Gibson EB-0

1969 EB-0. one, mudbucker pickup. volume, tone. tune - o - matic bridge. short scale. really light. four clover shaped tuners. thin neck(so dont drop it). no frills. just what i like.

awesome for dub, or rock. can be kind of upright like. stock its a real muddy sounding bass. some people say it has no tone. i disagree. dont think your going to slap, or play YES tunes. its all low end. think of a song where the bass is present, but you cant make out all thats going on. thats this bass. i love mine, but its a one trick pony. the pickup WILL OVERDRIVE itself! sounds like really bad clipping. adjust the poles. also dont dig in with volume pot at 10. i leave mine around 7- 7 1/2. dont let it be your only bass.

action...it plays like a dream. favorite bass to play by far. really low, tight and fast. the low E string is funky. it doesnt have as much body as the A. adjusting the pickup poles evens this out pretty good though.

unless you drop it you probably wont have any problems. drop it and, it will crack at the neck/head, or the neck/body joint. will not gig with this bass. like it to much to loose/break it.

contacted gibson about determining the year it was made. no response after the first e-mail. figured it out on my own. from people ive talked to that seems common with gibson. who know though.

love this bass. ive played music since 3rd grade cello. now im 28. i feel like i have my own taste, and this bass is a big part of it.

mid 60's gibson. these models are short scale and light with a thin neck. tone and volume knob. not a lot of features, but you don't need them. the bodies are sg style and back in the 60's they were beautiful.

the sound on mine has been moded so it is a little brighter. i've read that they can sound a little muddy, but if you use the proper amp you can fix that. the sound out of mine is about to make me drool. i have some pretty rare basses (travis bean, kramer 8 string, and others) and as much as i love and need them to keep making a living, in terms of natural tone they don't hold a candle to this gibson. it is deep, it is warm and it is full bodied. if it was a beer it would be a stout. the tone knob on this bass seems to do more then the tone knobs on my other basses, so i've been able to get good bright sounds also, but it has a natural deep tone that you would not expect from such a light thin instrument.

the action is heavenly. the neck is thin enough that i can pull of riffs that i can't pull off very easily on my travis bean. the body is so light it's like wearing nothing. everything on this bass is perfect and beautiful! the finish is old and cracked and rubbed off is some places and the wood showing through is full of texture. god help me, i'm in love.
you need to be careful buying an old gibson though. i've been told that 7 out of 10 in the 60's were great and would hold up without the neck warping. that droped to 4 or 5 out of 10 in the 70's, don't buy anything from the 80's. i don't know how true that is, but keep it in mind. but if you find a good one, dear god jump on it!

don't know yet, i've had the bass for one day. the research i've done says that gibson's have thin necks and are prone to warping. also the headstocks are knowning for cracking. but if you find one that is 40 years old and these things haven't happened yet, they probably aren't going to. but treat it gently. that is a thin bolted on neck.

it's old. the company doesn't really deal with that kind of stuff anymore.

i've played this bass for a grand total of 1 hour and i'm convienced it's the best bass i've ever owned. my 8 string changed my life as my band is getting kind of big, but the gibson is hands down superior in sound and easier to play.
if you are looking at one, espically online, make sure you know what all the dings and problems are, old instruments will have some. ask if it or the owner has the original parts, they are worth money.
if this bass were lost or stolen i would go on a 3 day whiskey bender and hurt someone, anyone.
these things have character, awsome sound, easy action, and look sharp. if you have the chance buy it buy it buy it! then treat it right, they deserve your respect.
oh yeah, they're a good investment as their value keeps rising.
but don't buy it if you're not going to play it, someone else could use it!

See Previous Review: Have Upgraded Pickup to Dimarzio Model One with Phase Switching ( Series-Parrallel. )

Result.....Night and Day ! No More Gibson Pickup Mud !

With Dimarzio Model One Pickup ( DP-120 ) in Series, the Sound is Full, Rich, Warm, Solid, and Clear. Switched to Parrallel, the Volume Drops a Bit and the The Tone Kicks up in the Midrange Department...Lots of Clear Bark and Growl.

See Previous Review.

See Previous Review.

See Previous Review.

See Previous Review.

With Dimarzio Upgrade, this is Not only a Vintage Collectible Player, but a Professional Calibre Bass as Well.

Here's the Scoop:

1965 Model Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A. Serial Number 323310
Twenty Frets, 4-Strings.
Solid Mahogany Construction.
Volume & Tone Controls.
One Big Fat Vintage Gibson Humbucker Pickup.
Passive Electronics.
Mahogany Body & Neck.
Oiled Finish.
"SG" Body Style.
Crude Early Style Vintage Gibson Bridge ( Adjustable. )
Gibson Reverse-Acting Clover-Leaf Style Tuners ( Non-Locking )
30.5 Inch Scale " Chunky " Neck.

