1981 Gibson Victory Standard bass

The Gibson Victory Standard was launched in 1981 along with the active Artist, a year before the two-pickup Custom. The Standard was a passive instrument, sporting one humbucking pickup, right in the middle. The Victory series was designed by the late 70s Gibson R&D department, Tim Shaw, Chuck Burge and Bruce Bolen, with a clear nod to the worlds best-known bass, the Fender Precision; as Chuck Burge stated in 2007, "It should be indistinguishable as to playability from a Fender P bass. Because they were doing it right, and everybody liked that" - see development of the Victory Bass.

The series had a rather distinctive offset body style, with deep lower cutaway, long top horn and very elegant curves. The angled neck/pocket allows access to 24 frets (two octaves), and they were the first Gibson instruments to have position markers along one edge rather than centred. The pickup itself is angled, and parallel with with the butt of the neck, again a first for a Gibson bass. Contrast the pickup placement with the Victory Artist or Victory Custom; these twin pickup basses also have an angled neck pickup, but it is positioned right up against the neck. In the past, single pickup Gibson basses had typically been dual pickup basses minus the bridge pickup. The Victory Standard broke with tradition, and with it's centered pickup was tonally more balanced than it would have been with it in the neck position. This pickup position certainly made sense from that point of view of the original brief to create something that emulated a P-bass, but furthermore made a great, playable bass with some highly useable tones. No wonder the Victory Standard was the best-selling model in the entire Victory line (bass or guitar).

The Victory Standard was equipped with one type VIIIB humbucker in a central position. This humbucker was slightly different from those used in the Victory Artist, in that the windings were of a smaller diameter - in order to "produce more mid-range and presence". The Victory range was fitted with a new bridge TRI-4 wedge bridge, and previously unused Gotah open gear machine heads.

Gibson bass guitars of the 50s and 60s had traditionally been short scale, set-necked, and (if solid bodied) made of mahogany, with a translucent finish. Even today, most of the company's basses are based on these original ideals. But between the mid 1970s and early 1980s there were many exceptions. Maple replaced mahogany, bolt-on necks replaced glued necks, and solid colours replaced sunbursts and translucent cherry or walnut. The Victory series were about as far removed from these early basses as Gibson got. It was long-scale, all-maple with a very nice silver solid finish. The neck had 24 frets with a two-octave range and could be fretless or fretted, as shown here. But most of all it didn't really look like a Gibson, save the Thunderbird-style headstock.

1981 Gibson Victory Standard specifications

The uniquely styled Gibson Victory Standard bass - body detail. The clear-coat over the metallic Silver finish of these basses tends to yellow (or green?) with time, as is the case here - compare this bass with one pictured in the 1983 Gibson catalog. The model was also available in Candy Apple Red, Ebony, Antique Gold and, finally, Ferrari Red. Compare this bass to a these examples made four months later, in Candy Apple Red and Ebony.

The reverse of the bass showing body contour and neck plate. The plate itself has the same seventies style Gibson logo as the Grabber and G-3 models, measuring 1 3/4" x 3". The 44mm neck bolts (not screws) thread into brass inserts within the neck. This permits easy adjustment of the neck/body angle. Unlike the active Victory Artist, the Standard has no battery, and so no removable cover on the reverse of the body (compare with the back of the Victory Artist bass.

Close up of the scratchplate-mounted series VIIIB humbucker, which was only used on Gibson Victory basses. The pickup is angled towards the neck, has three bolts to adjust height and tilt. All Victory series pickups were, on the surface, quite similar, but were actually all different* - the Standard pickup used thinner wire than the Artist for increased mid-range tonality. It is described in the 1981 owners manual as "having less highs than the Artist", but being "louder and punchier". What's more, it is centred between the bridge and base of the neck; to some this is the sweet spot, giving the best balance of lows and highs. It is no coincidence that this is the same location as the Fender Precision pickup. Neither the Artist or Custom had a pickup in precisely this position, and along with the unique coil specifications, the Standard model had it's own (but deliberately Fender-esque) voicing. *In actual fact the Standard pickup was also used in the bridge position of the Custom model from 1982.

