A little bird sang to me that ...

[SKATE RAT]

my T-40 has rings on a guard. looks fine.

[uwe]

Mine too, but look how heavy the thing is because of it! 

[SKATE RAT]

so thats why it's so heavy.  

[uwe]

I'd also be interested in hearing short sound samples of each through the same rig.

Dave will soon quench the thirst of all those waiting for this ...

[Dave W]

Let's see if this works.

Ah, and how it does, gracias, Dave, may I kidnap this posting now?   The red ("rot") 2011 all maho V with TB Plus pups was played at the same setting and volume over my SVT rig as the white ("weiss") 1981 maple neck and alder body V with Ripper pups.

2011: DivShare File - Flying V rot.mp3

1981: DivShare File - Flying V weiss.mp3

Of course, outputwise the Ripper pups don't stand a chance against the TB Plus ones but the difference is not just volume. The new V sounds much phatter than the old one, more tonal eveness, more prominent D and G and more singing sustain. The wonders of maho so to say. The new V sounds as good as other all maho-shorties from Gibson of recent times, i.e. SG RI, SG Supreme, Short Scale TBird and Junior. Full and warm, but without much attack, but that is the price of building a short scale maho bass. In my mind, I would expect an all-out rock shape bass like a V to sound sharpish and more assertive, which this bass cannot do. It sounds warm, cozy and musical.

[godofthunder]

Yeah The new V sounds very musical! The '81 sounds just as lackluster as I remember.

[uwe]

Lackluster is the most fitting description I have ever heard for the sound of the eighties Vs. Brilliant.

You'd think nothing could go too much wrong when piecing a block of alder together with a maple neck - I mean lesser brands do it all the time -, but in this case it sure did.

[Dave W]

That's my impression too.

Tone always comes from a combination of things but in this case I'd say it's more the Ripper pickups than the woods. Even so, I'd still rather have a mahogany body than alder.

[Barklessdog]

I thought the new V sounded better as well a bit more bite & distortion to the tone (much like LP ) pickups.

Sounds like a winner. Is the bass versitle though?

[uwe]

Versatile is a big word. Are maho Gibsons and short scales to boot ever really versatile? Will someone buying a Flying V of all basses care for versatility? You are typecast with that bass no matter what the sound. Assless chaps indeed.

It's not a one-trick-pony, but certainly not more versatile than a long scale TB. You do get that one tonal coloring no matter how you combine the two pups.

[Chris P.]

I think my SG Reissue Bass (Gibson, short scale ánd mahogany) is one of my most versatile basses. On the front pickup woolly, woody and mellow and on the bridge pickup Fender-ish. That are the only two sounds I need. And it has one more than a P:)

[uwe]

It's probably me - I never look for more than one sound on a single bass. Once I've found one, I give up further search.

The SG RI is certainly more versatile than the muddies of yore.

[Dave W]

The SG Reissue doesn't have 2 TB Plus pickups either, and for that matter, the neck pickup is different from a regular TB Plus because the coils are so widely spaced.

[exiledarchangel]

The SG Reissue doesn't have 2 TB Plus pickups either, and for that matter, the neck pickup is different from a regular TB Plus because the coils are so widely spaced.

Also it has a big aluminum spacer in there that blurrs the tone as experts say.

[Dave W]

Which experts? I've never heard that. Possible, of course, but the wide spacing between the coils is most likely responsible. It means that the pickup senses a much larger portion of the string, which usually means reduced clarity.