Are the pickups on the Standard the same as those used in the Thunderbirds?
No, one of a kind for the Standard. Never showed up in any other Gibson bass, even the pups in the Artist and Custom Victories were slightly different.
Really, Uwe? That's interesting, and maybe a pain!
I may be getting a Standard if things work out but it needs the pickup. What was different about that found on the Standard? Are they made of Unobtanium?
Go here son and Uncle Jules will tell all:
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Victory.php
That is not to say you would not be able to stick either TB Plus guitar humbucker size (though probably not in slanted fashion as they aren't long enough for the Vic's wide string spacing then I fear) or TB Plus soapies on a Victory. Gibson actually did the latter and had a prototype Victory Artist with TB Plus soapies, it was on Ebay a few years ago, I should have pulled the trigger on it ... :-\ The TB Plus pups would undoubtedly sound even more aggressive on a Victory and be quite a bit louder than the original Victory pups.
Uwe
Hahaha, I was going to post that flyguitars website but figured you knew all about it! Hmm, "this could be an adventure" is what you're saying?
Jules is the prodigal son of this site. You know how these Anglicans are ... always renegading from the true faith if need be and polygamist necessities beckon ...
Jules, where are thou?
Is this the Michigan Denis from days of yore?
Nay, 'tis another...
Quote from: uwe on May 06, 2009, 08:27:01 AM
No, one of a kind for the Standard. Never showed up in any other Gibson bass, even the pups in the Artist and Custom Victories were slightly different.
I see what you mean now about the Standard having a different pickup.
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/parts/pickup/
"Hmm, "this could be an adventure" is what you're saying?"
TB Plus soapbars will definitely be long enough to put in a slanted position and still capture all strings in full. They are wide enough for even a 5 string. Both the original Vic Standard pup and the TB Plus soapbar are approx. 3 1/2". In contrast the TB Plus guitar size humbucker (as seen on LP Standards, the Epi Elitist TB, the EB-650, the Doublecut/Money bass and probably in the future the Grabber II) is only 2 3/4", which will make it difficult to slant and capture all strings in full. That Vic Prototype I saw with the slanted TB Plus pup didn't look bad. Did I mention that I should have bought it then and there? :-\
Quote from: uwe on May 06, 2009, 10:49:10 AM
"Hmm, "this could be an adventure" is what you're saying?"
TB Plus soapbars will definitely be long enough to put in a slanted position and still capture all strings in full. They are wide enough for even a 5 string. Both the original Vic Standard pup and the TB Plus soapbar are approx. 3 1/2". In contrast the TB Plus guitar size humbucker (as seen on LP Standards, the Epi Elitist TB, the EB-650, the Doublecut/Money bass and probably in the future the Grabber II) is only 2 3/4", which will make it difficult to slant and capture all strings in full. That Vic Prototype I saw with the slanted TB Plus pup didn't look bad. Did I mention that I should have bought it then and there? :-\
Hey, you should have bought it then and there... ;D
So these things are pretty hard to find then, huh? If this comes through and I end up with the bass and that pickup is there, is it something a good guitar shop can rebuild?
It won't be a large operation. I'm not even sure whether the pickguard pup routing needs to be enlarged. TB Plus soapbars are prevalent on Ebay.
Well, it happened! A good friend bribed me into helping put his cafe'd out Honda CB750 back together by giving me his Victory Standard. It's a red one with an original case and in pretty decent shape. I'm going to have it checked out a shop to see what it needs; hopefully the pickup is okay. I'm looking forward to trying it out once it gets sorted. Whoo hoo!
It will probaly need neck shimming (at least my four Victories all did; the Q-80 with its maho body however not). The body routing for the neck is a bit generous and as the maple both in neck and body dries and shrinks over time you get get an unfavorable angle for good action at the higher frets. It's no big thing, unscrew the neck, slip a piece of cardboard, plastic or wood between neck and cavity which will raise the neck ever so slightly and you're all set again.
Other than that, Victories don't have issues.
BTW: Congrats! It's been a while since someone opted for a Victory in this geriatric forum where back problems are all too prevalent!
Uwe
Thanks for the great info, Uwe! The bass has been stored in an unheated garage for sometime, so odds are shimming will be a necessity. How thick a shim would need to be?
The bass, uh, sure does have some heft to it... Playing the Ripper has drilled home that I need to start lifting weights again, so that will be a help with the Victory as well!
Any idea how many Victories Gibson produced in those few years?
It would have to be a rather thin shim or you'll have too much upper fretboard buzz. Nothing radical, a little does a lot. Two strips of thin cardboard might already do it.
I have no idea what the production figures were, Jules on his flyguitar site compiles that type of information, old number cruncher that he is. ;) But the Victory was a popular model initially, lots of advertisements, high profile endorsers, high hopes and initially promising sales (until word got round how heavy these beasts are!). I do remember that reviews at the time were favorable and I was quite taken with the design (still am). And it stayed in production well into the mideighties though most Victories are from the early eighties, 81/82. By 1985, Gibson knew that the Victory had not set the bass world on fire and was thinking about other models, such as the mahogany bodied Q 80 or the all mahogany IV/V. They also used the same hardware on the Explorer basses, but soundwise these were not a match for a Victory.
Back problems, let me tell you about back problems, oy-vay moi loife aw-weddy...
It helps to know a good chiropractor... ;)
My chiropractor fell off a roof and broke his wrist. No kidding. He's out of business now and can provide no relief from this bass nonsense.
Victory is back from the shop! After quite a few losses, it's a Victory once again. Pots: replaced. Pickup switch: replaced. Pickup: repaired. Strings: replaced. Chrome knobs: replaced with proper Gibson knobs. Verdict: The Victory is an awesome bass!
great, great,great............... DENIS! where are the pics :rolleyes: ;) ;D
Wait until he has carried it a while ..., then it will be awesomely heavy. But then again he can always switch between it and the Dano to exercise his back muscles!!! Congrats!
Of course the golden rule here is: No pics, no bass existing! So you don't have no Victory.
Congrats Den! Let's see the fokker!
Serial No 80842609, manufacturing in Nashville, TN, March 25th, 1982, Production No. 109. Pots, serial/parallel switch and strings replaced. Pickup mounting tabs repaired and volume and tone knobs now replaced with the correct ones. I like it and it sounds great! Practiced with it yesterday evening and it's not as heavy as I expected. Honestly, it feels lighter than the Ripper.
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l111/bigtreebluesea/DSC05398a.jpg)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l111/bigtreebluesea/DSC05404a.jpg)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l111/bigtreebluesea/DSC05401a.jpg)
"It feels lighter than a Ripper."
OMG, you bought a fake then!!! Just kidding, but a Vic balances better than a Ripper which let's you feel more comfortable with it even on prolonged sessions.
Can't see any pics here with the Blackberry, but I assume they have been dutifully posted, ja?
Ja, pics are dutifully posted! I'm leaving the Mustang on the pickguard for now, since it's been on there for years.
I vote to leave the Mustang p/g on.
Yes, it's better balanced than a Ripper, but still way too heavy for me.
Wow, that Mustang looks real cool, fits the aerodynamic, sleek look of the bass, definitely leave it on! Is it stenciled, painted or or a decal?
I forever like that Schaller wedge adjustment hunk of a bridge that is on these beasts. Easy to adjust, solid, comfortable and one of a kind.
Very nice.
Quote from: uwe on July 23, 2009, 04:45:22 PM
Can't see any pics here with the Blackberry, but I assume they have been dutifully posted, ja?
For Chrisakes buy an iPhone!
Am I a 14 year old girl or what? :o I can't remember when I was last thus insulted!!! :mrgreen: I'm not one of those artsy :gay: people that has any appreciation at all for Apple produce. Girlie stuff just like Bang & Olufsen HiFi. Good gadgets have to look like they come directly from military deployment, smell of machine oil and generally make a bulky, masculine impression. Form follows function, jawohl!
And Herr Jobs is a despicable man with one of the vilest creations on earth. He invented the iPod and thus dealt the death blow to the visual and haptic aspect of music packaging. He should be forced to eat gatefold LP sleeves and CD booklets until he gags. :vader: :vader: :vader:
General Public Advice: This posting is fully endorsed by Microsoft.
here, here! perfect response.
Thanks all! Actually, I'm glad you guys like the Mustang on the p/g. I probably would not have put it on myself but since I got the bass from a buddy who's had it for years, I'll leave it on as a nod towards him. Uwe, I think it's one of those decals/stickers which is composed of an outline only, made of some sort of vinyl or something. This type is pretty common in the States, especially on cars and trucks.
Does fit in that spot well, doesn't it? When the shop told me there was nothing wrong with the pickup itself, boy was I relieved. The Vic is REALLY punchy and strong in the mid-range and I'm finding the beveled edge on the top of the body to be really comfortable.
This weekend I'm going to weigh the Vic and the Ripper and see which one is really heavier, but I definitely believe the Vic is better balanced now that you guys have mentioned it and I've tried both.
As far as LPs, iPods and stuff, I honestly think cds are the bane of the music world. As a dj at a college station, I'm forever frustrated by cd players which simply refuse to play certain discs. And usually I'm in a rush when I open a case for a cd, and the lid goes flying off one direction, then the other half pitches out of my other hand while the disc flings off invariably landing with the wrong side down. I love LPs!
no defense of Jobs from me but I think assigning the blame of the MP3 revolution (read ruination here) to Herr Jobs is giving him more credit (or discredit) than is due the man. Suggesting that no one used mp3's before the iPod? What next, I suppose Bill Gates will get the credit for that wonderful audio format WAV?
You can put away your fishing pole now Uwe :P
Uwe just needs to step out of the Middle Ages. :toast:
But I'm comfortable in my armor! :mrgreen:
I was half-joking, I've never spent time with an Apple computer, despise iPod for principal reasons and anything touchscreen drives me mad. I want keys or buttons. All credit to Herr Jobs for carving a niche and having ideas, but I'm just not his targeted market.
Bringing this back on track, I think a Victory is more Microsoft than Apple. I shudder to think what basses Apple would design. :o
Quote from: uwe on July 24, 2009, 08:46:59 AM
Bringing this back on track, I think a Victory is more Microsoft than Apple. I shudder to think what basses Apple would design. :o
They would be game controllers that look like basses. They would have touch screens. They would be twice as expensive as any other mass produced basses on the market. The sound quality would be bad, but their customers wouldn't care.
Quote from: Dave W on July 24, 2009, 09:05:52 AM
They would be game controllers that look like basses. They would have touch screens. They would be twice as expensive as any other mass produced basses on the market. The sound quality would be bad, but their customers wouldn't care.
BUT, Apple basses would never stop working for no reason. ;D
Forget it, they'd be featherlight so girls would look good with them, your Victory just couldn't qualify.
Thank god I'm not a featherlight girl!
Been on me hols... so... not that I could ever be described as straying from the topic; saw a really nice Aerocoupe at a really out of the way aerodrome in North Devon... er...
Ipods ROCK...! (mine's red and stores hundreds of stuff, and just like M*cr*s*ft, it "crashes" from time to time...)
Unless you've never had a driving job you just would not understand, and thank the stars that I no longer have to carry around boxes of tapes or CD's just waitintg to be ruined by a hot van... ain't never had a "quality" sound-system - just LOUD ones... ;D
ps - nice bass, Denis... 8)