Quite breaking news - Gibson Bass Line Up 2016

[Dave W]

Judging by the Thunderbird Club thread on TB, online GC offerings of used, and Ebay listings I'd guess at least 25 to one.  Probably quite a bit more.

That wouldn't surprise me. Price differential is greater, Epis use mystery wood, Epis have cheap electronics that are often replaced. Juniors and Specials used genuine mahogany and the same quality electronics. That's why you rarely see them without the original pickups and why they bring so much today. Unless we have hyperinflation, I highly doubt that you'll see all-original $299 Epis selling for $5-6K 50 years from now. Now that I think about it, Carlo, you and I have a better chance of making it another 50 years than Epi Birds rising in value like Juniors and Specials have.

[dadagoboi]

That wouldn't surprise me. Price differential is greater, Epis use mystery wood, Epis have cheap electronics that are often replaced. Juniors and Specials used genuine mahogany and the same quality electronics. That's why you rarely see them without the original pickups and why they bring so much today. Unless we have hyperinflation, I highly doubt that you'll see all-original $299 Epis selling for $5-6K 50 years from now. Now that I think about it, Carlo, you and I have a better chance of making it another 50 years than Epi Birds rising in value like Juniors and Specials have.

I agree, Dave.  Those are some sweet instruments.

Far Left Carlo says, "$5-6K might buy you a cup of coffee in 50 years."

[mc2NY]

Hmmmm....let's see.

Gibson has dropped basses for 2016.

Fender f***ed Hamer when it bought Kaman and then sold off the pieces, so no more Hamer Basses.

Gretsch makes their basses in Asia...even their most expensive White Falcon.

FMIC (Fender) is over-extended and struggling financially.

Guitar Center's financial backers are trying to take control aftet the chain has been reduced to junk bond status. If theyngo under, they will take a few more bass brands down with them.

My theory.....it is Meaghan Trainor's fault for singing "It's All About That Bass" and then hemmoraging her vocal cords and having to cancel her tour. Absolutely destroyed That Bass market.

[Hörnisse]

I saw this 2015 Thunderbird today at my local GC.  Nearly $2600 and check out the new pickup pole alignment..........

[Dave W]

Fender f***ed Hamer when it bought Kaman and then sold off the pieces, so no more Hamer Basses.

Gretsch makes their basses in Asia...even their most expensive White Falcon.

Jon, I know you're sore about Hamer being discontinued, but Kaman begged Fender to take the music division off their hands, since it had become a big money loser. At the time, Fender wanted that Connecticut factory to make Guilds. If Ovation and Hamer had sold well enough, Fender would have kept them.

IMHO the top line MIJ Gretsch guitars are much better and much more consistent than when they were US-made.

[Dave W]

I agree, Dave.  Those are some sweet instruments.

Far Left Carlo says, "$5-6K might buy you a cup of coffee in 50 years."

Isn't coffee already that high in Zimbabwe?

If it ever gets that expensive here, I'm sure whichever member of the Clinton or Bush royal families is in office will do something about it. 

[drbassman]

Jon, I know you're sore about Hamer being discontinued, but Kaman begged Fender to take the music division off their hands, since it had become a big money loser. At the time, Fender wanted that Connecticut factory to make Guilds. If Ovation and Hamer had sold well enough, Fender would have kept them.

IMHO the top line MIJ Gretsch guitars are much better and much more consistent than when they were US-made.

Dave's right.  The MIJ gretsches are flawless instruments.  I love my TJ and BK.  excellent workmanship, sound and playability.

[Pilgrim]

Dave's right.  The MIJ gretsches are flawless instruments.  I love my TJ and BK.  excellent workmanship, sound and playability.

My Thunderjet has the best fit and finish of any instrument I have seen.  Flawless.  And the Electromatic 5123 is essentially the same.

[uwe]

Gibson has had years before where they did not bring out a new bass model, so what is so special about 2016? The last few years they were certainly busy with limited reruns and newish models.

