The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: drbassman on December 13, 2013, 12:01:58 PM
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OK, I'm into my second Midtown with the LP model and I'm having the same problem with the neck pup. The output of the neck pup is decidedly lower on the e-string compared to the other 3. Even the guys in the band noticed it at practice the other night. I had this issue with the first one, my cherry finish model and now the LP is doing the same thing. I tried rounds, flats, silk/no silk on the ball end and nothing helps. How can Gibson make a bass neck pup that sucks ass on the e-string???? I am sorely disappointed and bummed. I really like this bass!! >:(
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While typing the first post I remembered that my SG bass has the same pup. So, I tried that and it too has less output through the e-string with the neck and bridge pups both full on. With just the neck, it's still not as loud, but closer. This is really an interesting situation.
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can't you adjust the pole pieces to compensate (or are they not adjustable - I don't have any of those basses so I don't recall)?
...[google image] ... yeah, adjust the pole pieces. I even had to do that on my vintage EB3 - the short scale makes the E a bit week but raising the polepiece under that string (or lowering the others) can balance it out no sweat.
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Adjusting pole piece screw height never seems to do much on real mudbuckers but try raising the E and lowering the others. If that doesn't work- remove the A D and G screws. If that doesn't help, nothing will!
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Hey, I thought the poles on these were cosmetic only? I cranked them a bunch and they don't seem to raise up or make a difference.
And quit mucking up my threads. I'm just a little tired of people having pissing contests on my turf when I am asking for some help with a problem. Take it somewhere else please.
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If there's a blade pickup under there (as on the SG Bass) I don't see how adjusting the polepieces would have any effect. They had very little effect on a vintage mudbucker, probably because the sidewinder construction didn't allow a direct vertical path to the magnets. But AFAIK they're ornamental on this version of the TB Plus.
Can you shim under the bass side of the pickup to bring it closer to the string? Since it's a blade type pickup, there's no way the section of the blade under the E can be weaker. Maybe the E string clearance is just a little too far from the blade.
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If there's a blade pickup under there (as on the SG Bass) I don't see how adjusting the polepieces would have any effect. They had very little effect on a vintage mudbucker, probably because the sidewinder construction didn't allow a direct vertical path to the magnets. But AFAIK they're ornamental on this version of the TB Plus.
Can you shim under the bass side of the pickup to bring it closer to the string? Since it's a blade type pickup, there's no way the section of the blade under the E can be weaker. Maybe the E string clearance is just a little too far from the blade.
I think you have a good point Dave. The neck pup is a good distance from the strings and the problem is consistent across basses. I might see if I can raise the pup from underneath. What a pain in the butt!
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Pretty sure the pole pieces are just cosmetic. Would lowering the the E string side of the three point bridge help?
On my Midway - I think the Neck pup sounds really nice and balanced across all the strings. The only thing I had to tweak was some foam under the pup cover to take care of some rattling (just like my Fireburst GOTW SG Bass) and I lowered the bridge pickup just to get the sound I wanted when both pups were running together.
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Pretty sure the pole pieces are just cosmetic.
The pole pieces are not just cosmetic, any ferro magnetic material will affect the magnetic field - they are adjustable so that it can match the radius of the fretboard. It´s a common thing to check out when doing a guitar setup.
The mudbucker is a quite narrow coil pickup, so it won't do much matching the radii. Some people like to put a nail under the cover, others fix the silent E in the setup - I´ve read many posts on this subject in here. It sure is interesting, though.
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The pole pieces are not just cosmetic, any ferro magnetic material will affect the magnetic field - they are adjustable so that it can match the radius of the fretboard. It´s a common thing to check out when doing a guitar setup.
The mudbucker is a quite narrow coil pickup, so it won't do much matching the radii. Some people like to put a nail under the cover, others fix the silent E in the setup - I´ve read many posts on this subject in here. It sure is interesting, though.
Let's not confuse the issue. We're not talking about a vintage mudbucker here.
drbassman is talking about the faux-mudbucker in his Midtown bass. It's a version of the TB Plus pickup. Unless something has changed drastically since it came out, it's a twin-blade pickup with the coils widely separated. The four "polepieces" are just screws, they're not located over the blades or the magnets.
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Let's not confuse the issue. We're not talking about a vintage mudbucker here.
It was the standard sidewinder i was referring to.
Looks like I confused it with the mudbucker reference in the other post, yes..
Nevertheless, if they are magnetic they will affect the magnetic field - but if they are put there for looks only,
they are probably not.
Now, why bother to put cosmetic screws on a blade pickup?
Are they using up surplus mudbucker covers?
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Not sure about the TB+ in Mudbucker disguise, but the sidewinder mudbuckers are actually a bit too narrow for many bass guitars with normal string spacing.
Often the E and G tend to be a bit weak as they're not picked up enough, due to the narrow magnetic field.
I've seen a few folks equip their bass with a very simple solution for this problem:
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c305/Jazzboer/JazzBird/151120091047.jpg)
The allen key (or bent nail) makes the magnetic field a little wider. Just enough to properly pick up the E and G string.
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I'm gonna be looking at the pup soon and will report my attempted fix or fixes.
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Just slap a real mudbucker in there!
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Had a chance to look at it, what a dopey situation. The bass side of the pup is about 1/4" lower than the treble. Duh! You'd think they could afford some thicker foam rubber at the plant! In fact, the entire top of the pup doesn't even come up to meet the back of the cover. And yes, the screws are cosmetic with the two blade set up. I'll post some pictures when I have a minute. It's Christmas decorating time at our house!!!
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Just slap a real mudbucker in there!
It is so tempting, but I like the sound of the a through g strings, so I can live with it if I can hear the e finally!
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At least you ought to be able to fix it by adding the right amount of foam underneath.
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Had a chance to look at it, what a dopey situation. The bass side of the pup is about 1/4" lower than the treble. Duh! You'd think they could afford some thicker foam rubber at the plant! In fact, the entire top of the pup doesn't even come up to meet the back of the cover. And yes, the screws are cosmetic with the two blade set up. I'll post some pictures when I have a minute. It's Christmas decorating time at our house!!!
I think you have an easy fix there. Bet it's the same on the other bass you mentioned.
Just remember if you're trimming the tree in the nude - watch out fer them prickly branches!! :sad:
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Had a chance to look at it, what a dopey situation. The bass side of the pup is about 1/4" lower than the treble. Duh! You'd think they could afford some thicker foam rubber at the plant! In fact, the entire top of the pup doesn't even come up to meet the back of the cover. And yes, the screws are cosmetic with the two blade set up. I'll post some pictures when I have a minute. It's Christmas decorating time at our house!!!
Interesting. I had sorta the same deal with my Midtown six-stringer. Had to put some decent density foam under the pickups to keep them from flopping about in the routs. The way it came from Gibson with the pickups just kinda floating around loose was unacceptable. I put chrome covers on the P-90's while I was into it, looks 100% better now. ;D
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Uwe's has arrived, I'm at work today and won't get to play it until later - I'll definately be checking this out.
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Ah, we're gonna have on of those lavish and earnest BP-style reviews, Herr Hills always spoils us with!
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I was a doubting Thomas
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas.jpg/350px-Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas.jpg)
Forgive me, Father Dave!
about the screws in the TB-Plus mockbucker having no effect, but I was just converted, srewing the E screw on my Midtown all the way up and all the way down - no dif. You can also tell that there is zilch magnetization going on by pressing the E string on the screw, no magnetic contact "plop" at all. That said, the E string on mine is nicely prominent on the bass, together with the G string, i.e. just the way I like it (I like my E amd G slightly louder than my A and D).
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No need to beat yourself up Uwe. The screws really are just cosmetic and a nod to the past! I forgive you, even if Dave doesn't.
So, you'll see in the picture below that the pup is way low on the e-string side. You can see where I jacked up the screw in a a vain effort to improve output. You'd think they could use better foam at the factory. I was out of high density foam, so I stuffed the cavity with two pieces of low density stuff. All I wanted was to push the screws up tight into the holes and it worked. The bass and e-string sound 100% better, duh! It's going to practice Wednesday night.
So, A word to Midtown owners. If your pup screws look recessed at all, like mine did on both of my Midtown models, the pup is probably sitting low in the cavity and needs a boost! Hey Al, I remember you said recently to look at the simply things/fixes first! You were so right! Now I gotta fix my cherry Midtown and SG bass next.
Here's how it came from the factory, ugh!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0001_zpsf9ca13fc.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0001_zpsf9ca13fc.jpg.html)
String alignment looks good, but they sure didn't waste any magnet on the e and g-strings. Just enough and no more!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0003_zps79681e94.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0003_zps79681e94.jpg.html)
Here's the foam treatment. Notice that the screws now fill the cover holes. Before, they were probably 1/8" or more below the holes. Yikes, how dumb.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0005_zpsd512a2a3.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0005_zpsd512a2a3.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0006_zps6b79982d.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0006_zps6b79982d.jpg.html)
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"I forgive you, even if Dave doesn't."
How did you know?!!!
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"I forgive you, even if Dave doesn't."
How did you know?!!!
I've always been more magnanimous than Dave!!! Bless you my child! ;D
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:mrgreen: But then even clenched-teeth absolution from Dave is a reward in itself!
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:mrgreen: But then even clenched-teeth absolution from Dave is a reward in itself!
I agree, take what you can get and consider yourself lucky! Keep your head down for awhile and maybe he will forget about your transgressions with all of the holiday distractions.
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Ah, we're gonna have on of those lavish and earnest BP-style reviews, Herr Hills always spoils us with!
Not promising this, but since I'll have the last two weeks of the year off from my teaching duties you may get a Youtube review from Veronica in addition to my usual.
One thing I will say about your bass Uwe, it's positively spectacular in finish, the photos do not give any indication of how colorful this bass is - I wish Gibson offered a Thunderbird in this finish - It would suit certain Drag Queen types quite well ;)
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Forgive you? I wasn't even aware you doubted it. And I wasn't even sure myself, just going from memory of someone who showed a photo of the innards long ago.
Anyway, what on earth were they thinking, mounting the pickups like that? Shows how little Gibson thinks of bassists. Raising it with foam is easy enough but even a low priced bass shouldn't leave the factory like that.
And what's with those blades that barely reach the edges of the E and G? Granted, it's limited by the overall width of the coils in that housing, but since it's not designed as an aftermarket pickup, why not design it right to begin with? Give the housing some extra width to accommodate longer blades, or reduce the string spacing.
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Yeah, it's pretty lame to put out a $1000+ bass and not even mount the pup properly. And the magnets, geez, how cheap can they be?????? Just more examples of Gibson quality control! :P
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Ah, we're gonna have on of those lavish and earnest BP-style reviews, Herr Hills always spoils us with!
An Earnest review?
(http://cdn.splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ernest_goes_to_school.jpg)
Possibly Germany escaped this particular movie series....
BTW, I've found it handy to keep an old computer mouse pad around... the neoprene makes pretty decent high density support for pickups.
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If there's a blade pickup under there (as on the SG Bass) I don't see how adjusting the polepieces would have any effect.
Pretty sure the pole pieces are just cosmetic.
That's pretty silly - is it dual blade (so the screws are between the blades) or single blade down the middle? Anybody got an under-the-cover pic (I'm just darn curious why they would do something so silly)?
They had very little effect on a vintage mudbucker, probably because the sidewinder construction didn't allow a direct vertical path to the magnets. But AFAIK they're ornamental on this version of the TB Plus.
Though they may not be screwed into the magnet, they are magnetic (touch them with a screwdriver) and therefore connected to the magnet even if not directly. Some peoples' observation that pole pieces seemed somewhat more ineffective than other pups may be due to this indirect connection deteriorating over time (or just always being a little dodgey on some specimens).
The bass side of the pup is about 1/4" lower than the treble. Duh! You'd think they could afford some thicker foam rubber at the plant! In fact, the entire top of the pup doesn't even come up to meet the back of the cover. And yes, the screws are cosmetic with the two blade set up. I'll post some pictures when I have a minute. It's Christmas decorating time at our house!!!
OMFG what bullshit. Glad you figured it out at least and thanks for pre-emptively answering my questions from earlier in this post.
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That's pretty silly - is it dual blade (so the screws are between the blades) or single blade down the middle? Anybody got an under-the-cover pic (I'm just darn curious why they would do something so silly)?
Ermmm.... like this? :rolleyes:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Gibson%20Midtown%20Bass/DSCN0003_zps79681e94.jpg)
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Dammit, Gibson, you totally could have made those work if you tried a little harder.
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As Uwe said, you can screw till your heart's content and nothing will change with these pup screws!
Again, the best course is to peek under your pseudo-mudbuckers to be sure!
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Screws that don't work is kind of naff, even I won't defend that one. So it is indeed just a TB Plus with a - yuck! - chrome cover.
Put differently: Screwing without results can be a severe disappointment.
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"Though they may not be screwed into the magnet, they are magnetic (touch them with a screwdriver) and therefore connected to the magnet even if not directly."
If that's the test, yes they are ever so slightly magnetic (the chrome plate itself is more magnetic, however, and so are the screws of the minibucker in the bridge position). Just doesn't translate in an audible volume difference. Now you can of course argue that neither the soap bar TBs nor the guitar size humbucker TBs offer individual string adjustment, but you can at least slant them as needed. This you can't do with the TB Plus mockbucker because that rests in a cavity underneath the chrome cover without any screw adjustment for its height.
