The Grabber, the Ripper and the G3 are the best Gibson basses. Gibson really needs to put out proper reissues of these basses.

@DavidRavenMoon

2 жыл бұрын

Designed by the late, great Bill Lawrence. Any new design Gibson does is lame. And yes, do a proper reissue. Not a Ripper with P/J pickups.

@ciggy_

2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if the reason they don’t is something stupid like “it doesn’t fit in with our 50s and 60s product lines” that would be a pretty Gibson thing to do …

@edbrito-swdev

2 жыл бұрын

All the hollow bodies are also pretty cool.

@lenablack4264

2 жыл бұрын

YAS

@DavidRavenMoon

2 жыл бұрын

@@ciggy_ Well what about the Firebird X and other abominations? The current people running Gibson (including Henry and the last batch) are clueless. Also anytime they change something to modernize a Les Paul or something, the wankers that like to pretend they have a vintage guitar while posing in the mirror complain! So that’s ironic that when it comes to basses they are changing things Willy Nilly.

I can feel the neck diving just watching this.

@Grumphuttock

2 жыл бұрын

The main reason I sold my SG bass after 2 days

@westkossuth

Жыл бұрын

As a Thunderbird player, this struggle is real

@jasondorsey7110

Жыл бұрын

@@Grumphuttock my 2014 sg bass doesn't have neck dive, and I've heard alot of conflicting experiences from others, apparently you have to try before you buy

@wingsofvirtue2156

Жыл бұрын

The sg is a short scale so it's not even that bad

@jarrenvrekk8758

4 ай бұрын

I find straps make a huge difference. I own an epiphone thunderbird pro, a dingwall D-roc, a gretsch 2220, and a fender meteora, and on the same strap, the meteora is by far the worst of the bunch for neck dive

Got my SG bass about 5 or 6 years ago and that neck pickup with the tone just rolled off a bit has become my home. Got a Ric and several Fenders but that Gibson is just my go-to 90% of the time.

Sounded great! Love that you’re showing all tonal options with fingers and pick.

I've always wanted an EB Bass, but even the Epiphone ones are very expensive here in Brazil, so me and my dad just converted a cheap SG copy guitar into a bass hahaha

@notapplicable328

8 ай бұрын

What did u do to convert it to bass? Did u lengthen the scale length?

@kix5284

3 ай бұрын

Keep it always you'll thank me later

nice interviewers. guy on the right has great enthusuam and guy on the left more laidback with great analyitical sense. great demonstration

Funnily enough back in the day when Fender was using nitro people cared way more about keeping their instruments pristine. Fender switched to rosewood boards because people didn't like how the maple started looking dirty over time. Now that everyone wants a worn looking instrument Fender uses the most invincible impenetrable finish ever lol.

@nagynorbie

2 жыл бұрын

Or if they somehow manage to make an instrument with nitro finish, it's almost always roadworn. Like come on, the best thing about nitro is that it wears over time and you can leave your own personal mark, by actually playing the instrument, not by some random person scratching it with a rod.

@pCeLobster

2 жыл бұрын

@@nagynorbie The funniest thing about paying so much for a relic'd guitar is how quickly a nitro finish ages naturally. I have a 2020 Les Paul and it's already on its way. It's not like it takes a lifetime.

I have an old bass from the 70s that some previous owner put one of those old EB-0 pickups in. It sounds deep like the Marianas Trench. I am sure it is still the best pickup in any bass I have owned.

@maliwilliams7262

Жыл бұрын

Clean Your EARS!

Glad these guys are still about! Hadn’t seen them in a while

Great video, thanks! My first bass was Gibson Thunderbird, bought it just for the looks, suffered some three years its horrible neck dive, been since happy and injury free JB player.

I play short scale bass because I'm 68 years old and have nasty arthritis in my finger joints. Can no longer make the reach required on a full scale instrument.

Yes ! Love my "Reverse Thunderbird " . And YEs , The Nitro will surprise you and how comfortable it is . "I like to do that" .

I dig the Lee & Nathan BASS shows! Keep on pluckin' guys. Great shows.

I love the bass duets these guys play.

Martin Turner, the lead singer and bassist for Wishbone Ash used a thunderbird.

great Video thanks for your Infos.

Awesome as always 👏

I do like a Thunderbird bass and I find the EB3 interesting but those 3 point bridges are terrible. They limit adjustment in terms of intonation and string heights which I believe was shown in the demo when it seemed like Nathan's intonation went out of whack as soon as he reached for the upper frets.

