitar/bass with a Gibson logo would sink the company once and for all. For a vast majority of Gibson players that I've met over the past 40 years, Gibson is an American product. Period. End of story. I'm reasonably certain that a good portion of Ric players feel the same way about their instruments.

Must be a regional or Gibson guitar thing if so.

Around where I am, the fact Gibson is manufactured in America is basically a big “so what?” with me and the vast majority of other Gibson bass players I know and have known since I started playing electric bass back in 1970. Actually, I don’t recall “Made in USA” ever being much of a hot button topic with that many people until well into the 90s. And it didn’t become heavily politicized until fairly recently.

And as far as Ric goes…well…Ric players are kinda in their own special universe. Gibson never developed a cult following like Rickenbacker did. So I don’t think any real comparison of the thinking of a Ric vis-à-vis a Gibson player is something safe to assume.

So hardly ”end of story.”

 

[swarfrat]

An imported guitar/bass with a Gibson logo would sink the company once and for all. For a vast majority of Gibson players that I've met over the past 40 years, Gibson is an American product. Period. End of story. I'm reasonably certain that a good portion of Ric players feel the same way about their instruments.

Even the vulture capitalists running the show right now seem to understand that much. Or at least I hope so.

Arguably they're already sunk and this is probably a big part of it.

 

[ajkula66]

Arguably they're already sunk and this is probably a big part of it.

They sunk because Henry J. kept on buying business and not doing anything with them, largely outside of the industry itself. Their guitar business side was always profitable. Not profitable enough to sustain Henry's insane projects though.

 

[G On Bass]

That is pretty standard warranty procedure for any expensive item. Try that with unauthorized repairs on a new car, or new refrigerator, and you’ll get the same result. Not just Gibson.

Actually, I've received warranty work on cars after them being wrecked and repaired elsewhere (damn kids). That being said, I have had Home Depot refuse to support a new/demo fridge that arrived broken.

As far as gear, I've bought from others, some bigger (like Carvin), some boutique (where I expect good service) and have always received warranty service after changing nuts that didn't come from them bad. Carvin's service (as well as the boutique) was one of the reasons I bought more than one bass from them. Mind you, I wouldn't expect a warranty claim for buzzing strings or other issues that may arise from the nut swap (that would be on the shop owner), but to invalidate the warranty on everything else over their shoddy QC on an easily and commonly replaced part is just bad customer service, IMHO. Considering it didn't cost them a dime. If I swapped electronics and other major, elective mods, then I'd expect an invalidation of warranty.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

They kill off all the decent models and just keep the other ones. Granted the Thunderbirds are definitely far from junk and the SG styled ones have their place as well,

Gibson Grabber
Gibson Ripper
Gibson Q80
Gibson Victory
Gibson Money Bass
Gibson Tobias Growler
Gibson Tobias Killer B

Why did they let these beautiful instruments die??

It also gets to me that they took the Tobias Toby and made it into an entry level beginners bass! Granted I am considering getting one because I don't have a 5ver and don't really need one, but when you factor in the upgrades that would have to be done to make it stage worthy, is it really worth it?

I always thought they sucked b/c they( gibson) has no history within the bass world,or nothing of significance invested. unlike fender, MM,or even G&L. if Les paul was a bass player I think they would feel more obligated to develop their basses! Thank God for Leo's innovative spirit, we(Bassists) have a manufacturer that is proud of his legacy! Gibson is barely meeting the expectations of their guitar reputation/legacy! I cant think of any Gibson bass I have to have or a respected player that plays one, perhaps a marketing misshap! It seems most popular bassists play or have played a fender. the only Gibson guy that comes to mind is G simmons!or N. Sixx. and im not looking at those guys as players that im trying to emulate their tone! you can argue J Bruce played gibson, but he's not as influential as someone like Geddy, Jaco,or wooten! and wasnt he endorsed by Warwick! another missstep! I thought accquiring Tobias was a good move, but not bringing him in wasn't. I dont think I ever saw or got to play a toby in store! even though I was curious to have one in my hands! I got o play a vintage EB1 a while ago, I was expecting some kind of "mojo" but it was very meh. I guess I just didnt "vibe" with it. plus its a short scale
I'm not consciously bashing the brand. But I am. im just stating they have mishandled their entire catalog,so much even the flagship(Les Pauls) of the companysuffer greatly. sorry, I cant stand by or stick up for a company that just Fs up their entire brand!
Like said Thank God, we have/had Leos legacy, and not Orvilles! Its a damn shame on gibson!!

