OffsetGuitars.com

I was browsing around GAK on my lunchbreak the other day when I spied one of these hanging on the wall. Had no idea Epiphone was making them, not seen any news on them anywhere. Looks kinda cool, love the addition of the Thunderbird bridge pickup, not sold on the sidejack and modern style tuners tho. Anyone played one of these? They're going for less than the through-neck Epi Thunderbirds from what I can see.

Oh! Wow! I love the look! Are these short scale?

Zork wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 31, 2023 2:55 am

Oh! Wow! I love the look! Are these short scale?

Looks like they're 30.5"

The color options for these are really cool, I’d love a Yellow or Coral one.

eskmsaul wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:30 am

The color options for these are really cool, I’d love a Yellow or Coral one.

I'm really loving the Cherry and Pacific Blue. Trying to work out how worth it it'd be to attempt to convert one to a traditional control layout and tuners...

Kinda feel like it wants an e badge on the pickguard too

I’ll probably grab one.
Looks fun.

Salfaromeab wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 31, 2023 2:49 am

Had no idea Epiphone was making them, not seen any news on them anywhere.

They've been released officially like last week, along with the new acoustic bass.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/epipho ... itan-j-200

Gordon wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:53 am

Salfaromeab wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 31, 2023 2:49 am

Had no idea Epiphone was making them, not seen any news on them anywhere.

They've been released officially like last week, along with the new acoustic bass.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/epipho ... itan-j-200

Cheers, I'm not a big acoustic guitar guy but I've always thought the J200 looked like it was meant to be a bass from the start hahaha

I'm stunned that anyone is still pursuing the acoustic bass guitar dead end.

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:05 am

I'm stunned that anyone is still pursuing the acoustic bass guitar dead end.

As someone who's messed around with acoustic bass guitars since the 80s--RIP to my Kramer Ferrington--they are good for practicing and writing. But nothing else, really. That said, Jonas Hellborg once did an album with Tony Williams and a string quarter that's pretty wild. Bill Laswell also did a solo acoustic bass guitar album that's surprising good.

These basses look cool but at this point my skepticism over any bass from the Gibson world is sky high.

burpgun wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:24 am

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:05 am

I'm stunned that anyone is still pursuing the acoustic bass guitar dead end.

As someone who's messed around with acoustic bass guitars since the 80s--RIP to my Kramer Ferrington--they are good for practicing and writing. But nothing else, really. That said, Jonas Hellborg once did an album with Tony Williams and a string quarter that's pretty wild. Bill Laswell also did a solo acoustic bass guitar album that's surprising good.

These basses look cool but at this point my skepticism over any bass from the Gibson world is sky high.

Yeah, acoustic basses aren't totally useless, and if you gave me one I might geek around with it for a while. At the same time, though, I don't mind practicing or writing with just an unplugged bass guitar. So I would probably not keep any acoustic bass around for any real length.

I don't know what I think about this Newport, really. It's fine but I wouldn't buy one.

You have to kind of feel for Gibson, a lot of their classic bass designs aren't all that good, although I really do like my Thunderbird and I think those new non-reverse Thunderbirds look like great, modern basses.

Other than the Thunderbirds, which a lot of people have mixed feelings about, most Gibson basses seem to be some kind of historical oddity like this Epiphone Newport. It's a fine bass, but it would be like the hundredth bass I would actually buy after I had satisfied myself getting all the other basses I would consider more useful.

However, poor Gibson did go to the trouble of designing these excellent modern EB basses, sparing no expense having the full contact bridges be stock. I'd like one of these.

But I guess the world doesn't accept basses from Gibson all that much, so they seem to have been dropped from the lineup.

burpgun wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:24 am

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:05 am

I'm stunned that anyone is still pursuing the acoustic bass guitar dead end.

As someone who's messed around with acoustic bass guitars since the 80s--RIP to my Kramer Ferrington--they are good for practicing and writing. But nothing else, really. That said, Jonas Hellborg once did an album with Tony Williams and a string quarter that's pretty wild. Bill Laswell also did a solo acoustic bass guitar album that's surprising good.

These basses look cool but at this point my skepticism over any bass from the Gibson world is sky high.

Acoustic bass guitars used to be popular in Mariachi bands. That might be why it is called the El Captitan?

I haven’t seen a Mariachi band in years, but someone’s gotta play the oompah.

fuzzjunkie wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:04 am

Acoustic bass guitars used to be popular in Mariachi bands.

Yeah, but the guitarrón is a fundamentally different instrument, nylon strung and the body is deeper. I don't know much about them.

Maybe some mariachi bass players switched over to the acoustic bass guitar, but I bet if they did, they used amplification since the acoustic bass isn't loud enough to be heard very well without it.

And that's my principle complaint, if you need to use amplification you might as well just use an electric bass guitar, since that instrument is designed to work with amplification and thus has none of the disadvantages that acoustic instruments have in that regard.

I think we should all get guitarróns, however.

Back to the Newport, though, I guess Gibson is aware that short scale basses are popular now and frankly, that's traditionally been where Gibson lived in the bass guitar realm. So I guess that's why this guitar is out again.

And I wish them the best with it, still, if I was buying a short scale bass (and I do want one) I would so much quicker get a G&L Fallout instead of this.

I was exited, and then I saw the T-bird pickup and I was like... meh.

I hope they'll do a more historical reisssue soon, with just the neck humbucker.

Also: RIVOLI WHEN?!? MY MONEY IS READY!