neepheid

Reminds me of the back of a Gibson RD Artist - in appearance only - pretty much all circuit board under there and it still ends up weighing as much as the Moon...

Totally agree that lining with copper foil is a great move - my G&L Tribute LB-100 buzzed like an angry hive of bees in our rehearsal space until I lined the control cavity. An inexpensive improvement and a therapeutic half hour spent fettling your bass. Not only needed on less expensive basses - I needed to do my USA G&L L-1000 and that wasn't quite as therapeutic as I kinda grudged having to do it on a bass that cost around 4 times as much as the Tribute, grr!

Modular 2x1x10" setup here. When I had my Ashdown ABM 4x10" I would have been more inclined to agree with you. Not the heaviest can ever made but an absolute boat anchor compared to what I have now.

It's not a good time just now. I remember when you got around $2 for £1. Bargains were definitely on the cards, even with VAT and duty on top. Nowadays, not so much.

You always have to pay the VAT when you import goods. It's the import duty which only kicks in for goods above a value which I forget. Also, the VAT is calculated on the item value AND the postage combined.

Thanks to my Dad's vinyl/tape collection, Genesis was among the first music I discovered - he had Nursery Cryme on vinyl and a tape of Selling England by the Pound (in a very distintive khaki green cassette casing!). The first post PG track I remember hearing is "That's All" - I vaguely recall it was on a freebie compilation tape that I had to eat a lot of something to get tokens to send away for and receive in the post - isn't that something which has died the death these days? Do you still get toys in breakfast cereals? Oh no, my brain's nostalgia centre has just gone into overdrive!

With that reverse P pickup I think it would have given the Triad more competition than the Mercalli and leave me with a tougher decision (ha) to make.

I did, the overall feel was very similar (not really a surprise considering its the same neck and same body shape) but I wasn't blown away by the sound - seemed a bit tamer and even/smoother than the Triad. Not awful by any means but the Triad's tone was more appealing to me. Also it's hard to describe but the pickups on the Mercalli are encased much like most pickups but the Triad's pickups are uncovered. Therefore you can feel the edge of the top bobbin and I really liked how that felt when resting my thumb on the pickup - a very distinct and positive feeling which made my thumb feel really "homed". Hard to describe as I said - I really liked how playing the Triad felt on a tactile level. I would have liked to try the Decision P too but some inconsiderate so-and-so bought it a couple of days before I went down the road

5 way switch, standard strat style options - N, N+M, M, M+B, B While I'm sure that'll keep me busy for a while, already eyeing up the Freeway 10 way switch to open up possibilities like all 3 pickups together, pairs in series, bridge and neck etc.

I've always had a soft spot for 3 pickup basses, despite my oft-stated loathing of bridge pickups. I just think they look so damn cool. This is my third (how appropriate) - previously had a Gibson G-3 and a Danelectro Hodad. I don't count the two Gibson Grabber 3 70s Tributes I briefly owned as they were both defective and were returned. It's my thread, so I make up the rules! I was in Glasgow last week and as a poor deprived Aberdeen boy I could not be in Glasgow and not visit the guitar shops. First off, pleased to report that Guitar Guitar has reinstated their "bassment" and basses are now back downstairs and they have a lot more stock out on display. However, I also went into Merchant City Music and saw this: Oh dear, that's bloody nice, I thought to myself. So I had a try of it and I think I may have found a bridge pickup I actually like the sound of. Long story short, thanks to a very lovely, generous wife I now own this bass. So far only played it through headphones/Yamaha Sessioncake but it sounds good to me. The differences between the switch positions are subtle but noticeable. Will take it to a band rehearsal next week for a proper blast (where the pickup selections may have more effect). Digging the Reverend style - the modern retroness of it all. Plus I'm a sucker for block inlays. Everything is well put together - hardware is excellent (chunky bridge with choice of stringing through body or top load, Hipshot tuners), neck is good with no sharp fret ends - it feels like I got a lot of bass for the money.

Damn you, I'll be walking in circles now

Point 1: Not at all - the abstinence thing came up quite naturally in conversation a while back (probably about cost of living). No puppy dog eyes were deployed! Point 2:

I need an adjudication. I have acquired a bass. My wife bought me it while we were on holiday - she was aware of my participation in this thread and offered to buy me a bass if I found one I liked. Am I still in? I think I'm out because it was not a 100% surprise and I had a say in what the bass was. It was 100% lovely of her to do that though! I await your decision...

