Gibson Victory Standard Bass — 1981 — Candy Apple Red

The Victory Standard was Gibson's most direct challenge to the Fender Precision Bass — an intentional design brief, according to Chuck Burge who drew the body and neck. Production began at Gibson's Nashville plant in the spring of 1981, making the Victory the very first bass line built there. Only two finish options were available in the first year: Candy Apple Red and Silver. This is an early example from that inaugural run.

The Victory Standard was a genuinely forward-looking instrument for 1981: Gibson's first two-octave long-scale bass, the first Gibson bass with structural steel bars flanking the truss rod for added rigidity, and the first to feature the TRI-4 wedge bridge — a three-way adjustable design that offered intonation, height, and lateral string positioning independently per saddle. The Thunderbird-influenced headstock was designed for straight string pull. The asymmetric body, deep lower cutaway, and 24-fret neck joining at the 16th fret gave access across the full range. The Series VIIIB humbucker sits centre-body in P-bass position, with a volume, tone, and two-way series/parallel switch.

The body is Eastern hard rock maple throughout — body, neck, and fingerboard. These basses are heavy instruments as a result, but the density contributes directly to the punchy, defined tone that made them well regarded among players who found them.

Condition: Good, played condition consistent with 40+ years of use. Significant finish wear and chipping on the lower bout edge and body side. Additional chips to the body finish near the pickguard. Wear through to bare wood on the back of the neck heel, with a ding to the heel itself. General play wear and scratching throughout body front and back. Pickguard shows scuffing. All original. Priced accordingly. Ships in hardshell case.

Specifications

• Serial: 81731643
• Year: 1981
• Body: Eastern hard rock maple, Candy Apple Red
• Neck: Three-ply maple, bolt-on
• Fingerboard: Rosewood, dot inlays
• Frets: 24
• Nut width: 1.6875"
• Scale length: Long scale (34")
• Pickup: Gibson Series VIIIB humbucker, centre position
• Controls: Volume, tone, 2-way series/parallel switch
• Bridge: Gibson TRI-4 wedge bridge
• Tuners: Gotoh (original)
• Hardware: Chrome
• Made in USA — Gibson Nashville