Full,Rich, Warm and " Fat " Tone. A Bit Muddy, but that can be Mainly EQ'D out with the Bass Amp and a Good Set of Strings.

Using it with a Fender BXR25 Practice Amp at Home, and I have tried it through a Peavey Mark IV Bass Head & Peavey Musician 400 Keyboard Head. I will be Playing it through a Late 60's Ampeg V-6B Tube Rig...ought to Kick Ass through that Amp ! I also have a Hartke 10 120 Watt Combo that it Sounds very good through.

As I Dial up the Tone and Volume on the Bass, I get Different Sounds and Volumes...rather interesting !

The Muddiness could ultimately be addressed by a Dimarzio Model One Humbucker with Two-Phase Series-Parrallel Switching Capability but that is Extra Money at this Point.

I had to Remove the String Mute and Lower the Bridge all the way, in Addition to Adjusting the Truss Rod, to get the Action closer to where I like it on a Bass.

I had to Adjust the Pole-Pieces Upwards as Well.

I have used it a Bit at Open Stage Jamming. Solid as a Rock.

Hardware has Lasted 40 Years.

Replaced Strap Buttons with Strap-Locks ASAP.

N/A

Playing since 1969.

Love the Look, Feel, Playability and Sound of the Gibson EB-O. I use it for Heavier Classic Blues & Rock, while I use My Fender Bronco Bass for the other Stuff.

Once Again, there is some Muddiness with the Stock Pickup, and these Basses are known for that. In Addition, there is some Neck Heaviness but it is Tolerable & the Overall Bass Weight is a Very Desirable 6.5 Lbs.

I used to Own a 1970 Gibson EB-3 and it was a Much more Fragile Bass than this EB-O.

very cool!
this is a 1969 gibson EB-0 with no finish, it's just oiled wood,just red mohagony.it has the slot head head stock which ive heard breaks alot.
it has a single huge chrome humbucker on the bottom of the neck it only has two controls,volume and tone. they don't do anything.mine is in great condition except the missing bridge cover and two chunks out of the back??????i have no idea how this happened.sg style body.

i play grruunnggee and stuff and "indie" its good for some stuff, not so good for others.i got it after i saw kim gordon playing one in atlanta and mike watt playing one in pictures.it does not sound anything like mike watt, his is modded.i use it with a 67 fender musicmaster bass amp.it sounds cool.very dark and muddy. i love it. however it does not respond too well to fuzz. the signal is so hot that it distorts by itself and it gets sorta quiet and cancels out.it is beautiful by itself it mis very rich and vibrant. not trebbely or piano like.but soon i will have a gibson grabber /ripper to satisfy that need.its great

well im not sure about the factor setup because mine is 30 years old+++the pickup is really cool and huge+
the bridge cover is missing-
rreally playable. good for improvisions and solos.++++++
nice neck, really smooth and no headstock breakage, no "gibsonitis"

it is a hummer-tank-anvil-brick-unbreakably thing, except what people say about the headstock, but i once banged against the celing of a hotel room, knocking down plaster, and nothing happened.i would gig without a backup

dunno

i love it.its my baby. even if im just sitting around or watching tv its SOFT
its the best.i would chase a burgular that stole it and kill him with a dull pair of scissorrs.

SG-style mahogany body w/cherry-red (classic SG color) finish, short-scale neck, one humbucking pickup by the neck. I think it's a '69, made in Michigan.
I replaced the bridge and tuners, which weren't very good, and also added a DiMarzio P-style pickup right by the bridge, which was probably a mistake.

Deep and muddy, very soulful. If you're looking for sharpness, trebly clank, or slap-funk tones, don't bother. But if you want fat, full, warm notes, it's great. Most people associate this with late-'60s bluesy/psychedelic rock--Cream, Big Brother w/Janis Joplin--but it's also good for James Brown or James Jamerson-style soul runs, long single notes (like with backing up someone playing acoustic), and reggae or reggae-influenced stuff. Could use a bit more definition, but richly bassy.
My old punk band hated it, but I sneaked it onto couple tracks on our album.

Plays really fast and easy. You lose a bit of definition with the short-scale, but you gain speed and comfort.

I've had it for 31 years (it was my first REAL bass) without any significant problems, unless you count weather checking from leaving it in the van overnight while on tour in Wisconsin in February. I've used it on dozens of gigs, although my main bass is a Precision.
The finish has worn off in the spot above the E-string because I play with my fingers. As far as I'm concerned, that's a sign of character.
You have to adjust the truss rod occasionally; mahogany seems more prone to warping than the maple of Fender necks. The other thing to watch for is that mahogany guitars (and Gibsons especially) are prone to headstock breaks if they're dropped or knocked over. That's never happened to this one, though.

