New Gibson Basses. Quite breakinf news.

[uwe]

I have a hunch that that "Neo-RD" they are planning might be the bass brother to the Firebird X. If they attempt anything in that vein on a bass it would make sense - a nice nod to the legacy - to do it on a bass that echoes the look of the RD.

[Dave W]

That would surprise me.

[uwe]

Electronically we have reached a stage where they could offer a bass that has an aped  P Bass, Ric, Stingray and Alembic-tone as well as a traditional Gibson one via push-pull or whatever. If done well, they could sell a few I believe. And argue that they have brought out something newish if not revolutionary.

[JZumbro]

Not those who prefer shorties ........ but if it's another half-ass job like the shorty TB they shouldn't bother .....

I love my shorty TB. I think better than my two '76 birds. Nothing half-ass about it that I can find.

[Dave W]

Electronically we have reached a stage where they could offer a bass that has an aped  P Bass, Ric, Stingray and Alembic-tone as well as a traditional Gibson one via push-pull or whatever. If done well, they could sell a few I believe. And argue that they have brought out something newish if not revolutionary.

Well, sure they can accomplish that with electronics. And who wouldn't want to pay 50x what you would pay for a pedal that scan do the same? 

[Droombolus]

I love my shorty TB. I think better than my two '76 birds.

Well brother, you're the first..... 

I think she looks like a budget knock-off, the PUPs look like they've been placed at random rather than on the sweet spots and on the whole, when playing, she just doesn't feel right or give me the tiniest spark of a feeling I'm playing something special.
But you have to consider the source here: I'm the guy who shot the concept of the SG Bass into pieces and fire-bombed the remains back in '05 and who is currently owning one SG Standard Heritage Cherry Bass, a SG Supreme Fireburst Bass and a SG Supreme Natural Bass..... 

[TBird1958]

I liked the shorty T Bird that visited with me for a month before I sent it to Uwe, I'm not a short scale player tho, otherwise I'd have picked one up.

[JZumbro]

Well brother, you're the first.....  

I think she looks like a budget knock-off, the PUPs look like they've been placed at random rather than on the sweet spots and on the whole, when playing, she just doesn't feel right or give me the tiniest spark of a feeling I'm playing something special.
But you have to consider the source here: I'm the guy who shot the concept of the SG Bass into pieces and fire-bombed the remains back in '05 and who is currently owning one SG Standard Heritage Cherry Bass, a SG Supreme Fireburst Bass and a SG Supreme Natural Bass.....  

As I have gotten older, with Rheumatoid Arthritis in my shoulders, hands and back, the long scale TBs have become painful to play. The long reach for the first fret kills me after about an hour. The short scale TB takes away that problem. Also the short scale causes very little pain in my fingers. The flat black feels great in my hands, and the pickup locations work good, it sits in my band's mix perfectly and sounds great. I may be the only one that likes it, but I really like it.

[Chris P.]

The first thing I asked the Gibson guy was: Is it a bass version of the Firebird X and he said 'Nooo!!'.

[uwe]

The Minibird is a mighty fine bass. And cute. In a league of its own.

[Aussie Mark]

Electronically we have reached a stage where they could offer a bass that has an aped  P Bass, Ric, Stingray and Alembic-tone as well as a traditional Gibson one via push-pull or whatever.

You mean, like Line 6 did a few years ago with their Variax Bass - J, P, Rick, Thunderbird, EB-2, Stingray, Modulus, Dano Longhorn, Hofner, Tobias, Warwick Thumb, Almbic, Steinberger, Hagstrom 8, Hamer 12.

Anybody here ever play one?

[Dave W]

You mean, like Line 6 did a few years ago with their Variax Bass - J, P, Rick, Thunderbird, EB-2, Stingray, Modulus, Dano Longhorn, Hofner, Tobias, Warwick Thumb, Almbic, Steinberger, Hagstrom 8, Hamer 12.

Anybody here ever play one?

Never seen one. To be fair, their Variax models were pricey, although not in the Fireturd X price range. My point above was that bass effects pedals and processors can do the same thing at the fraction of the price, having it built into the body of the bass wouldn't be a big deal to me.

[chromium]

I've played the Variax bass and guitars.  Seemed on par with other instruments in the $4-500-ish range.  My buddy's guitar goes out of tune easily (crap tuners?).  Another friend had the acoustic guitar version - probably my favorite of the bunch.  They're fun and you could get some decent sounds out of 'em if it was your only axe, but I'd rather just have the Precision, Ric, Tbird, Stingray, etc...    

[Chris P.]

Again, acoording to the Gibson guy the bass will be a 'normal' bass:)

I played a Line6 Bass once. Sounds are quite well and could be nice for home recording. But.... Some examples: I play different on my T-bird with its tiny neck than on my 44mm P. When you play a Höfner it lacks sustain, so you have to keep on playing to make sound. I guess that's a part of how Macca developed his style. And of course the Höfner is tiny, light and small, so you really can play all those fast licks. I guess you can't get this feeling from a 34" modeling bass.

[Barklessdog]

As I have gotten older, with Rheumatoid Arthritis in my shoulders, hands and back, the long scale TBs have become painful to play. The long reach for the first fret kills me after about an hour. The short scale TB takes away that problem. Also the short scale causes very little pain in my fingers. The flat black feels great in my hands, and the pickup locations work good, it sits in my band's mix perfectly and sounds great. I may be the only one that likes it, but I really like it.

That is a similar issue for Watt.