Gibson EB-3

Gibson EB-# de 1967, SI, VOY A DAR MI OPINION EN ESPA?OL JA! atencion a mis compa?eros latinoamericanos y compatriotas Argentinos.
A este bajo lo compre en el a?o 2002, el que lo vendia no tenia ni idea de lo que era, el creia que era de los 80s...pero como yo ya venia buscando este bajo de hace rato y tenia estudiada toda la historia y modelos...sabia que no era de los 80s porque se habia dejado de fabricar en 1979. Asi que lo fui a ver y me di cuenta que era de los 60s.
El bajo es increible!, es hermoso, cuerpo solido, escala corta....bueno ya saben como es supongo!.

Yo anduve buscando este bajo porque me volvi fanatico de Jack Bruce (CREAM). desde el primer dia que lo conecte a mi Fender BXR me partio la cabeza. Tiene 2 Hambuckers con un sonido impresionante. El grave tiene un sonido pesado, gordo bien definido ( nada que ver a un p-bas...nada que ver..10 veces mejor) y el agudo es una maravilla y ambos dan un sonido muy rico, lleno, muy vintage.
Para el tipo de sonido que uso le doy un 10.

Si, al ser un bajo de tantos a?os necesito leves reparaciones pero no muchas. Oxidado..solamente los tornillos del pickguard y esas cosas pero nada destruido. La pintura estaba muy resquebrajada asi que en cuento tena algo de dinero lo mandare a restaurar de pintura.

es la perfeccion!.

nunca llame a nadie...solamente un mail a la compania Gibson confirmandome el numero de serie.

Si palabras, no hay palabras para describir su grandeza, lo bien que suena. Pareciera que yo no toco...que el me deja llevar y el lo hace todo. mi mejor amigo.... Gibson EB-3.
My best comrade..."little hippie demon" Gibson EB-3

Follow-up to earlier Reviews. This Bass has now been Fully Restored from a very " Worn Out " Condition. Also, the Color has been changed from Walnut to Gibson Heritage Cherry. This is now a Beautiful Piece of Work !
This Bass is a 1970 Model EB-3 Made in the U.S.A. with " Slotted Headstock ", and Reverse Tuners.
I Bought an Original Early 70's EB Series Hardshell Case for it. Everything on the Bass is now " Original Gibson ".

I kind of dig the Sound, actually...very unique. Every Bass I've Owned over the Years,( Seventeen or So ), has had it's Own Unique Sound in some way. This EB-3 is Cool as it has 4 Separate Tone Options in one Bass. There is some Variety there. My 1973 Hagstrom H 1 B has only one Sound, but it's Great !
Drawback with the EB-3 is that it Sounds Good only through certain Amps, and they have to be EQ'd a fair bit to accomodate it.

N/A

These Basses are known for Headstock Breaks. Mine has a Minor Crack that runs from the " E " to " A " Tuner, and it was Professionally Repaired. It is very hard to see and does not affect Structural Integrity whatsoever.
Definitely, the EB-3 will withstand Live Playing...I haven't Gigged hard with it, but I have used it at Open Stages and the Like. I had Strap-Locks Installed ASAP after Restoration,( The Flush-Mount Dunlop's..Match the Bass Perfectly.)
I am a Recreational Bass Player, and rarely ever Gig, but I would take it out Solo if a Gig should happen.
Generally Speaking, these Basses are much less durable than say, My Hagstrom, ( or a Fender ), so caution needs to be taken.

1-800-4-Gibson.....Great Guys ! ( Although they are More Familiar with the Newer Guitars & Basses.)

Playing 35 Years. I Love the Sound and the way it Suits Classic Rock Sounds...Cream, Etc. I Love the Classic Looks of this Bass, the Lightweight, Balance, Playability, Ultra-Slim, Fast Neck, Short-Scale.

