I have never had an affection for Fender P or J basses. They were never an option when I bought a bass guitar in the past. I chose Ibanez and Music Man basses. Of course I knew of Gibson basses, because of people like Andy Fraser and Pete Way. But I used to think their sound was created with their amps rather than basses...
I must admit I only "discovered" Gibson basses in the mid nineties when I saw Cry Of Love bass player Robert Kearns using a Gibson Triumph.
His sound -using two Ampeg SVT stacks- was so incredibly good, I decided there and then that I needed a Triumph too.
When I finally found my first Gibson Bass, the Les Paul Bass I started to search for more information on the Internet. So I stumbled upon the Dudepit. This was back in the days when Uwe only had a few (!)
A whole new world was opening. I found out I wasn't the only one who couldn't care less for a Fender P or J.
I don't consider myself a real Gibson fan. I'm more of a Gibson Lo-Z bass fan I guess.
But I do have a huge sympathy for a brand that released so many different models of which only two (and a half?) were really successful.
As for bass players / guitarists; they often think all Gibson basses are shortscale. And they all sound muddy. And they're all too heavy. And they're all neck divers. And the headstock snaps if you point at it (some if you look too intense).
I still don't understand why the Les Paul Bass isn't more popular. It is really the best sounding bass that I've ever heard. And it plays like butter.
Guess I'm headstrong about such things...