The Victory standard has a single volume and tone control, and a two-way series/parallel switch, which, along with the output jack are mounted on a five-ply (black/white/black/white/black) scratchplate. A replacement pickguard template is available on this site. The controls are fitted with Gibson speed knobs numbered 0-10, in contrast to the 5-0-5 used on the Victory Artist. For details of the circuitry employed in this bass, see the wiring photographs and schematic.

The Gibson TRI-4 bridge, volume and tone controls (speed knobs), output jack and two-way series/parallel switch. All controls are mounted on the five-ply scratchplate.

The Victory was the first bass to use the Gibson TRI-4 wedge bridge, although it was later used on the Gibson Explorer bass. This was an altogether easier to adjust bridge than the more widely used three-point bridge that had featured on the majority of high end Gibson basses throughout the seventies. For information on adjusting this bridge, see page 22-23 of 1981 Gibson Victory Bass owners manual.

The Victory series of bass guitars (unlike the Victory MV six-string guitars) had a bolt-on neck, rather than the traditional Gibson set (glued in) neck. Originally the series was to have the set neck, but with the popularity of fretless basses at this time, it was useful to be able to fit either a fretted or fretless neck. The majority of these basses were finished in Silver or Candy Apple Red with an uncoloured neck, though examples finished in Ebony (black) or Antique Gold typically had matching necks.

The serial number 81681670 can be decoded: it was stamped on the 17th June 1981 (day 168). 670 means that it was made at the Gibson Nashville plant (Kalamazoo numbers start at 0, Nashville numbers start at 500), and was the 170th instrument stamped that day.

Headstock with silk-screened Gibson logo, molded nut, and rounded triangular truss-rod cover. The Artist and Custom were fitted with a brass nut, and sometimes they made it onto the Standard too (typically later examples from the end of 1981 onwards), though this was not mentioned in Gibson literature. Note the headstock logo, designed by Gibson Artist Chuck Burge - Victory basses usually had 'Gibson Victory Bass', as seen here, but a small but significant percentage (seemingly at random throughout the period of production) simply had 'Gibson Victory' - for example this 1982 Victory Custom. Victory truss rod covers are designated 'Artist', 'Custom' or 'Standard' as shown here.

The majority of Victory Standard basses were produced in 1981 and were fitted with Gotoh machine heads, Gibson part number 14102. Some later examples used the same Schaller units as the Victory Artist and Custom. Note the eight digit serial number and MADE IN USA stamped into the wood. The neck is three-piece maple, with two extra wings at the headstock making five pieces. Victory bass necks were generally unpainted (ie clear-coat only), at least those with Candy Apple Red or Silver bodies; though the small number finished in Ebony (black) and Antique gold did have matching painted necks.

Gibson Victory bass circuitry

The Victory Standard bass, in Ferrari Red finish, as shown in the 1986 Gibson catalogue - the final year the model was offered.

Need to see under the scratchplate? Gibson Victory Standard circuit photos | Victory Standard schematic

Gibson Victory Standard sound clips

These sound clips are recorded directly into a mobilepre preamp. Recorded with round wound strings. Pickups volumes on 10. There are two distinct pickup modes on the Victory Standard bass, coils in series which gives the "most powerful, fattest sound", and coils in parallel which gives a "clean, piano bass tone". See the pickups and Victory Standard Controls sections of the 1981 Victory owners manual for more on this.

Maple bright. All settings on full. Coils in parallel - played with a pick

More brightness. All settings on full. Coils in parallel - played finger style

Still more brightness. All settings on full. Coils in series - played with a pick

Gibson bolt-on mellow. All settings on full. Coils in series - played finger style

My favourite - Super mellow. Tone on 0. Coils in series - played finger style

You can compare these soundclips to the other Victory bass models on the Victory bass soundclip page

Gibson Victory bass for sale

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