The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: FrankieTbird on February 26, 2020, 04:11:19 PM
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The Gibson Bass IV from 1987, did they all come with black hardware? Anyone know?
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Mine had black hardware. It looked like this one:
https://reverb.com/item/5593050-vintage-1987-gibson-iv-electric-bass-guitar-w-original-case-rare-model
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I've seen three or four in person over the years, they all had black hardware.
It was the 80s. a decade that certain German bassist/attorneys have never quite left. :vader:
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I resent that unqualified statement, I'm an early 70ies kid, if anything, I'm stuck somewhere between 1970 und 1977!!!
(https://www.myheritageimages.com/Z/storage/site86943264/files/00/00/46/000046_70740579050f6ds42jta10.jpg)
The 80ies were way too bright and cheerful for me. I never had a mullet either.
(https://www.myheritageimages.com/D/storage/site86943264/files/00/02/12/000212_69214594694fd00h2we0f3.jpg)
Which is why black hardware made for a welcome change. Bass IV and chrome (shudders), never the twain met.
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Thank you for the responses. Just bought this one on Reverb, should get it Saturday. I may have to go full chrome on this one. ;D
(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--PoskyoF7--/f_auto,t_supersize/v1578758893/aexqbsszr8zjns2c2rex.jpg)
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Please don't, it's lovely as is. The brown and black go well together, chrome cheapifies everything. I have a Bass V with the same fin.
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I always try to keep an instrument original unless, say a tuner is broken, or doesn't work.
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Ugly ducklings they are, they make fine sounds and are great to play. Function and ultimate output over form and first impressions. Not bad priorities then.
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Please don't, it's lovely as is. The brown and black go well together, chrome cheapifies everything. I have a Bass V with the same fin.
It needs something. Maybe a competition stripe?
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It needs something. Maybe a competition stripe?
How 'bout a bar bridge?
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Nice looking bass. I like those natural finish IVs. I kind of half agree with Uwe - black does look good against the maho. But nothing beats chrome tuners on a black headstock. My cherry sunburst Guild Pilot 5 currently has a black bridge and chrome tuners. Kind of messes with my OCD, but when it was time to replace the old Gotohs, I couldn't get myself to buy black ones. ;)
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Nice looking bass. I like those natural finish IVs. I kind of half agree with Uwe - black does look good against the maho. But nothing beats chrome tuners on a black headstock. My cherry sunburst Guild Pilot 5 currently has a black bridge and chrome tuners. Kind of messes with my OCD, but when it was time to replace the old Gotohs, I couldn't get myself to buy black ones. ;)
That's an idea, but I'll most likely just leave it stock. While I'm no fan of black hardware, it does look sorta elegant against the natural mahogany, and I got plenty axes with chrome.
Looks like there's chrome strap buttons on there though. Gibson, they can never fully commit. :-\
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At least you can buy black strap buttons even though they won't be from Gibson.
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The bass came in on Sunday, no issues to speak of other than the missing knob. Still has the plastic film on the cavity cover!
It just needed the truss rod tightened up a bit, and then I raised the saddles a hair. Nice action, but there is a slight rise where the fretboard lays on the body. Nice & light also, maybe about 7 lb.
The neck is very wide though, which I'm not a big fan of, so I most likely won't use it much or may just pass it on. Anyway, I think I got a pretty good deal on it, so I'm happy.
(https://i.postimg.cc/fyGmDXHW/20200303-100311.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/vmY9YGvn/20200303-100432.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/prF5GrPw/20200303-100455.jpg)
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One nice fairly subtle addition could be pickup rings. I added them to my Thunderbird.
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Here's what the pickups look like. To me, they look much closer to real '60s Thunderbird pickups than the ones that came later in the reissues.
(https://i.postimg.cc/d0F2Cn5r/20200304-154900.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/Njm8LZkQ/20200304-154630.jpg)
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Here's what the pickups look like. To me, they look much closer to real '60s Thunderbird pickups than the ones that came later in the reissues.
(https://i.postimg.cc/d0F2Cn5r/20200304-154900.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/Njm8LZkQ/20200304-154630.jpg)
I'm no expert, but don't the originals have blade magnets? Yours looks like it has a magnet on the bottom plate instead, like the 80s and later pickups.
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I'm no expert, but don't the originals have blade magnets? Yours looks like it has a magnet on the bottom plate instead, like the 80s and later pickups.
Where do you see a bottom plate magnet, Dave? Looks to me like a 60's bird pup with different sized bobbins.
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Where do you see a bottom plate magnet, Dave? Looks to me like a 60's bird pup with different sized bobbins.
I'm looking at the raised area on the bottom plate. Looks like a thin magnet attached to the plate. One way or the other, it's easy to test and see if it's magnetized, or if the blades are.
As always, I could be wrong.
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These pickups have the blade magnets only. There's nothing on the bottom plate except some remnants of adhesive. It's not really even a baseplate, just sort of a very thin tin cover.
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These pickups have the blade magnets only. There's nothing on the bottom plate except some remnants of adhesive. It's not really even a baseplate, just sort of a very thin tin cover.
In that case, it must be close to the 60s originals.
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These pickups have the blade magnets only. There's nothing on the bottom plate except some remnants of adhesive. It's not really even a baseplate, just sort of a very thin tin cover.
Just for reference, how wide are those blade magnets? I've been looking for T-bird bobbins and magnets for some time now..
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Just for reference, how wide are those blade magnets? I've been looking for T-bird bobbins and magnets for some time now..
Don't know, I didn't measure them, and it's back together now. They look to be about the same size as standard PAF magnets.
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It wouldn't surprise me if they were standard humbucker size magnets.
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It wouldn't surprise me if they were standard humbucker size magnets.
Agree, that would make sense.
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All I can say is that all early TB Plus innards looked like that and that there was no dif between Bass IV/V and '87 onwards TBird mounted ones. Changes came later.
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I always thought the natural ones looked terrific.
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All I can say is that all early TB Plus innards looked like that and that there was no dif between Bass IV/V and '87 onwards TBird mounted ones. Changes came later.
When would you say Gibson started the changes to the pickups in the T-bird reissues? Any idea why they were changed? I remember someone posting a pic at one time of one that resembled a P-bass pickup underneath the standard black plastic cover. Myself, I'm used to seeing the black epoxy-potted pickups in the reissues.
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All I can say is that all early TB Plus innards looked like that and that there was no dif between Bass IV/V and '87 onwards TBird mounted ones. Changes came later.
Any idea which flavor would be in the slab bodied passive LPB1 circa 1991?
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Somewhat off-topic, but I'm on a lookout for a reasonably priced 5-string version, Bass V.
If anyone is aware of one for sale, feel free to PM me.
Thanks in advance.
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Any idea which flavor would be in the slab bodied passive LPB1 circa 1991?
My '94 has the double coil style. Looks like a guitar humbucker sealed in green-ish epoxy inside the big black plastic shell.