one off LP

[ramone57]

I like it but not quite as much as a production Triumph

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Gibson-Les-Paul-Bass-FRETLESS-unique-rare-one-of-a-kind/301068354146?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D11%26meid%3D4139125065440668953%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D330582424573%26#ht_1040wt_922

[Dave W]

Interesting. Not a genuine Gibson, though.

[Basvarken]

I've seen it before.

To me it looks like it's modified. Although the seller says it's not, it just does not make sense that Gibson would have ever built this bass.
Were BadAss bridges even available in 1971? I don't think they were.

The naked fretboard doesn't like like Gibson did it too.
The headstock has bindings. The body has bindings. Why doesn't the fretboard have any?
It would have made much more sense if they had put binding round the fretboard like they did with all Triumh bass guitars.

The wooden pickguard doesn't make sense to me either. Why would they use this instead of the regular laminated plastic?
Why isn't there any typography on it? Why different (non Gibson) knobs?

Di Marzio Model ones were they available in 1971? Dunno.

This is an employee build at best.
But more likely the result of some over-enthousiastic handyman.

Maybe he put a veneer over the top to cover up the holes? When I look at the sides of the control cavity in this pic I think I see the line of the veneer. On the right where the plate meets the top of the body it is clearly visible

[uwe]

No way that thing is from a Gibson factory.

[lowend1]

Those aren't Model Ones. The size / proportion is all wrong, and they don't have mounting screws in each corner. The M1 also doesn't have ears. At best they are Model Gs that have been painted.

[gweimer]

From the listing description:
"I've owned this bass since the late 80's, and the story I got when I bought it was that it was built by a Gibson factory employee as a personal, custom instrument."

[Granny Gremlin]

Def not factory - the control plate does not have the usual metal foil on the back (component side) that Gibson always used - this acts as partial shielding and a ground plate.  This might be a noisy bitch; stay away... also it's bloody yucky looking - especially the plate (wood grain on different wood grain has got to be a fashion no-no, like wearing leopard print pants with a zebra tee, or navy with black); damn shame - looks like it used to be a real (even if not fully completed) Triumph at some point - body construction with that sandwiched layer, correct (and not too common) 2-tone binding on the body, the headstock overlay and what could be stock/original tuners, add up to that much in the balance of probability.

From the listing description:
"I've owned this bass since the late 80's, and the story I got when I bought it was that it was built by a Gibson factory employee as a personal, custom instrument."

Could be; but still not a production Gibson.  I'd be inclined to believe that due to the pups being (vertically) shorter than Triumph pups and there's no sign of backfilling in that clear finish.  Note however that there's no binding or block inlays on the fretless board.

[ramone57]

I've seen it before...

I couldn't remember if it was discussed earlier although the bit about the pickups seemed familiar

[gweimer]

So I'm speculating a Gibson employee took some scraps and made himself something on company time, and eventually cashed in on it.

[Grog]

I just read this earlier today on the Gibson Forum...............

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/89439-idinfo-help-on-my-70s-les-paul-bass/

[Highlander]

I was thinking along the same lines as Gary...

Pups just look plain wrong...

[doombass]

My thoughts on this one are the same as Gary's and Kenny´s. Also, if this is an emplyee build he/she did clearly not intend to make nowhere near as original as possible. Why bother to put a binding on fretless board? That's not even a common thing to do anyway.

[66Atlas]

I thought Badass came out in the mid 70s. Pickups kind of look like Schaller humbuckers to me. The cap on the neck heal seems kind of strange...if it really was an employee build why not have Gibson knobs, pots etc.  Didn't Gibson sell off a bunch of leftover parts when they shuttered the Kalamazoo plant? Would make me wonder if someone bought up the body and then finished off with other parts especially since some of the bits seem more early 80s...

[doombass]

The neck heel (ebony?) extension would possibly strengthen Rob's top veneer theory. If a veneer was added to cover up holes, the neck would sit higher leaving a body edge on the back by the joint, then you'd need that extra piece for the heel to be lined flat to the body's rear surface.

[Dave W]

It's not a Gibson bass. A bass made with some Gibson parts isn't a Gibson even if it was made by an employee -- which I doubt it was.

Leo Quan (Badass) was founded in 1975. Dimarzio was founded in 1972 but the Model G wasn't around that early.