Gibson bass guitars
FlyGuitars What was your first Gibson bass or Gibson bass experience?
JMJ A very weird one. I saw an RD Artist at a shop in LA years ago and was blown away by how it looked. Then I picked it up and felt immediately disheartened, because it weighed as much as an SVT cabinet. But the tone was very attractive, and I've used it on various records to good effect...Beck stuff, Ima Robot, and a nice prominent feature on Marianne Faithful's single Sex With Strangers from a few years back. It's got flatwounds that are ancient...great, "cardboard" sort of tone.
FlyGuitars What Gibson basses do you own now and can you tell us what you like or dislike about them?
JMJ I found another RD artist that looked the same as my other one, and I bought it so I could do one with roundwounds. Turns out it is a sequential serial number after my original one. It's rad, but also heavy beyond compare. Those are great basses, just kind of noisy. The compressor and treble boost are useless to me, but the basic tone is cool, particularly with flats. I've got two mid '70's Rippers; one maple, one black. Love those. Also three Thunderbirds that are from around 1999-2000 eras. One is pelham blue, another natural burst, another natural. They have been worked over pretty severely, with bone nuts, Badass bridges, and chrome new old stock pickups I got from Japan. They sound and play incredible. Oh - and I've got an Epiphone Newport - kind of like an EB-0. Nice.
FlyGuitars Do you find yourself having a favorite Gibson bass?
JMJ My favorite is the natural T-Bird, which is by now quite beat up, but I feel very close to it, and seem to have the ability to play things on it that I can't do on other basses.
FlyGuitars Do you do your own work on your basses?
JMJ I can do setups, but not much else. I have a guy who can really do fine things for me and put back together broken stuff, things like that.
FlyGuitars What recordings have you used Gibson basses on?
JMJ Ima Robot, Beck, Marianne Faithful, Garbage, Macy Gray, Ken Andrews, and quite a few more. They are in constant use. When I do a session, I have my cartage company bring a couple of Gibsons along always.
FlyGuitars Do you ever use Gibson basses in the live setting and with what bands?
JMJ Yeah, with Beck I use my '74 maple Ripper live, my natural T-Bird, and my RD Artist with flatwounds. With Ima Robot, I almost exclusively used the T-Bird; I think most all footage or photos from my time in the band feature me with that bass.
FlyGuitars What varitone (or other) settings do you use with your Rippers? How would you describe it's tone?
JMJ Ripping. Lots of midrange "note", and a warm, round bottom. Position one on chicken head, treble knob rolled down to 7.
FlyGuitars Do you find a big tone difference between the Ebony & Maple Rippers? Which is your favourite?
JMJ Not at all, surprisingly. The natural one is best, it plays better and is a little less beat.
FlyGuitars One other Gibson bass that you own is a 1980s model, the headless 20:20. Tell us about that.
JMJ My 20/20 is living in the garage. Plays good. It has a very punchy sound, good for live, it's not my bag in the studio, because the DI sound has that "active" tone that I dislike, but it sounds pretty rad going through an SVT and two 8x10's. It looks pretty retarded, i'm quite fond of it in that Roland G-77/Steinberger way, both of which I also own and have played live. The problem is, when my tech and I do bass changes, the preamp has a 4-5 second delay before it starts functioning after you plug in a 1/4". Strange.
FlyGuitars Do you raise eyebrows by bringing a Gibson Bass to a studio gig in a Fender world and have you run into Gibson bass prejudice?
JMJ No, not really. In LA, the people I work with are very open-minded. It's an easy-going scene, and people love hearing different tones too.
FlyGuitars Have you tried any of Gibsons newer basses? Any Gibson basses you have your eye on acquiring?
JMJ Just the T-birds I mentioned. I like super deep sounds, so an EB2 is probably in my future as is an EB-0, if I can find some for reasonable prices someday. I also like the Casady.
