The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: 66Atlas on March 18, 2015, 12:09:25 PM
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I always thought it was a good looking bass...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281633124128?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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Not a bad starting price either. If the bidding doesn't get crazy from guys in tribute bands that might be a good buy for the Gene fans.
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Nice. But the headstock shape looks plain wrong. Almost Epiphone like.
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it's always the headstock...
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Neither a Gibson nor Gene's bass, is it even made of Gibson parts? Or just a replica of something once frankensteined out of Gibson remnants?
I never understood why Gene, a tall man making himself look even taller on stage, would play such a miniscule instrument. It looked tiny on him. The Grabber and the Punisher, even the Axe looked much better on the God of Thunder and Rock'n'Rohohohoholl.
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Oh Man... I've always wanted that bass.....I emailed the guy to ask him if it was a real Gibson
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I inquired about the bass and asked if it was a real Gibson.
This is the reply I just received:
"It is an exact replica of Genes bass built from scratch using all the hard to find vintage parts, including the Gibson pickup and bridge cover. The bridge is an original vintage Badass (the correct one)."
I have pics of the original and upon comparing, the neck joint and the diamond in the headstock are off...otherwise...it's pretty dead on.. oh...and the 17th fret dot needs to be removed and a GENE truss rod cover needs to be added.
I'm still digging it.
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"Own a unique, replicated piece of KISSTORY." LOL! Well, it's unique and it's replicated but there's nothing historical about it. It's a parts bass with a fake Gibson logo.
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At least the guy is honest about it being a stage replica and all. There have been some other Kiss tribute builds show up on ebay over the last 5 years with delusional opening bids for unplayable guitars. It appears pretty well put together and for a $500 opening is at least somewhat realistic.
If your gonna dress up like Gene and spit blood and fire all over the place it could be the perfect tool for you! 8)
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I finally got a reply and he said, NO. It isn't a real Gibson....I'd go for it if it was...
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Dig it. That bass, and the LoBue were always a mystery to me. When I was a kid I think I thought they were the same bass because of the Gibson endorsement. Curious to see how high this goes! :popcorn:
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The Original
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I'll be surprised if it goes any higher than the opening bid.
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I hear ya Dave, However....just a few weeks ago, 2 different Gene Simmons bass replicas...I think one was a Labou replica..Both sold for around $1500.....who knows....I regret not buying a beat to hell stripped Project EBO a year ago....I think it went for about $700.00.
I had thought about making this exact bass...In fact.. if Gibson was smart......Oh never mind...
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Never underestimate the bottomless pockets of a Kiss fan....
...hold on, I have to go bid on one of the new Motley Crue Marshall refrigerators for my wife.
We're all stupid sometimes.
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The dude told me it is a real Gibson neck, Maple and Mahogany Body that he built...Looks like I could have built this at the way he paid attention ALL the details... Seems like a cool bass......he should get a nice price I would think...
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It's still a parts bass. But I do understand the appeal to a Kiss fan.
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If it is a real Gibson neck, why is the headstock shape so wrong?
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Not a real Gibson neck IMHO. Could be a reshaped Epi headstock.
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Did Epiphone build a short scale, set neck bass with the large headstock (that could be reshaped as Dave described? The EPi EB-3 is long scale, as was the Ripper. The EB-0 is a bolt on. The Elitist EB-3 had the headstock that was tapered inward a bit at the top and looks smaller than this one. The Elitist 60s EB-3 had a Gibson-shaped headstock, bit it looks smaller also. The set neck Les Paul basses have that tiny 'stock. I'm out of ideas...
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I took a close looks once again.
Headstock still looks fake to me
-The open book shape is wrong. The curves are too pronounced. Not flat enough.
-The Gibson logo is too close to the edge. Plus the typefont looks distorted. And it's a gold transfer instead of pearl inlay.
- The crown seems to have the wrong shape.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFg4MzE=/z/9SYAAOSwstxVCOWH/$_57.JPG)
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Did Epiphone build a short scale, set neck bass with the large headstock (that could be reshaped as Dave described? The EPi EB-3 is long scale, as was the Ripper. The EB-0 is a bolt on. The Elitist EB-3 had the headstock that was tapered inward a bit at the top and looks smaller than this one. The Elitist 60s EB-3 had a Gibson-shaped headstock, bit it looks smaller also. The set neck Les Paul basses have that tiny 'stock. I'm out of ideas...
Not saying that it is, only that it's possible. I don't know all the Epi models. The Rumblekat is short scale but AFAIK all are bound necks.
Most likely a complete fake.
I took a close looks once again.
Headstock still looks fake to me
-The open book shape is wrong. The curves are too pronounced. Not flat enough.
-The Gibson logo is too close to the edge. Plus the typefont looks distorted. And it's a gold transfer instead of pearl inlay.
- The crown seems to have the wrong shape.
You are correct, sir.
Even if it's somehow started out as a genuine Gibson neck blank, that headstock and logo definitely never left the factory that way.
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Well....He got $1,000 for it.....