My 2017 20th Anniversary JC Sig was made in China. I don't know when JC production moved to China.

Two problems I can see with that (apart from the beginning premise being flawed - as Gibson clearly have little to no interest in selling basses): 1) Gibson hasn't cared about what bass players want for years. 2) "make faithful reproductions", riiiiight. Serious changes would need to happen at Gibson for any of your proposal to become a reality. Even a change of management doesn't seem to have changed their desire to transform into a "lifestyle brand" - selling overpriced Les Pauls to hang on rich people's walls as trophies rather than giving a hoot about the musical quality of their products. I still love their old stuff, and I do wish for a return to those days, but they've been dormant to me for a few years now when it comes to current output. The last thing they did which got my attention was the 2013 EB (stupid name).

Except Jack Casady... ok, it's Epiphone, not Gibson, but as Epiphone are owned by Gibson I thought I'd throw it in there. "No ringers" - JC makes the point in several interviews that he takes instruments straight from the factory, the same basses you and I can buy, straight out on the road. Maybe that's a small part of the reason why the Jack Casady Signature bass has lasted all this time - 25 years and counting - the authenticity, the backing of the instrument by the signatory artist and his involvement in the development. I'd like to think that he does the whole secret shopper thing on the factory to keep them on their toes - any bass they work on could end up being Jack's. I know I'd do that Is Gibson going to be making this Rex Brown signature next year? I doubt it. Are Gibson going to be making any basses next year? Who knows? Maybe they'll have a fallow year, or maybe they'll go bonkers and issue some weird and (maybe/hopefully) wonderful stuff.

I find some of the responses in this thread a bit depressing (not to mention predictable). One transaction has gone wrong (admittedly, in spectacular fashion) and it's being sorted out within hours. Nothing to see here, if anything I find it highly reassuring that the retailer is on the case so quickly and it looks like a mutually agreeable solution is forming, if it has not already taken shape. As a serial moron/someone who orders instruments online at distance, I find it absolutely normal. I bought a bass once from G4M - the fingerboard was coming away from the rest of the neck at the nut. Back it went, got a refund, no dramas. I had two goes to try to order a Gibson Grabber 3 70s Tribute bass a few years back but both had issues which I found unacceptable, so back they went too. So drama free, I can't even remember which retailer it was. Even if I did decide it wasn't for me and sent it back via distance selling regs, all I'm out is the postage - and that's cheaper than a visit to the nearest retailers with decent selection (Glasgow). I get to try it with my own amp, in my own environment - hell, I could even take it to a band rehearsal and try it there before deciding - can't do that in a shop. I know I'm not going to change anyone's minds here who are dyed in the wool, "must buy in person" types, but I just wanted to present an alternative point of view because at the moment, it's all looking a bit doom and gloom. You will not be cast into the fires of hell for buying a bass online without trying it first. I've done it many times, and I'm not even smouldering yet.

It depends how lazy I'm feeling. Super lazy - Jack Casady unplugged Less lazy - whatever bass is nearest into Yamaha Sessioncake/laptop or phone/headphones

Bloody hell, Gibson. The current malaise era continues. I'll always have a soft spot for you and your successful products of yore, but right now you've never been more difficult to love.

Appreciate that space might be tight in there, but wouldn't some kind of flush switch like a slide switch or a latching push switch have made more sense in a portabie device? EDIT: obviously that question's aimed at TC, not the OP

Body shape seems eerily close to an early Epiphone Newport (pre batwing). https://www.flyguitars.com/epiphone/bass/1962EpiphoneNewportDeluxe.php

A series/parallel would most likely have a significant effect on the volume (unless there's a compensating resistor in there somewhere) and the tone. Because you describe the changes as minimal, it is far more likely to be parallel/single. Also the product blurb from Gibson for this product refer to "coil tap". I know they're not exactly the most reliable, but it can't be a series/parallel if it's a coil tap/split.

/me frantically clicking on "See less" in the hope that the effect stacks with repeated invocation.

I couldn't find anything specific for this bass, but it's pretty simple - 1 pickup, coil split on the push/pull for single coil operation, single passive tone. One of Seymour Duncan's collection of general wiring diagrams might show that or at least give you some idea of what's in there?

Neck pickup looks like a DiMarzio, either a Model One or Will Power (but they seem to have stopped listing that one on their website)