BTW, what will happen to the 2015 V-5 (or -4) bass? Was there ever a single one delivered or did that meet the fate of the Continental and the Tobias Custom Shop Growler? Nobody seems to list the 2015 V Bass anymore. Or if they do with the helpful: "this item is no longer available". As if it ever was. 

Someone in Nashville hates me. Most likely Henry J himself. All for a little border skirmish some 76 years ago.

[Pilgrim]

You mean the lederhosen you sent him didn't mend fences?   

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Gibson may be able to leverage 2-3k per instrument out of Les Paul's legacy once they get their heads back on straight, but that's a custom shop price for a bass, and for that much money, the basses they have turned out recently don't even begin to justify that kind of investment. The 2015 Thunderbird I tried, tonal irregularities of the EB pickups aside, was a trash instrument with uneven, misshapen body wings of varying thickness, flaking finish and terrible neckdive, even for a T-Bird, and the retail price for that: $2600. With almost any other manufacturer, that price point is for a premium instrument.

Gibson may be able to put that pricetag on a Les Paul guitar and sell thousands regardless of quality issues so long as they don't do something stupid like make robo-tuners mandatory or alter the iconic headstock signature, which of course, they did. Bassists needs basses that can be played without falling apart and if I'm plunking down what amounts to a decent used car, I want a quality instrument that is completely different from the ocean of Fender clones out there. Gibson has a huge innovative history to draw from, but they have consistently demonstrated that the bottom line trumps ALL other considerations, a penny-wise/pound foolish notion for a brand trying to position itself as a "lifestyle" refined above other makes. Harley Davidson can sell non-working Harleys to middle aged doctors and professionals with too much disposable income, but basses are rarely bought as wall decoration; they have to work as basses and Gibson's current offerings don't. Their own Memphis instruments showcase that people WILL pay for quality, but Henry can't seem to bring that same mindset east.

[Dave W]

Gibson has had years before where they did not bring out a new bass model, so what is so special about 2016? The last few years they were certainly busy with limited reruns and newish models.

BTW, what will happen to the 2015 V-5 (or -4) bass? Was there ever a single one delivered or did that meet the fate of the Continental and the Tobias Custom Shop Growler? Nobody seems to list the 2015 V Bass anymore. Or if they do with the helpful: "this item is no longer available". As if it ever was. 

Someone in Nashville hates me. Most likely Henry J himself. All for a little border skirmish some 76 years ago.

I can check with our source again, but I have no reason to think anything has changed, i.e. it won't go into production.

The scuttlebutt seems to be that Gibson has learned its lesson and will be going back to more traditional guitar lines in 2016. Not every model, though. This is based on a letter from the company to a large independent dealer -- I don't know which one -- and inside info from a former employee who still has contacts inside the company. If things go well in 2016, I expect that bass models will return.

[Highlander]

Presume like most, clear the old stock off the shelves first...

Just a thought... did anyone ever conclusively figure out why the bass was called the "V" anyway...? after all, it's just gone "V" J day +70...

[uwe]

"V" is generally regarded as a technical term of a certain distinction ...





But then there was also V-Day of course because, luckily, the two Vs above did initially not really change the course of history (just bring the US to the moon a couple of years later)!



Those two from the iconic LIFE Magazine "end of war" pic, here they are, married (but not to each other). They had not met before and never met again after that impromptu kiss - until a couple of years ago. Kinda cute.

[uwe]

"Harley Davidson can sell non-working Harleys to middle aged doctors and professionals with too much disposable income ...".

A (needless to say: middle-aged and professional  ) friend of mine owns two new ones (one in each country, he's an expat in Saudi-Arabia where non-rainy motorcycle cruise days are plentyful I am always told!) and has owned other models before, he says quality issues with Harley-Davidson are a thing of the past. Of course it's not really a state-of-the-art "most modern" motorcycle, but the targeted middle-agers don't want that in any case.

I don't believe that it is a mistake for Gibson to bring out brave capability statements like the Firebird X once in a while, as with a prototype or study car some things will inevitably rub off into practice/the regular line, the mistake is to give up the traditional stuff in favor of it.

If they offered a bass with automatic tuners as an extra option, I'd buy one just to see what it is like in practice.