The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: leftybass on February 13, 2013, 08:31:17 AM
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Anyone see it in the article in the latest VG?
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Excuse my ignorance but what's VG? :-\
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Vintage Guitar mag...?
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Aah, OK. Lefty. Care to enlighten us on this side of the pond? Has he scored a deal with Gibson now? What's the story?
I'm a little aghast at the basses TP goes through. I did some work for Waterstone a few years back and got a series one TP-12 as a result (to be honest, it's a monster and rarely leaves home). More recently he's been doing deals with Hofner, Lull and Vaccaro. I love Cheap Trick as much as anyone my age but always thought of TP as a solid, albeit adequate player, with an unusual choice of main instrument...shocked me all these companies doing back flips to sign him up.
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I haven't seen it yet. The cover (http://www.vintageguitar.com/current-issue/) story is about Duck Dunn's basses. I do see reference to stories about Tom Petersson and Lemmy among others.
The website's newswire also has a brief (http://www.vintageguitar.com/13362/dave-clark-bassist-rick-huxley-passes/) about the passing of Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley this past Monday.
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They obviously needed a replacement for Nikki S, now AWOL with Spector. If this spawns an available 12 string TP Signature model, then who am I too argue?
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There's a slideshow on the Premier Guitar website - a dozen photos and only one 12-string (and it's not a Waterstone).
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2013/Jan/GALLERY_Tom_Peterssons_Bass_Collection.aspx
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Very cool his Thunderbird has my Badbird Bridge installed! Made my morning :)
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It's really funny How Much the headstock on the 12ver resembles the layout I did on my NR T bird 8 strings...I know it was a one off Custom shop made by one of their Luthiers...I forget the name...Phil Jones?? Man..I wish I had a job..I'd be back making basses.....My bridges and pickups were better quality than the ones on that 12ver...
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Forgive my doubtfulness, but what is the value or appeal of a 12-string bass? Maybe that's part of the reason why Cheap Trick mostly leaves me flat.
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Forgive my doubtfulness, but what is the value or appeal of a 12-string bass? Maybe that's part of the reason why Cheap Trick mostly leaves me flat.
I've found it a difficult beast to handle. Clean, anything above a C on the G strings is a bit comical...the octaves ringing almost mandolinesque. Semi dirt (Sansamp) and it's the opposite; the low register is muddy and the high register almost guitar like. The best I've got is through an old Boss ODB3, just flat out distortion and roll it on off to suit. Don't get me wrong, my TP12 is lovely, but it doesn't really suit what I play (pop/punk stuff) and sits unhappily in the mix, hence it stays at home a lot.
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Yep, the Gibson luthier was Phil Jones.
For a 12 string to bring full effect, you need to construct the parts of the other instruments around it, it is at the time dominant and fragile in its acoustics. I don't believe Cheap Trick do that, TP is neither much of an arranger nor their key songwriter. So he plays bass on it like he would in a simple way on a four string. And sometimes it works and more often it doesn't, adding nothing.
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I've found it a difficult beast to handle. Clean, anything above a C on the G strings is a bit comical...the octaves ringing almost mandolinesque. Semi dirt (Sansamp) and it's the opposite; the low register is muddy and the high register almost guitar like. The best I've got is through an old Boss ODB3, just flat out distortion and roll it on off to suit. Don't get me wrong, my TP12 is lovely, but it doesn't really suit what I play (pop/punk stuff) and sits unhappily in the mix, hence it stays at home a lot.
Same here; my solution was just to let the strings go dead and it works. Aside from some tuning stability problems on the octave strings (which has more to do with my right hand than anything- I beat the SHIT outta my basses.) The bass strings are still fine. I have been considering extra-long scale guitar flatwounds for the on pair of the octaves but I don't play it enough to justify the hassle right now. I'm getting ready to start playing out again and I think my TP12 could prove very useful in filling out a power trio.
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I haven't seen it yet. The cover (http://www.vintageguitar.com/current-issue/) story is about Duck Dunn's basses. I do see reference to stories about Tom Petersson and Lemmy among others.
The website's newswire also has a brief (http://www.vintageguitar.com/13362/dave-clark-bassist-rick-huxley-passes/) about the passing of Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley this past Monday.
I've never actually had an issue of VG, but the fact that they interviewed Herschel Yatovitz and put it one the cover sells me instantly. I LOVE that man's playing, and he's an awesome guy to boot! I have two autographs on my Chris Isaak poster; his is the second (the rest of the band hit the bus after the show.)
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Same here; my solution was just to let the strings go dead and it works. Aside from some tuning stability problems on the octave strings (which has more to do with my right hand than anything- I beat the SHIT outta my basses.) The bass strings are still fine. I have been considering extra-long scale guitar flatwounds for the on pair of the octaves but I don't play it enough to justify the hassle right now. I'm getting ready to start playing out again and I think my TP12 could prove very useful in filling out a power trio.
We're a power trio with a singer :)
The 12 has never properly fit with anything I've done, but that said the Boss pedal is a new thing and I've not really tried it properly. I'm of the mind to just take the Waterstone to a jam and muddle through until something tonally beneficial comes up. Won't be for a couple of weeks as I have hand surgery this Thursday - my third for a triggering issue, all different fingers - so I'll be off the bass for a couple of weeks :(
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I've never actually had an issue of VG, but the fact that they interviewed Herschel Yatovitz and put it one the cover sells me instantly. I LOVE that man's playing, and he's an awesome guy to boot! I have two autographs on my Chris Isaak poster; his is the second (the rest of the band hit the bus after the show.)
You can probably find it at Barnes & Noble.
I used to subscribe in the 90s, then got tired of it. Better to occasionally buy an issue when they have a story that really interests me.
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12 is pretty Much a Gimmick...My 8 string is more versatile...but even that.....nothing beats a good vintage 4 string Thunderbird....
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12 is pretty Much a Gimmick...My 8 string is more versatile...
I like the 12 string better, sounds better to me.
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Same here; my solution was just to let the strings go dead and it works. Aside from some tuning stability problems on the octave strings (which has more to do with my right hand than anything- I beat the SHIT outta my basses.) The bass strings are still fine. I have been considering extra-long scale guitar flatwounds for the on pair of the octaves but I don't play it enough to justify the hassle right now. I'm getting ready to start playing out again and I think my TP12 could prove very useful in filling out a power trio.
I hate it when the strings are dead on a 12-string. I use a stereo system with the neck pickup going clean and bridge going through Rotosphere II which adds a bit distortion and Leslie effect when needed. Sounds big and not muddy at all even if I plug into one amp (Hiwatt DR103, clean into Normal ch and dirty into Bright ch) which I do most of the time.
My band is a trio of two guitars and bass (plus drums occasionally) and I use the 12-string for about 50-70% of the stuff we do live so I admit I wouldn't have made the effort if I just used it occasionally. When we started I used the 12-string all the time and I use the same stereo setup when I switch to a 4-string.