SG bass question

[morrow]

The SG bass was in production from 2005-14. When did it resume production after that?
It's still on the website so I assume it's still produced , I know L&M still carry stock.

[uwe]

I wasn't aware they ever even really stopped making it! It's their most consistent seller besides the TBird and there are no cannibalizing sales, TBird cravers don't long for an SG and vice versa. No sense in stopping production.

When people say "(s)he played a Gibson bass" in nine out of ten cases they mean either a TBird or an SG bass.

[Dave W]

The SG Special Bass was discontinued after 2014. That had the matte finish and dot neck.

AFAIK the SG Standard Bass has been in continuous production.

[uwe]

Oh right, I remember now, the dots went, the trapezoid inlays came. And wasn't there a short run that featured the Babicz bridge which - functionally fine as it is - looked awkward on the little bass ...




Still, it could have been worse, imagine a return of the man-made evil that is the two point bridge!


You said it would work without a stringholder!

[morrow]

In Rob's book it's listed as 05-14 , but they seem to have been around since they were introduced.
I posted a new amp pic the other day and was going on about how nice the SG sounded with it, some friends were asking about the SG and EB-3s.
I hadn't been playing the SG much but for the last couple of days I've been all over it. I had forgotten what a great little thing it is.
And after checking new prices was thankful to have snagged a good deal on a used one when I did.

edit

I popped a Hipshot on mine , never had any problems with the 3 point , but I just decided I liked the look better. It is much easier to fine tune. I had to loosen my truss rod a hair the other day and needed to slightly raise the saddles. It took about four minutes.

[lowend1]

Oh right, I remember now, the dots went, the trapezoid inlays came. And wasn't there a short run that featured the Babicz bridge which - functionally fine as it is - looked awkward on the little bass ...




Still, it could have been worse, imagine a return of the man-made evil that is the two point bridge!


You said it would work without a stringholder!

I prefer the Hipshot, but I think either balances nicely with a big chrome mudbucker.

[uwe]

It's a fine bridge, but too modernistic on a vintage vibe bass such as this one. I didn't mind it on the TBird though, but to me the SG shape is more archaic than the TBird one though they are only two years apart.

[Dave W]

Some of you might remember that I had a 2014 Special that split and warped along the body seam from the bridge to the butt end. Gibson had discontinued the Special by that time and replaced it by sending me a new 2015 Standard at no extra cost. The 2015 Standard had the Babicz. I'm not sure when they went back to the 3-point.

Unfortunately the 2015 didn't sound as good as the 2014, so out it went.

[Basvarken]

I really think they stopped making the SG Bass for a while.

But I could be wrong.

[uwe]

Perhaps when they introduced the LP Junior Tribute, thinking it might fill the niche? But I cannot really remember discussing a production stop here (maybe they paused production for a while to concentrate on manufacturing the Tribute to see how it goes). It would have been an incongruous move (not that Gibson hasn't been good for those in the past!). TBird and SG are in the Gibson galaxy what P and J are in  the Fender universe. I don't see them ever reintroducing an old, much less designing a new bass body shape that might supersede these two classics in sales. And they certainly do look radically different enough from a P, J or a Ric, no mistaking them. They are also nicely complementary, if the TBird is too huge for you, the SG is a suitably compact alternative.

Is there a more commercially established short scale bass on the market today than the SG Bass other than perhaps the Höfner which is however lumbered with the baggage that anyone who owns one will always have to explain why (s)he is not playing Beatles music [if (s)he indeed doesn't, but I have yet to meet a bassist brethren who owns a Höffie, yet thinks the Fab Four and especially Sir Paul are crap!]?

[morrow]

I'm pretty sure they were not discontinued when the Jr was released. Both are still on the official website although apparently the Jr is not in production at the moment.
Pity , I find the Jr is an absolute joy.
The SG version with the dots and satin finish was only available for a limited time.

There's been some Gibson basses up for sale on the local market. A G3 reissue was priced at only $1200 and didn't find a buyer. I was gobsmacked when it didn't sell at that price. There's also an Anniversary Tbird and a LP Recording for local sale. Not sure about the prices yet.
I'm curious , but unlikely to buy anything right now.

[uwe]

Rippers, Grabbers, G-3s and their (Tribute) Reissues are all ugly ducklings, you really have to love that shape to buy one. And while they had their od-70ies popular period and famous players (Lake, Cetera, Danko, Simmons, Quatro, Schacher), they never really got identified with a single one of them, early Gene Simmons excepted, but even that image was eventually eclipsed by his various Axe basses and of course the Punisher (which certainly owed a debt to a shrunken Ripper shape).

I actually like them because they are the Gibson bass shape that somehow got forgotten. But that flatfish shape is an acquired taste.

Not sure so whether Gerald Casale's 'beautification attempts' were entirely successful though, ARE WE NOT RIPPERS?

[morrow]

This is the G3 reissue , looks to be in nice condition , but I'm mostly playing shortscales and wouldn't put much time on it.
If it had been 30 inches I'd have snagged it in a heartbeat.

[uwe]

That bass, the way it sounds, is one of the best Gibson basses ever, no joke. I love mine.

[Dave W]

I really think they stopped making the SG Bass for a while.

But I could be wrong.

They might have. The situation at Gibson got confusing in the final Henry years, starting with the disastrous 2015 guitars with the wide neck and zero fret.