Epiphone EB-3

4-string solid ash-bodied, mahogany-necked bass. Made Korea c.2001. 22 frets. Two pickups with INDEPENDENT volume and tone controls. It has the body of an Gibson SG guitar. Substantial neck pickup with mini bridge pickup. Electronics are passive. Pickup selector, enabling you to select either or both. Mine is cherry red. One reason for buying it is that I work with a guitarist who has a red SG. 34 inch neck. has the look of the basses used by Jack Bruce (Cream), Andy Fraser (Free), Alan Lancaster (Quo)and Jim Lea (Slade). So it is essentially a rock player's instrument, though maybe a little out of style; but who cares? Does not come with any accessories. The independent tone controls earns it its 10.

I play in rock and punk bands, so I use a variety of sounds. Fine with both pick and fingers. Will play slap, but a regular slap player really needs an instrument with a wider neck. Neck pickup with plenty of bass blows your head off. Nice bright sound on neck pick up. Growls like a hungry, lovesick lion. Independent tone switches means that you have a practically unlimited variety of tones you can use. It is my first choice for stage. I'll probably use it in the studio as well. I play it through a Torque T200BX (200W), but I hope to upgrade to a more powerful amp.

No adjustments needed. Lowish action, but that's the way I like it. No faults found.

Bass looks tough. I have had no trouble. Unlike the Epiphone Thunderbird IV, there is no weak jack socket. The EB3 is totally reliable. No adjustments needed so far. I use the T-bird as backup in case I break a string.

Not applicable

I've been playing live since I was 14. If it were lost or stolen, I would certainly get another EB3. While it's sitting on its guitar stand under the lights just before a show, it is like a beautiful woman; the body has a waistline like a film star's. A guitarist in a band I used to play for fell so much in love with it that he bought himself a Epi cherry red SG. I love the independent tone controls, the sounds and the reliability. The only bitch I have is that it is neck heavy, but then it is a Gibson design!
I also have an Epiphone T-Bird, a Jazz, an EB2 copy and a fretless Fender copy. But I never play any of these now.

A friend of mine bought me one of these last year to do a 30-year
reunion concert with the "proper" instruments. I'd had a Gibson EB-0
many, many years ago, though at the time I'd lusted for the EB-3, so it was a great surprise. Get the cherry finish, it's just like the old
Gibson's hue, and every other detail I could remember is faithfully
reproduced, especially the neck pick-up which was all the EB-0 had.
Same full, really full, almost too full (for live, I'll explain later)
low end tone. The bridge pick-up evens out the tone, but it'll always
sound like an EB-3.

I found during that gig that I'd have to have an immense bass rig to
do justice to it's low end.(think Jack Cassidy)It totally overwhelmed
the system I'd put together,but for direct recording, I can't think of
a purer, more expressive sound. Just enough clarity and presence and
punch, but oh, what a earth-shaking low end!(I've since proven to myself at this year's concert that my homebuilt bass with Carvin's
active preamp gives me a lot more manageable live sound) We'll be doing more studio work this fall so I'm very happy.

The bass was marked as a "second", but I've yet to find a single flaw.
Stock strings were a bit too wimpy, I immediately but on medium half-rounds. I did only minor adjustments before playing live literally a couple hours after receiving it, and haven't touched the
bridge since. My only complaint, shared by others in this forum, is that it is very neck-heavy. This was a known feature for me, but for
the uninitiated, be prepared. Another reason I like it as a recording
bass, I almost always sit.

I'd expect that the set neck design would withstand normal wear and
tear, but I'm meticulous about my instruments' care, so I expect it
to last forever. The hardware feels robust and thickly chromed, the
finish feels thicker than old Gibsons'. I fortunatly have avoided the
scratch test, though the finish feels tough. I've played it under various conditions, both inside and out, warm and cool with no apparent changes in adjustments needed. I might upgrade the strap
buttons for lots of live use, but I'd say that about everthing that
didn't come with strap-locks.

I've not had to deal with Epiphone, nor do I expect to. In fact, I
liked the EB-3 so much, I found a Les Paul Special Double Cutaway
w/P-90s copy in some new old stock, and purchased it sight unseen.
And it impressed me every bit as much as the EB-3, maybe even more.

I'm sooo pleased! I'd have to find another should something happen to
it. Nostalgia notwithstanding, it's a great instrument.

This is a reissue of the EB bass like Jack Bruce played in Cream. My particular specimen is the vintage cherry one. The scale is 34 inch, and it has a set neck. The pickups are 2 Humbuckers, and there are 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs, and a pickup selector switch(which, by the way, is not historically correct - the model that Bruce is playing on the Cream video cd I have has a toggle switch, while this reissue is equipped with a rotary type switch). I believe that it has 22 frets, though you can continue to play right off the neck on to the huge humbucker pickup at the neck position(hey, I play upright too...) My only complaint about the thing is that it is incredibly neck-heavy, but EB/SG type instruments generally seem this way to people who play are converts from Fenders...

