Gibson have been producing bass guitars since 1953, starting with the violin-shaped EB bass. This was very much in the ethos of Gibson at the time. Their view was that guitars should be large jazz boxes, and the bass should be upright and acoustic; solid body instruments were for Fender, not Gibson. The fact that they made a solid-body bass at all in this climate is surprising, but Fender solid body sales were sufficiently high to make Gibson take notice. So the Gibson bass was shaped, and finished like an upright, and with an extendable pole at the bass so it could even be played upright.
Unlike Fender, who produced just a few bass models, but continuously over 50 years (Fender Precision, Fender Jazz bass), Gibson was continually creating new bass models, most with relatively short production periods. As a result, there is significant variation across the range of basses Gibson created, in looks, build, electronics, and ultimately sound. There are long scale and short scale basses. Models with set-necks, bolt-on necks, and through-body necks. There are mahogany, maple and alder bodies. There are humbuckers and single coil pickups. So it is hard to generalise, although some might argue that the darker sound of humbucking pickups in a mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard is the signature sound of a Gibson bass.
Classic guitars such as the 1960s Gibson Thunderbird, Gibson EB3 and Les Paul bass have been re-issued continuously; newer updated versions, the Thunderbird IV, the SG reissue bass and the Les Paul Standard bass have proved very popular making up the vast majority of Gibson's bass output.
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Find out more about this amp here LabSeries L2
The Gibson 20/20 is a superb playing instrument. It has a wide tonal range, is comfortable to play, and, frankly sounds immense. It's paired in this video, with a late 70s/early 80s Gibson/Norlin Lab Series L2 100w bass amp with 1x15 speaker. And this is an awesome (solid state) bass amp, designed by Bob Moog.
This video (part2) demonstrates some of the wide range of sounds you can get solely by adjusting the L2 midrange frequency control - and, to some extent, playing style.
As you can hear, just this one control has an enormous effect on the sound - the Lab series amps really are awesome, and hugely underrated
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about this amp here 1973 WEM Dominator Bass Mk 1
This is a really nice bass - a late 1965/early 1966 Gibson EB0 - single pickup, with that classic FAT Gibson bass tone. The WEM Dominator is harder to date - probably early to mid 1970s. All-valve, with superb clean tones, but super gainy when pushed. This is a really cool combination with a huge range of useable sounds. Watch the vid.. it goes from a relatively 'middy' honk when played at the bridge with a pick - to total mud when played at the neck with the tone down - and to extreme fuzz with the amp driven hard
This bass is fitted with Labella Deep Talkin' flatwound strings (short scale) set 760FL-S. Great great strings (although expensive!)
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about this amp here LabSeries L2
The Gibson 20/20 was not (visually, at least) to everyone's taste, but it is actually a superb playing instrument. It has a wide tonal range, is comfortable to play, and, frankly sounds immense. It's paired in this video, with a late 70s/early 80s Gibson/Norlin Lab Series L2 100w bass amp with 1x15 speaker. This video (part1) demonstrates the variance in instrument settings. Part 2 demonstrates some of the great sounds you can get by using the amps midrange frequency control.
Wonderful bass, brilliant amp: AWESOME combination.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Find out more about this amp here 1963 WEM ER-15
A really cool bass, played through an equally cool amp. A rare Gibson Melody Maker bass, circa 1967, through a British WEM ER15 tube amplifier, with 'Pick-A-Bass' cabinet. With Gibson's hot EB-humbucker, a short 30" scale, all-mahogany construction - and finally strung with flatwounds - this bass is just SUPER FAT.
Recorded here with an Electrovoice RE-20 (left channel) and a Shure SM57 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
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