The Last Bass Outpost

It's true. But it's not, at the same time. You definitely hear yourself differently, but that mostly has to do with years of having the same ear to the drummer. Your right ear is more than likely missing a lot of highs from prolonged cymbal exposure, and your left ear probably hears warmer bass frequencies from prolonged bass amp exposure. Check it real quick by snapping your fingers about a foot from your left ear, and then again with the same hand about a foot from your right ear. You'll probably notice that your right ear hears it a little bit meatier, and your left ear hears it a bit snappier.

Well, when you change sides of the stage, you're going to hear the same thing. Lack of treble, lots of white noise, muddy low mids and bottom end. Of course, it doesn't ACTUALLY sound like that, you just aren't used to hearing a different frequency range. No one put a towel over your amp, you just now have your partially deaf drummer ear towards your speaker cabinet.

Quote from: HERBIE on February 02, 2013, 12:49:15 PM
Sally type up a letter for Peter will you, as follows...

Dear Mr Cook

We sincerely thank you for all the exceptional work you have carried out over the years for Mr Entwistle but unfortunately we will have to let you go. Having seen the preceding evidence I'm sure you will understand...

Kindest regards, etc

Make sure he gets it by end of business today, thanks...

I lol'd 

I'd love one of these in white with gold hardware. 

LOVE gold hardware. Currently trying to put all gold hardware on my white T-bird. Just gotta get it all past the wife 

How sad that I'm always the only guy that loves the way EB Cobalts sound. They're just so damned punchy in all the right places. You guys can keep your flats 

Quote from: 4stringer77 on November 20, 2012, 03:10:56 PM
...we need to start an outcry for a new and improved Thunderbird. Chrome hardware, old school two part bridge but with better intonation capabilities and I'd love to see a single pickup option as well. If enough of us keep chirping about this maybe Gibson will take heed.

The thing is, if Gibson ever did this, it would sell at two to three times as much as something like a Bach or Cataldo... and would be outperformed by them, too. And Gibson knows that. Unfortunately, the small market that there is for an authentic T-bird won't be truly happy with anything that Gibson puts out, because they can't make something that true to the original that they'd be comfortable selling for a mass market price point. It would have to be sold at a collector's price point and be made in a very limited run. and no one's gonna spring for that when there are other viable options right now.

Much like Les Paul players are never satisfied with any reissue or 'tribute' line of LP's so Gibson sells artist specific signature reissues that are pretty much vintage accurate for five digits. It's that or something like a Rist.

Gigged with it in San Francisco on Saturday. Twice. I have to say, I really dig it. And so did the 3,000 people who watched us play. I got plenty of compliments on it.

The neck feels great. Aside from the nut feeling sharp and high, I can't really notice any discernible difference between this neck and the Gibson. String spacing, neck width, headstock size, etc. it's all pretty accurate. The body shape is only a little bit different, with the neck heel and the cutout being the only noticeable change. Also, I feel like the bottom bout isn't as round as the Gibson or my other Epiphone, but only by a little bit.

Sound wise, it's damn nice. The pickups sound leaps and bounds better than my other epi (no harsh, nasally mids,) and don't squeal like the ones on my Gibby. The pots have more usable range than either of my other two 'birds, but I have no idea if that means they used audio taper pots instead of linear taper pots. The sound is just a tad bit brighter than the Gibson overall, and drives my Ampeg just a little harder than the Gibson as well. But in fairness, I also haven't gotten around to messing with pickup heights yet.

In general, I really like it. I might even like it more than the Gibson I'm used to. It weighs less and has a slightly more modern voicing, but plays almost identically. For the price, I'd be hard pressed to think of a better instrument to buy.

Okay, here we go.

As she lay in the shipping box



Body shot



This is a really nice headstock carve



As already reported, made in Indonesia



Definitely neck-through



Good upper fret access - I noodled around on the 17th-19th for a bit, and it feels fine



I guess the Sweetwater guys did a setup - The neck is straight as hell, and intonation is spot on



...But the action is too high for my liking. They also put steel strings on it, which aren't my top choice.


Now, as far as first impressions go... I'm impressed! Even with the action too high, it plays comparably to my '02 Gibson. The neck is about the same profile as my Gibby was before I shaved the back of it, but the string spacing is just a little bit wider down by the bridge. It's not very noticeable. Sound-wise, it's explosive. Much richer acoustically than either my other Epiphone or my Gibson. Upper fret access is about the same as my Epiphone, but since the neck is much thinner and there's no neck plate, it's a lot easier to hold while playing up there. The pots feel a little scratchy, but I haven't plugged it in to see how that translates to an amp yet.

I'm gonna take it to practice later tonight, and I'll let you guys know how it worked out in a full band environment.

It just got here. Pictures coming up in a few minutes.

According to tracking, mine left for delivery three hours ago. From a facility that's only roughly twenty minutes away. The anticipation is killing me.

They're out now. Ready to order.

Quote from: uwe on October 31, 2012, 04:38:35 AM
Mark, once the bass is here I expect you to play it "where the money stops" and where your Nasty co-Habitants don't allow you to play - i.e. up very high - and divulge your intrusive experience here in all gynecological detail! "I pulled her G string up high and she obliged effortlessly." Same applies to you, Xavier!!! No phony excuses.

I play a lot on the upper register. A LOT. I'm looking forward to seeing how it feels up there.

Sweetwater sent me photos of the bass before they shipped it out. Here's the bass I'll be getting (supposedly) on Friday.



















Looks pretty decent to me. Obviously not exactly like the real thing, but I feel like it's pretty good for $500!

Sweetwater just called to say that my bass has shipped. Pictures and first impressions when it gets here.

Update from Sweetwater: Gibson still hasn't shipped them the basses, and so far has been completely unresponsive with information regarding when they should expect them. I was told to expect them to come in before the end of the year, but that they have no idea when that might be.

Quote from: TBird1958 on September 07, 2012, 03:12:14 PM

That's Epi and dates!.............

Gibson got that G-3 out PDQ. 

The Sweetwater guys might be some of the best customer service reps I've ever dealt with. Bless their hearts for being able to put up with as much as I'm sure they do, and still being able to be nice to impatient jerks like me.