2015 - Memphis ES-Les Paul Bass

[ilan]

When he flips it, I noticed it has a flat top (and back), like the Midtown. That's a turnoff. Otherwise, real nice.

[drbassman]

When he flips it, I noticed it has a flat top (and back), like the Midtown. That's a turnoff. Otherwise, real nice.

I think a curved top would be nicer, too.  But I can live with a flat top if that's all there is.  Although, I do know they have the steam presses at Memphis to do curved tops like on the 335 bass.  Be interesting to see what they do when in production.

[drbassman]

Found out today that the ES LP bass should be out by mid-May.  Saw one of the ES LP guitars and they are beautiful and sound really different, and cool, with the hollow body.  And light, compared to the typical LP guitar.  I really liked the look and feel of it.

[Granny Gremlin]

When he flips it, I noticed it has a flat top (and back), like the Midtown. That's a turnoff.

Yyyyyyep.

[drbassman]

Yyyyyyep.

That might be true on a prototype.  however, I'm betting the actual ES bass models will have the same curved tops as the 335 basses they made in Memphis.  All of the flat top models, like the Midtowns, were made in Nashville.  The process in Memphis, as far as I could see, is focused on curved top guitars and basses.  I watched their giant steam boxes and presses making the curved tops for 335 guitars when I toured the plant and it was impressive to see.  If it has a flat top, I'll be surprised.  BTW, I'm pretty sure the ES LP guitar I saw yesterday had a curved top.     Hard to say for sure with chemo brain!      

[drbassman]

Just checked with Curt at the HOG, the geetard version has an arched top.  So..............maybe the bass will too.   

[Dave W]

I sure don't see what you guys are seeing. It doesn't have a flat top. In the video you can tell by the light reflecting off the top, and the rep says it's the same body as the ES-Les Paul, which definitely has an arched top.

[Granny Gremlin]

I didn't say I thought it did; just seconding that it would be a turnoff.  That's some European ho style shit IMHO (I mean, they do have the tooling, right).  It's the main reason I have zero interest in the Midtown. 

[uwe]

This coming from the Memphis plant, I'd be surprised if it didn't feature an arch top. On an upmarket hollowbody LP body bass, a flat top would be self-defeating.

[drbassman]

It's gotta be an arched top.

[uwe]

A - very slightly - arched top it is, you have to squint your eyes to see it!

I got mine on Friday. It sounds nice, is flawlessly made (as you might expect from a EUR 2.800 instrument, a king's ransom) and looks almost too pretty and petite - the kind of bass where you are gonna be deeply distraught about the first scratch. Comes with flatwounds (which have a nice click to them on it) - Gibson hasn't done that in a long time. I'll post better pics in due course. The sunburst is the best one I have yet witnessed on a Gibson bass (doesn't really come across in the pic, but the luster is real deep without being glossy-cheap).



Lightweight tuners to make it balance better - they obviously put some thought into it. Has a sustain block, but not of the size to totally deaden it. It's extremely light, pleasantly resonant and has - for lack of a better word - a beautiful tone, mellow but not in any way dull, Jazz Bassish even. Have to hear on Thurs at the rehearsal how it acquits itself in a band setting.

[Dave W]

Have to hear on Thurs at the rehearsal how it acquits itself in a band setting.

Well?

[uwe]

It had a trial by fire sweat! One of the few - if any - benefits of old age with me is that I hardly ever sweat playing bass anymore (unlike my son who emits some alien monster type acid which turns any finish flat pronto!), but on Sunday we had 104°F and we were pouring sweat collectively in the rehearsal space, the bass was wet with sweat dripping from its top and neck.

I can solemnly confirm that the finish witheld (up to now) and that - surprise - the ES Les Paul sounds more like a Höfner 500/1 than an EB-2 (with which it shares scale, maho neck, laminated maple body and sustain block) or its Memphis long scale sibling ES-335 bass. It has a nice musical plonk, but one with sustain. I plonks first and then carries the note a while. It's not an agressively assertive sound that you will be able to use in your Stranglers tribute band,



but it's no shrinking violet either, it gets itself heard in a musical way (even the bridge pup on its own sounds nice and full). They should give one to Macca, he would love the tone and it would look better on him than on me, the bass is just too petite -like a miniature prop almost - for me to wield it like the axes I'm used to, but I thorougly enjoyed playing it. It has its place among the top hollow-body basses Gibson ever made, i.e. LP Signature and EB-650, but stands out for its short scale (crucify me, EB-2 lovers, but your bass is not in that pantheon for me!).

 

[Dave W]

Does the world really need another non-Höfner that sounds a lot like a Höfner?

Still, props to Gibson for issuing it.

[uwe]

The bass is absolutely unnecessary, I agree, but given how it's a ltd. ed. with hardly any advertising behind it, it is more of a collectors' piece for the selected few anyway. Most will probably end up with guitarists that have some type of ES/Gibson Memphis hollow-body attachment. It sure almost looks like a guitar sizewise.