Epiphone EB-3

Brief run down, specs are already given in other reviews:
Japanese made, full scale, four strings, 2 tone, 2 volume knobs, pickup selector switch. Two pickups. SG style, cherry color, black pickguard. Set neck, mahogany.

The sound does not suit me. I love a very deep, warm tone, and I find it hard to obtain with this guitar alone. I am still working on trying to get the settings I want. I have added a Boss Equalizer, and using the Heavy Metal setting, I can get a nice deep, tone. The sustain is nice, that comes from a set neck. Not a lot of extra noise. I played this guitar over the weekend without the equalizer, and it couldn't be heard over the other instruments. At times, there were no sound at all. It seemed to be "lost". Keep in mind, that I am not able to use a nice amp, so that DOES make a difference. I have played other basses on this system, however, and they sounded really good (please see the review of the Gretsch Electromatic bass).

Not the sound I was hoping for, or expected from this guitar. I had played the Elitist version, and fell in love with this bass. When I found I could not afford the Elitist version, I got this version. It DOES make a difference. The sound does not compare.

The only sound variation I have found is twangy and more twangy. Even with flat wounds.

The bass was set up nicely. I bought the guitar from a local guitar shop. Action was just right, no adjustments so far. I have owned the bass for about 6 months. All the equipment seems to be very solid, and of good quality. Added flat wound strings. BEAUTIFUL finish. The guitar is very pretty.

Always be aware of your neck. This guitar is EXTREMELY top heavy. You have to constantly adjust the guitar. Very solid though!! Very solid, yet not too heavy for a female's shoulders. The harware is good quality. I would NOT reccommend using this without a backup, as you may have an incident similar to mine, and not be able to hear it. So it's wise to carry a backup, although I don't.

The company I got this from is a local company, called Conncert Music World. The service is GREAT! They were able to match internet prices, and then some!! I got a great deal on a case. Guitar and case was about $420. Guitar was ordered, and came in in just a couple days.

Rating is for the guitar shop, NOT Epiphone or Gibson. I have never dealt with that company.

I am fairly new to bass playing, so I'm still trying to find my style. Some buy for looks, some for sound only, some for both. This bass is BEAUTIFUL. If you are like me, and you just HAVE to have an SG style bass, then go for it. The sound can be improved with some equalizers and a nice amp.

If it were stolen, I would turn it in on my insurance, and get something else. I don't think I would replace it. Maybe with the Elitist version, but this one, no.

I love the feel, love the look. I hate the heaviness of the neck, and I'm a little unhappy with the sound.

Let this be a lesson. #1, Do NOT trust looks and company reputation alone. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. #2 Play the instrument before you buy it. Play the EXACT instrument, as pickups DO matter. Play it on the equipment you will be using. Don't let the guy at the guitar store plug it into the best sounding amp on the floor. Of course it's not going to sound the same coming out of my little 25 watt amp, as the $1000 amp. and lastly #3 Read LOTS of reviews. As you can see from this website, there are some that love it, some hate it, some indifferent. It's all up to an individual, and their taste.

Made in 1999, in Japan. 24 frets, thin neck which I enjoy, normal frets. I am not sure what kind of wood it is but it dents extremely easy. The finish on mine is cherry but you can also get it in black. It is an SG body as you can see in the pic, ok now the bridge is extremely complicated on this thing you can adjust it anyway you want to but it ir really hard to set perfect, it took me hours. Passive electronics. You have 4 knobs, 2 tones and 2 volumes 1 tone and one volume for each pickup. Also a pickup selector switch, you can use the bridge pickup both pickups or just the neck pickup. You have a sidewinder pickup at the neck which is extremely bassy and a mini humbucker at the bridge.