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Not promising this, but since I'll have the last two weeks of the year off from my teaching duties you may get a Youtube review from Veronica in addition to my usual.
One thing I will say about your bass Uwe, it's positively spectacular in finish, the photos do not give any indication of how colorful this bass is - I wish Gibson offered a Thunderbird in this finish - It would suit certain Drag Queen types quite well ;)
A bird of paradise bass then, Gibson is finally recognizing the buying power of the drag queen market!
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"Though they may not be screwed into the magnet, they are magnetic (touch them with a screwdriver) and therefore connected to the magnet even if not directly."
If that's the test, yes they are ever so slightly magnetic (the chrome plate itself is more magnetic, however, and so are the screws of the minibucker in the bridge position). Just doesn't translate in an audible volume difference. Now you can of course argue that neither the soap bar TBs nor the guitar size humbucker TBs offer individual string adjustment, but you can at least slant them as needed. This you can't do with the TB Plus mockbucker because that rests in a cavity underneath the chrome cover without any screw adjustment for its height.
That was about actual Mudbuckers. Never been anywhere near these Midtown monstrosities.
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Uwe, I've only had about an hour to play your bass, it may have the same issues as Bill's - I am not going to do anything to your bass - Please feel relived.
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Hmmmmm.. >:(you are right! I chnaged the from rw's to flats on my SG faded the other day and noticed a drop in the response on the E..and was slightly pelexed because I had everthing intonated properly and the E was definitly lacking. The RW E was fine. soo it looks like foam time. GIBSON falls flat once again on their face for oversight or lack of thorough research on this one. Glad I took a look at this thread. Very timely. Their only saving grace is that the ( my new TBIV in Gold Boullion is a looker and a player). Now my next move is to put flats on this 50 AV and see how I like it. Any problems it goes back as it is under 30 days. :popcorn:
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Uwe, I've only had about an hour to play your bass, it may have the same issues as Bill's - I am not going to do anything to your bass - Please feel relived.
On the contrary, by any means, please foam it up wth any substances you deem fit, so I won't have to do it!!! We now know the cause and you know how to screw and put your hand underneath for a little padding, don't you? Never thought you that sqeamish, Mark, really ... A man's got to do what a man's got to do, I must insist! Get that pup in order or I'm coming over!!!
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we always knew you needed just the tidbit of an excuse to go over. :vader: :popcorn:
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On the contrary, by any means, please foam it up wth any substances you deem fit, so I won't have to do it!!! We now know the cause and you know how to screw and put your hand underneath for a little padding, don't you? Never thought you that sqeamish, Mark, really ... A man's got to do what a man's got to do, I must insist! Get that pup in order or I'm coming over!!!
(https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7944020480/h9A5318CB/)
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Where did I go wrong when I posted this???? :P
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Innocence is an oxymoron for people who don't know better!
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On the contrary, by any means, please foam it up wth any substances you deem fit, so I won't have to do it!!! We now know the cause and you know how to screw and put your hand underneath for a little padding, don't you? Never thought you that sqeamish, Mark, really ... A man's got to do what a man's got to do, I must insist! Get that pup in order or I'm coming over!!!
Uwe, I'll play the bass a bit first, the eve I sat with it for about an hour - with this thread in mind while playing along to some CCR I really tried to compare the volume on the E string compared to the others - there is a difference, not huge but noticable. I'll take some pics of it for this thread (I will do a separate review), I'm usually not too squeamish, but this isn't my bass so I'm gonna be pretty damm careful :-*
Where did I go wrong when I posted this???? :P
I think I gay'd this thread up Bill - I've already edited out quite a bit of Errrmmmm... questionable.
OTOH thanks for posting it, obviously there is a problem.
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On the contrary, by any means, please foam it up wth any substances you deem fit, so I won't have to do it!!!
You, sir, are a brave man.
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I think I gay'd this thread up Bill - I've already edited out quite a bit of Errrmmmm... questionable.
OTOH thanks for posting it, obviously there is a problem.
No problem Mark, I wasn't offended. Just a tongue in cheek remark! You're good with me.
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Yikes! What happened to this thread!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCc-RWIp7XU
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Morticia!
Dang!
There's another 13 seconds (plus clean up) of my life wasted.
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Pretty pleeeeeeze! 4 screws and some hard foam, a material most certainly in vast abundance with - and I quote! - "the Pacific Northwest's leading source for an exceptional choice of quality lighting fixtures and accessories ..."
(http://www.seattlelighting.com/graphics/sl_seattleBldg.jpg)
I herewith waive all claims re accidental damage of the bass!!!
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Such a short and un-caveatful (I think I just made up a word) release statement is really saying something about his confidence in your abilities, dear Frau, seeing as it is coming from a lawyer.
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Pretty pleeeeeeze! 4 screws and some hard foam, a material most certainly in vast abundance with - and I quote! - "the Pacific Northwest's leading source for an exceptional choice of quality lighting fixtures and accessories ..."
(http://www.seattlelighting.com/graphics/sl_seattleBldg.jpg)
I herewith waive all claims re accidental damage of the bass!!!
Ah yes, our Headquarters building for Northern Region Operations - Downtown Seattle, the building has been there since 1917 (Our company slogan "Seattle Lighting, creating alcoholics since 1917) BassNW is three blocks away +1 more for Emerald City Guitars. When I hired on 10 years ago I spent some time working at this building - enjoyed my time there as the clientele was very interesting on the project side, it was before we had Heavy or Light Rail service into town so the commute and parking were a downer.
I totally caved and walked to BassNW for lunch hour one day...........Oh crap! There's a beat to shit '76 Thunderbird in the shop! I told Evan Sheely to put my name on it and showed up the next day with 3 basses to trade him for that poor beat thing..... It became the 7 Up green one ;) It hold Uwe and to a lessor extant all of you former Dudepit denizens responsible - I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing!
I get my 10 year Certificate next week, somehow I still have a liver!
I'll take a look at the bass on Thursday and Friday, probably be posting pics before performing any Ermmmm.....Operations in ze name of science :)
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DANGIT!!! I was at Bass NW for an hour last summer - didn't know your building was that close!! Next time I'm in town I'll drop by and buy coffee or something stronger if you have time.
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Al, you should get a hold of me whenever you find yourself up this way.
I worked at the Downtown store when I started with SLF, but that was 10 years ago - My original purpose was to work at Southcenter ( 12 miles south of Seattle), which I did for almost 9 years, since last September I have transfered to Tacoma, which is just about 20Mi. south. The manager here and several of my co worker used to be at Southcenter so I am amongst friends and enjoying Tacoma - which is a very blue collar/military community.
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Cool. I have a brother living in that general area, somewhat closer to Olympia. My sister is a DVM and works out of the Puyallup area. I'll let you know next time I'm up - sometimes the schedule is pretty tight.
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If you fly in, your plane goes right over my house - Remember to wave to me!
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I'm waving from a bit east of you, but as I'm somewhat over the horizon, er... pretty pointless really... :mrgreen:
Where did I go wrong when I posted this????
You got up, Bill... nearly fatal... ;D
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I'm waving from a bit east of you, but as I'm somewhat over the horizon, er... pretty pointless really... :mrgreen:
You got up, Bill... nearly fatal... ;D
At least I still CAN get up! :rimshot:
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I'll run a little inspection of the premises this summer!
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These are some quickie phone pics I shot here in the house underneath a Halogen PAR lamp, as you can see, it's beautiful!
We may hay a bit of low winter sun over the weekend, best for the all important Subaru shot ;D
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387378843_zpse4275eb7.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387378844_zps74680cc5.jpg)
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OMG ...
(http://blog.spacemonkey.com/static/_images/surprised_orang.png)
a Saturday Night Fever bass ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FECFb1_YdII
That bass will do to my musicianly credibilty what the Rock Me Tonight vid did to Billy Squier ...
I only waived claims re accidental damage, not for garish fins!!!
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Tell me that is just phone cam artifacts and not actual rainbow sparkle, because, I mean, I knew he was German, but I didn't know he was, like, Madam von Reacharundt in the mid-70s German.
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I said SPLINTER camouflage, Mark,
(http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/Kits/WW2/PacificCoastModels/32008/images/schemes01.jpg)
... not SPRINKLE!!!
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Tell me that is just phone cam artifacts and not actual rainbow sparkle, because, I mean, I knew he was German, but I didn't know he was, like, Madam von Reacharundt in the mid-70s German.
Nope! The finish really does that as you move it thru a light source!
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I said SPLINTER camouflage, Mark,
(http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/Kits/WW2/PacificCoastModels/32008/images/schemes01.jpg)
... not SPRINKLE!!!
How about some lozenges like what's his name (From Jethro Tull) Thunderbird ;D
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Just like May 8, 1945, I'll get used to it, sigh! :-\
I bet it's radioactive too.
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It's a new era in bunker busting. Gone are the days of brute force; now it's all about the subterfuge.
Hello Franz
Hello Deutschland
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-dirty bomb!
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Kinda blows the charcoal gray theory!!!
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Every pic that I've seen of this bass it looks to me as if the lower side of the body is slightly too large in comparison to the upper side.