I've been pkaying my 1972 Gibson EB-3 custom for thirty years and its true when they say "they just dont build'em like they used to"!
My man Jack Bruce would just love this baby. They only made this model for one year. The head is shaped and cut like a violin with the tunning pegs facing backwards. I had a Jazz bass and it was great, but the EB-3 is made for 'speed'!

Follow up to earlier Review. There is an added Switch for Switching the Neck Humbucker from Series to Parrallel and Vice-Versa. This was actually disconnected when I got the Bass, and is now Functional. It really makes a difference when used.

After the Series-Parrallel Swich was Activated, the Range of Tones Really Opened Up on this Bass. From " Fat ", Warm, Bottom End, to Mid-Rangy Tones, to Clear, Crisp, Highs...it's all there.
The Dimarzio Neck Humbucker is supposedly a real improvement over the Original Gibson Pickup, both by Design and Performance. It isn't as Pretty, but for a " Player Grade Bass ", who Cares !

I had a Full Set-Up and Electronics Overhaul done and the Result is Night and Day vs when I got the Bass. The Action is Set Low, perhaps not as Low as My other Basses, but very Playable.

This Bass has seen EVERYTHING ! It will easily withstand Live Playing. According to the Guitar Tech Who worked on it, the Neck, Truss Rod, (and everything else) is Solid.

A Great Classic Bass !

Year Made 1970 ( As Per Gibson. )Made in the U.S.A. Two Volumes, Two Tones, 4-Way Rotary Selector Switch, Series-Parrallel Switch ( For Neck Humbucker, Which is a Dimarzio DP120 Upgrade.) Dimarzio Neck Humbucker, Original Gibson Bridge Humbucker. Passive Electronics. Mahogany Body and Neck. Transparent Finish. "SG" Body Style." Right-Angle " Gibson Tuners.
30.5" Short-Scale, Slim, Fast, Neck.

Definitely a Step Up from the EB-O because of the Additional Bridge Pickup, Dimarzio Neck Humbucker Pickup Upgrade, 4-Way Selector Switch, and Series-Parrallel Switch. Using the Bass with a Fender BXR 25 for Practice at Home, and a Hartke Kickback 10 for Rehearsal / Gigs. This is a very quiet Bass. A Variety of Sounds , from Fat Bottom " Subs " to Clear, Crisp Mids...it's all there. I am pleasantly surprised.

Factory Set-Up was 33 Years Ago..Beats Me How Good That Was ! Pickups are adjusted Okay, although I had to bring the Neck Pickup up a Bit.
This is a " Player Grade " Bass, Weathered and Leathered, with Plenty of " Defects and Character ", just like Me !
It's been around the block a Few Dozen times.

Yes on All Accounts, Although I haven't Really Put it to the Test Yet.

Dealt with Gibson on their 1-800 Number...Great Guys..very Helpful.

Playing 35 Years.
I also Own a 1973 Hagstrom Sunburst H 1 B Bass, a 1978 Fender White MusicMaster Bass, a 1999/2000 Danelectro Creme DC Bass, and a 1977 Yamaki ( HOB ) Sunburst 6-String Acoustic Guitar.
I love the Tonal Variety of the EB-3, with the Flick of a Switch or Two I can get Totally Different Sounds. I Love the Neck. the Light Weight, and Balance of this Bass, and the " Beat-Up " Look.

1968, USA,Solid body SG shape, Volume and tone and a selector knob (with a parallel position? for a very deep, double bass kind of sound)
All mahogany,Cherry/brown, Good robust tuners, easy to tune, Very nice thin neck. Great looking!

I use roundwound D'Addario very thick strings to compensate for the short scale (I guess it works for me). It has a very warm sound with good useable variety in settings. I like the sound very much, it can have a nice growl (when I bought this base I had just bought Let them eat cake by Motorpsycho (Norway) and found out at the next gig I visited that he had the same bass!). I like hearing wood in the sound. Used in diiferent styles of music and it fitted well with my style.

It had a muffler when I bought, so we took that out and made some adjustement. Perhaps the action is to low at the moment, but it doesn't affect the sound. Very nice neck.