To tell you all the truth, I have been wanting this bass for 3 years and now that I finally have one I dont like it one bit, the only thing it is good for is if you are playing older rock music like Led Zeppelin or something, or Cream because Jack Bruce made this bass famous of course. I do not like this bass at all for sound, it is extremely bassy no matter what, you cant get much high end, only if you use the bridge pickup and even then it is a muddy unclear sound. And don't even try downtuning this thing because it has a set neck and if you downtune all the strings buzz like you wouldnt beleive. I have ran this bass through a peavey tko 65 and an ampeg 100 watt head with a 410 cab, I could not acheive a good sound through either one. The bass is relativly noisy, well just look at the size of the pickups right. If you do however decide to buy this bass I would recommend getting soft guage strings and maybe picking up a teck 21 sansamp bass driver to get a richer sound. [2]

The guitar was set up poorly, and you cant adjust the bridge well either because it is a 3 position and if you bring it down low the bass will buzz alot, and when you get it set so it doesn't buzz the strings are quite high off the fretboard which leads to slow action through the neck (no good at all). Ok the pickups were also set up poorly I adjusted the hight to where I wanted them and you can also turn the little magnetic screws in the pickups to lower or higher them kinda handy because you will definately want to do this. And yes just as everyone else said it is neck heavy and if you let go the head stock bashes off of the floor.

This bass will withstand live playing, but be really careful while transporting, keep it in a hardcase because the neck is set and can break or crack if left in the cold to long. The strap buttons are basic, nothing special about them. I guess you can depend on this bass but you might want to bring a backup just in case. I do enjoy the cherry woodgrain finish and it seems tough but the body dents extremly easy so be careful.

havnt dealt with them

I play mostly punk music and a little bit of rock, this bass does not suite either well. I have been playing for 5 years now and I think I will stick to my fender standard jazz bass (around the same price). I did read a lot of reviews on this bass before I bought it and a lot of them were good, but I really honestly would not recoment this bass to anyone, it is a really big hassel. If it were stolen I would definately not buy another one. I hate everything about this bass it doesnt really have any cool features other then it looks cool that's about it. I am comparing this bass to my fender jazz bass, and this bass is completely different in all ways, just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad, but I just dislike this product, it is a bad design and a disgrace to Epiphone and Gibson products.

2001 model, I bought used but in mint condition. Go to epiphone site for full description. No doubt it is an outstanding looking bass, always gets questions from admirers. I like basses that look different from the pack.

Here's the bad news. The neck pickup sounds like mud and the bridge has no definition. Without an outboard EQ, the sound would be horible. Way too limited for today's music styles, unless you are a Cream tribute band.

Looks really good. The trus rod only adjusts the first 12 frets, so you raise the action from the tailpiece after that. I had major fret buzz all the way up to the 14th fret on the E.
I still have issues with the Gibson/Epiphone headpiece attaching to the neck. I've seen way too may Gibsons with cracked/broken necks.

The EB-3 will stand up to rough treatment. You can depend on it. Because of the sound, I would not use it for a gig.

Epihone's website is very limited on the details, never dealt directly with Epiphone.

I've played bass for over 30 years, used to have a Gibson EB-3 in the late 60's. I Also own a '67 EB-2, '68 Precision, '75 Jazz, '97 Alembic, Ibanez SR500, Traben Chaos 5, etc...
Maybe changing the pickups and adding onboard electronics would help, but finding pickups that would fit could be a lot of trouble.
The Epiphone EB-3 looks cool, but is definitely not for the gigging musician.

Cherry red; made in Korea - don't know when it was made. Two humbucking pickups (mini at bridge) - volume & tone knobs for each; selector switch for either pickup or both. 22 frets/34" scale.

With the two pickups, you can get quite a diverse range of sounds, although this is also dependent on the amp. I run mine through a Crate BT50 (I know, I know, not everyone's favorite brand, but this is my first bass/amp, so forgive me). Neck pickup gives a warm, low tone, while the mini on the bridge gives a punchier tone. Nice full tone when both pickups are selected.

Set-up was perfect right out of of the shop. No defects/flaws that I have found so far.

