Heavy culture lifer and veteran of legendary outfits including the Cowboys From Hell of Pantera and the NOLA sludge specialists of DOWN - Rex Brown is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished names in the game.
Shifting the culture with icons of the genre in Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott, Vinnie Paul Abbott, and imitable frontman Philip H. Anselmo, Brown cemented his legacy with his contributions to the band's five groundbreaking multi-platinum albums that defined the 90's era of heft and went onto inspire countless bands since.
Since Pantera's full length farewell in 2000 with Reinventing the Steel, Brown has since gone up to further add to his teflon body of work. Teaming again with Anselmo, Brown was an integral part of New Orleans slow burn specialists, DOWN for the subsequent decade. He would also contribute as a member of Kill Devil Hill and went on to establish his own solo catalog with 2017's Smoke On This...
Given his lengthy, respected body of work, Brown's signature bass has been long in the making. Finding a kindred, creative ally in Gibson, Brown has introduced his own Thunderbird Bass that was more than two and a half years in the works with Gibson luthiers. The Thunderbird boasts a balance of classic and contemporary, with an Ebony finish complimented with gold accents.
“Before meeting up in Nashville for a tour of Gibson USA, I got to meet the whole team at Gibson” says Rex Brown. “Cesar Gueikian (Gibson Brand President), and I forged a strong bond that day, that I can only describe as ‘Long Lost Brothers'! He invited me to his home that night and we played music into the wee hours. Gibson has come so far, in such a short amount of time, and I’m beyond delighted to be in cahoots with this extraordinary bunch of music professionals. This new Thunderbird with Gibson is a life-long dream.”
The Gibson Rex Brown Signature Thunderbird Bass features a mahogany neck and body, with a slimmer neck profile, and gold hardware with a Hipshot bridge and tuners, including a Drop D Xtender. A pair of powerful Rexbucker T-bird pickups provide plenty of output and low-end punch. A master tone control is equipped with a push/pull switch that puts the pickups into passive mode when it is pulled out. Rex’s signature is reproduced on the truss rod cover, and the backplate is stylized with a Rex Brown self-portrait sketch.
The Rex Brown Thunderbird Bass is now available via Gibson - HERE
