Gibson Victory bass
Encyclopedia
The Gibson
Victory bass series was manufactured for 5 years, between 1981 and 1986. The range consisted of two passive (Standard and Custom) and one active (Artist) model.
The basses were all maple
bodied, with bolt-on
three-piece laminate maple necks, 24 fret rosewood
fretboard, and one (Standard), or two (Custom and Artist) humbucking
pickups. They were all long scale (34 inch) instruments.
The combination of materials and construction style made for very versatile (but also heavy) bass - and when combined with active electronics, this versatility only increased, giving the rich bass mellow sounds that Gibson bass guitars are famous for, but also the bright twangy sounds so popular in the late seventies/early eighties.
The Victory bass had a number of features previously unseen in Gibson bass guitars: a brass nut, sloped front pickup, reinforced neck (steel bars either side of the truss rod) and pickups that could be switched to offer coils in series or parallel. Its extreme asymmetrical shape gave access to all 24 frets.
Available with fretted or fretless neck. Finishes include Silver, Ebony, Candy Apple Red, and Antique Fireburst.
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
Victory bass series was manufactured for 5 years, between 1981 and 1986. The range consisted of two passive (Standard and Custom) and one active (Artist) model.
The basses were all maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
bodied, with bolt-on
Bolt-on neck
Bolt-on neck is a method of guitar construction that involves joining a guitar neck and body using screws as opposed to glue as with set-in neck joints. The term is a misnomer, introduced mostly by Fender whose guitars traditionally had "bolt-on necks". Real bolted joints are uncommon in guitar...
three-piece laminate maple necks, 24 fret rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
fretboard, and one (Standard), or two (Custom and Artist) humbucking
Humbucker
A humbucker is a type of electric guitar pickup, first patented by Seth Lover and the Gibson company, that uses two coils, both generating string signal. Humbuckers have higher output than a single coil pickup since both coils are connected in series...
pickups. They were all long scale (34 inch) instruments.
The combination of materials and construction style made for very versatile (but also heavy) bass - and when combined with active electronics, this versatility only increased, giving the rich bass mellow sounds that Gibson bass guitars are famous for, but also the bright twangy sounds so popular in the late seventies/early eighties.
The Victory bass had a number of features previously unseen in Gibson bass guitars: a brass nut, sloped front pickup, reinforced neck (steel bars either side of the truss rod) and pickups that could be switched to offer coils in series or parallel. Its extreme asymmetrical shape gave access to all 24 frets.
Available with fretted or fretless neck. Finishes include Silver, Ebony, Candy Apple Red, and Antique Fireburst.
External links
- Gibson Victory bass at Fly Guitars