Seems like a pretty solid machine. As others have pointed out, it's pretty neck-heavy, which is a bit of a pain (literally) at the beginning, but you get used to it eventually. Don't really like the strap button behind the neck - my other guitar is a strat, so I'm used to the buttons on Fenders.

Never dealt with Epiphone and hoepfully never will have to.

Like I said, this is my first bass. I had my hands on a Mexican Precision, but thought that just about everyone else has a Fender, so I'll go with something different. I'm glad I did - I love my EB-3 and would recommend it to anyone wanting a quality bass. And it looks great too!

2 Pickups both with tone & volume. 3-way selector switch. 4 strings.

Sounds beefy -- you can definitely get a classic rock sound out of this bass. The tone knobs don't really change the sound in small increments. Basically you get one extreme or the other with a little in between but most bass players won't use all of these tones anyway. Just get a good amp and you're good to go. This bass kicks major ass.

From the factory it was pretty much perfect. Ordered it from music123.com.

This sucker is solid baby.

No idea but I filled out the limited warranty card.

I'm in love with this bass. I guess the Gibson version is probably better but having never played it, I'm totally cool with this one. Fenders are for weaklings -- this bass has balls people.

Black EB-3

Pure Mud - If you are looking to play in a Cream cover band than this is your bass. This bass is extremelly one dimensional and sounds like garbage if played in any other type of music other than old classic rock.

Very comfortable to play and looks sharp. Too bad it sounds like caca.

Like I said before - its fun to play old cream songs on it. That doesnt last long for me. I am either going to replace both pickups in an attempt to make this bass sound good or I am throwing right back in the Ebay pool.

I'd wanted an EB-0 in black but have since found out that they do not exist other than in the kit format with an amp and video etc. I then found out that they don't do the EB-3 in black either, apart from the one I found in Denmark St. on the weekend. This is such a beautiful guitar, I had no choice but to get the card out there and then. Resplendent in black, it is a rocktastic SG shape with inlayed fret board a ginormous silver humbucker at the neck and smaller bridge humbucker. I've no idea what wood the body is, the fretboard is rosewood and inlayed perfectly. The guitar cam as it is with no extras at all. The rarity of the colour meant that it sold itself.

I like to play everything and this guitar can handle that for sure. Massive fat bass drive and super twinkly tone for funkier numbers. I use a amp simulator to DI straight into my laptop and then out into a C-audio/Nexo PA rig. Trust me when I say there are no sonic problems with this guitar, whether you like it or not is mainly down to looks.

The guitar was set up by the shop so was ready from the start. The body is flawless, no complaints whatsoever.

This is a classic guitar, there is little that can go wrong with it. I suspect that the volume/tone controls and the machine heads are one of the main areas where Epiphone cut costs but these can be picked up second hand on E-bay if you wanted to upgrade to real Gibson components. I've only just bought this guitar so can't offer any feedback on its gigability. I'll be gigging with it for sure though, it looks so great how could you leave it at home ?

N/A

THis is a stand out bass, something different and so much cooler than almost everything. If I lost this guitar I would love to have another one, I'm getting used to the heavy neck (or light body) and have adopted a different playing position accordingly. Quite simply, this is the best looking bass guitar ever, it's amazing that it is not more popular.

I think it was made in 2001, in Korea. It has a set neck, a mini-humbucker, and a f*** off one, with 2 volumes, 2 tones and a 3-way pick-up selector. And ogf course the stuff from above of below (I forget) What more could you want???

Couldn't be better, the I can play from RATM to Manic Street Preachers to Radiohead. I use it with my Trace Elliot Commando 12, which also rocks. You can get most sounds out of this, it is my second bass, and I had a jazz bass copy. This beats the hell out of it, it is just so versatile, I can get the same sounds. It couldn't sound better if you shook a stick at it! (of course that that would not do much good).

No complaints here set up perfectly, finsh was exellent, everything was fine, the only thing was my fault, I jumped off the stage whilst practising, and it took a dent whilst I was getting up.

