Epiphone Re-jig

[Jus Lukin 3,126]

It appears that Epiphone have really cut down on bass models. Just three are left, the Jack Casady, Allen Woody Rumblekat, and Violin Bass. Of course this means no Thunderbirds, EB-0, or EB-3!

I know that Gibson are in a transitional period, and have had a bit of a rocky (even rockier?!) patch in terms of their reputation, but I remain a fan of their basses and am interested to see how things develop for both parts of the company. I've long held that sticking to the classics for both The Big G and F makes the most sense from my perspective and therefore I don't particularly hope to see an explosion of new models. As much as I love my Classic Pro Thunderbird, I though it somewhat of an own goal due to it's similarity to the Gibson model. It seems a shame to have lost the more 60's inspired Thunderbird model though, and a complete lack of entry level EB- basses is worthy of note, even though they really aren't everyone's cup of tea.

I shall watch the next couple of years for Gibson and Epiphone with interest...

Edited March 3, 2020 by Jus Lukin

[Cosmo Valdemar 1,013]

I'd be surprised if they have actually got rid of the Thunderbirds - surely that's their flagship model? Very successful too.

[neepheid 96]

They haven't binned the Thunderbird, it's under the "Inspired by Gibson" section - https://www.epiphone.com/Guitars/Collection/Original-Bass/Epiphone

Split it into two branches - "Inspired by Gibson" and "Original" (and one bass under Kramer).

They do seem to have binned the bolt on Thunderbird and the Classic Pro (can hear bigredx cheering from here ) and are only doing the Vintage Pro.

I think it's a bit daft - the Jack Casady Signature is hardly an Epiphone original - it's heavily derived from the Gibson Les Paul Signature bass, so technically it should be in the same "Inspired by Gibson" bit as the Thunderbird, no?

Maybe they're cooking up new stuff (like a more authentic EB-3 like the Elitist models from a while back)...

[Stub Mandrel 10,255]

Still they appear to've lost the other basses and >gasp< the gorgeous Masterbilt guitars 😥

[lemmywinks 1,051]

The QC on the new Epiphones is pretty patchy apparently, some pretty bad fretwork and finish issues going off independent reviews.

[Jus Lukin 3,126]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

They haven't binned the Thunderbird, it's under the "Inspired by Gibson" section - https://www.epiphone.com/Guitars/Collection/Original-Bass/Epiphone

Right you are!

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

I think it's a bit daft - the Jack Casady Signature is hardly an Epiphone original - it's heavily derived from the Gibson Les Paul Signature bass, so technically it should be in the same "Inspired by Gibson" bit as the Thunderbird, no?

Maybe they're cooking up new stuff (like a more authentic EB-3 like the Elitist models from a while back)...

Yeah, the Jack Casady is pretty much a Les Paul Bass, at least as 'inspired by' as the Vintage Pro T-bird.
I'm half expecting something new on the EB front. Even making the EB-0 neck-through might give the model a little boost, although I do understand they are a bit of a niche instrument.

They'll still be on the secondhand market for a long, long time, but it has inspired me to finally pick up a cheap EB-0 I saw online. I've wanted a cheap Gibbo-type I am comfortable dragging out to boozy local gigs for ages!

[Grahambythesea 328]

Curious to keep the “Viola” when it was never a Gibbo or Epi model. Also the Kramer D1 is listed as an Epi? So the Embassy hasn’t  lasted, shame as it seemed a quite good option as an entry model. Should have made it with the batwing headstock.

BRING BACK THE RIVIERA

[Stub Mandrel 10,255]

11 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Curious to keep the “Viola” when it was never a Gibbo or Epi model. Also the Kramer D1 is listed as an Epi? So the Embassy hasn’t  lasted, shame as it seemed a quite good option as an entry model. Should have made it with the batwing headstock.

BRING BACK THE RIVIERA

It's supposedly derived from the Gibson EB-1 although it looks more like a Hofner with the horrible rectangular control plate.

[BigRedX 2,843]

18 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

It's supposedly derived from the Gibson EB-1 although it looks more like a Hofner with the horrible rectangular control plate.

It's not really very much like either design, but does have more in common with the Hofner, which is rather disingenuous IMO.

[neepheid 96]

Stranger and stranger considering Epiphone did an actual EB-1 a while back (even with the stand to play it upright) which seems much more in keeping with things but that got binned a long time ago.

[Grassie 143]

Waiting for an Epi LP Money bass, or a proper non-reverse T-Bird...

[goingdownslow 133]

I would like to see a cherry Rivoli II.

[Jus Lukin 3,126]

Gibson or Epiphone, I'd like to see a non-reverse 'bird (Thunderbird II, even!) and EB-2/Rivoli. I do have a cherry Rivoli, as it happens, but with an EB-2d or Rivoli II I might be able to get away with using one in more situations.
My tastes sometimes don't jive with what would actually sell well though!

[Cosmo Valdemar 1,013]

31 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Gibson or Epiphone, I'd like to see a non-reverse 'bird (Thunderbird II, even!) and EB-2/Rivoli. I do have a cherry Rivoli, as it happens, but with an EB-2d or Rivoli II I might be able to get away with using one in more situations.
My tastes sometimes don't jive with what would actually sell well though!

I'd love to see a reissue of the Rivoli.

[Grahambythesea 328]

There are enough fake EB2s being made in China to find one manufacturer to licence to produce an officially endorsed version of the Epi at a reasonable price.