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Les Paul Shaped Basses


Bleat
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As there doesn't seem to be a Les Paul style bass thread, I thought I would start one...

What!!! ?? "Who the hell does this guy think he is, coming here starting topics! ...and about ….Les Paul style basses of all things. Obviously thinks he's Slash ….or something ...or other. Burn the Heathen etc etc!!

So yeah I've had a few... A 90's Washburn B200, an Epiphone 90's Korean bolt on neck, a cheap knock off Chinese thing, an Epiphone Special, Gibson LP Standard 2001. 

After the sad demise of my Gibson due to it causing my shoulder a lot of grief, undeterred I now have a really nice Tokai Love Rock 32" that I am now bonding with. Still heavy but not quite as much as the Gibson and just as nice in its own way.

Anyway let's see what other LP shaped lovers have... you can put a paper bag over your head and post anonymously if it helps.

 

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Edited by Bleat
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  • 3 weeks later...

I love Les Paul Bass guitars.
My all time favorite is my 1969 Gibson Les Paul Bass. Short scale with Lo-z pickups.
I love it so much that I built another one myself, but I used Lo-z Gibson Les Paul
guitar pickups and controls.
The real Gibson is the lower bass in the pic. The upper bass is the one built.


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The first Brooks that I built is also inspired on my favorite bass. same shape and scale length. But with different pickups and a maple top.
 

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The Gibson Triumph (aka Les Paul Bass) is long gone. I had to sell it when I was in between jobs seven years ago.

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The Allen Woody Signature aka Rumblekat was a lovely bass. But didn't feel as substantial as the Gibson Les Paul Bass (to me). Sold it.

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The Magic is an old Dutch bass (1963), built in the town near to where I was born. Bought it for sentimental reasons. But it was practically unplayable. Sold it.

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This Japanese CBS bass was built for the Australian market in the 1970's.
Found it on Ebay. As rare as hen's teeth. Kept it for about ten years. 
Sold it three years ago, because I didn't really use it much and i wanted to make room for new bass builds.

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Gibson GFB bass. Long scale monster!
Also pretty rare.
Sold it to make room for new bass builds

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Revelation RLB.
Clever clone of the Gibson Les Paul Bass. But with different wiring. Great quality for not too much money.
Couldn't resist buying it when it popped up at a second hand website. 

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Edited by Basvarken
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Thanks Basvarken , I was starting to think it may just be me and a few tumbleweeds in this topic!

Some lovely LP basses there, can't decide on the nicest so will say pretty much all of them are awesome. I was hoping to find one of those Revelation RLB's  for sale somewhere but gave up waiting in the end. I had their EB-3 copy for a while, loved it but think it was sold on a needs must basis.The RLB certainly looks the part. Can you get a good range of tones from them like with the Gibson?

I'll just throw my ex-2005 Les Paul in to pad the topic out a bit!

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They sound rather different.
The Gibson Les Paul Bass has the unsurpassed low impedance stacked humbuckers. Dead quiet, very even across the tonal spectrum. From crystal clear highs to super tight and deep lows. They work very well together creating a sort of a subtle and natural compression.

The Entwistle pickups are good but quite different. They sound more generic and less well defined in the higher frequencies. They do sound deep but just with less definition. When ran together the pickups do not create the subtle compression of the Gibson lo-z humbuckers.
But all in all it's a well built bass. Haven't played it much yet though...

 

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Here's another one. Also named Gibson Les Paul Bass. The body shape is slightly different. It's a prototype.
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And another one. Epi Jack Casady signature (which is actually a Les Paul Signature Bass reissue.
I mounted a Gibson Les Paul Bass pickup, because I wasn't impressed with the Electar.

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  • 2 months later...

Aria spirit PE bass, bought on this very forum.  No pics at the moment but google "Aria spirit PE bass" and it is the blue one.  Seriously well built, nice and light, superb balance - no neck dive, active electronics.  With a 32" scale length it should be a 'killer' but lacks 'bite and aggression' compared to my other basses. 

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I absolutely love it to bits.  For me and what I need from a bass at the moment it really delivers.  It is extremely lightweight and comfy to wear.  No neck dive.  The neck isn't skinny or fat but 'just right'.  Because of where the pickup is it isn't remotely muddy but has a gorgeous bite to it that sits perfectly in the mix.  An absolutely joy to play.   As simple as a bass can be but just puts a smile on my face whenever I get it out of the case.  :)  I wasn't sure about the 3-point bridge initially and intended to replace it but I have got used to it now and don't find it a problem.  It even smells nice!  😁

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5 minutes ago, Paul S said:

I absolutely love it to bits.  For me and what I need from a bass at the moment it really delivers.  It is extremely lightweight and comfy to wear.  No neck dive.  The neck isn't skinny or fat but 'just right'.  Because of where the pickup is it isn't remotely muddy but has a gorgeous bite to it that sits perfectly in the mix.  An absolutely joy to play.   As simple as a bass can be but just puts a smile on my face whenever I get it out of the case.  :)  I wasn't sure about the 3-point bridge initially and intended to replace it but I have got used to it now and don't find it a problem.  It even smells nice!  😁

Pretty much what I would say about my Gibson SG bass.  I did fit Hipshot tuners to cure the neck dive.  

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I currently (still) have my Epiphone Les Paul (not so) Standard - 2x EMG-HB pickups into an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ with added selector switch:

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And I used to have a Gibson Les Paul Double Cut:

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Also have an Epiphone Jack Casady, but they've been mentioned already so I'll save your scroll wheels :)

Edited by neepheid
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 years later...

We used to have a nice Ibanez short-scale 4 string electric bass guitar; made in the shape of a Les Paul though built as a solid-body, like a Gibson SG.

 

Which needing replacement since 2016, we have never known what to look for?  Just today though, We find other similar basses; advertised as solid body and shaped like a Les Paul or Les Paul Junior.

 

One of those guitars seems as if a feasible replacement for the Ibanez, while I also wonder how to find an identical Ibanez?  And/or suggestions for an alternative replacement faithful to the design of that Ibanez?

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I picked up a big orange hollow body Gretsch , and some suggested I should check out the ThunderJet. It took a little time to track one down , but it exceeded my expectations. Beautiful thing. Not heavy. 

And a little Gibson LP DC Jr. Another beauty. Still listed on the website for some reason , but has been out of production for a while now. I hope they make more , I keep suggesting these to friends as a great little shortscale bass. They’re getting harder to find.

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