So, are we definitely getting NO basses at all in 2016?

[neepheid]

I realise they haven't thought of us bassists as particularly important (profitable) at the best of times, but is that it?  Game over?  It bothers me.

I know this has been brought up in a previous thread, I just felt like having a gripe about it

[Bionic-Joe]

They just don't care....I played one of those NEW Thunderbirds with the Babicz Bridge and New styled pickups...I had to put it down after 2 minutes... What a DOG. An apostasy. Gibson REALLY doesn't care about bass players.

[4stringer77]

Good news. Since Gibson isn't making their bass designs anymore, now everyone else can.
I'd like to so some enterprising company take up the Gibson bass mantle and make them accessible to the masses again.
RD artists, EB-0,1,2,3s with mudbuckers again, Thunderbirds, Grabbers, Rippers, Victorys, 20/20s, Les Pauls (Hobbits and Deluxe burst long scales also available as 5 strings again) Somebody make it happen already!

[gearHed289]

Good news. Since Gibson isn't making their bass designs anymore, now everyone else can.
I'd like to so some enterprising company take up the Gibson bass mantle and make them accessible to the masses again.
RD artists, EB-0,1,2,3s with mudbuckers again, Thunderbirds, Grabbers, Rippers, Victorys, 20/20s, Les Pauls (Hobbits and Deluxe burst long scales also available as 5 strings again) Somebody make it happen already!

 

[Pilgrim]

Perhaps Eastwood will pick a couple of interesting designs and produce them. Explorer, anyone?

[uwe]

They just don't care....I played one of those NEW Thunderbirds with the Babicz Bridge and New styled pickups...I had to put it down after 2 minutes... What a DOG. An apostasy. Gibson REALLY doesn't care about bass players.

Would you elaborate? Mine has an excellent fret job and fin, the bridge - while unnecessary if you (like me!) can comprehend the intricacies of the Holy Immaculate Trinity bridge - works fine too, the DeCola pups offer a more nuanced sound (if that is what you are after), perhaps less ballsy than TB Plus, but much tidier in frequency separation. It really is a TBird for those people who never liked TBirds before. As gentle modernisations go, I think this is as good as the SG Reissue Bass was when it came out almost 10 years ago.

[Dave W]

They just don't care....I played one of those NEW Thunderbirds with the Babicz Bridge and New styled pickups...I had to put it down after 2 minutes... What a DOG. An apostasy. Gibson REALLY doesn't care about bass players.

I was impressed with the same pickups and bridge on the EB Bass and so are the other owners here. Can't imagine it would be much different on a Thunderbird body. Of course if you were expecting it to sound like vintage 60s, you'll be disappointed, but that wasn't Gibson's intention.

Good news. Since Gibson isn't making their bass designs anymore, now everyone else can.
I'd like to so some enterprising company take up the Gibson bass mantle and make them accessible to the masses again.
RD artists, EB-0,1,2,3s with mudbuckers again, Thunderbirds, Grabbers, Rippers, Victorys, 20/20s, Les Pauls (Hobbits and Deluxe burst long scales also available as 5 strings again) Somebody make it happen already!

Not a chance Gibson will let anyone else make a clone using the SG, Les Paul or Firebird/TBird shapes.

[Dave W]

From what I understand, Gibson stopped 2015 production entirely last spring in the face of disastrous sales (Gibson USA, but maybe not Gibson Custom or Memphis). Considering the price increases on guitars and basses, there weren't that many ordered after initial sales fell flat. None of the major online outlets seem to have either of the 2015 basses left in stock anymore.

Now it looks like Gibson has really expanded its new guitar offerings beyond what was announced at first. Judging by GC's website, they're offering a lot of the sub-$1000 basic and faded models again. No year is given on most of these so my guess is that they're newly-made reissues of pre-2015 models. And I see that a Thunderbird is coming December 6 at $1599, with the pre-2015 design. As with the guitars, probably a reissue of the 2013, not old stock.

In addition to the 2014 and 2015 basses still shown on Gibson's website, now there are also familiar models shown without a model year designation. Considering the TBird coming soon to GC and the other guitar reissues, can more basses be far behind?

Gibson isn't doing anything new with guitars after this year's disaster, so we can't expect any new bass designs either. But there's hope we'll at least see something.

[uwe]

Wot?!  They are bringing back the old "new" Thunderbird, giving up the Babicz bridge, the plekked fretboard and the DeCola pups?



Now that makes no sense at all. The Babicz/DeCola TB was a fine gentle modernisation. And will now probably become collectible very soon.  I  wasn't asking for a mordernized TBird at the time, but I was nontheless happy with the result.

Shouldn't they revert to the Holy Immaculate Trinity with the SG bass now as well or is that asking for too much product coherence? 

[Dave W]

Aside from the pre-2015 TBird coming to GC, hard to tell yet what's going to happen.

Gibson's website does now have the EB Bass without a model year, along with the 2014 EB Bass, so if this is actually reissued, it will have the Babicz/DeCola combination. I doubt we'll see it on the TB though. Just a guess at this point.

[uwe]

So vee are not going to zee ze V-Waffe effer?!!!!



Sehr schade. Like Stalingrad, Kursk, D-Day and the Ardennes rolled into one.

I feel depressed now.

[TBird1958]

So vee are not going to zee ze V-Waffe effer?!!!!



Sehr schade. Like Stalingrad, Kursk, D-Day and the Ardennes rolled into one.

I feel depressed now.

ROFL 

[Bionic-Joe]

How about the EB-1???

[Pilgrim]

I feel depressed now.

What is that, short arm inspection??

[Grog]

What is that, short arm inspection??

Stick 'em up!!!!!