@SNTOSN

2 жыл бұрын

There are replacement bridges that fix that problem and keep the aesthetics.

@DanielYance

Жыл бұрын

replace the Bridge with a Hipshot supertone bridge and issue resolved

@JPG747

Жыл бұрын

Never had an issue with the 3 point bridge on my SG bass, they just need to be set up correctly, the nose up slightly, tuning and intonation spot on. Great bass, love the short scale playability and low end growl.

I had an explorer bass back in the day and it sounded pretty nice.

I have that exact non reverse Thunderbird. I play it as much as I do my PBass. It sounds amazing. The issue is the horn location on the 17th fret vs the 12th fret like the Fenders. It makes a hard reach to the first 3 frets. I think this is why people say it has "neck dive". ! I never thought that was an issue, it just has a long reach. That took me a while to get used to. Once you get used to it, you will play it completely differently than your Fender, which is why iy is such an important instrument. I also have a 73 rick. I use this and my Pbass way more.

Jimmy Lea used Gibson SG to great effect. Phil Way rocked the Thunderbird.

@TheHiwattScott

Жыл бұрын

Jim Lea! One of my favorite bassists.

@karenradcliffe9139

4 ай бұрын

It was the EB3 5hat he used - also Andy Fraser and Jack Bruce.

That intro was F'ING brilliant!

Been a great morning for bass. Thanks

I traded one of my Ric 4003's for that exact Thunderbird. Added a stereo jack so I could run my dual amp setup with the neck pup to my preamp/pedal board and the bridge pup to a darkglass head like the Ric-o-sound. Loving it so far!

@naturaljoe7397

Жыл бұрын

Do you regret it yet

@Thejeditusken2

8 ай бұрын

Ironically, I traded my Thunderbird for a Ric 4003S

Gotta mention Pete Way from UFO as one of the T-bird guys. The madman.

man, that rendition of Sweet Child O'Mine was absolutelly killer!!

One thing. With a Short scale you get a looser string tension. And thats a big thing when it comes to tone

I believe that Billy Sheehan put the EB-0 pickup in the wife is because he loved the tone that Paul Samwell Smith got.

Gibson should bring back the EB1. The only big name bass guitarist was Jack Bruce and to a lesser extent, Felix Pappalardi.

Reverse is neck through construction and non reverse is set neck, so it’s more than the orientation of the bouts as differences. Same deal as firebirds.

The issue I have with Gibson is that everyone else does what Gibson does, and usually at a better price point and better QC

I love that you do a shoutout to Gibson bassesn. But.... the neck pickup of the SG is almost the same as a Tbird humbucker in a bigger casing. The NonRev has a set neck, the Rev has a neck through.

Hay guys... sorry to bother with an off topic question but... I just bought a cheap beginner's bass recommended by on line experts. I wanted to know if I shoul "loosen" the strings when I'm not using it, as to release the pressure from the neck and avoir warping... ? Being that is not a hig quality instrument... I love those axes your playin there! Mucky men! Thanks.

Started in 1983 with a secondhand Jazzbass , and bought a new one around 1998 . In 2011 I bought a brandnew SG reïsue in HC .......YESSSSS ! I mean , fast playing neck , no dead spots , deep down low basses from that mudbucker . And offcourse that handmade look.... Should have bought it back in 1983 rightaway !

Great show fellas. I think they're better then a fender bass. Way more punchy. The neck element sounds awesome. Would love to hear them with flats. Thx fellas.

Can’t believe you didn’t mention Jimmy Lea from Slade who used EB3’s until he went with John Birch

The pickups in the current SG basses are rubbish. They also aren’t like the vintage pickups. Those were quirky, but if you’re going to do a reissue don’t stick a humbucker under the cover of a fake mudbucker. Those pole pieces are for show. And that mini humbucker is useless. They could have easily wound a sidewinder with a clearer tone. I rewind the Epiphone mudbuckers all the time. Those are also dreadful because they used heavy gauge wire to make them low impedance but then didn’t include a transformer. In general Gibson makes awful bass pickups. They can’t even get the Thunderbirds right.

Years ago a friend of mine had a 67 or 69 Gibson e b o. I guess it's a short scale all I know is I could fly on that bass like no other

Years ago i sold my Gibson shorty for buy my first Fender P-Bass. The best idea i've ever had 😂

The gibson EB series was used on countless recordings, especially from Britain. They record as well as a P bass but tonally different.

Wow!!! this Gibson based sounds really great. Im surprised 😮❤❤

Out of tune in the beginning, but aside that, great jam as always! These guys deliver

Mike Watt - Minutemen/fIREHOSE/Missingmen (w Nels Cline) and Mike's solo stuff. also toured with The Stooges and Jane's Addiction uses Thunderbird and EB basses often. i really like the short scale EB's.

@adamwalcott_official

Жыл бұрын

Mike Watt used to play a late'60s non-reverse Thunderbird that had a single pickup. It was so sick! Had THE best Gibson sound I've ever heard from a bass. The first time I saw him play live, I was a freshman in high school ('96, I think). He played that bass, and it was probably the loudest and greatest thing I'd ever heard up until that point. I'm 99% certain he recorded "Contemplating the Engine Room" with that bass if anyone wants to hear it. Edit: Nels cline was at that show and kicked so much ass.

I like Gibson basses, especially for rock music. Les Paul Jr. bass is a nice little short scale, sounds good. I'd rather have that than a Mustang, Gibson is a good alternative to Fender. I bought a Warwick, replaced electronics. It just seemed to be made so well, played easily for me even compared to a Fender. I can get a lot of tones out of that bass, but the Fender P still has that sound that none of the other bases have though. I could use a couple more basses.

Those older David Bowie songs we love feature a short scale EB played by Trevor Bolder.

Level 42 , baby!! yeah!!!!! big fans here in L.A. California. Cheers!!

I've always loved the look of the SG and Thunderbird basses but I'd love to see Gibson (or at least Epiphone) so reissues of some of their other basses like the Ripper and Grabber would be really cool to see as well, on a side note some other well-known Thunderbird players alongside Shavo, Entwistle, Nikki Sixx and Justin Chancellor are Krist Novoselic from Nirvana (mostly known for playing Gibson Rippers but he played a Thunderbird at Nirvana's Reading Festival performance in 1992) and Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth (who I always thought was a really underrated player)

The reason the thunderbird are so long is that the bridges are more in the middle of the body compared to a P or J bass which have the bridge at the heel of the body. So the neck is jutting out so far to get the 34 inch scale.

T-BIRD almost had that Rage Against Machine sound..... NIIIIIICE!!!

got a eb5 wine red. and a lpb-2. amber. both gibson.

Arguably, the more defining characteristics of the nitrocellulose lacquered finish are, it is removable and repairable.

Unfortunately, Gibson doesn't see fit to put Sidewinder pickups in the SG bass' neck position...I believe what's under that big cover is actually a T-Bird pickup. I replaced mine with a Curtis Novak EB-0 Mudbucker. That's not a drop-in replacement, or at least it wasn't in my case. The cavity for the neck pickup doesn't need to be big enough for a real Sidewinder, so they didn't make it big enough.

It's at this point the the evening that i'd like to introduce Frankie Poullain on bass AND additional percussion!

@elliotthutton7175

Жыл бұрын

Frankie Poullain out of The Darkness uses Thunderbirds

Entwhistle played something that looked like a thunderbird but it had a fender neck and a fender bridge ! Gibson basses have some great sounds but the bridges are awful and they are just too expensive!

@wbfaulk

2 жыл бұрын

You're thinking of his custom "Explorer-bird", which was actually more Explorer-like, but he also played stock Thunderbirds in the early '70s.

@theattentionwhores2406

Жыл бұрын

@@wbfaulk no I’m not the thunderbirds we’re mostly custom made with fender necks and Gibson pick ups . He didn’t like Gibson necks ! I’ve played a few of his basses , the Alembic Explorer is very very nice and Frankenstein is probably the best precision I’ve ever seen Did a documentary,years ago , went to his house and afterwards I got chatting with him He was a lovely man , deaf as a post ! He had his full stage rig set up in his bar , it was bigger than some pas I’ve played through and very very very VERY loud !

@wbfaulk

Жыл бұрын

@@theattentionwhores2406 So he had Thunderbirds made with Fender necks (were they bolt-on or somehow converted to through-necks?) that then were recarved to have the traditional Thunderbird headshape and Gibson logo, in *addition* to the Explorer-bird, custom made by Peter Cook with a Fender neck that still had the Fender decal and Gibson pickups? If so, you should tell the folks over at WhoTabs. (I can't include anything like a URL or the comment will get deleted.) They have a very extensive photographic archive of all of John's basses and would be very interested in this new information. Or maybe your memory is faulty.

Chris Squire was the bassist in Yes,and played,almost exclusively, Rickenbacker.and also..wasn't John Squire the guitarist with the Stone Roses?

@TheHiwattScott

Жыл бұрын

Chris Squier did actually play a 65-69 Nonreverse Thunderbird. Of course he is most known for his Rickenbacker.

I like the look and the sound but after seeing a couple in pawn shops with way high strings I stopped looking. Small sample but I figured maybe they had a habit of neck bowing.

You know what would be cool is a reverse thunderbird with banjo tuners LOL Do they even make those for bass?

Pete Way from UFO was a big Thunderbird player back in the day…

A couple of years ago there was a short scale Thunderbird bass. I always wanted one. I guess that was also less neck heavy.

I don't know the exact details (help needed) but the current SG bass has different pickups than the original EB3. I believe the Epiphone EB3 pickups are closer to the original.

@DrGregC

2 жыл бұрын

@SleepingAudi Thanks. Exactly the answer I needed. I bought an EB3 in 1970 because I wanted to be Jack Bruce. Is the Epiphone EB3 closer to the original? What do you know about the Epiphone Elitist EB3?

I'm no bassist, but if Gibson would just reissue the sg style EB-6 I would be a happy man

After seeing this I went ahead and bought a Sandberg Florence.

We call it neck drop here in Canada. 🇨🇦

On my 70s EB-3 that fat pickup was called a mud-bucker. Have never heard that name elsewhere.

Does this mean GnR have stopped blocking?! When Zeppelin stopped blocking, I bought an entire recording studio for the old youtube channel, and I unlisted every video I had done up to then. Since then it's been difficult to not ever cover bands ranging from ACDC to Ozzy to GnR because, not to do a Beato, but . . . they're all blockers unfortunately.

@KeeperOfPoops

Жыл бұрын

i doubt it, it usually takes a while for them to take it down.

Either I've had bad luck with Epiphone mudbuckers, or they just totally suck. I've had 2 Epiphone EB0s and an EB1, and every time the pickup was the muddiest mess and the magnets were so strong they would pull the strings into the fretboard for infinite buzzing even with painfully high action. I'm guessing the Gibson ones are better, but the Epiphones are worth their weight in helium.

@matthewjaime1884

6 ай бұрын

I think it’s a matter of taste and how you dial in your amp. I love the “mudbucker” PUs, especially with a bunch of distortion, but I can also get a super clean thump with them. But I use super clean vintage solid state heads dialed in with a lot of lower midrange through 2x15 cabs.

Is the EB3 the inspiration for Mike Watts Reverend Wattplower ?

@edbrito-swdev

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe. Mike Watt started playing EB-3s because long scale basses were hurting his hands (according to an interview he did many years ago). I didn't even know he had a Reverend signature bass.

All I want from Gibson is something that’s different to a Thunderbird or SG, bring back the Gripper, Grabber and the RD

@jasondorsey7110

Жыл бұрын

I like the eb-13, nice blend of vintage styling and modern features, they only made it from '13 to '16

The intro: 🤘🏻

They don’t make bad basses, but at the price they run they have an awful lot of competition, a lot of which are considerably cheaper and more versatile. Sadly it’s a bit of a feedback loop where Gibson just offer bass versions of their guitars & don’t prioritise bass because they don’t sell that many, and they don’t sell that many because they just make bass versions of guitars and don’t put the same attention into them. I do like the look of the non reverse t-bird. Or really a t bird. But ultimately every time I try one I can’t work out why I wouldn’t just get the epiphone t-bird and even then there’s quite a few basses I’m more interested in. I think That lacquer they offer was a great case in point - yes they offer it and with fender you have to buy fender American original or higher to get it… but American original basses are cheaper than that Gibson still. I dunno they have their place, but to my ears they cost too much and aren’t really versatile enough and the demo here kinda confirmed it to me.

@adambomb5000

2 жыл бұрын

These two are cheaper than any of the American originals. Unless in your area the prices are different.

@Bobby-wn5yr

2 жыл бұрын

@@adambomb5000 yeah must be an area thing, also I don’t now if it’s a recommended price thing vs realistic price thing, but yeah double checked my googling and couple hundred bucks cheaper in most searches. Of course custom shop isn’t lol. Although still stand by my general point even if you drop down to the porofessional/ultra level really - I don’t feel I could justify that cost bump. Fortunately there’s Eoiphone though. Of course fender aren’t immune to it. I have a MIM player jag bass and a MIA pro 2 P bass. One is about 2x the price of the other, and yes the electronics are different and one has barely perceptible rolled edges… but in terms of quality I don’t really see a difference between them. Modern manufacturing right? If I were to buy another fender I’d probably get another player or player plus and swap out whatever I didn’t like. Same with the gibsons - If I ever get around to buying a T-bird, it’ll probably be the epiphone - the vintage pro is fantastic.

