Gibson LPB-2 Premium

1996(Discontinued that year and became the Deluxe model in '97) Made in USA, 20 fret neck, 4 String, Flame Maple top on a Mahogany body/neck. 2 Bartolini soapbars with active Bart TBC preamp - vol, pan, bass, treble. Cherry burst finish, black Schaller bridge and straplocks, Gibson mini tuners. Neck is similar to a P-Bass but a slimmer "C" profile, 1 11/16" nut/34" scale, ebony board with Pearl trapezoid inlays. Came with Gibson gig bag. A 9 because the Gibson tuners are a tad loose, I'll change them out to Grovers.

I play everything from standards to Classic Rock (fingerstyle - I don't slap). I really love the Barts. The newer Lp's have passive TB pickups (like a TBird-Ihave a TBird and it sounds great, but I wanted something different). They are very focused, rich and punchy...in other words, Barts!!! I don't know why Gibson stopped providing this option. The TBC preamp is effective with crisp highs. I just push the mids up a bit and it really holds the bottom and cuts right through. Dead silent. I haven't really tried it for sound variety because I'm real happy with the sound I get with very little EQ. I'm using an Ampeg SVT-3PRO with an Aguilar GS212 cabinet and a Tech 21 BassCompactor for a touch of compression.

Since it was used I got it with the previous owner's setup which was a little too low for me. In adjusting the action I found one of the height adjustment screws in the bridge was not original (metric) and was binding. Easily replaced. Also needed a tiny tweak of the truss rod = normal maintenance. The guy that had it took extremely good care of it - I give it 9.5+!!! And the Flame on the cap is outstanding - this is what leads me to believe it's the Premium model. Everything was in excellent condition.

This is a real high quality instrument and can take the rigors of gigging easily. Everything is top shelf and I would use it with no backup. A real beauty across the board.

The only contact I had with Gibson was regarding the serial number. I wanted more info and sent an email to their number tracking address. Still waiting for an answer (3 weeks = not likely). Meanwhile I got what I needed from other sources (Blue Book for exact model vs year made).

I've been playing for 35 years and have an extensive collection of instruments that I use regularly (Ken Smith, Alembic, Fender, Gibson, Warwick, Steinberger, Hamer, Music Man, Kubicki, Reverend). I wasn't exactly looking for another bass but when this came along at this price I had to get it - and it is a bargain in price only!! This is an excellent bass that's extremely well made - I've developed a real fondness for Gibson's huge sound (I believe the Mahogany has a lot to do with it) and already had a Thunderbird and a '76 EB-3. This is a bass I would sorely miss if it was stolen. It really enhances my sonic arsenal.