evilLordJuju Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 The new through-neck Epiphone birds are (will be) available as a five string.... I've got a four string on order, but no sign of it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey1-8 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) [quote name='spinynorman' post='459656' date='Apr 10 2009, 10:17 PM']The problem is a good Gibson will cost you twice as much as an equally good Fender.[/quote] I was in GAK at the weekend and they were asking £1100 for a MIA Standard Jazz. I thought that was a little crazy and makes Gibsons seem a little less expensive. Regardless I think the extra cost is justified in the manufacturing process. If you haven't been to Gibson.com yet, go and check out their section on [url="http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/309-gibson-usa/"]manufacturing[/url]. Recently I got a Gibson Les Paul Junior for £399 new, that has to be one of the cheapest American made guitars around? I love my Thunderbird. I got it off ebay for under £800, drove to Essex to pick it up, met the guy and had a bit of a play. It was a complete impulse buy and I'd never played one before. Now, I wouldn't be without it. A lot of people comment on the neck dive which is a relevant point, but I tend have my left hand in contact with the neck when playing and this some how seems to counteract the neck dive. evilLordJuju, the bass in your sig is stunning. Edited April 14, 2009 by alexharvay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacebeer Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I bought a thunderbird a month ago and it's the best sounding bass I ever had. Big sound, tight lows and growling top end with mucho definition. I love it, oh and mine (a GIBSON nikki sixx sig) doesn't have much neck dive at all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 [quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='460837' date='Apr 12 2009, 10:18 PM']One of my early heroes played a T-Bird (Martin Turner) and not so long a go I bought an Epiphone copy. It was good, then I put a low bid on a Gibson IV and won, it to my surprise. Gigged it for a year but realised a few things. - it has a great sound - it feels like a 38" scale ...left hand is way out there! - despite a modest difference in pick up sounds, it really has only one sound - feel wise, it was great to play with a pick, not so great with the fingers, and completely useless for slap 'n tickle Playing in a covers band required more flexibility, so I sold it. I last saw one at a gig when seeing the great ASH (the Northern Ireland guys, not the Wishbone variety) and yeah, Ace sound. But, I found it a one-trick pony. A good one, but only for delivering one style. It did look cool though...[/quote] I had a IV. It was stupidly red and looked either odd or super cool, depending which angle you caught it from. I thought the neck was great, especially the ebony board, but I have quite a long reach. It went because there was a blurry feel to it that I couldn't quite get on with, which I put down to all that mahogany. Definitely in the Gibson bargain basement though, if you can find one. I accept the comments about MIA Fenders being in the same price bracket as an MIA Gibson. What I really meant was there's no equivalent (except the IV) to the good MIJ Fenders you can get for ~£400-£500. Not that Gibson didn't make them, just they were badged Epiphone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stag Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I do think you get a hell of a "cool" factor from playing a Gibson, partially because you dont see a lot of them. maybe it's something ive always had, just a need to play something a little different? I still class Ricks as "a bit different", particularly the 4001's, cos you dont see them getting played an awful lot these days either. Jack Bruce got me GASsing for an EB3, till I found the LP Bass. I absolutely adore my 72' Les Paul Bass. It does everything I could possibly ask for from a bass - more selection dials and switches than you can shake a stick at and it just looks like it has The Essence Of Rock (tm) built into it due to the classic LP shape. That cutaway helps for up the neck twiddling as well. It does weigh more than a small house though...! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 A friend of mine has an old EB-2, with the deep switch. It is a pure wall of wool! He told me recently he's in the process of getting a Thunderbird too... jammy so-and-so! Not jealous, nope, not in the slightest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Heh, I'm in the Gibson Little League with my Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass. But I love it, mostly the neck, but also the fact that it is quite unusual to see one out and about. I didn't love the stock pickups though, so I put some EMG-HBs in it I can't leave a bass alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey1-8 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 [quote name='spinynorman' post='462848' date='Apr 15 2009, 11:41 AM']I accept the comments about MIA Fenders being in the same price bracket as an MIA Gibson. What I really meant was there's no equivalent (except the IV) to the good MIJ Fenders you can get for ~£400-£500. Not that Gibson didn't make them, just they were badged Epiphone.[/quote] My MIJ Jazz is a lot nicer to play and is built to a higher quality than my friends Epiphone Thunderbird. So I certainly agree with you there. I do enjoy playing my Thunderbird more though and I find that the Gibson build quality is excellent. I also think i get some much needed cool points from playing a Thunderbird. I own and love both Jazz and Precision basses but you do see so many about, still cracking basses none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey1-8 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 [quote name='neepheid' post='462877' date='Apr 15 2009, 12:06 PM']Heh, I'm in the Gibson Little League with my Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass. But I love it, mostly the neck, but also the fact that it is quite unusual to see one out and about. I didn't love the stock pickups though, so I put some EMG-HBs in it I can't leave a bass alone.[/quote] How wide is the neck on the Les Paul basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I've always loved the sound, more so the T-birds and the Grabber/Ripper/G3 than the EB stuff. I've heard some great dirty aggressive rock tones out of them. The bass sound on Cave In's Antenna album is fantastic, I think that's a Ripper. I'd have one in a heartbeat. Always been intrigued by the Les Paul basses, because you hardly ever see anybody playing them. I've only ever heard good things about them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 [quote name='alexharvay' post='462883' date='Apr 15 2009, 12:12 PM']How wide is the neck on the Les Paul basses?[/quote] 44mm at the nut, at least on the Epi it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu-khag Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I'd love an EB2 or epiphone/ tokai/ jap equivalent. There's something so cool about them... I couldn't justify buying an old one but I wish epiphone would bring out some budget versions- any suggestions much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Correction on my last post on this thread... Electro Music in Doncaster now have two new Gibson T-Birds in @ £999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Stu-khag' post='463135' date='Apr 15 2009, 04:28 PM']I'd love an EB2 or epiphone/ tokai/ jap equivalent. There's something so cool about them... I couldn't justify buying an old one but I wish epiphone would bring out some budget versions- any suggestions much appreciated![/quote] Depends what you mean by budget. There's the Epi Jack Casady which at least looks similar, but is £550 new ... [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/52537/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/52537/[/url] [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/epiphone-jack-casady/472"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/epiphone-jack-casady/472[/url] There was also a Rivoli reissue in the 1990s, which should be cheaper than the 1960s original, though this one is heading for £500 + whatever the correct shipping is ... search for ebay.co.uk Item # 150338094262 (can't get the eBay links to work) There was also an Epi EA260 which was long scale and not that well liked. so might be cheap if you can find one and don't mind. If you search on eBay for semi* you'll turn up Jay Turser JTB-134 which looks nice, but US import. Or there's an Ibanez Artcore for £300 ish ebay.co.uk Item # 270364554818 Edited April 17, 2009 by spinynorman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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