Gibson partners with Gene Simmons for new signature G² Thunderbird bass guitar

Last January, Gibson announced a multi-year partnership with Kiss bassist Gene Simmons.

The partnership, Gibson said at the time, would involve a new signature G² line of bass guitars, the first of which – the G² Thunderbird – the guitar giant has finally launched in full today. 

First teased upon the announcement of Simmons' deal with Gibson, the G² Thunderbird is built with your traditional mahogany body and mahogany neck, but features an ebony fretboard with pearloid reverse split diamond inlays.

Like your typical T-Bird, the bass is outfitted with a pair of Gibson Thunderbird pickups – each with their own volume knob, plus a master tone knob. 

In the hardware department though, the bass features a Hipshot bridge and Hipshot Mini Clover tuners (rather than the respective 3-point adjustable bridge and Grovers you'd find on a standard T-Bird) and a Graph Tech nut.

The mirror plex pickguard, meanwhile, features Simmons' skull-'n'-guitars logo, with all hardware finished nicely in black chrome.

Given that this is the signature instrument for a man who once sold a box set of his solo material in a $2,000, 38-pound literal vault, the G² Thunderbird is surprisingly devoid of flashy touches, but it does – aside from the aforementioned pickguard logo and inlays – feature the G² logo on the back of the headstock.

More colorful than the bass itself, however, is the '80s-style infomercial Gibson released to commemorate its launch. In it, Simmons describes his signature four-string as a "vehicle for maximum self-confidence" and something that can cure "Ugly Bass Syndrome," which is said to result in a lack of bottom end and punch, and poor intonation.

As far as we can tell, there are no side effects from the acquisition of the bass, either.

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“Gibson is an outstanding company and has earned its place as a leading guitar brand with fans around the world,” Simmons said in a press release. “The new G² Thunderbird basses are all handmade in the USA, with a sound that is off the charts. The design is so beautiful and collectible, they are simply works of art.”

The Gibson Gene Simmons G² Thunderbird bass guitar is available now – in an Ebony finish and with a modern hardshell case included – for $2,799.

For more info on the bass, point your browser on over to Gibson.