Gibson Unveils Midtown Standard Bass

Gibson Midtown Standard Bass - Pelham Blue

Taking elements of their semi-acoustic EB basses and their Midtown guitar line, Gibson has unveiled the Midtown Standard Bass, a new semi-hollow design with a full 34? scale. The chambered body sports a pair of f-holes for a classic look, but the body is actually made of routed solid woods rather than a laminated top, back and sides. Gibson says having a solid center block provides feedback resistance, among other benefits.

Available in Cherry, Ebony, Vintage Sunburst, and Pelham Blue, the mahogany body is topped with maple then accented with traditional cream binding. The one-piece mahogany neck is paired with a baked maple fretboard that also has cream binding.

The Midtown Standard mixes pickups with a Alnico II TB mini humbucker in the bridge position and a wide ceramic TB Plus humbucker in the neck position. They’re controlled with a 3-way pickup selector switch, a volume control, and a tone control. Hardware on the bass includes Grover Shamrock tuners and Gibson’s 3-point adjustable bridge.

The Gibson Midtown Standard Bass Guitar will be available with an MSRP of $1,999, though street price is estimated to be closer to $1,299. For more info, check out the Gibson website.

Gibson Midtown Standard Bass Photo Gallery:

Gibson Midtown Standard Bass Specs:

  • Scale: 34?
  • Body: Mahogany
  • Top: Maple
  • Body Type: Semi-Hollow, Chambered with F-holes
  • Binding: Cream
  • Neck: Mahogany
  • Fingerboard: Baked Maple
  • Frets: 20
  • Fretboard Radius: 12?
  • Inlays: Acrylic Dot
  • Nut: Corian
  • Nut Width: 1.6?
  • Neck Pickup: Vintage-Style TB Mini
  • Bridge Pickup: Vintage-Style TB Plus
  • Controls: 3-way Selector, Volume, Tone
  • Tuners: Grover Shamrock
  • Bridge: 3-Point Adjustable
  • Colors: Cherry, Ebony, Vintage Sunburst, Pelham Blue
  • Case Included

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Leave a Reply to Kyle O'Donnell Cancel reply

  1. That’s awesome, the Pelham Blue will be in my collection….

  2. Ok…Im in no way a Gibson fan, but that, in pelham blue, may be the most goddamn sexy hollowbody I’ve ever seen…throw a dirty fuzz pedal its way and I bet you could get a killer scuzzy blues tone…WANNNNNTTTT.

  3. This is a remake of EB-3 the one from Kalamazoo? – Stanley Clarks first Bass Guitar.

  4. I really want to like this, but… I think the neck pickup and its location will produce typical old-school Gibson whoopee-cushion mud-tone. Which can be cool, if that’s what you’re after.

    • I put the big humbucker in that position on a ’66 P-bass about ’73 and it sounds great there. Blends with the split P and sounds like any bass i want it to………..magic!

    • Michael… that is one unique combination I would never have thought of putting together. Hope you’re still playing that bass nearly 40 years later! I’ve never owned a Gibson, but at least a few friends over the years (ok, decades) had early-to-mid-’60s EB0’s, and they all sounded way too “farty” for me. Granted, they didn’t have the bridge mini-bucker, but I was put off by that sound compared to the single-coil J’s and Rics. All just a matter of personal preference.

    • On my P-Bass it’s just buttery smooth and deep.

    • another big part of that sound was those being short scale instruments, this one will probably still have that tone but maybe not as muddy

    • Excellent point, Taylor. I’ve often wondered just how much greater Jack Bruce’s playing would have been with a little more clarity. Old habits, but I automatically associate that sound with Gibson basses. Mistakenly, it seems.

  5. If I’m going to drop $1,999 or $1,299, I’ll drop it on a Fender P bass, sorry Gibson, stick to 6 strings, they sound much better with a hollow body.