Buying a Gibson bass is only ok if you already have a fender for main use 😅

The grabber, ripper, and g3 are the only basses gibson ever did that I tried and liked. The other models all have neck dive, and to me sound muddy.

I love the body style of the Thunderbird but I do not like the headstock. The neck is already too long for my tastes, which is why I prefer the SG bass. If Gibson made a short scale Thunderbird with the SG headstock, or even better,the Gibson Grabber arrow shaped headstock... I would fly to the guitar store !!! I can't believe that Gibson never thought to make a short scale Thunderbird with the Grabber arrow shaped headstock?

Pete Way...UFO...Thunderbird bass. Ariel Bender...Mott the Hoople...T bird too.

@bwj8

Ай бұрын

Bender played guitar with Mott The Hoople and others. I think you must be thinking of Pete "Overend" Watts, who did play a Thunderbird.

I had to check the date when I saw the title. Hilarious.

Weirdest intro so far. Nathan and Lee are so awesome, and sorry for any time I forget to say so. Cheers guys.

Gibson Thunderbird - Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash

Check out the Gibson Bass Book sometime. 80 different basses by Gibson. Who'd have thunk?

CHRIS Squire was the bass player with Yes…

Great! A big mush of low end! 😅 The precision bass is the lowest definition I can go personally

Martin Turner, Wishbone Ash! Steely Dan! Thunderbird Yes! Ash!

The neck p/u on the Gibson SG is pure bottom end goodness. I once borrowed a Gibson EB-2 which had the same p/u and it was exactly the sound I like. Real old school--virtually no treble or mids--the sound you hear on old rock 'n' roll and blues.

Bring on the Grabber, Gibson! How hard can it be?

SG

Like 👍 for the Video and the presenters. Not for the Basses….they´re look nice but this bridge…nãhhh I think there are a lot of reasons why Gˋs Basses are not so successful as Fˋs. I have a Epiphone „so to say“ Gibson Allen Woody Bass beside some P Basses..after hours and hours of work and setup… it’s „okayish“ and looks nice and makes fun but the real connection and love is still missing. In my opinion, these bridges interfere with the full tone development / tone growth. There are replacements (full contact not three points) which are really good but around 2-300. But the non-reverse with this color looks sexy as f..k.

Eh... Isn't John Squire that guitarist in Stone Roses? I think you mean Chris Squire!

Had a Thunderbird a few years back and was more sorry to see the beautiful case go than the bass itself. Went back to my P Basses and never looked back.

Think I will stick to my Jazz bass. This demo has some real nice compression running on the basses.

as much about the short scale Beatles Stones Alice Cooper Band

Did Gibson copy Ibanez on the SG Bass ? Ibanez made a Roadstar Bass with a huge pickup and a smaller one as the PJ basses were coming out .

Gibson Thunderbird's are Neck Thru mates.

if those things doesn't slap, why they are any better than good old trusty P-bass?

Andy Fraser, Jack Bruce …

Duff plays Fender.

I am a bit disappointed that you neglected to mention Pete Way when you spoke about Thunderbird basses. This being an english channel makes that even worse.😉

I lasted 22 seconds. Do I win anything? I'd take a lifetime supply of cheese :-)

Overpriced and under terrible qaullty control latley, not sure whats going on now but Gibson is nothing but a elitest name to other players. Nobody in the crowd cares or knows about a Gibson, we live in age where less expensive options out spec Gibsons with better quality control... If your okay with a rolling the dice with Gibson and have to have that name on the headstock, fine go for it. But really you can just slap a Gibson stick on anything and nobody will be any wiser!

@neilmclaughlin2347

2 жыл бұрын

Funny…I’ve bought three Gibson guitars in the last four years (since management changed from Henry J to J.C.) and they are all flawlessly made and sound incredible.

Unpopular opinion: a thunderbird with both pickups, full tone and a pick is the best sounding bass in the world! The weight and neck dive are a pain to deal with but the looks more than make up for it. It's not a proper bass if it's light enough for the guitar player to lift :p

The reverse thunderbird falls to the right like the slash key ... the non-reverse thunderbird falls to the left like the back-slash key. It's all a conspiracy.

What is the most affordable electric guitar tone that actually sounds with only one pedal, one amp and one electric guitar.

@roryturner9773

2 жыл бұрын

Get a Boss katana