 

[bcbassman]

I always thought they sucked b/c they( gibson) has no history within the bass world,or nothing of significance invested. unlike fender, MM,or even G&L. if Les paul was a bass player I think they would feel more obligated to develop their basses! Thank God for Leo's innovative spirit, we(Bassists) have a manufacturer that is proud of his legacy! Gibson is barely meeting the expectations of their guitar reputation/legacy! I cant think of any Gibson bass I have to have or a respected player that plays one, perhaps a marketing misshap! It seems most popular bassists play or have played a fender. the only Gibson guy that comes to mind is G simmons!or N. Sixx. and im not looking at those guys as players that im trying to emulate their tone! you can argue J Bruce played gibson, but he's not as influential as someone like Geddy, Jaco,or wooten! and wasnt he endorsed by Warwick! another missstep! I thought accquiring Tobias was a good move, but not bringing him in wasn't. I dont think I ever saw or got to play a toby in store! even though I was curious to have one in my hands! I got o play a vintage EB1 a while ago, I was expecting some kind of "mojo" but it was very meh. I guess I just didnt "vibe" with it. plus its a short scale
I'm not consciously bashing the brand. But I am. im just stating they have mishandled their entire catalog,so much even the flagship(Les Pauls) of the companysuffer greatly. sorry, I cant stand by or stick up for a company that just Fs up their entire brand!
Like said Thank God, we have/had Leos legacy, and not Orvilles! Its a damn shame on gibson!!

You should consider that a Company with Gibson's history does deserve a modicum of respect just for surviving 126 years. Remember there is nothing like 20 20 hindsight. Gibson's founder Orville was hardly in the picture. I think he sold out before 1900. But the benchmark instruments created by Gibson are legion. The arch top acoustic guitars and the F5 mandolins. The first bass Mandolin, which is arguably the first fretted bass instrument, was invented by Gibson. The incredible history of their archtop guitars the L-5, Super 400 and the Charlie Christian electric (ES-300?) They made flat top guitars like the Southern Jumbo, J-200 and J-45 are all historic. They They created the thinline electric guitars like the ES-335, 345 and 355. The basses started with the EB1 in 1953. Obviously a reaction to Leo's Precision but it was totally different.
Jack Bruce and Clapton were huge in Cream but Gibson was too conservative at the time to go after them as endorsers. Probably a bad move. The Henry J. saga has already been covered. Hey its sad in many ways but amazing in many others.

 

[ajkula66]

or a respected player that plays one, perhaps a marketing misshap!

Some not-so-well-respected players that utilized Gibson basses at various points in their careers...apart from those previously mentioned...

Pete Cetera (EB-3 and Ripper)

Greg Lake (Ripper)

John Wetton (Victory Artist)

Stanley Clarke (EB-2)

Jim Lea (EB-3)

Chris Squire (NR Thunderbird)

Louis Johnson (Ripper)

Barry Adamson (EB-3)

Mark Clarke (EB-3)

James Dewar (EB-1)

Bob Daisley (EB-3)

Jared Followhill (Thunderbird)

and yes Geddy played a Thunderbird on Rush's last tour...

I'm not consciously bashing the brand.

You could've fooled me...

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Gibson has tried several times to make a line to compete with the Squier. Most recently, the Made in USA 2017 Gibson S series. They all sold new for $300 - $800. The press and media reviews originally bashed them, but they are so loved by the people who bought them, that they almost never come up for sale on the used market. When they do they sell for double or triple what they sold for new, 3 years ago. The only exception being, the Firebird Zero guitar. Used, they are still plentiful, but still sell for double their original cost. I have one of these Firebirds, and though I did change the bridge, it is one of the easiest playing, best sounding, and absolutely most comfortable guitars I’ve ever owned. Why they didn’t sell more than Squier’s, I’ll never understand. I’m sure being USA made, they didn’t have the ability to keep up with the large quantity of Indonesian made brands. They quit making them after 1 year. I believe there is some kind of preconceived bias against a cheap Gibson. They keep trying to compete - but people just don’t buy them.

