Product: Gibson EB-OL
Price Paid: US $399.00
Submitted
03/02/2005
at
04:00pm
by
Kevin Wittbrodt
Features
:
10
She is a double-round cutaway mahogany body, with a black pick guard, mahogany neck, 20 fret rosewood ?long scale length? (EBO-?L?) fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, bar bridge, two per side Kluson? banjo tuners, nickel hardware, covered Humbucker? pickup, the standard volume/tone controls, and plays as good now as the day I got her as my birthday gift in 69?. Case and strings were extra.
Sound
:
10
I started out playing an upright for my grade school band, couldn't stand dragging that to and from school and begged my parents to help me buy an "Electric." I choose the EB-OL because the spacing between the fretts were simular to that of my upright, but that was the only simularity! Remember this was late 60's and rock and roll music was what I was after and I was impressed by what I could get out of this bass for all the different types of music I was playing in and out of school.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
I guess I was lucky because it rarely needed any attention outside of the normal temp changes here in Detroit I found no problems in almost 40 years of ownership (see below for warranty work.) The finish remains today as she was in 69' and I've truley tested her to the limits. I am now a retired Marine so no matter where I went, except on float, she came along.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Has lasted beyond all my expectations. The neck/truss rod never needed to be adjusted. I couldn't afford a backup and didn't one either. The finish is as good today as in 69'
Customer Support
:
10
I had to have the pots swapped out twice in almost 40 years, but Gibson did that for free. The first time I sent it back they returned it with a custom wooden shipping crate and have used that crate ever since. Never paid a dime, including shipping to have any work done with it, and the turn around time was fantastic. The warranty is lifetime and she will sure last through mine and several other lives.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing bass (upright and electric)for about 40 years and this was my first electric. Many have come and gone but this still remains. I've owned and played them all. From Ric's and Fenders, to you name it. 5's & 6's had their individual needs and they accomplished those but for my "4" (which is my standard!) nothing else compares. Part of this is because it was my first, but if it didn't stand the TEST of TIME I wouldn't have kept it so long. I guess from what I've been able to find out it wasn't that bad of an investment either, for 399.00 then it is supposed to be worth over 2500.00 now.