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Which is not bad for a handbuilt mahogany bass ;)
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I have my handsigned Punisher, that suffices. It's realistically the best bass he ever played though he didn't sound bad with his Grabber either.
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I have my handsigned Punisher, that suffices. It's realistically the best bass he ever played though he didn't sound bad with his Grabber either.
As a committed long scale fan that's the only one of his basses that I'd want to play. I still kick myself for not buying one back in the heyday of the reunion fervor when they could be had for $1000 or so.
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Not a bad bass by any means, well thought out, great upper fretboard access and no neck-dropping when you do your Gene Simmons "arms-wide-open-in-the-arena"-impersonations. Even the active EMG delivers aggressively, and it's a good-looking instrument, long neck and comparatively small body give it a stylish elegance, it looks like no other bass.
But why Gibson never did a Signature Grabber for him with fake blood stains and burn marks is beyond me, I'm sure it would have found more than a few buyers. They could have called it "God of Thunder" and done an SS-runes inlay at the 12th fret. Why oh why am I not in Gibson's marketing department? :mrgreen:
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You could run marketing AND legal!
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You mean I would then get to crack down on all these imposters?
(https://nicedeb.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/1.jpg)
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Not a bad bass by any means, well thought out, great upper fretboard access and no neck-dropping when you do your Gene Simmons "arms-wide-open-in-the-arena"-impersonations. Even the active EMG delivers aggressively, and it's a good-looking instrument, long neck and comparatively small body give it a stylish elegance, it looks like no other bass.
But why Gibson never did a Signature Grabber for him with fake blood stains and burn marks is beyond me, I'm sure it would have found more than a few buyers. They could have called it "God of Thunder" and done an SS-runes inlay at the 12th fret. Why oh why am I not in Gibson's marketing department? :mrgreen:
When you're in Nashville, you ought to talk to Anne Erickson about getting a marketing gig at Gibson.
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For the utmost results, I should probably let my son do that!
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For the utmost results, I should probably let my son do that!
I've seen her photo. Not impressed.
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She could be my daughter, end of discussion! I don't want to end up like Herr Underwood in House of Cards.
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Maybe Anne could write her first Novel based on "Ze Collection". I'll pre-order on Amazon.
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50 Shades of Gibson Fins?
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When naive reporter Anne steps in for her sick roommate to interview a prominent German guitar kolllector for her campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will take. Though sexually inexperienced, Anne plunges headlong into an affair only to discover in a world of chrome and leather straps, the true pain and pleasure of the 3-point bridge.
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"the true pain and pleasure of the 3-point bridge"
:rimshot: :rimshot: :rimshot:
I never even fathomed the alternative uses it might be good for. I like the way you think.
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Uwe could be Anne's Doctor Love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1i_kODS4qI
Just to veer back toward topic, this came on the radio and I was loving the bass tone. Don't think it's the EBO, maybe a ripper or grabber? LoBue? Anyone know?
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It could be still his Grabber, but Simmons had the knack of sounding his sound with any bass, it's the way he paws them. By RnRO (dumbest Kiss title ever) he might have moved on, Resident Kiss Army Grunts will know the trivia. Plus he was not averse to playing basses in the studio he would never let himself be seen with on stage if they did the job sonically.
But the Kiss album cover to go with Fifty Shades of Grey is of course:
(http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/lovegun.jpg)
Eye-f***in'-comic!
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I'm told he used a vintage P bass and a Vintage Jazz bass through a 50 watt Marshall 1/2 stack for the Studio.
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Since they recorded R&RO at the old Nanuet Star Theater (a theater in the round just over the NY/NJ border), there were plenty of stories around here at the time. Local legend from a music store in the area had it that Gene either rented or purchased a Rickenbacker 4001 for use on those sessions. Nobody has ever bothered to quiz Gene on what he used to record with in those days, and since the answers wouldn't directly lead to a previously untapped revenue stream, he would likely have little interest in that line of questioning. There is a Kiss photo shoot from that period that includes a blue 4001, along with the obligatory scantily-clad model (may have been Star Stowe), but it could also have been a prop bass. Cork-sniffers will note that some of the bass sounds on R&RO are a departure from Gene's standard fare. He was still using the LoBue live, now festooned with a studded area that eventually may have subsequently wound up as part Rob Halford's toilet seat. The Model One-equipped Spector made its first appearance a year later on the Love Gun/Alive II tour.
All of which adds up to - who knows?
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Here's a couple of pics of his, I tried to grab it when it was for sale years ago but it didn't work out. The headstock on his was the smaller banjo tuner headstock. I had more pics but can't seem to locate them.
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/marcnorth/Bass1.jpg) (http://s29.photobucket.com/user/marcnorth/media/Bass1.jpg.html)
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/marcnorth/Bass3.jpg) (http://s29.photobucket.com/user/marcnorth/media/Bass3.jpg.html)
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/marcnorth/Bass10.jpg) (http://s29.photobucket.com/user/marcnorth/media/Bass10.jpg.html)
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"He was still using the LoBue live, now festooned with a studded area that eventually may have subsequently wound up as part Rob Halford's toilet seat."
:rimshot: