The Last Bass Outpost

Another thing to note on the Blackbirds (mine at least),  is that it has a three ply all mahogany neck. It doesn't have the walnut laminations like the regular Thunderbird IV.

Just saw this...  It's not the  EB2 reissue,  but I bet it sounds really nice...

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015-Memphis/ES-Les-Paul-Bass.aspx

I have thought of taking my Lull pickup from the Epi Bird, and mounting it with double sided tape in the "mid" position - flat on the surface of the body - and running the wire down into the F hole. It's short enough in height that it should work. That way I don't have to take a chance on messing up the body if I goof with the router.

Thought I would try these out - Iron Cross fingerboard inlay decals from Ebay. They are extremely thin, and undectable when playing. From a couple feet away,  you'd never know they weren't true inlays. Best part is I can take them off at any time and go back to the stock look without running the risk of permanently screwing up the fingerboard.

My first PF115 had very bad voice coil rub and so I sent it back. The two  cabs I have since that one are just fine with no issues. I ported one of them to give it a little more  low end, and I added side handles and side mounted speakon jacks as a nod to the old B15's. The handles make it easier to lift the top cab when running a stack configuration, and the side jacks do bypass the internal crossover built into the stock jackplate - but my intention of having the side jacks was really just cosmetic.

All three pics are of the same bass (the final replacement).  I snapped the middle pic after I switched the stock speed knobs out for some Gibson reflectors.  I also turned  the bridge pickup around so the pole pieces were a little further away from the bridge to see if it would take some bite off it.

Numero Tres has arrived...

I'm surprised how much variation there is among these Midtowns. This one is spot on for fit and finish, and the prettiest of the three since it has a lot more interesting grain pattern in the maple top. It was hard to photograph, but you can sort of make it out. The binding on the fingerboard is by far the best of the three also,  and the edges have all been nicely smoothed and it just feels "right". You can tell by looking that someone took their time and did it by hand. The black paint in the F holes is comparable to the first bass, not perfect, but very acceptable, and the nitro is very nicely done with zero orange peel.  Being a Gibson, it did have to have one flaw:  the neck pickup was literally flopping around under the cover enough to make a "thunk" sound. I removed the cover, added another piece of foam, and it's back in business.  The sound is very good, and it isn't as soft as the first one I received, but it also isn't as P-bass'ish sounding as the second one. This one resides somewhere in between.  Assuming the finish doesn't fall off this one, or something else weird happen - it's a keeper.








 

The replacement Midtown showed up today- I have to give AMS credit, they shipped it as soon as I dropped off the defective one at UPS.  However, I have mixed feelings about this one...    

The good:

The neck definitely has a much better feel to it than the first one. It's slightly thinner and more T-birdish, and no where near as chunky. The maple top also has a nicer grain pattern, and is more uniform. Looks nice.  Plugged in, there is a difference in sound also. This one is louder, and sounds more like a P-bass on steroids, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The first one was very soft sounding, and in a band context sometimes got swallowed up by the room when using anything other than just the bridge pickup.

The bad:

Everything you know and love about Gibson QC.  Sloppy black paint on the F holes, the binding edges/borders aren't as crisp and neat like the first unit, the fingerboard and inlays look "cheap" compared to the first one, and the finish around the neck heel has a lot of orange peel. Heck maybe it was even a touch up- that was where the finish peeled off the first one. I would easily give the first Midtown an A for fit and finish (out of the box). This one, maybe a B- or a C+.

Haven't decided what to do with it. I might call and see if they will give me a discount, but considering I got it for the blow out special price, I doubt there is much meat left on the bone to haggle over.