Thanks to John (Redbird) Fertig and Justin Meldal-Johnsen for another great interview
Why not check out some of these links
Justin Meldal-Johnsen homepage
Ima Robot homepage
Beck homepage
and don't forget the other FlyGuitar interviews
Gibson bass guitars for sale
1976 Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird Bass w / OHSC ?? Natural
Nashville, Tennessee, 372**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4499
Like what you see All photos are of the exact instrument you will receive
This 1976 Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird is a force to be reckoned with! Serial #00243426, it features mahogany wings and thru neck, original pickups, and lays down a mean low end. It shows wear as you would expect, and we have photographed the most prominent spots close-up
The three mini toggles are ??producer??s switches ?? Look up Lee Sklar producer??s switch if you want in on ... more
Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird Bass 1976 - Used, Very Good
Marina del Rey, California, 902**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$5999
Used, very good condition
About this bass: In 1976 Gibson reissued the Thunderbird, in its original early 60s body shape, and seeing as 1976 was the 200th anniversary of American independence, it is known as the bi-centennial model, or Gibson Thunderbird '76. It was only available in limited numbers, with just 1, 855 basses built at Gibson's Kalamazoo plant between 1976 and 1979. Although this bass was modelled directly on the 1963 Thunderbird, ... more
1980 Gibson RD Artist Bass Sunburst
Antioch, Tennessee, 370**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4499
Vintage Gibson Thunderbird Bass Sunburst 1979
Brookfield, Wisconsin, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4999
Vintage Gibson Thunderbird Bass Sunburst 1979
PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR FOR AN IN-HAND DESCRIPTION
A great playing Thunderbird in really nice shape for its age with a comfortable feel & terrific tone. Fully inspected & professionally set up by the experts here at Cream City Music, so it's ready to play straight out of the case
Cosmetic Condition: Great shape considering it's 45 years old - various minor nicks, chips, dents & dings; surface scratches ... more
1976 Gibson Ripper L9-S Vintage Bass Ebony Black
San Antonio, Texas, 782**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1990
... more
Replacement 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar bridge with studs
Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$66
... more
Original 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar case plush lined
Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$300
... more
Gibson Non-Reverse Thunderbird Bass Inverness Green
Middletown, New York, 109**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2198
1975 Gibson Ripper L9-S Vintage Bass Sunburst, Alder Body w / Case, Hangtag
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3800
The contoured alder body is a particularly rare option, only offered on the ... more
Vintage 1974 Gibson The Ripper L9S Natural W / Good Hard Case
New York, 100**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3295
A real nice example with a good straight neck, and great sounding pickups
Original Natural finish is clean and looks great. Some honest signs of wear and use
Comes with a Gretsch hardshell case that fits it well and protects it well
Guitar is exactly as pictured.
Buyer pays $125 shipping in the USA, $150 to Hawaii or Alaska, $400 International, $450 to Australia
Pay Pal Accepted ... more
GIBSON THUNDERBIRD NON-REVERSED BASS GUITAR
New Port Richey, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1600
1976 Gibson Thunderbird Bicentennia Ebony
Antioch, Tennessee, 370**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4145
... more
Gibson Thunderbird 4-string Solidbody Electric Bass Guitar - Inverness Green
Fort Wayne, Indiana, 468**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1500
Used Condition
4-string Electric Bass with Mahogany Body and Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Inverness Green
8 6 lbs
In good condition. There is a finish chip under the bass edge of the truss rod cover; there are dents in the bass edge of the fretboard at the 2nd and 5th frets. The electronics have been tested as good. The stock bridge has been replaced with a black Hipshot Supertone bridge and it is included inside the case along with all the pictured ... more
Gibson Thunderbird Bass Guitar
Easley, South Carolina, 296**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2500
... more
1977 Gibson RD Standard BASS Black
Carbondale, Illinois, 629**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3590
Add Me to Your Favorite Sellers
Olivia's Vintage would like to present this 1977 Gibson RD Artist Standard Bass in its original Black finish. It has a great playing neck with great frets. It's all original and 100% complete along with the original hardshell case (missing handle and some damaged on the sides of the case). This RD Bass looks great with some nicks + dings (some are touched-up) and other cosmetic wear. The bass itself remains structurally sound with no cracks, breaks or ... more
1974 Gibson Ripper Bass
Coudersport, Pennsylvania, 169**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3200
1964 Gibson Thunderbird II Bass the mintest 100% original Polaris White example.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 333**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$44995
2022 Gibson Non-Reverse Thunderbird Pelham Blue Electric Bass Guitar #47868
Burbank, California, 915**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1799
eBay Template Design by OCDesignsOnline HomeAboutTestimonialsPoliciesContactSell your Gear 2022 Gibson Non-Reverse Thunderbird Pelham Blue Electric Bass Guitar #47868 ××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× Item DescriptionWORKING CONDITION: Excellent - Plays great. All of the electronics and controls are working ... more
Gibson L9S RIPPER 1976 Electric Guitar USA Vintage Rare Maple with Hard Case
Chesterfield, Virginia, 238**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3800
1972 Gibson L6-S Bass Prototype (Ripper, Grabber) Singlecut Sunburst
Syracuse, New York, 132**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9000
This bass guitar is the prototype for the L6-S bass, a model that was never manufactured by Gibson. Although it is the prototype for an instrument that was not produced, it also seems to be a prototype of the Ripper and Grabber models introduced later that are constructed with the same materials (maple neck and body) and similar dimensions. The look of this one does foreshadow those later models
SETUP & ... more