It's not just the smaller lower horn that makes it look this way. I think it is actually the entire body that is asymmetrical.
And I don't think I like that for this kind of bass. Looks like a mistake on the drawing board to me... :-[
Nice sparkly finish though ;)
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Wow, that is bizarre.
The finish name is graphite pearl, not charcoal gray. Still, it's bizarre. That's not what I think of when I see "pearl" attached to a finish name.
Considering this pic Mark posted in the other thread, it doesn't look garish under normal light.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/1386687913_zpsde32e8d1.jpg)
And if you look at the other three in stock at Sweetwater (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BAMSG4CH-14/), you can barely see the pearling. Must be the light.
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Every pic that I've seen of this bass it looks to me as if the lower side of the body is slightly too large in comparison to the upper side.
It's not just the smaller lower horn that makes it look this way. I think it is actually the entire body that is asymmetrical.
And I don't think I like that for this kind of bass. Looks like a mistake on the drawing board to me... :-[
Nice sparkly finish though ;)
Now that you mention it, the lower side does look bigger. That's odd.
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Yeah.... never noticed until he pointed that out. In one pic I though it could be optical illusion due to not being sighted straight down the neck, but the other pic looks like it's pretty dead on.
Ergonomically it makes sense.
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I noticed that from the first pic I saw and you know you might be right about the ergonomics. The one thing about the LP Sig and the Epi JC that always bothered me a bit was that it did not sit well on my knee and a few others including my daughter mentioned that as well. So could Gibson actually thought that deeply about this? Mark, how does it sit on your knee? And what is the neck profile like. I know you like slimmer necks as I do and that is one of the saving graces of the TBIV's.
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I won't give too much away, in fact I really haven't had enough time with this bass to form a strong opinion yet - Except that the neck is a bit larger than A Thunderbird ( What isn't?! :) ) Not really a bad thing, but after I'd spent a hour with it I picked up my '89 'Bird - Yeah, that's the neck I like best :mrgreen:
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I noticed that from the first pic I saw and you know you might be right about the ergonomics. The one thing about the LP Sig and the Epi JC that always bothered me a bit was that it did not sit well on my knee and a few others including my daughter mentioned that as well. So could Gibson actually thought that deeply about this? Mark, how does it sit on your knee? And what is the neck profile like. I know you like slimmer necks as I do and that is one of the saving graces of the TBIV's.
I wasn't even thinking of knee balance (haven't played an LPSig ever, and a JCSig just a few times in store) - I was thinking more in terms of being able to have a larger body without the upper bout digging in to your armpit. Either way, if there's an improvement, the asymmetry wouldn't bother me at all.
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I was thinking more in terms of being able to have a larger body without the upper bout digging in to your armpit.
The body would have to be ridiculously large to reach your armpit.
Unless you're a midget of course.
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depends how you slingit, dunnit?
If you wear em high like Kimn Mitchell (guitard I know, but hot damn, he wears it high.... just can't recall the name of a similarly Urkelly bassists at the moment) then it could be an issue.
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I think it's gonna rub one of my boobs the wrong way :rolleyes:
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depends how you slingit, dunnit?
If you wear em high like Kimn Mitchell (guitard I know, but hot damn, he wears it high.... just can't recall the name of a similarly Urkelly bassists at the moment) then it could be an issue.
Thought we were talking bout playing it while sitting?
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Wow... what a beautiful fin... 8)
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Well, that fin is definitely out of the box for Gibson basses. I'd love to see it in person.
I was looking at mine and it looks lopsided too. So, I measured two places on the lower bouts. From the edge of bridge pup ring, centered on the top and bottom adjusting screw, to the edge of the bout = 5.5" to the edge top and bottom. From the center bolt on the bridge = 7.5" to the edge top and bottom. The bouts measure the same but don't look it. Weird! ??? I think it's an optical delusion!
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I was looking at mine and it looks lopsided too...I think it's an optical delusion!
It IS lopsided. The tiny, out of proportion lower horn makes it look that way. Your eye tries to balance it out and it can't.
Look at the bass with a towel or something covering the horn half of the body and it's easy to see the bouts are symmetrical.
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You're right, Carlo, I can see just by covering up the horns in the Sweetwater pic with my hand.
As for the ergonomics, well, most Gibson designs have always been more about looks than balance or comfort.
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Okay, here's Uwe's naked........... :o
What do you guys think?
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387475122_zpsd882ba1a.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387475124_zpsfbc06c51.jpg)
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That's about how mine looks...
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Model Trains..............................
Is there anything they can't do?
