Gibson worker JC sig story at TB

[Barklessdog]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=631647

Hi there, here's how it happened. In 1994 I was working in marketing for Gibson. I was and am a big Hot Tuna fan. Love Jorma, love Jack. I got in touch with them through Relix Magazine's owners, who also had Relix Records, for whom Hot Tuna and Jorma had released a number of albums.

At the time, Gibson was pushing the awful new Les Paul basses that were solid body models, like the Special, the Standard, etc. We had a heck of a time getting endorsers to play them. Most liked the tone ok, like the looks, when they got them, they hated the gawdawful weight of them.

I got Jack to do some clinics for us, using the solid body Standards. For many years he had been playing a vintage LP Signature Model. I tried like crazy to get my boss to do a signature model for Jack at Gibson, and re-do the original LP bass with them, and was told sternly, NO! One day, fed up with it, at lunch I walked across the lawn in front of the factory and over to the Epiphone building and into the office of Jim Rosenberg. I told Jim about Jack, told him about the desire to do a signature model, that he wanted the old LP but with a new pickup that he'd like to hands-on design with the R&D genius at Gibson then, J.T. Ribiloff. At that point, Epi had very few good signature models, having recently done some with Skunk Baxter, and a recently-inducted to the RnR Hall of Famer like Jack was just the thing that seemed a great idea.

I snuck back over to my office thrilled that I had a green light to call Jack and set this into motion, which I did. I picked him up at the Nashville airport a few weeks later, took him around to meet everyone, got him to sign some solid body LP standard bass models to send to dealers, while we were in the old distribution center for Gibson. He started playing the White Rabbit lick on one that was plugged in, and the guitar techs working the line started playing the guitar parts, and doing their best Grace impression, it was awesome. I took him to meet JT, and he went back and forth with JT over the pickup designs over and over, personally until he got it just right, and then made sure the Korean factory was making them like he and JT designed them to sound.

The bass turned out to be awesome. This was no "slap his name on it" model, Jack was hand's-on in making its tonal quality happen, and the bottom line is that if I had not used my lunch hour and my tenacious righteous indignation at having had the current director of Entertainment Relations (who lasted about three months), laughing at me for diggin' on Tuna, while helping to shoot the idea down, it would never have happened. I lit the fuse, but Jack busted his butt to get the thing done and worked hard to promote it.

I am told it is the biggest-selling artist model in Epiphone's history (not counting of course, LP knock-offs, of which you could kind of call this, but its not really other than the body/neck). May I add, I think this Epi is one of the finest basses for recording, especially, that I've ever played. Some quality issues come through from imports, like jacks coming loose, etc, but the "bottom line" is that the sound from these things is simply the roundest, fattest, warmest tone I've ever recorded, and plugged into an Avalon 737SP is bass-gasmic!

If you ever meet Jack he'll vouch for the story. It was one of my best-memories of working for that company. If this were a regular guitar forum, I'd tell you how the limited run Jorma model came about a few years later.

[n!k]

Cool story.

[Basvarken]

Cool story indeed.

But:

the "bottom line" is that the sound from these things is simply the roundest, fattest, warmest tone I've ever recorded, and plugged into an Avalon 737SP is bass-gasmic!

That is a bit too much credit for this bass. Maybe this guy never recorded much? The stock JCS does not have the roundest, fattest warmest tone of all basses. In fact it sounds a little bit generic. It sounds bland next to the original; the LP signature.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

BTW, is the Jack Cassidy short scale? I think I played one awhile ago and liked it, but I don't remember if it was short scale or not.

[patman]

Long scale

[uwe]

Yup, great story. Still wonder why Jack thinks that the Epi pup is better though. It is fatter and less overdriven, but lacks the presence sparkle of the old one and its middish bark.

[godofthunder]

These are long scale basses. I bought one when they first came out, the early ones have a very deep burgundy back so dark you can barley see the grain. I loved mine wish I hadn't sold it, I'll get another someday. Very well made bass for the $ they cheaped out on the inlay they should have used real MOP.

