Bash the new Gibson Bass!!!

[Psycho Bass Guy]

There was a period of time 5-6 years ago where I wanted to find a good T-Bird. EVERY single one I played (all new) sucked and there was nary a Studio to be found, in Nashville no less!

[Dave W]

It was next to impossible to find one of the lower priced ones in a store. Plenty of faded SG and V guitars in stores, never saw a T-Bird Studio or one of the faded basses. That has to be a big reason why they didn't sell. People may buy a guitar online when they are familiar with it. When hardly anyone has ever seen one in person, that's a tough sell.

[Hornisse]

I wanted to buy a Studio V but could never find one.  I still haven't played one!  I'll probably have to find one on Ebay someday.

[uwe]

I find that disconcerting to read. It's one thing if they don't reach our shores as Germany is - make no mistake - Fender bass territory (and Warwick), but that they are not able to cover the US market is damning. Especially with the entry level stuff it is key that it is on the hangers so people can sniff, see and play it.

[the mojo hobo]

Available now at Musicians Friend for $1229, $70 less than the SG bass, $270 less than the Thunderbird. It does have a gloss finish BTW.

I don't understand Gibsons marketing strategy of offering a single color on any given model. I would think if they offered a Cardinal Red version in addition to the blue they would sell twice as many. Musicians tend to want to express thier individuality, a Classic Sunburst Thunderbird isn't so much so any more.

I think these little blue basses are cool, if they were long scale they'd be cooler, but I'm guessing it will be a short-lived production run with sales not meeting expectations, and there will be a small window of opportunity to buy them at close-out pricing.

[drbassman]

I love the attempt, but a more accurate body shape would draw me to it more.  The bridge and pups are fine with me.  I didn't care for the money bass styling and I'm not too crazy about this one.  It's that simple.

[TBird1958]

I find that disconcerting to read. It's one thing if they don't reach our shores as Germany is - make no mistake - Fender bass territory (and Warwick), but that they are not able to cover the US market is damning. Especially with the entry level stuff it is key that it is on the hangers so people can sniff, see and play it.

Gibson's dealer requirements effectively cut out smaller good shops, (as do Fender's) for example BassNW here in Seattle doesn't ANY new basses from either of them.

[godofthunder]

I love the attempt, but a more accurate body shape would draw me to it more.  The bridge and pups are fine with me.  I didn't care for the money bass styling and I'm not too crazy about this one.  It's that simple.

Agreed, they blew it on  shape.................the simplest detail to get right.

[uwe]

Why are you guys so vintage-correct obsessive? When I buy a car of a certain model I expect it to carry the spirit of the original that was first in line, but I don't expect it to be a slavish replica. Progress and learning from mistakes, fashion elements etc are all good things, I don't want my new Volvo V 70



to be the same car the Volvo 850 (before it was renamed V 70)



was twenty years ago. It's ok if it still has some similarity, but times move on. Today's Levis 501 is not the 501 of the fifties either.

In my book the current TB IV, the SG RI, the Ripper II and Grabber II and now this little Junior are all contemporary (= very gently modified and modernized) versions of old classics. The ultimate test to prove I'm right - bearing in mind that this is the forum of scientific evidence: You could take any one of them, time-tunnel back into a late sixties/early seventies rehearsal room and no one would not recognize them as what they are, people would perhaps marvel  at some "cool new features", but they wouldn't exactly think that you were an alien from the future bringing along new gadgets.  

And for the record: Gibson has never claimed this new Junior to be a faithful reissue, instead what they have said is this:

"The Les Paul Junior DC Bass is the axe for you! By

blending

several elements of traditional Gibson design,

derived

from the slab-bodied Les Paul Junior guitar and the original 1960 EB-0 bass,

among others,

this new model from Gibson USA ..."

It's a new model in a retro look, nothing wrong with that.

[godofthunder]

They teased us with the release of that pic of a Pelham Blue EB0, that was a whole lot cooler that what they put out. I don't mind the pup configuration, lack of pg, etc but the For me the body shape just looks wrong. You don't see F****r screwing the J or P body shapes (for the most part).

[dadagoboi]

So does this new Gibson have more airbags or get better mileage...or is the ugliness factor the only thing they've increased?

[OVERDRIVEN66]

     With the demand they must be aware of for a NR longscale T-Bird, you would think they would have put their R+D money into a Historic Reverse or NR T-Bird like the Firebirds they were dead on with. With a two point bridge, CHROME pickups and 60's specs!!!  

[dadagoboi]

     With the demand they must be aware of for a NR longscale T-Bird, you would think they would have put their R+D money into a Historic Reverse or NR T-Bird like the Firebirds they were dead on with. With a two point bridge, CHROME pickups and 60's specs!!! 

That would require actual R&D, not just pulling hardware and electronics off the shelf.  Way too expensive when you have FireTurd  projects to fund...it seems to me Gibson is trying to sell basses to guitards who dabble and can't (won't?) adapt to the longer scale that brings out the best in the instrument...IMO

[godofthunder]

    With the demand they must be aware of for a NR longscale T-Bird, you would think they would have put their R+D money into a Historic Reverse or NR T-Bird like the Firebirds they were dead on with. With a two point bridge, CHROME pickups and 60's specs!!!  

Bill and I meet a Gibson rep almost a year ago and they mined us for info on a NR reissue..........................nothing yet but it is supposed to be in the works, my hopes are not high at this point in time.

[uwe]

So does this new Gibson have more airbags or get better mileage...or is the ugliness factor the only thing they've increased?

Does the ability to intonate the bridge count? Or the fact that you can actually hear bass, mids, treble and presence with the neck pup?

Should banjo tuners be really the state of the art machine head in 2011? It ain't the real thing if it ain't got no real banjo tuners with it after all!!!.