Gibson: Tradition Meets Experimentation
1986 Gibson Bunny Brunel Signature Bass. This rare red machine was designed by Bunny Brunel himself and built by master-luthier Roger Giffen for Gibson. Note the all-red powder coated hardware! This bass is featured on page 88-89 of the 2020 edition of The Gibson Bass Book.
Bunny Brunel & Kyle Eastwood: BB Signature basses are displayed in The Gibson Bass Book
Technical Specifications: 1986 Gibson Prototype
- Electronics: Equipped with specialized Alembic pickups and active electronics. The control layout typically included Master Volume, Pan (Pickup Blend), and a unique Tone pot that Brunel described as functioning similarly to a wah-pedal, providing a sweeping, vocal frequency response.
- Body & Finish: Features a contoured solid body, most famously seen in a Pearl White gloss finish.
- Neck & Fingerboard:
- Construction: Neck-through design for enhanced sustain.
- Scale Length: 34 inches.
- Fingerboard: Unlined ebony, optimized for “mwah” fretless articulation.
- Hardware: Often fitted with Hipshot Ultralite tuners and a high-mass Hipshot Supertone bridge to maintain tuning stability and string tension.
- Weight: Approximately 10 lbs, reflecting the dense, high-quality woods used in its custom construction.
Design Evolution
This “Gibson blueprint” served as the direct inspiration for his future production models. While the Carvin BB Series maintained the neck-through build and asymmetrical neck profile, it transitioned to Carvin’s proprietary H50S stacked humbuckers and an 18V active/passive module. The modern ESP LTD BB Series further refined this by incorporating Aguilar pickups (MM-style at the bridge and J-style at the neck) and an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp, which offers more standardized professional tones while keeping the signature asymmetrical neck shape for ergonomics.