It's all original and there are still no creeking unidentified sounds there. Well it's very much used (it has a thumbnail mark above the pick up).

Never needed it

I've been playing for 16 years now. Started on a Aria (pretty short scale as well). Bought a Warwick Fortress One but it got stolen. Have been thinking about others but being used to my EB-3 only really good Fenders, Musicmans or Wals would do and I can't afford those.

I found this axe in a garbage can across the street from my sister's house. It had no strings, pickups, or electrical controls. It looked like it had sat in someone's basement for years. I checked the serial number on Gibson's website and I believe this one to be a 1961 EB3. I got pickups and controls from Parts-is-Parts. I cleaned the body and neck and then polished it with a high quality automotive polish. It looks great. I made a pickguard from some black plastic sheet stock. I put GHS Boomers on. I installed a couple of strap locks. I'm not sure what type of wood this one is made of.

Quite honestly it doesn't sound all that good. It mostly sounds like mush. My other axe is a Carvin LB70 - that one kicks ass.

After I cleaned and polished the body and neck, and installed the pickguard, it looks really nice.

The body and neck are obviously tough, it lasted through 31 years of someone else's abuse.

I have a 1974 EB-3
Made in Walnut.
I like the short neck. But it is heavy..

It gave a rather distorted sound with the humbucker and the other a sound with much treble.
Changing the humbucker to a Schecter pickup it made the sound warmer and deeper bass. But I can change the sound depending on what strings I use.

I don't think I have made any adjustments on it at all. It keeps the tuning "for ever".

I has been used in the cold Swedish weather without any problems.
Only got a small crack finnish when I droped it on my foot. More dammage to the toe than the bass!

I have been using since 74 and havn't been cheeting on it as with the guitar..
I have thought many times to get it walued, but then no! Why? I wont sell it.

Made in 1970. This one has a slotted peghead. Cherry finish. Controls are VOLUME and TONE for neck pickup, VOLUME and TONE for bridge pickup, and the 4 position rotary switch pickup/tone selector.

There is a humbucker in the neck position and a mini-humbucker in the bridge position. Both pickups have metal covers on them. Body style is like an SG. Bridge is top-loaded with nylon (appearing) saddles. It's a short scale bass, 30.5" I believe. Chrome tuners.

Slim, fast neck; plays great with low action.

I am the original owner, and I bought this bass because of (1) how it feels/plays and (2) the fit and finish are incredibly good.

The tone is not for everybody.

It came with Gibson Flatwounds, and I still use light flatwounds on it. However, I only use this bass when I'm looking for a dark, not-very-well-defined tone. It sounds nothing like a standard (34") scale bass, to me. The four position tone switch/pickup selector gives a good variety of tones, but the "signature sound" of the bass is always there.

I would not want this as my only bass, but for (1) fast action and/or (2) very mellow tone, it's the ticket.

Fit and finish were/are really really nice. That was one of the reasons I bought the bass. It has held up very well over the 31 years I've had it as well.

The factory setup was absolutely DREADFUL! The neck was bowed and the string height could have been measured with a yardstick....

However, after I did a setup on it, the action is the lowest of any bass I have and it plays like a dream. The neck adjusted properly with no trouble at all.

Reliability and durability are top flight. In 31 years, it has only required a setup (which it needed after it got home from the store) and the pots and switches have needed cleaning once. Strap buttons solid as a rock, and the setup has been very stable.

Never had to call them.

My favorite feature is the neck (slim and fast as lightning) and most disliked feature is the tone (muddy and not-well-defined). I should have compared this bass to a Fender Jazz before my purchase.

What it needs is a 34" scale. I think that might do wonders for the tone. I also think metal saddles might help.

If this bass were stolen I would have to think about whether or not to look for another one. I might look into an EB-3L. The short scale EB-3 has too much of a "niche" tone for me. I like the shake-the-walls growling tone of a Fender Jazz, and that's what I gig with now.