2006 LP Double Cut Bass questions

[Dave W]

This was posted by a member at TDPRI, I told him I would post it here. Uwe has one, and IIRC Daniel (doombass) does too. Maybe more, plus there's the later and very similar Money Bass, I know a few of you have one.

He would appreciate your responses. Thanks.



"Any of our readers know the pro and cons of a 2006 Gibson USA Les Paul Double Cut Bass? This 'Root Beer' guitar comes with a AA maple top on a solid(?) mahogany body. It also comes equipped with two covered HBs.

I have searched high and low for a good or meaningful review but so far I am not seeing too much other than the odd generic statement .... although I have seen an occasional comment relating to a 'poor' quality finish.

How does this bass compare to a Precision Standard Bass for instance, in a blues type of setting? I love my Precision bass, but don't want to pass up on what could result as a partial or straight trade, if this guitar represents a step-up in tone and quality.

Anyone out there who may have experienced this 'rare' Gibson bass, and can share some thoughts, whether good or bad?"

Thank you."

[4stringer77]

I've got the blue money. Wouldn't say the finish is poor, just a little iffy around the fret board where the body meets the neck.
 If anything it's more like a jazz than a Precision. Lot's of burp from the bridge pickup if you want it, or you could just favor the neck pup. I always mix the two and favor one or the other depending on what I want. I did modify my controls so one vol. is a master and the other vol is a MN 500k blend with center detent.
 The neck is maybe the best feature. The profile feels great in my hand and the width is nice all along the length. Some may not like the smaller body size compared to a Fender. This is necessary because if it was any bigger it would be very heavy. My bass is close to ten lbs.
 24 frets are nice to have. Intonation adjustments can be tough because screws are located under the strings on the bridge but I have a pro do mine. At least it's not a 3 point.
Tb+ pickups sound great. They're hot and fuzzy when pushing tubes but are capable of modern hi fi tones, growly pick tones and even a good slap sound depending on how you set up your amp.
No bolts, set neck. This is a good thing. Ever see a bolt on violin or acoustic guitar?
Personally it's my favorite bass and I would never sell it. I think I would prefer it over any Fender.
Hope this helps.

[doombass]

I owned one from 2006-2009. It was the root beer finish and just like 4stringer77 mine had some orange peel in the finish on the body around the fretboard by the neck joint.
Otherwise very good quality and comfortable to play. I never weighed mine but I'd estimate it was close to 9.5 lbs. Soundwise compared to a typical P-bass it did'nt have as much top end, but a warmer tone. To my ears I would say it had the most pleasant tone of all basses I've owned. The neck profile was like they started out making a fat neck so by the fretboard it had a big radius though they flattened it out on the back making it medium thick. Very comfortable in my hands.

Only reason I sold it was I wanted a Les Paul Standard Bass to begin with and when I found the right one I grabbed it instead. That's my favorite now but I sometimes miss the Double Cut because of that pleasant sound it gave me.

[Dave W]

Thanks, guys.

There might have been some small difference between the first issue and the Money (besides the TRC), did the Money have a sheet of walnut veneer between the mahogany body and maple cap? If so, not anything that would be likely to have much of effect on tone.

[doombass]

I do believe the Money Bass had the walnut veneer in the body. At least the natural finished and blue finished ltd edition models did. I have played none of them so I can't say if it has any effect tonewise. Let's hope Uwe can chime in on this.

[uwe]

You're talking about the so-called "tone-plate", that does make a dif, the GoW Moneys have a bit more bite than a reg Doublecut.

I second what has been said. The Money/Doublecut looks and plays like a modern bass, but sounds in a world of its own, neither really vintage (too nuanced for that) nor modern, neo-blurry. I can see it doing well in a blues band, it will musically melt into the band sound and give it warmth, never overbearing, but always heard, without needing the high-end snap of a P. OTOH you'll never get that attack out of it you have with a P.

You really can't compare the two, the P can't do what the Money/Doublecut does and vice versa. For use in a blues band the Money/DC is the more original and setting apart choice. But someone who likes the snap of his P Bass might find the Gibson less immediate though it is far from sluggish.

[vates]

I have a natural "Money" DC bass and use it extensively since the end of 2007 so that the finish is already worn in some places. I'd agree with everything mentioned above. The only weak place was the neck: I had to order the complete frets maintenance; also the rolled fingerboard edges turned out to be a valuable upgrade. Electronically-wise everything works perfect since the day 1: I never had to look under the control plate on the back so it still retains the protection film. Compared to my "reference" P-bass it sounds more like a wind instrument: that’s a strange peculiarity noticed by other musicians and sound engineers.

You may check these records done with DC. One song is recorded both on DC and a p-bass (“all the way up”, try to figure out which is which

http://soundcloud.com/fun-fair/04-fun-fair-on-the-seashore-1

http://soundcloud.com/fun-fair/05-fun-fair-all-the-way-up-1

[uwe]

I had a GoW Money returned for unbearably sloppy fretwork too. It was exchanged and the replacement had no such issues (but the grain on the original one was nicer!). I believe that had to do how these things were rushed out during that GoW (guitar of the week) period.

[Dave W]

Thanks for the tracks, Vates.

My morning caffeine hasn't quite kicked in yet, but on first listen, I would guess that the first part of All The Way Up was the Precision.

[uwe]

I'd say the Money is probably not the greatest bass for forward pushing music. Whenever the bass may be a bit more lyrical, it will do fine and add a real musical voice.

I had one of my Moneys turned fretless, that has brought its strengths to the foreground even more. You can wallow in those notes endlessly.

Be aware that - unlike any other Gibson bass before or after it - it has a biflex truss rod though and that you need 1/8" allen socket wrench for it to adjust (and that you can only loosen the nut, not remove it completely from the truss rod).

[4stringer77]

I think mine can push just fine, especially with the tone dimed and even more so with stainless steel rounds and played with a pick. I think pushing the beat is more a function of the player than the bass. For example Jaco Pastorious could push the beat like nobody's business with a fretless Jazz bass, and when I try to play fretless it sounds like a slide trombone.

[vates]

Dave, you're almost right All 8-ths  pieces and that central bridge piece that starts at 3:08 are recorded with the p-bass; the rest of the song with the DC.

[uwe]

I think mine can push just fine, especially with the tone dimed and even more so with stainless steel rounds and played with a pick. I think pushing the beat is more a function of the player than the bass. For example Jaco Pastorious could push the beat like nobody's business with a fretless Jazz bass, and when I try to play fretless it sounds like a slide trombone.

True, but then Jaco had an idiosyncratic and very bony fretless sound and he did play a maple neck bolt on very close to the bridge.

[4stringer77]

If the money bass could talk it would say, "hey, what is my bridge pickup chopped liver over here?" but seriously, the bridge pickup can do the grunty nasally Jaco thing pretty well, although maybe a tad more on the EB3 mini bucker side of things compared to the Fender Jazz.

[uwe]

If Jaco played it, I'm sure he could get it to sound like him!