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1

Gibson Basses / 2015 - Memphis ES-Les Paul Bass

« on: January 02, 2015, 09:41:51 AM »

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

2

Gibson Basses / EB2 Nut Width & Neck

« on: January 02, 2014, 01:00:14 PM »

I've been on a bit of a semi-hollow body kick lately, and have been looking for specs on the mid-late '60's EB2's. What do the nut width's on these run? Are they narrow (1.5") like a Thunderbird or a Starfire, or are they a bit chunkier like the Midtown? How is the feel up the neck?

3

Gibson Basses / NBD - Gibson Les Paul Bass & Cherry Midtown

« on: November 26, 2013, 02:46:03 PM »

Thanks to the blow out prices at AMS, I just received my "2013 Model" Gibson Les Paul Bass and thought I'd post some initial impressions.

[[EDIT - the Cherry Midtown arrived today as well, so I'll just piggyback on this thread...]]

Out of the box the QC is dead perfect. Wow! I can't find any of the typical Gibson issues (wavy nitro, unfinished edges, overspray, messy control cavity, etc...) that Gibson owners sort of come to expect. This is one of the best finished Gibson instruments I have seen in a very long time. AMS didn't have pictures to choose from like Sweetwater, but I was pleased to see the burst is not abrupt or too contrasting. It has a very nice warm and almost Honeyburst tone to it, unlike my '00 Les Paul Classic. The maple top also has some nice and noticeable grain pattern to it.

The bass looks huge, but feels very light. I haven't had a chance to weight it, but I would guess it's not any heavier than my Thunderbirds. The neck feels nice and slim at the nut like a Thunderbird, but widens out and has more of a chunky feel as you progress up the neck. Overall balance is very good, but I think I will add a strap button to the neck heel if I decide to keep her.

The action out of the box is very very low. That's not exactly my cup of tea, but I know a lot of folks prefer that. The pickups also were raised very high- right up close to the strings - making it super loud, and overly bright to my ears. I lowered both pickups down quite a bit, and the volume leveled off and the low end blossomed nicely. It went from a ringing piano tone to now having more of a woody and "upright bass" tone. Even though the neck pickup is not as close to the neck as on the Thunderbird, I can't really tell that much difference in tone. The archtop naturally makes me want to rest my right hand at that location anyway, so it makes a good anchor point right where it is.

After playing it for about an hour, I'm really liking the way it sounds and feels. Looking forward to taking it out on this weeks gigs!

4

Gibson Basses / Custom Shop Gold Thunderbird

« on: January 27, 2013, 04:26:43 PM »

I think this is just gorgeous!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Thunderbird-Bass-Custom-Shop-Bouillon-Gold-/300853161368?pt=Guitar&hash=item460c3eed98&_uhb=1

5

Gibson Basses / Redesigned Les Paul OSB

« on: November 26, 2012, 05:38:00 PM »

Was looking at American Musical today and notice they have two different OSB LP basses listed. One is in stock, the other is "pre-order". From the photos, it appears they changed the head stock to look more like an LP guitar and charged about $100 more.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-BA13-LIST?SRC=W1209CREE1209SRT&utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=retargeting

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-BA11-XXCH1-LIST

6

Gibson Basses / Faded Explorer, Vintage Sunburst

« on: August 18, 2012, 02:48:54 PM »

My local GC just got another Faded Explorer in, so thought I would take some pics and try it out. At $899, this is a great bass. The tone is thick, and the body is surprisingly light and balances very well. Even though it has a 1.5" nut, it is a thicker neck than a T-bird. The flat black finish on the sides, back, and neck remind me of the Nikki Sixx Blackbird, and the pickups are equally hot. QC was very good except for the neck pickup screw which seemed to "wobble"a bit. Not sure if it was stripped or just needed tightening. Of course the bass needed to be set up (it is at GC after all), but I almost walked out with it. Much of what Mark said about the Silverburst version holds true on this one as well - and compared to the Explorers from the 80's - Gibson got this one right.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics...

