AndyTravis Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) I really liked the previous model, never played one of these as it was announced around the time I stopped working in a guitar shop and have avoided them like the plague since (guitar shops). Edited January 13, 2019 by AndyTravis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 I have it’s predecessor 2013 , same pus & bridge. Absolute joy to play AND A PLUSH HARD CASE! 6 hours ago, andrea mason said: I have one off these bass guitars and certainly people have overreacted to it considerably, I have found that even in the guitar and bass world people are traditionalist and don't like change! I love this bass, it's light, has a fast neck and lots of tonal parameters + coil tapped pickups, it gives a gentle nod to the past too, like all Gibson bass's it has a heavy bottom end but at the other end of the spectrum can sparkle way better than a fender! it is easy to set up for a low action, the neck is an absolute joy to behold to, the Babicz bridge is a real joy to work with too, full contact with the body ensures true sustain. it balances beautifully on the strap too! something my other Gibson's don't! and boy what a growl this has! the natural wood finish is gorgeous too. I use this bass more than any other I own and I have a few! Fender, Rickenbacker, Hofner and a couple of EB3's, even a Fodera which I think are overpriced and selling, no my Gibson EB4 is the one I pick up whether I'm play rock, Jazz or blues, it sounds great slapping it too, a lot of people who have knocked it have not even tried it, they have looked at it though and dismissed it purely on looks and if I may say, a catastrophic mistake, Gibson in their infinite wisdom have produced a real gem of a bass, a bass that fills every criteria for good sound whether live or in the studio and my only criticism is that it should have been supplied with a hard case, this is after all, a Gibson bass. I have it’s predecessor 2013 same pus bridge and nice light weight. Absolute joy to play and it came with a PLUSH HARD CASE! It is a Gibson after all.🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) I agree completely, mine came with a decent padded gig bag, but a hard case would have been better. But then it sold have been another £100 dearer and I probably wouldn't have bothered. My EB4 is now in the for sale section as I am playing six string bass exclusively at the moment. Edited January 14, 2019 by FinnDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrea mason Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 I have reviewed this bass before but was staggered when I looked into this a little more, I asked Gibson for a part No' for the pickups, since I have one a part No' would be handy in case a PU went off! I was told by Gibson that these were unavailable as a spare part and would have to return it to dealer to have this done! I was naturally a little puzzled by this and wonder why they would not make the PU's available until I delved into it. I think it would be fair to say this bass could be considered as a hybrid, A totally new Tobias bodied bass with some very similar looking PU's in it, on further investigation I have discovered the PU's are from a 2015 Gibson Thunderbird costing £2.5K! no wonder this is a bloody nice sounding bass guitar, but why all the secrecy by gibson? No wonder Gibson said it had eight different tonal sounds! Mine does not have the mini toggles like the Thunderbird though! and if anyone has any more doubts about it see the pics! I quote Gibson, "This sonic versatility is made possible by the dual EB Bass Alnico pickups that feature Gibson's novel "tuned coil tapping" design. These 8 bass tones are selectable via the three-way pickup selector and the two mini toggle switches that sit right below the three control knobs. what we have here is a Thunderbird bass by another name! a bargain at the price with the sound to match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 They used the p.u. on the 2013/4 EB as well and it too has a great range of tones and is very loud for a passive bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 They are definitely a bit of a hidden gem, and much lighter than a Thunderbird as well. Mine is now on sale at Gloucester Soundhouse as I got fed up with time wasters on Reverb. If I hadn't switched to six string for all my current bass duties, I'd have kept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrea mason Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 (edited) On 15/02/2019 at 06:09, FinnDave said: They are definitely a bit of a hidden gem, and much lighter than a Thunderbird as well. Mine is now on sale at Gloucester Soundhouse as I got fed up with time wasters on Reverb. If I hadn't switched to six string for all my current bass duties, I'd have kept it. Mine is certainly a keeper, reverb an be a bit of a pain when it comes to selling and I would never use a third party site, I would urge you to keep it as you never know! someone said it's the little blonde in the corner, quite and unassuming, but punches like Mike Tyson! Views are starting to change about this bass and a lot of questions are being asked, I really took a chance on mine, like most people I looked at it and thought Mmmmmmmm! but I had t try it, very pleased I did, I didn't found out about the pickups until much later on, gibson had rrp at 2.5K, makes you wonder why did they put these PU's in it or maybe they had a lot left over! Yes they are most certainly a hidden gem and vastly understated. I prefer functionality over looks, not the other way round as most people do. Edited February 20, 2019 by andrea mason Insert PU specs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Mine is now with a friend who owns a music shop - I don't have room to keep a bass I hardly ever play, fine as it is. I had a had a serious cull over the last few months and the insurance value of my basses & gear is now 1/3 of what it was. I agree about a preference for function over form, I really don't much care what the bass I play looks like so long as it is comfortable to play and sounds right. I haven't touched a 4 string for the last six months now, all my playing has been on Ibanez sixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrea mason Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 I can't really argue with that! Tried a five but my hands are only small! I like all my bass guitars and I have a few, from Hofner to rickenbacker to fender, I have bought an original fender bass V1 to see how I get on with it, not really sure yet as it has not arrived! but it should be fun! This one is a 62 from Chicago Music Exchange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Nice six! I was seriously thinking of one of those (well, the Squier version, anyway) but wasn't sure about the short scale. The Ibby sixes are great, though! The Gibson was sold this afternoon, money being delivered to me in the pub this evening - a very civilised way of selling an instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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