I think that this bass would withstand live playing if you don't like to having it slung too low, because of the full sized headstock ,and the small body it has a neck heavy problem, but you get used to it. Everything is solid and doesn't really want to move. But don't give it too many hard nocks, unless you want a dented 'machine' :). So I give it a 9.

Haven't needed to deal with them.

I have been playing for about 1 1/2 years, and I own a Alsin Dane Jazz bass copy, This kicks the hell outta that, and I'm thinking of converting it to fretless :). If this were stolen I would try maybe the Les Paul, Explorer, or Flying V, but I would probably have to go back because of the sheer cool factor. I prefered this to a Fender Jazz and a load of other shit. Couldn't be better. But next I'm thinking of a fretless...

this bass has awesome features, which, along with the sound are the best part of the bass. this bass is the most beautiful lookig bass that you have ever seen. if your into that sort of thing. rosewood fretboard, cant be bothered to count the frets, i bought it second hand off ebay and it is in great condition. except the machine heads are very big and heavy, causing the head to imbalance when you let it go.

This bass has an awesome sound, but the only problem is that it is kind of difficult to get this awesome sound, you have to be pretty damn good to get the good sound all of the time, this is due to the strange height of the action. but overall, its the best sound that ive played, if you play it well.

as i said, the action on my bass is a weird height, it kind of goes up and then back closer to the fretboard, not allowing it to be lowered.

i have played this bass live a couple of times and found that it handles it very well. the hardware will definately last. the finish is very good and nice and thick. the strap buttons are alternately placed, which i like, and they hold very well. a very dependable bass, i would use it without a backup, well, mainly coz i dont have a backup, and not enough money.

havent delt but im sure they are great so ill give em a 10

i gave this bass a 10 overall because it has an awesome sound and that is the main thing, and also because it is a challenging and different bass, which i like, and it also improves your playing if you are just past the beginner level. buy two

I got the Epiphone EB-3 5 string bass guitar as a gift the sound quality and playability are awesome and the look is very sexy if you know what i mean
unfortunately i've only been playing the bass guitar for about 8 months and already have done more than one gig lol and i am so good so i do now know alotta the terms listed above i only know that that is the best bass guitar i've had so far my other one was a fender squire and the sound and tone on that isn't that good compared to the the epiphone that sounds rich and deep and beautiful

and for the features i know it has
2 dual rail bass humbuckers
the hardware is chrome
the scale is 34"
the nut width is 1.65"
the neck joint is set
the neckmaterial is maple
the fingerboard is rosewood/trapezoid
body material is mahagony
and the finish is red wine

which makes a beautiful lookin guitar lol

suits it just fine and i play everything from jazz to church music to oldies and even some new stuff

i am using it with a fender bassman 25 amp and i don't have an effects pedal yet

really nice sound not sure how to describe it except for a lotta depth real deep soothing sound awesome

a couple different ones has two volumes and two tone controls

yes it is good for both

and my only dislike sadly is the machine heads holes for the eyelets are too small so if you put in a bigger string it is hard to get out again

it has very good playability nice feel and nice reaction

good

no actually my bass was in pretty good shape considering we got it on clearance the store liquidated the price down from almost 800.00 to 299.00

yes i know my bass can withstand live playing

yes it seems to me like it is very hearty

yes the finish is still awesome looking

yes the strap buttons are solid

yes i can definately trust it

yes i would but i always keep a backup handy lol

very friendly

not yet and yes it is under warranty

3 yrs

i've been playin bass guitar for about 8 months now I am also a pianist that is the only other gear i have lol

no i asked the salesperson everything i felt i needed to ask and even if something comes up i have alotta friends that play guitar and they can help me

i would definately buy this one again

i love the crispness of sound and the style of it
i don't hate anything about it
don't really have a favourite feature on it like everything

yes i compared it to several others i liked the sound of this one over the others

not that i can think of now

nothing else