7

Other Bass Brands / Fernandes / Burny Thunderbirds

« on: February 14, 2012, 11:50:16 AM »

These look promising- chrome hardware, Gibson shaped pups, and maybe even a vintage sized headstock. If they are MIJ and have a 1.5" nut, I bet they are really nice.

http://www.fernandes.co.jp/products/burny_bass.html

8

Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Polishing / Buffing Gibson Nitro Finish

« on: January 30, 2012, 09:50:40 AM »

I have a couple of Gibson Thunderbirds and a Les Paul Classic guitar with nitro finishes that have some light scratches, buckle rash, and hazing from where the strap rubs against the body. They haven't been abused or scratched through to the wood- just signs of everyday wear and tear in the clear coat itself. I've used the Gibson polish on them with the yellow cloth to keep them as clean as possible from the front, but am wondering what would be the best way to buff out these light scratches and dull faded ares on the back? Just want to freshen them up make them nice and shiny again.

9

Gibson Basses / Gibson Cello Bass

« on: January 20, 2012, 11:32:36 PM »

Very interesting! I'd be curious to know what the scale length is on this...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Cello-Bass-/170766817452?pt=Guitar&hash=item27c27ed8ac

10

Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Thunderbird with Lull - Ground Issue Wiring Questions

« on: September 01, 2011, 08:18:04 AM »

I put a Lull TB pup in the bridge of my Epiphone Thunderbird, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why when I turned both pickups up, the volume dropped in half and sounded weak and tinny. Roll one or the other volumes off slightly, and the other would jump to life. I was looking at the TV Jones site (makes of the Lull pups) and read that:

"If you buy a TV Jones pickup and combine it with another pickup on your guitar and the resulting sound is thin or "banjo-like" with no lows, your pickups may be out of phase. TV Jones pickups are reversible. You can simply reverse the black & white wires (black=hot white/shield=ground)."

So I tried this, swapping the black and the white - and voila - you can now turn both pickups on full and the combined sound is as it should be. However, in order to get it to work - I had to leave the bare/shield disconnected. When it's connected as it should be to the pot - no sound. But otherwise - it works just fine. The problem I'm having, is that when I play the Bird through amps that have an old school 2-prong cord, if you touch the Lull pup, it buzzes like crazy. Throwing the polarity switch on the amp helps but still buzzes badly. On my modern amps with three prong cords, there is no buzzing issue. Any idea what can be done? I tried connecting that shield wire to different locations - but everytime the signal cuts out.

11

Gibson Basses / 1960's Red Thunderbird

« on: March 26, 2011, 09:59:31 AM »

I'm sure this will end up going for more than I can swing at the moment, but it's only about 20 min away from me so I messaged the seller to see if I can go check it out in person. The pup & bridge cover look like possibly they are either repros, or maybe they had been removed ages ago and kept in the case - not tarnishing like the rest of the hardware. Super cool T-bird!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250794659833

12

Gibson Basses / Epiphone Thunderbird - Vintage Makeover / Upgrade

« on: March 10, 2011, 06:32:09 PM »

A while back I came across a stupid good deal on an "Limited Edition/Custom Shop" Epiphone Thunderbird at Music Go Round. I wasn't looking to buy it, but the store made me a package offer along with a vintage Ampeg Portaflex that I was going to buy anyway. I normally don't care for Epi birds, but this one sounded really good unplugged- so I figured what the heck. I later on figured out that this one has a mahogany body like the Goths, Silverburst, and Blackbirds. Factory fluke? No clue - but it was a nice bonus.

Since it was already finished in Pelham Blue - I decided to give it a "vintage makeover" of sorts and dress it up in '64 Thunderbird sort of vibe. Some things like the three point bridge and silver logo on the TRC aren't 60's specs, but the overall impression I wanted was that of a bass from the '60's. I will definitely be taking this one out with my oldies project, running it through a B-15!

Here's a list of the upgrades/changes:

Hipshot Ultralite tuners
Gibson TRC
Bone nut
Gibson silver top knobs
Silver jack nut
Schaller straplocks in off center positions
Chrome bridge
Repro handrest and bridge cover
Foam mute
Vintage Gibson finger rest
Silver pickguard screws
Tone pot wired to work on neck pickup only
Mike Lull bridge pickup & ring
500K CTS pot on bridge pickup
DR Black Beauties

For now I'm calling the project complete. I may be upgrading the pickguard to a more correct Gibson style, and I've also thought of adding a 60's style tail piece behind the three point bridge (like the Greco Thunderbirds). Other than that, she's done - and I'll be taking her to the gig this weekend!

Before: