[jules]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230439870113

Well this is the latest Triumph I can recall seeing. Serial number 81080053 which means it was stamped at the Kalamazoo factory on April 17th 1980

Anyone got/seen a later one?

[Dave W]

That's got to be one of the last ones.

[Basvarken]

Looks mighty clean.

[George Porter]

I wonder why they changed the Les Paul Recording to be more like a standard Les Paul, (with a maple top & standard size), but left the Triumph bass unchanged in it's last years. Anyone know?

[Basvarken]

Because it's perfect as it is?

[Barklessdog]

Originally Posted by George Porter

I wonder why they changed the Les Paul Recording to be more like a standard Les Paul, (with a maple top & standard size), but left the Triumph bass unchanged in it's last years. Anyone know?

I think long scale made it more acceptable and most people do not need the complicated controls.

I met Les after one of his NY shows and Les told me that the bass would have been a lot more successful if it were long scale & simplier. Still he told me that it was a great bass in his opinion. He was right and good thing they left it alone.

[jules]

Originally Posted by George Porter

I wonder why they changed the Les Paul Recording to be more like a standard Les Paul, (with a maple top & standard size), but left the Triumph bass unchanged in it's last years. Anyone know?

Interesting point George.

My guess - I would imagine this was due to demand.

Triumph production was down to a trickle by the late seventies, Gibson was struggling financially and any investment in changing the bass was perhaps seen as too much of a gamble. The maple long scale basses were the ones selling at this time.

It may also be that they had enough bodies/necks made already to fill any orders at the time.

[George Porter]

The electronics on the Les Paul Recording stayed the same with the exception of the Hi/Low impedance switch. It was eliminated & replaced with two output jacks, one for high & one for low impedance. They were installed on the lower bout of the guitar, in the same location as a normal Les Paul, with steel jack plates. All of the previous models had the output jack mounted in the plastic control plate. All that you had to do is step on your chord once, and your contol plate was likely to crack. Not many Les Paul Recordings or Triumph basses survived without a control plate crack.
This would have been a welcome change, in the Triumph Bass also...

[Basvarken]

Very true. I reinforced the thin controlplate by placing an exact copy made from an aluminium plate underneath it.

And of course using an angled plug, and securing the cord over the lower strap button helps too.