Bought it used.

Been playing since I was 16, and own four other basses. I liked it better than the P-Bass when I first got it because it was bassier, but a few years later fell in love with a different P.
If it were stolen or lost, it would be a big part of my past gone.
If I had to do it over, I probably wouldn't have added the second pickup; I never use it.

1973 Gibson EBO. Very simple bass but has all you really need. Single booming pick-up.

I have used this through Marshall combo guitar amps in a pinch as well as heavy Ampeg amps and it sounds great. Sometimes i'll use a Boss equilizer pedal. Guitar always sounds well and I have produced a variety of sounds.

I bought the bass used so I can't comment on factory set-up but I know Gibson manufactures a top-notch product. Much of the equipment on my bass is 30 years old and has stood the test of time.

Everything is great on the EBO so long as you have a good neck and truss rod. Sometimes with the EBO you can develope a case of "gibsonitis" where the neck can bow or have trouble with the truss rod. Word to the wise: always check neck and truss rod thoroughly and you will be in the clear. Check your neck regularly and see if it needs a rod adjustment and have it done by a Gibson backed repair person.

Gibson customer service has been a huge help to me. Fast responce through their website and by phone. They have a database of nation-wide qualified Gibson repair experts and will help you locate one near you. A+

I love my EBO and will probably get another one soon. It sounds great, it looks great, excellent craftsmanship. I also own a 1978 Fender Musicmaster bass but I prefer the EBO. Unfortunatly when I bought it the truss rod was broken and I am in the process of getting it repaired which can be traumatic. Be sure to check neck and truss rod before buying so you can enjoy your EBO for many years!

A phat SG style bass, made in 1965 in the U.S.A.--20 frets with only a tone & a volume knob + a mute lever... the finish is a deep cherry red, showing off the beautifully grained mahogany body and neck. original case & even the original strings were in the case when I bought it!

EARTHQUAKE!! I play it through a 300w 15" Trace Elliot combo with a SWR Son of Bertha cab pluged into it...very powerful sound, deep & muddy- quick stuff in the high notes sounds really cool! I play slap bass, too, so I take an old p-bass with my to gigs, but the little monster is awesome for blues & heavy rock(sabbath style)!

as far as I can tell, Gibson did an awesome job with it! Im sure its been adjusted & re-adjusted over its 40 year life, but still no flaws yet! It plays awesome--any other bass feels large & cumbersome after jammin` on it for a while. I really fell in love with it--enough to start forming my style around it...

The thing is bulletproof! Ive heard of them having real frail headstocks, but dont drop the baby on its head & you should be fine...

never had to deal with Gibson

Ive been playing for 8 years & this bass is friggen great! Ive owned Ricks, J and P basses, an old memphis, a peavy, and an ibanez- The little monster is about the best Ive played as far as power basses are concerned... definately not a slapper, though. If someone stole it, Id hunt them down & take it back! Its my baby!

1967 with the big fat passive humbucker at the bottom of the neck. Someone added a Dimarzio J-Bass pickup at the bridge, which actually sounds pretty good. Mahogany body and neck, short scale.

Excellent sound -- as long as you don't want to slap it, or do any of trebly kind of stuff. The primary pickup is muddy, muddy, muddy, but is really powerful and deep-sounding. You can EQ out some of the muddiness, but it provides a great anchor.

Excellent. The finish is checked all over, but still looks great, and the playing is superb -- it's REALLY fast because it's short scale, but the neck just fits my hands better than any of my other basses.

No question but that this thing would survive gigging, and no backups are needed because the electronics are elementary. Just watch how you set it down -- these are notorious for headstock breaks, so you have to be careful with it (use a stand!).

No need, and probably no use at this time.

I've been playing for years off and on. Have several Fenders, and a great Rick 4003. I like them all, but this one is unique. these are easy to find, and parts are still plentiful but getting pricey. Try to get a case with yours -- otherwise you can spend at least another half the cost of the bass' price for a case, and these things are too fragile to travel in a gig bag.

Bought new in 1967. The Fender Jazz I had was too heavy!! Traded it in for the Gibson. It was love at first sight. What a beautiful color that cherry was. All these years later it seems to have turned a deeper, darker color.

In the old days there was nothing like it. We covered Cream and Hendrix type music and the EB-0 was perfect for the times. Recording with it a couple of years ago the tone was great, deep and dark, for that particular tune. It still has its place after all these years.

It was to me perfection come in the form of a bass guitar.

It's held up for 35 years without a single problem.

Never needed their help.

35 years ago it scored a 10. These days, realistically, it doesn't compete well with the best that's out there. But in 1967 it was a dream come true.