You pose some really good points. I guess some things are just inexplicable... hence the sparse sales on their "budget" models

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

Not mentioned in the original post, but the long-discontinued Gibson Triumph bass is a remarkable model and one of the greatest basses ever designed in my opinion -- aside from the awful 3-point bridge, but that's easily remedied with a Hipshot replacement. I can hardly put mine down, it just feels and sounds so good. They are pretty readily available on the used market for $2k and up. Worth every penny. If Gibson were to reissue these, all the deluxe design aspects and low-impedance pickups with unusual electronics included, there's no way they could do it for the $2k that the vintage ones go for. So there's hardly any point from a business perspective. The other discontinued models might be a little easier to reissue, but still, as long as the vintage counterparts are available for less than what a new one would have to go for, it's tough to justify from the manufacturer's standpoint.

So Anyway, I've owned two Gibson Les Paul Triumph's... bought a new one in '73 and sold it way to cheap in the 80's. It was my only bass for 10 years and it probably got me into a couple of bands just because it was a Gibson LP. Bought another one about 5 years ago and sold it last year. I thought they were great instruments, and were pretty innovative at the time but eventually you just move on. Guess I should change my avatar.

Before I bought the second one, I had contacted Gibson about making me one. They responded that their Custom Shop wasn't taking any new orders. I then asked 'how many do I need to order before it's not a custom order...more like a production run'. I was willing to put up the production money if they'd make 10, 20, 30 new ones. I'd be responsible for selling them. No response from Gibson. Can't blame 'em...I'm just a guy who doesn't own a music store.

Later on I asked Eastwood if they'd ever consider making a Triumph model under their logo. Eastwood responded that it was an interesting idea, but they didn't want to go through the legal hoops.

 

[4andnomore]

OP: So wait which is it? Does Gibson suck at making basses, or did they make some great basses you wish they hadn't discontinue? It can't be both.

 

[SactoBass]

Some not-so-well-respected players that utilized Gibson basses at various points in their careers...apart from those previously mentioned...

Pete Cetera (EB-3 and Ripper)

Greg Lake (Ripper)

John Wetton (Victory Artist)

Stanley Clarke (EB-2)

Jim Lea (EB-3)

Chris Squire (NR Thunderbird)

Louis Johnson (Ripper)

Barry Adamson (EB-3)

Mark Clarke (EB-3)

James Dewar (EB-1)

Bob Daisley (EB-3)

Jared Followhill (Thunderbird)

and yes Geddy played a Thunderbird on Rush's last tour...

Yep! And...

Tom Scholz played a Gibson EB-0 bass on the first couple of Boston albums (pic below of Tom with the actual bass that he played on those recordings....notice the addition of a bridge pickup that he shoe-horned in for more treble).

And I haven't seen Tom rummaging through the clearance bins at Walmart, so it seems his Gibson bass worked out rather well for him.

 

[Gibson Victory]

They reissued the RD, the Ripper, and the Grabber... Unless I'm missing something?

See.... I told you so, It’s a Guitar company that just happens to make Basses.

 

[SactoBass]

Some not-so-well-respected players that utilized Gibson basses at various points in their careers...apart from those previously mentioned...

Chris Squire (NR Thunderbird)

Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhh.....uh huh.......dat's right......(and I attended this tour....it was the 1980 Drama tour)....

 

[superheavyfunk]

See.... I told you so, It’s a Guitar company that just happens to make Basses.

I dont understand what this reply means

 

[msb]

I bought one of those Gibson Les Paul Jr DC basses . I can assure you , Gibson indeed do make basses . Really nice ones .

 

[Sid Fang]

...you can argue J Bruce played gibson, but he's not as influential as someone like Geddy, Jaco,or wooten!

Maybe not on you.

 

[Gibson Victory]

My reply is based on the fact that the “Company”, as it were makes its money on Lp’s, Sg’s and that kind of thing. Yes they have made lot’s of great instruments of all kinds over the years. Story and history is well known. However in this day and age, most companies will not re-tool, or tool-up, unless they can foresee sales on X number of units. Just part of normal business practice. It is just NOT cost effective. So my bottom line point here is, if you are waiting for them to reissue you favorite, keep waiting. Again, It’s a Guitar Company, that just happens to make Basses, NOT a BASS company that just happens to make Guitars. C’Mon people it’s time to jump into the real world!

 

[Sid the Kid]

I have liked all of the Gibson Basses I have played. Very few of them really jump out at me though. They definitely have their own style and sound, and it is best described as “Not Fender”.