I still believe ...

[uwe]

"I still believe nothing tells people you are serious about bass like pulling out a Fender. Over the years I experienced quite a bias against my Gibsons."

I stole this quote from Scott's "buying the daughter a new (Jazz) bass" thread. It made me wonder: Is that a collective experience here with Gibson basses?

My own experience is that (mostly Fender playing) bassists bad-mouthed Gibsons in the seventies (in a mix of traits of various Gibson basses, all Gibson basses were regarded as "muddy, weighing a ton, strange-looking (= non-Fenderish) and neck-heavy"), forgot all about them in the eighties and are these days startled they even still exist! Guitarists, otoh, marvel at the many different types there are and appreciate the "being different"-aspect of playing a Gibson bass. And of course Gibson is to them at least a respectable, often desirable (guitar) brand, so you have a bonus there.

 

[godofthunder]

Back in the 70's when I was starting out it seemed that no matter what Gibson you pulled out the perception of them was that they were muddy sounding. Guitarists being the control freaks they are always seemed to want a guy with a Fender. I was told on numerous occasions that I lost the gig to the other guy because he had a Fender. I don't think this hold quite so true today but back then Fender ruled the roost.

[Chris P.]

My reaction'll follow later.

When I saw Still Believe I thought about the Herman Brood song. My favourite. It's written by Bertus Borgers who plays sax and does backing vocs on this song. He also played and plays with the Golden Earring and he had some fame with his own band Sweet d'Buster.

Here's a live vid of Herman doing Still Believe in 1979.



Bass player Freddie Cavalli is one of my all time heroes. He died last year and that sucks. He almost always played Fender Jazzes, his Hamer Explorer was for sale a while ago, but for an awful lot of money.

In this vid, near the end Cavalli plays a G3 or Grabber. I can't see which one for obvious reasons: (Uwe: It's a fretless, stupid! But Saturday Night is a kick-ass song.)

[OldManC]

In my experience, people have been visually impressed with the various Gibsons I've pulled out at auditions or initial rehearsals. The remarks were usually along the lines of, "Wow, I've never seen one of those in person before". That being said, as soon as I play one song on my P, that's the sound they rave over. I choose a particular bass the same way I decide between pick and fingers; the mood and feel of the song point me in the right direction and I go from there. Sometimes it's even one P (or Gibson) over another. I know 99% of people hearing the song will never recognize the difference, but I will.

I have to agree that most people go straight for the Precision. It's what they've been trained to want. That could be changing with the younger set, but as an old guy (in musician terms anyway), that's what I've experienced. That being said, it doesn't mean you can't educate your guitard accordingly.

[Barklessdog]

I have always been in bands with friends or people I knew, so it was never an issue. A long time ago I did have one guitarist demand I play with a pick (I refused). I use one now all the time.

[uwe]

Ok, that's a given. A P sound is never gonna sound wrong in most settings. But I've received compliments for TBird and even mudbuck sounds too.

[OldManC]

The funny thing is you could pull out a mahogany Precision and a maple/alder bird (or Ripper or whatever Gibson) and they'd still prefer the sound of the P...

[Chris P.]

I totally agree with the posts above. A Fender always looks good and sounds good. I bet all amp makers have a P or a J to test the amp and a muddy bass like an EB3 doesn't sound good on every amp, while a Fender-ish bass does.

I think a lot of people like Gibsons but they don't buy 'm. In Holland strange things are bad immediately. That changes a bit, isn't it, Rob? I used to be the only one bidding on things like Burns and strange Gibsons in Holland, but nowadays everybody does. Rob and I did a good job at the Duch forums, pronmoting Gibson;) There's even a Sixx II around no!

My T-Bird gets a lot of attention. People walking to the front to see if it's a real Gibson.

[Barklessdog]

I think it depends on the type of music. For Alternative, Indie rock you have people like Cheryl Crow & Justin Meldan Johnson who helped make vintage stuff cool again.

I think jazz is the most jaded on Gibsons for being serious.

[godofthunder]

By the mid 80's I would have to say my playing had progressed to a point where it  didn't matter as much  what bass I played. Also I had found my own voice with the non reverse Thunderbirds and Marshalls, a odd combination stateside but once I plugged in the critics were quiet.....................for the most part. As a side note I was always able to get a nice cutting sound from a EB3, never muddy when I use one, I love the minibucker !

[Dave W]

"I still believe nothing tells people you are serious about bass like pulling out a Fender. Over the years I experienced quite a bias against my Gibsons."

I've never found that to be the case. I don't know anyone who thinks pulling out a Fender means you're serious. Or any bass for that matter. Sure, plenty of old pros play Fenders, but so do rank beginners and everyone in between.

[lowend1]

Fender guys have been pooh-poohing Gibson basses forever. You know the old saying "Penis envy is the sincerest form of flattery." I remember back in '79 or so, a local P-Bass player came to a rehearsal and kept shaking his head, looking at the Thunderbird. He came up to me afterward and asked how I got "that sound" out of my Ampegs. "But Mike", sez I - "you have the same rig! It's the Thunderbird sound that you REALLY want". He walked away muttering "no, no, no".

Nothing wrong with a Fender, or variant thereof - I play mine plenty - but a P or J will never be a TB or EB.

[clankenstein]

i always assumed that if an amp rig didnt like the mudbucker sound and could handle a fender sound it was probably rubbish.nothing wrong with having unrolled off bass frequencies as part of your pickup design.plus the fundamentals can pleasantly massage your internal organs when you stand near the cab.i have had people ask me why i want such a retro  bass(the eb4l),untill they hear it.

[Highlander]

I just never got on with F*nd*r's, I noted elsewhere that they feel just l"ike a lump of wood", a mass-produced instrument with a bolt on neck because it is cheaper to produce and purchase, compared to a Gibson... I have heard dozens of players that have got some exquisite sounds out of them, but it is not a path I wish to tread...

Yeah, I was "conned" (the case) re my RD, but he was right, it is "the difference between a Ford and a Roller"...

[angrymatt]

My last band was a blues band (I didn't really want to do the blues, but a buddy of mine was in a jam and needed a bass player), and we showed up to do a gig at a mostly county festival.  Once I pulled the zebrabird out of its case all these old crusty country dudes came over and stared at it, muttering things like, "That's a damn fine instrument."

The, "sound guy," explained to me that he was a bass player, and he was mostly turned off by it claiming that anything my bird could do, his jazz could do and better.  Of course, he couldn't mix or manage the PA very well...