Gibson Rex Brown Thunderbird

[AndyTravis]

30 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Also, what's with the pickups? I thought they were going to be EMG, but apparently they're "Rexbuckers".

 

Anyone?

Yeah. Looked like the bloody gold paint was flaking out.

[Jonesy]

I think they were always supposed to have Rexbuckers?

 

A mate was in Peach Music the other day and they said they always sell out of signature releases straight away. Collectors just gobble them up I guess. I think they also said they have one left in stock to sell, but only because they were in the process of fixing one of the pots so they could sell it. Crazy that Gibson let those leave the factory. I have a 2010 SG and had a 2019 LP DC, the fit and finish in those are great.

[Muzz]

Perhaps Gibson's Top Dollar Boys should give the lads at Epiphone a ring...this is my £120 Epi Bird body...perfect (but dusty):

...

 

[skankdelvar]

 

Set neck, actives. Yours for £166 new, 30 day return / refund if you don't like it.

 

Harley Benton killing it.
 

Edited July 28, 2022 by skankdelvar

[ezbass]

6 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

 

Set neck, actives. Yours for £166 new, 30 day return / refund if you don't like it.

 

Harley Benton killing it.
 

That is quite the looker.

 

19 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Perhaps Gibson's Top Dollar Boys should give the lads at Epiphone a ring...this is my £120 Epi Bird body...perfect (but dusty):

...

 

 

I would always look at Epi first for any Gibbo type instrument, especially LPs, I know that there are those who turn their noses up at them (I have guitar friends like this) but it’s their loss.

[lemmywinks]

9 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I would always look at Epi first for any Gibbo type instrument, especially LPs, I know that there are those who turn their noses up at them (I have guitar friends like this) but it’s their loss.

 

 

A pal of mine was looking for a LP recently, money was no object (mortgage free/high earner) and he eventually went with an Epi Joe Bonamassa sig as it was the best one he picked up regardless of brand/price.

[neepheid]

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.

[Chris2112]

Gibson have been gleefully taking cash from mugs that like awful looking/sounding/playing instruments for years. It seems they're not looking to change that now. 

[Clarky]

As a dissenting voice, I think their SG Standard basses are pretty decent. I own a recently-manufactured ebony one and it plays very nicely (albeit better with Hipshot Supertone bridge) and sounds great. That Rex B does admittedly look a howler

[lemmywinks]

Regardless of whether you like GIbsons or not, even if you think they're overpriced but still want one, the main reason to avoid the company like the plague is that they only care about selling expensive instruments regardless of whether they're any good or not.

 

Edited July 31, 2022 by lemmywinks

[Cosmo Valdemar]

"Play authentic"

[Misdee]

I saw the YT clip of Rex playing his new bass through an SVT in a barren desert canyon. I expect his wife has read him the riot act about making too much noise while she is trying to watch Love Island. Can't really blame her, I suppose.

 

To be fair to Rex Brown, he might have had to make such a racket to ward off the prospect of being attacked by the local Apaches.

 

Many of you are being scathing of Gibson and Rex, but I see a man in turmoil. Not only has he been banned from playing his bass at home through an amp, but now he has also got to suffer the various physical hardships of using a Gibson Thunderbird. And he has to pretend to like it!

Edited August 3, 2022 by Misdee

[lemmywinks]

2 hours ago, Misdee said:

.. but now he has also got to suffer the various physical hardships of using a Gibson Thunderbird. And he has to pretend to like it!

 

I expect Rex's (and every other signed artist) personal instruments will be outsourced to whatever luthier Gibson is using at the moment, only the regular Joes get to enter the production line lottery.

Edited August 3, 2022 by lemmywinks

[neepheid]

16 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

I expect Rex's (and every other signed artist) personal instruments will be outsourced to whatever luthier Gibson is using at the moment, only the regular Joe's get to enter the production line lottery.

 

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.

[lemmywinks]

1 minute ago, neepheid said:

 

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.

 

 

The JC sigs have a great reputation though, I imagine a Gibson version would see QC drop off a cliff.

 

Did they move production to China with the other Epis or are they still Korean? I can remember Epiphone having a big (and relatively brief) drop in quality not so long ago but the JC didn't seem to be affected by that.

 

[Eldon Tyrell]

45 minutes ago, neepheid said:

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.

Next year is the T'bird's 60th anniversary. So, let's hope they will release some cool new birds (T'bird II, maybe?)

[Misdee]

If Gibson want to sell some basses they would be well advised to look at which of their vintage basses are  currently coveted by bass players. That would be the Ripper, Grabber, and also the Les Paul Signature ( ie the bass the Epiphone Jack Cassidy is modelled after). Then make  faithful reproductions.

[Doctor J]

In the age of ergonomic enlightenment, is there really such a great demand for anchors like Rippers and Grabbers damaging shoulders? They're niche, at best, novelty at worst. They won't bring bonuses to stressed executives.

[neepheid]

35 minutes ago, Misdee said:

If Gibson want to sell some basses they would be well advised to look at which of their vintage basses are  currently coveted by bass players. That would be the Ripper, Grabber, and also the Les Paul Signature ( ie the bass the Epiphone Jack Cassidy is modelled after). Then make  faithful reproductions.

 

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).

[neepheid]

5 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

The JC sigs have a great reputation though, I imagine a Gibson version would see QC drop off a cliff.

 

Did they move production to China with the other Epis or are they still Korean? I can remember Epiphone having a big (and relatively brief) drop in quality not so long ago but the JC didn't seem to be affected by that.

 

 

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

[lemmywinks]

RE Gibson making a push to sell basses - do they have any other designs that would do all that well outside of the T-Bird and SG shapes? Some models have a bit of niche appeal like the Grabber/Ripper, RD and to a certain extent the Victory but I don't think they're gonna fly off the shelves. The last time they tried to design something new(ish) it was the modernised EB like the one below, this was featured in the Bill & Ted movie and was quite a cool shape with neat finish options: