The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: neepheid on February 12, 2014, 08:48:17 AM
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Damnit, this siren's song just won't stop. I know I said that I thought the idea of unfilled ash turned me off, but why have so many videos popped up with it looking really nice and smooth lately?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klkVLlwbYXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZojEfDydadY
No doubt if I was to order one, I'd get one with more grain than Keith Richards' face :(
But gold and black has always gone together:
(http://www.granblogismo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/lotus-john-player-special_1972.jpg)
Could I rationalise it to myself as wood being coated with molten gold?
Does anyone have any pics of a real one out in the wild?
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Sweetwater posts real good pictures of the guitars it sells. Click on the link then Compare all 3.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BAEB14O5CH-14/sn140015916
It does seem the unfilled grain pattern is more obvious on some basses, less on others.
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I've seen two in person. One in a local store and Uwe's that I had here for a few months. Both had enough smoothing of the wood and enough finish that there weren't any deep lines. OTOH they weren't smooth like a filled surface, and you could tell that even from a distance.
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I hated these when they came out, but I really do like the look of them now. None of that bullion finish nonsense. Or chrome. How good would that look in all black with black hardware? Gives me the wobbles just thinking about it.
P
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Hmm, thish bassh ish schmoother than I thought it would be:
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/bass_general/goldfinger_eb.jpg)
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[Bassfinger] No Mr Neep, I expect you to buy...! [/Bassfinger] :vader:
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It doesn't look bad in gold, but I like the purple/lilac SG better.
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( I feel a Tequila bass in my future... ) :mrgreen:
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i like these, at least the looks. haven't played one but i really wish they painted the back of the necks to match the body. Gibson has been doing this a bit on recent models..ei the Ripper II and the Grabber/G3 II.
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The Gibson Gert Fröbe Signature model!
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As stated, with a simple marketing technique, "I expect you to buy...!" ;)
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The Gibson Gert Fröbe Signature model!
:mrgreen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90LRwSpaffY
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Gert Frobe as a WWI boom box...I think of this every time I picture him in this movie...LOVE IT!!
Can Uwe do these effects?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk
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We're born that way here!
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We're born that way here!
That's where the musical talent comes from - you have a built-in band!
I thought it was a brilliant bit, as Frobe's sounds parody martial music in a German idiom so nicely.
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My resistance was futile.
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Succumbing to temptation is what makes us human!
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Succumbing to temptation is what makes us human!
Words to live by! ;)
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Restraint is overrated - unless among consenting adults of course. True virtue can only be obtained via the path of sin and, eventually, regret (but let's not be silly about it, just a little regret, don't let it cloud your vision!).
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I want to face the temptation....er....peril!!!
(http://movieimage2.tripod.com/grail/grail19.jpg)
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Al, you denied us the punch line, especially the final words... thankfully, we have the good Sir Lancelot to protect us...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtcSYPjJbgg
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Well, it arrived yesterday. Lovely case. The bass looks ... OK. I have ended up with a slightly more "feature-rich" bit of ash than I had hoped for (of course), but the gold is very luxurious - it does seem that the body simply had molten gold poured over it. The pickguard is a bit iffy - the hole for the pickup is about 2mm too big in two directions and you can see the body in the hole. If I had made that pickguard, I'd have started again in disgust. How is this possible when we live in an age of CNC and suchlike technologies?
Anyhoo, I had a band practice last night so I took it along anyway. What a lovely sounding bass! Everything's wired up right, the coil taps seem to make the genuine difference to the tone that was promised. It's loud, clear and has a certain "authority" (has bark AND bite?). I am pleased with how it sounds to the degree that the minor problems outlined in the previous paragraph melted away and to be honest I didn't think about them until I remembered just now. I didn't have time to play about with the setup so that was it straight out of the box, tuned up and away we go. Even in this state I found it easy to play, the satin finish on the back of the neck is sleek to move around on, frets are chunky and well finished. So I'm hoping that once I tweak it to my preferences, it'll be even better.
I think I'll make a new pickguard for it though ;) Will probably cost about the same for a blank sheet of 5 ply as it would to send it back (as I think it would be a stretch to call this one "faulty") and hope that the replacement is as good in the sound dept. so I think I'll stick. As far as the finish is concerned, I would have preferred smooth and glassy, but then would I have jumped on it if it was £1500 instead of £780? Probably not. Pragmatism, not idealism, for the right bass of course. I think the pickguard issue is a worrying indication of the Gibson lack of attention to detail that continues to be magnified x100 by the haters, but they seem to have provided me with a bass which works, is screwed together well (the pickguard is well screwed down), wired up properly and most importantly of all sounds GREAT. I do realise this may seem at first glance to be two faced when you remember my experience with the Grabber 3 70s Tribute, but recall that the two I briefly possessed had real, enjoyment sapping wiring issues which really bummed me out. There may have been a great sound in there, but it was hidden from me in hum and touch buzz. Don't want to dwell on that though. I had a lot of fun playing the EB last night. It stays in my keine kollektion for now. Light, easy to play, sounds great, with a personality that shines through and makes it highly likeable in spite of any minor "it wouldn't be like that if I made it" issues.