[Barklessdog]

These are long scale basses. I bought one when they first came out, the early ones have a very deep burgundy back so dark you can barley see the grain. I loved mine wish I hadn't sold it, I'll get another someday. Very well made bass for the $ they cheaped out on the inlay they should have used real MOP.

Probably Epiphone's best modern bass product they have made.

[Basvarken]

Probably Epiphone's best modern bass product they have made.

The Rumblekat ain't bad either!
And what about the Pro Bird?

the early ones have a very deep burgundy back so dark you can barley see the grain.

You're right Scott: that's a striking difference with the beautiful walnut grain back of the LP Sig.

[godofthunder]

 I think now the JCs come with a black back, I don't like that as much as the burgundy 

[Basvarken]

Mine looks like black too. Only under very bright lights under a certain angle you can see it is tinted a very dark burgundy. It is very hard -if not impossible- to see any grain.

[ilan]

Cool story, thanks for posting.

[Deathshead]

"and the guitar techs working the line started playing the guitar parts, and doing their best Grace impression,"

Wow Douche chill moment, lol

[Dave W]

I am told it is the biggest-selling artist model in Epiphone's history (not counting of course, LP knock-offs, of which you could kind of call this, but its not really other than the body/neck).

Yeah, just the body and neck are knockoffs, nothing important. Oh yeah, and the pickup is based on the original too, but that's not important either. It's an all-original design except for everything.  

the "bottom line" is that the sound from these things is simply the roundest, fattest, warmest tone I've ever recorded, and plugged into an Avalon 737SP is bass-gasmic!

Gimme a break!    This guy must be an old hippie.

[Stjofön Big]

Stop me, if you've heard this before! I might have written about it earlier on, as I know my mouth is both big, large, wide, and at times, great!
Esbjorn Jakobson, a drummer, and I've been in the same band for several years. A long time ago, must have been in the 80's, he told me about the time he lived in the north-western parts of our beatiful country. Must have been like 74-75. As he was interested in ice-skating, long distances, he got to know another guy in his (our) age, also interested in ice-skating. After a few days the guy told Esbjorn that he played the guitar. By that time Esbjorn was quite heavily into jazz, after playing rock, blues, folk and - in the beginning - military marches, since the early 60's. The guitar player had a Swedish girlfriend, that's how he'd come to the countryside of Jamtland, the part of our lovely (and so on...) where the guys met. The guitarist was, of course, Jorma Kaukonen.
Esbjorn told me they jammed a bit, and then Kaukonen asked him if it would be all right if he'd bring his friend, the bass playing Jack, to Sweden, so they could put a band together, and maybe do a tour? Of course, was Esbjorns reply. So Casady came, rehearsals began, and the trio soon had a set.
Came the first night. And here's the time for a short bit of poetry:

Esbjorn knew the tunes so well, from A to Z.
But Casady had something else, spinning round, in his head!

I guess that something else had it's origin in South America. Someone counted in, but Esbjorn didn't recognize the tune. In fact, he didn't recognize a single tune the whole night. But there was one tune, he thought was one of the ones they rehearsed. In that tune, there was a stop. So Esbjorn did it. Jack Casady turned arund, sank his forehead, looked above the brim of his round glasses. Said:
- You do that again, and I'll f--ing kill ya!
Esbjorn did the rest of the gigs with the guys. But he says it felt strange. The whole atmosphere had changed. The two young men who got to know each others on behalf of their mutual interest in ice-skating, was drifting apart.
So if you'd ask me, I would never buy one of these basses. I don't know how my old pal would take it. Some things are better left in the ditch!
Esbjorn also told me the story of how  the Hot Tuna album Hoppkorv got it's name. But, it's late, and I believe you guys are supposed to go to bed early tonight. After all it's Wednesday tomorrow, and you must stay as intact as possible during that important mid-week day. I'll tell the story some other night. Maybe...