Here we are with Uwe's nakie Eerrrmmmmmm.............cavity.
I have bravely removed the pick up (which BTW looks like no TB plus I've ever replaced with a Lull!) and found four bits of foam at the corners. Note the two gray strips of foam ( they're from a model train package!) I've added them and replace the cover, the pup is very snug against the inside of the cover now.
I have the house to myself for a few days next week so I may try to video something (I can't resist that whole "Don we now our Gay Apparel" part of Christmas :gay: ) for this bass, the finish alone deserves it!
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387496121_zps403dd0fa.jpg)
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Those must be expensive foam squares! Henry J. would probably have to increase the price by $300-400 if he had to put two whole foam strips in. :rolleyes:
Sorry, that finish is way too sparkly for me.
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They should have called that finish, Cloudless Night in Cottage Country.
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It's "Barbie Sparkle Wonder Charcoal", don't be so rigidly heterofascist about it!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Mark, mein Schatz, thank you for foaming up my orefice! It's something I would always want to leave to an experienced hand.
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"Okay, here's Uwe's naked..........."
I do glow in the dark too!
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It's "Barbie Sparkle Wonder Charcoal", don't be so rigidly heterofascist about it!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Hey, the beauty of a starry sky can and should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of orientation; the universe cares not.
Mark, mein Schatz, thank you for foaming up my orefice!
Ok, can we draw the line at santorum references?
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It IS lopsided. The tiny, out of proportion lower horn makes it look that way. Your eye tries to balance it out and it can't.
Look at the bass with a towel or something covering the horn half of the body and it's easy to see the bouts are symmetrical.
An M. C. Escher bass!!!
(http://www.ki-smile.de/kismile/media/images/original/escher.jpg)
Rob should really be ashamed of himself for falling trap to a Dutch artist's stylistic concept and creating unwarranted mass hysteria here!
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Veronica, mein Schatz, thank you for foaming up my orefice! It's something I would always want to leave to an experienced hand.
:o It was my pleasure Herr Gruppenfuhrer :)
I shall begin to put it thru it's paces for an orderly review this afternoon.
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(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/Mobile%20Uploads/1387475124_zpsfbc06c51.jpg)
(http://blog.smartbear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2001_a_space_odyssey_event_0_0_1.jpeg)
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Those must be expensive foam squares! Henry J. would probably have to increase the price by $300-400 if he had to put two whole foam strips in. :rolleyes:
Sorry, that finish is way too sparkly for me.
Isn't this just ridiculous? They can't even put enough foam in to mount the pups correctly and don't even check, or care, that the basses are leaving the factory unfit to play properly? Kinda sad…….
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It's inexcusable. It's the kind of thing you might not be shocked at if it were on a $79 department store guitar. It's shocking on what's allegedly a quality instrument.
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In comparing Bill bass to Uwe's, I think Uwe got the better one as the pickup problem certainly was not pronounced in the way Bill said his was. I personally don't take too much offense if my preferences in regards to a bass' set up require a bit of modification - at least 4 of my collection are quite some distance from "stock"
It was a very simple adjustment, the bass certainly sounded good without me mounting foam bits into it's jumblies :rolleyes:
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It's ok for old hounds like us to fix something like that but for a kid getting his first real Gibson bass under the Christmas tree it's kinda disappointing and anticlimatic if a little thing like that which doesn't demand much cost, labor or attention ain't right out of the box.
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Please wear some glitter in your hair when you do that vid, Mark! Accessorize!!!
And once I have that bass I'll audition for the Scissors Sisters. They know a tune or two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovX8BGVuYa0
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I love guys singing falsetto. :P Makes my ears ring!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JoZS6LgqYI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JoZS6LgqYI)
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I like it too if it's done well (the Scissors Sisters guy qualifies IMHO). Barry Gibb - always had a soft spot for the Bee Gees even in their disco days - sure could do it and so could Russel Mael.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfA4FphZHbc
Mick Jagger's falsetto ain't bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-2MenrnR2U
And this guy here of course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNq3rNgrSYA
And I dig Al Green.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICKToz7BLLA
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It's ok for old hounds like us to fix something like that but for a kid getting his first real Gibson bass under the Christmas tree it's kinda disappointing and anticlimatic if a little thing like that which doesn't demand much cost, labor or attention ain't right out of the box.
This is definately not a good bass for a kid!
Re the guys with a high voice.
I like Justin Hawkins from The Darkness, he's kinda cute too :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRlTc1RYMGU
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His falsetto is a touch too screechy/piercing for me, but I still like The Darkness for the mere reasons that all their harmonies and melodies sound like grunge never happened!
