Approaching 110 ... (Or why 2011 was a good and busy year!)

[ilan]

Very impressive.

This incredible and historically important kollekshun should be documented in a book.

[Basvarken]

what a great idea   

[Grog]

I agree, very impressive!! You're one of the few people that make me, (with my 30 Gibsons), feel somewhat normal! I'm hardly compusive at all....... 

[ilan]

Rob - does the grinning emoticon mean that a book is already in progress?

[Basvarken]

A year ago I spent an entire weekend in Frankfurt to shoot the entire collection. It is not going to be called the Uwe Hornung collection (although is is exactly that). The Gibson Bass Book is 95% done. The only problem is the interview parts. I just can't seem to get in touch with the famous Gibson bass players (such as Jack Bruce, Adam Clayton, Nikki Sixx). Several people have offered their help and none of them has been successful so far. Quite frustrating...

[ilan]

IMHO the importance of celebrity interviews in books such as this is greatly exaggerated. The real stars are the basses. Nikki Sixx? really? give me an interview with Uwe Hornung instead. Or some Gibson factory workers from different periods.

[Droombolus]

Nikki Sixx? really?

The store of the ( then ) Dutch Gibson importers had a Thunderbird with a Nikki Sixx autograph collecting dust for at least 3 years in the mid 90s ...... It never failed to put a big fat grin on my face every time I walked past it ......

[uwe]

Irrespective of what you think of Mötley Crüe and Nikki Sixx (I much prefer the music of Sixx AM whose last CD was excellent)

#



the man was pivotal for the still most iconic Gibson bass - the TBird - being reintroduced in 1987 and staying in the catalogue that long. It is now 25 years, no other bass model of Gibson comes even close in achieving that time line in uninterrupted sequence. George once observed that and I believe he's right. No Nikki Sixx, no modern TBird. He is to the TBird what Slash is to the Les Paul.

That said, most celebrity bass players are not so terribly helpful in elucidating why they play a particular model. In most cases it is just sticking to what they know and have grown to like. Marcus Miller on a Rickenbacker would still be Marcus Miller, but he shuns the change and the period of getting used to the new instrument. There are relatively few bass players that go through instruments like, say, Joe Perry does at an Aerosmith gig, i.e. twenty songs, twenty different guitars, ten different brands. Hell, I would if there was someone at the side of the stage to hand them to me!!!   Last night at the rehearsal I thoroughly enjoyed switching between an Ibanez ATK, the Roger Waters signature MIM P Bass, the three pup TB prototype and another TB from the early Custom Shop run in 1987 (whose pups are significantly weaker than of any later TB I've played). Findings: The ATK and the Waters' Pee are axes that gnaw their way through everything taking no prisoners to get heard, the TBirds are more musical and sit more in the band sound - audibly, but not clamoring for attention. Did I hear anybody say "a more adult sound"? 

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

A year ago I spent an entire weekend in Frankfurt to shoot the entire collection. It is not going to be called the Uwe Hornung collection (although is is exactly that). The Gibson Bass Book is 95% done. The only problem is the interview parts. I just can't seem to get in touch with the famous Gibson bass players (such as Jack Bruce, Adam Clayton, Nikki Sixx). Several people have offered their help and none of them has been successful so far. Quite frustrating...

Certainly everyone Jules & other interviewed are more than happy to give interviews. Bruce would be a jewel of an interview.

[Basvarken]

Of course I've asked Jules to help me out. But he's been too busy...

[FrankieTbird]

Certainly everyone Jules & other interviewed are more than happy to give interviews. Bruce would be a jewel of an interview.

Gotta have Overend in there too.

[FrankieTbird]

The store of the ( then ) Dutch Gibson importers had a Thunderbird with a Nikki Sixx autograph collecting dust for at least 3 years in the mid 90s ...... It never failed to put a big fat grin on my face every time I walked past it ......

I remember a Thunderbird that was hanging behind the counter at GC at one time.  I asked the salesman the price and he replied with $1800.  I said, "Why so much?!?", to which he replied with, "Well, it's signed by Nikki Sixx."  I then told him, "I'll give you $800 if you take the autograph off."  All I got in response was a confused look. 


I seem to remember Nikki mainly using BC Rich Warlocks in Motley Crue's heyday. 

[Nocturnal]

I seem to remember Nikki mainly using BC Rich Warlocks in Motley Crue's heyday.

He used a white TBird in the bands early days. Around the that 'Shout' came out, he was using BC Rich and then Hamer. He has used a lot of brands, but has been using Gibson Birds for quite some time now.

There is a seller on Ebay right now trying to sell a standard sunburst Gibson Bird with a pickguard signed by Nikki. He only wants $3500 for it  The bass is only worth 1000 to 1500 at best, regardless of who has signed it.

[gearHed289]

Sixx AM is much much cooler than Crue, but that's just my personal opinion. 

Gibson book - Awesome!

[uwe]

The Crüe are by design - just like AC/DC - a limited concept. When they did try something different - that underrated grungy album after Neil's banishment from the fold -, the public would not have it. It is not much that they do, but they do that bit well. On stage I find that Tommy Lee is the only one of them with any type of star quality. Nikki just looks cool and Mars' scarescrow depiction is a sight to behold. Let's not even talk about Vince Neil, he embodies the inability to progress, both as a musician/singer and as an adult (if he ever reached that stage).