I have to state that this bass is NOT for those of you after a modern slap or thin sound. Go buy a p-bass(I kept my first bass, a Washburn P-Bass clone for this reason). This instrument can make a kind of bright, pingy sound with the bridge pickup, but it is virtually impossible to do slap stuff on this thing. It really shines with the switch in the neck pickup position...it creates an absolute wall of sound. Sick of being lost in the general mess? Into heavy blues? This is the bass for you. It is almost too powerful for my 1978 Fender Bassman - there is absolutely no need to engage the deep switch. I give it a ten because this sort of tone is what I bought this instrument for - I have a p-bass for slap, and can always play upright for that upright sound, so this bass fills that remaining slot - something heavy.

I can't really comment too much on the setup, because I got it in the mail on christmas eve, was already late for a christmas party, and went there before playing it...the lead singer in my band bought me a pack of Elixers for christmas, and I put them on it immediately. I am told the original strings are really sub-par, and I would believe it, considering how thin they are. Otherwise, the bass is awesome looking...in a world of Fenders and those crazy space alien basses with 22 strings, it is definitely a breath of fresh air in appearance. My only real complaint is the pickup selector switch, which is kind of shabby...see the next section for details.

This bass does seem more fragile than the average P-Bass. It seems fairly durable in its own right, but I wouldn't want to fend off screaming fans with it, which I would not be afraid to do with my Washburn. This has to do with the fact that it has a set neck, too. The only thing that really scares me about it, durability-wise, is the pickup selector switch...the switch itself seems kind of cheap and loose, as though it was poorly manufactured. The mounting of the switch doesn't appear to be the problem. If only they had used a toggle. If I have to replace the switch, it is getting a toggle.

I haven't had to call Epiphone yet...

I've been playing bass for about three years now, and it is currently my primary instrument, both as a college music major and in real life. As I have mentioned, I also own a Washburn Shadow Series(my first bass) and a 1978 Fender Bassman(100 Watts) Head, which I run into a 2x15 SoundCraft cabinet. My one wish about this bass was that someone would carry it locally. I didn't get to try it...I basically bought it blind, on the premise that it was the full size version of the EB0, which I did get to try, and really liked, except for the scale. In the process of trying to find one, though, I got to play with lots of other instruments - I also really liked the Epi Thunderbird Bass, though it was not nearly as pretty, it also had a rather amazing sound. I have never been a active pickup person, mainly because I have an element of guitarist in me, and like vintage stuff, so I didn't really look at many instruments of that type - I also tried a couple different flavors of the Fender Jazz, but it wasn't different enough for me, not to mention that I am a huge Cream nut. If anyone would ever steal this thing, I swear I would track them down and kill them by sawing through their head with bow(from an upright bass). If I break it, I will probably have to do this to myself, because being a college student, there is no more money alotted for replacing this instrument. I have to save to buy my own upright, not to mention books, and the other, nameless expenses a college student incurrs...

This was a Long scale 1999 Epiphone 4-string SG-style bass. It has one Sidewinder humbucker and one mini-humbucker. Body is Ash (I believe) and neck is rosewood. It has it has one tone control and one volume control for each pickup (2 each). From where I bought it, it came with nothing except the truss rod tools.

I play stuff from blues to indie to classic rock. You can get an unbelievable range of sounds, from a pounding low end to a guitar-like high end, and changing the sound is easily accomplished by switching pickups and playing with the tone/volume controls. The only problem with the sound is that while you can get a great low or high end, there is no GREAT combination of both- The two ends seem very separated.

The bass came from a guitar retailer in NY, and it was set up very well, with a perfectly low action but incredibly thick strings. If you buy one factory-direct or without a change of strings, you'll probably end up needing a new pair. The pickups and electronics were set up perfectly, there was only one small dent in the finish which was otherwise perfect. The HUGELY negative aspect of this bass is how the weight is balanced. The horns are WAY too short and the neck way too heavy and long, and the result is a poorly weighted bass. If you simply strap the bass on, the neck will fall to the ground, meaning you have to support most of the neck's weight not through the strap, but with your left hand (if you play righty)... This is INCREDIBLY annoying and difficult.

This bass can take a whooping; its built very solidly and can take a knock with no damage done to the finish or the wood. The hardware seems VERY solid, the finish and strap buttons are as well. I haven't had to adjust the truss rod yet (I've had this for about half a year). I would play live with it if it were actually easier to play (the weighting sucks).

I've been playing about 3 years, and I would recommend the bass for its sound, which is very good, but playing it is very difficult. It's not really comparable with any other bass I've played-- its got a very thunderous and powerful sound (listen to Jack Bruce of Cream play one on any of Cream's records). I chose this bass because it LOOKS awesome and because of its diversity in tones. I probably wouldn't buy another one if it were stolen; I'd use insurance money towards a higher end bass like my Ricky (I love my Ricky).