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It IS lopsided. The tiny, out of proportion lower horn makes it look that way. Your eye tries to balance it out and it can't.
Look at the bass with a towel or something covering the horn half of the body and it's easy to see the bouts are symmetrical.
An M. C. Escher bass!!!
Rob should really be ashamed of himself for falling trap to a Dutch artist's stylistic concept and creating unwarranted mass hysteria here!
No that's not how I meant it.
I know how to look at the body with asymmetrical horns. The Epi JCS for example is no different.
But with the Epi JCS there is no optical delusion. There nothing wrong with the body.
But this new Gibson bass looks lopsided/asymmetrical to me.
The right side (as seen from the front) looks too wide.
I photoshopped to show you what I mean:
Cut the body in half and mirrored the right part to show you what I mean.
You can see the new left half sticks out more than 1 cm over the original left side.
(http://www.enkoo.nl/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/5285092_orig.jpg)
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Mark, get the ruler out!!!
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No that's not how I meant it.
I know how to look at the body with asymmetrical horns. The Epi JCS for example is no different.
But with the Epi JCS there is no optical delusion. There nothing wrong with the body.
But this new Gibson bass looks lopsided/asymmetrical to me.
The right side (as seen from the front) looks too wide.
I photoshopped to show you what I mean:
Cut the body in half and mirrored the right part to show you what I mean.
You can see the new left half sticks out more than 1 cm over the original left side.
My excuse is the damn thing is so ugly I can't bear to look at it for more than 10 seconds at a time.
1 cm is less than 1/2 inch, well within spec for Gibson USA.
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Mark, get the ruler out!!!
You don't want me to measure that :o
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I meant the bass, Mark, only the bass. The Dutch, you know, they are not called "The Lying Dutchman" for nothing, they make things up. All the time. Next thing you hear is that we invaded them and stole their bikes.
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This one's better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5tFmpn_y-s0
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It is.
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Shhhhh.......now!
I'm having my way with it! :o
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wait for the Escher effect...
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I could imagine no better place for a glam object such as this one than the experienced hands of Herr Hills!
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How close is this to the Epi JC...? did I miss this earlier...?
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How close is this to the Epi JC...? did I miss this earlier...?
Not a lot. Built on Midtown carved out body, flat top, similar shape, don't know if the dimensions are exactly the same.
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(http://www.enkoo.nl/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/5285092_orig.jpg)
[/quote]
(http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/images/55U/55U-3859_body-front.jpg)
I thought for a minute that was an Epiphone Genesis.
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Tried an overlay with the JC
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Pretty close!
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Surprising, I would have thought it much smaller than an Epi JC which - except for the cutaway - has EB-2/ES-335 dimensions. Those true hollow bodies sure appear quite a bit larger. Escher is everywhere!
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That's what struck me when I first saw this one...
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Surprising, I would have thought it much smaller than an Epi JC which - except for the cutaway - has EB-2/ES-335 dimensions. Those true hollow bodies sure appear quite a bit larger. Escher is everywhere!
The hell he ain't!
Kenny should have matched the bridge and topnut to give an accurate comparison for the size of these basses.
Assuming they're the same scale (both 34 inch right?) this would be the picture:
(http://www.enkoo.nl/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/1164226_orig.jpg)
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It's not a Hellcat! ;D
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Yep, both 34" scale.
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Inspired by Van Gogh?
(http://img1.targetimg1.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/14/18/14187910_201311280108.jpg)
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It's not a Hellcat! ;D
That was mean, Mark, and you know it!
But also to die for. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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That was mean, Mark, and you know it!
But also to die for. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Well you know I can't resist a good opening.............
Sorry, Leibe Kenny :)
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It's not a Hellcat! ;D
:P :-* (I'm resigned to my fate, hence the by-line, and as for that last pun, that's also below the belt) ;D
... to give an accurate comparison for the size of these basses.
Better "comparison", btw; I was looking at shape rather than dimensions...
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Better "comparison", btw; I was looking at shape rather than dimensions...
You're right Kenny. I'm sorry
:toast:
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I'll drink your health with a nice single malt... ;)
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Good idea! A Laphroaig 18 will do
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I will hoist some Bowmore 12 ;)
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Harrumph...we here in the LBO want nothing but the best! We want LOTS of malts!! Just dump alla those malts in there!!
(Steve martin in "The Jerk" asking for FRESH wine!)
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Curiously, the present uncorked bottle is a Laphroaig 10yr, which is rather nice at the price... glass in hand and signing off... slainte mhath...
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I also just got a 10 years old Laphroaig in. 18's better, but this one I could afford;)