Will take pics later, but here's a crappy phone one from last night's practice (because all the above is hokum without pics, right?)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/eb%202014/01_at_rehearsal.jpg)
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Happy to hear! And that you gave Gibson another chance after those previous experiences.
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So, pics as promised. If you don't like shiny gold things, you should press the back button now.
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/02_all_noflash.jpg) (http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/03_all_flash.jpg)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/13_angle_up.jpg) (http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/11_headstock_back.jpg)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/05_body_2_noflash.jpg)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/09_body_back.jpg)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/10_all_back.jpg)
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/12_angle_down.jpg)
And for balance's sake, the squiffy pickguard (grr!):
(http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/pics/EB_2014/01_iffy_guard.jpg)
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Also, because how it sounds is more important than how it looks (right?), here's a wee snippet from a recording I made of the rehearsal that night. EB was set to one up, one down (can't remember which one, sorry). Amp is a RedSub 250W 1x10 (Ibanez Promethean 5110 clone). Slight boost on low and high. Sad curve on graphic EQ favouring low mids. Contour set about middle, slightly favouring mids. Recorded with a Zoom H2N handy recorder. No tricks apart from normalisation and a touch of compression applied after.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/269680868/Boy_snippet.mp3
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Sounds good! Like the color, shape is a little lumpy for me.
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Not much of a gold fan, but I like how it looks here!
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That shape is growing on me ( not like a tumor!) I give Gibson a lot of Kudos for coming up with something new in terms of shape and the pickups, bridge etc. Just wish they'd bump up the QC, the PG on this bass is not excusable.
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Not much of a gold fan, but I like how it looks here!
Fins, Uwe... fins...
... crying out for gold hardware, imho...
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Actually Imreally like the gold boullion finish Gibson is using on the non filled grain finishes. It looked really good on my TBIV, which was one of the deciding factors for me. Yes sound is important but feel comes in a close secound then looks &finish. I believe several here tried to convince Uwe to get the gold TBIV but alas he stood his ground ( barely) based on his principle of not collecting for fins. Our argument about it actually being an Official 50th anniversary Thunderbird with a pickguard 'engraved' stating so. I did not really care for the new EB shape, but after seeing one in the Hold here in San Francisco..i did like it.
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Not a gold fan here either but it looks very nice. As for the unfilled ash grain, I'd say it's a typical piece, and you knew in advance that it's not filled.
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Not a gold fan here either but it looks very nice. As for the unfilled ash grain, I'd say it's a typical piece, and you knew in advance that it's not filled.
I was indeed well aware, but I saw some rather smoother looking ones on YouTube videos so I did hope I might get lucky. Although it was a bit disappointing when I first opened the case, it's a non issue as far as I'm concerned, because it sounds so fine. I haven't really thought about it since because it's so flipping GOLD. I think I'll call it Jill. Pretty sure they didn't grain fill her before they painted her gold either ;)
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Looking at the Gibson website, it looks like the badly cut pick guard is another common fit and finish flaw. It's especially evident in the large picture of the Natural vintage gloss on the 2014 EB page. If you're getting a new guard, I humbly suggest looking at tort for Jill. I could see a reddish tint tort looking good with the gold. I even think the tort material Gibson is using on the other EB basses is a nice shade and would be a good pick if you can get a replacement of the same kind.
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A wee update - I've used the EB at a couple of band rehearsals now and it's been an interesting experience. First one was with my wee 250W 1x10 combo in a big room and it was pretty simple to get a nice sound by fiddling with the coil taps (I had one in and one out but I can't remember which) instead of adjusting my amp. The second one was a different matter - 500W Ampeg 8x10 rig in a small practice room. So thick with mids, I swear this is the first time I've ever dialled mids OUT for live band playing. Took me a couple of songs to get it right, that confused I was! Once I got going though, I again found that cutting, authoritative tone chiming through. I think I tapped both pickups to get enough bite and clarity.
Getting less and less bothered about the visible grain with every play because it's a great bass to play.