neepheid

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1392907468' post='2374026'] Hmm...I keep reading this, but I'd not had my grubby paws on one until last weekend. Perhaps I just happened upon a bad 'un, but I was very disappointed - the fretwork especially I thought was poor, and overall it just felt cheap to me. I didn't bother plugging it in... At that kinda price point, I'd take a Tanglewater any day. [/quote] That is unfortunate. I have had a Tribute L-2000 and an M-2000 and both were/are excellent. What a shame!

It's just more opinion dressed up as fact.

I succumbed. The new 2014 models had finishes I preferred, got rid of the (IMO) gaudy tort pickguard for traditional 5 ply black and moved the jack off the pickguard to the body. Had seen it looking pretty fly in a few YouTube vids and some people getting distinctly "modern" sounds out of one. So I went for a Bullion Gold one (because if I'm going to lurk at the back of the band, I want a shiny bass ). Opened the box, nice case. Opened the case and felt a bit underwhelmed. As you probably already know, Gibson are not filling the grain of these basses, and unfortunately my bit of ash was quite featured. Also the pickguard was a bit poorly cut - about 2mm too big in two directions around the neck pickup, so much so that you can see body gold in the hole. Not sure how this can be achieved in this day and age of CNC manufacture. If I had made that pickguard, I'd have thrown it in the bin and started again. Oh well. Anyway, I had to leave for a band rehearsal in an hour so I had a quick plug into the amp to check it was at least functional. No wiring oopsies, all settings worked, no hums or buzzes, so that's a leap forward from my Grabber 3 70's Tribute experience. Played it at the rehearsal, no time for a setup, just straight out of the case, tune up, go. What a great sound! Bark AND bite? This dog will have postal workers running for their lives. The coil taps make a noticeable difference to the tone, but don't sound weedy. The ergonomics are good, neck is a good inbetweeny profile, and it's satin smooth with no grabby feeling. I had so much fun playing the bass that I forgot all my initial cosmetic doubts. Also, it looks fine from a distance, as this quick phone shot from the rehearsal will show: [url="https://www.facebook.com/TheInevitableTeaspoons/photos/a.735767989769886.1073741828.614595371887149/813105655369452/?type=1&theater"]https://www.facebook...?type=1[/url] Haven't played with the bridge yet, so will reserve judgement on it, but it's not a three pointer so yay for that. Tuners seem to have changed from Grover to Gotoh GB7 - doesn't bother me, they're a known quantity. I'm glad they continued to use small buttons - I think elephant ears would make this bass look like the kid with big ears who everyone took the mick out of at school. Also a direct fit for a Hipshot Xtender if that's your thing. EB vs. Thunderbird? I can't directly comment - the closest thing I have to a T-bird is my IV (mahogany body and neck, ebony board, set neck, TB+ pickups). The EB has a hotter output. The EB is brighter, but without losing any of that mid growl that makes the IV the simplest, drop into any situation bass that I own. The EB has a certain "authority" to it - it has no problem making itself heard. I recorded the session with a Zoom H2N (you can see it sitting on that 4x10 in the background). The EB is being played through the RedSub 1x10 combo you see in the foreground. No trickery apart from normalising and a smidge of compression to even it out a little. Here's a snippet: [media]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/269680868/Boy_snippet.mp3[/media] So all in all, am I happy with the EB? Yes. Despite my initial misgivings about the finish and the pickguard, playing it was such a joy that I forgot all about it. Sending it back because of the pickguard would probably cost more than a sheet of pickguard material and if I'm that bothered about it, I'll make a replacement some day. But I think I'd have to be really bored.

I think it's unwise to destructively mod such a bass. Particularly when you don't have a pickguard to hide the mess that the hole could be. There must be a tamer P pickup you could try rather than routing for a double J. SD SPB-1 maybe? Custom job (as in tell them what you want from the pickup, sound-wise)?

I've only seen one band that I used to be in, once, unintentionally. It was an off-the-cuff thing at a wedding and I wasn't really that fussed for it. Not fussed for going to see them properly either. I'm a bridge burning git, me.

Can only second the G&L Tribute motion.

Fretless Fender Precision == Fender Imprecision?

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1392726694' post='2371965'] Has /is anyone else feeling this way? [/quote] Not I.

Call that bridge yuk? After coke soak:

Why the flippin' 'eck do we need to pay for insurance to cover other people's incompetence/lack of care and attention anyway? Hey, couriers - it's not bloody yours - you break it, you pay for it.

Why do some people around here find it necessary to be absolute Cs to one another based upon their preferences in bass guitars? Honestly, I get sick of it. How did this thread become a R vs S thread? Because people are being absolute Cs to one another. I Fn hate Basschat sometimes, and this is one of these times. Go and play some Fn bass and stop being A-holes.

I can't help you with a fix, but as a workaround: https://www.theratchetshop.com/Mini-Ratchets ?

None. I rotate through a number of basses and play a different one at every gig. Spread the love and the wear 'n' tear

[quote name='Chambo' timestamp='1392248881' post='2366567'] Is it possible to buy hipshot bridge spares anywhere? [/quote] Hipshot themselves?

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1392240451' post='2366446'] Lovely looking bass but that god awful '120th anniversary' 12th fret inlay just puts me off all the 2014 Gibson models! [/quote] I like it Just goes to show, what's right for someone is absolutely hideous to another...

In a purpose built cupboard:

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392219823' post='2366102'] Maybe? I'm sure the Supertone bridge is vastly superior to the Gibson 3-point bridge from a technical aspect, but I can't help but think that (on the Thunderbird in particular) it looks mighty ugly. The two-piece Badbird Bridge looks (to me) a lot better - and IIRC Mike Lull thinks so too. [/quote] You're probably right about the Thunderbird. I think the Supertone suits the RD very well, but that's probably because the RD is bonkers to start with. The trouble is that Gibson have made their bed, have been lying in it since 1973 (apart from a few dalliances - Grabber/G-3, Victory/Explorer, Schaller 3D, and most recently - Babicz) so they're bloody well stubbornly going to lie in it for better or for worse. To my mind, the best bridge ever to grace a Gibson bass was the Schaller 3D derived Wedge bridge on Victories and some Explorers. But that'd probably look ridiculous on a Thunderbird too, the baseplate is quite long.

Something that you don't mind hearing repeatedly?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392217097' post='2366060'] They should go back to the two-piece bridge and tailpiece from the original 60s Thunderbirds. [/quote] Would you pipe down if they let some out with chrome current hardware?

Tascam bass trainer. I have the first MP3 one. There's a posher one now that can do recording and has a start/stop footswitch.

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1392145172' post='2365331'] I wondered if cool replacements might help the tone too, but jury's out on that one. [/quote] I, for one, highly doubt that it would make any difference to the tone whatsoever.

Beaten to it! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/229472-the-toilet-circuit/

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1392107057' post='2364638'] I like the look of the early P bass G&Ls but the others look like they're a Stingray ready to burst out and I've had a couple of MusicMans (men) and didn't like them... [/quote] The G&L L series has very little to do with Stingrays. There is no Stingray ready to burst out because apart from the fact that MFD pickups have very little in common with Stingray pickups other than a vague physical resemblance, there is no active 2 or 3 band EQ circuit. The EQ on an L series is purely passive (cut only). The active modes are a simple preamp line boost, or a rather harsh top end boost. I mostly used my Tribute L-2000 100% passive. Although I did have it modded to give single coil operation. Favourite setting was both (inner) single coils. It would be a shame to dismiss the Tribute L-2000 on the grounds that its pickups look a little like a Stingray's. There's always the G&L Tribute SB-2. PJ MFDs. Thinner neck though.