Gibson SB 450

Dual Passive humbuckers, vol & tone knobs, 2 pickup toggle swtiches, tune-o-matic bridge (although mine is missing the bridge cover), maple neck, body material is maple too i think, rosewood fingerboard long scale length, 34 1/2" 20 frets

This is definately my favorite fretted bass. The humbuckers get a wide dynamic range for being passive. I've found this bass to be useful in numerous different environments, from jazz, to rock and hip hop. My favorite thing about the sound though is that Vintage Bite the bridge pup has, it will totally RIP YOUR FACE OFF. I've never found a bass that does this better. The sound that it gets is only comparable to Geddy Lee's Jazz Bass or Chris Squire's Ric. It really cuts through the mix better than any bass I have. I also like soloing the neck pickup and turning the vol knob all the way down to get a more Jamerson, throaty type of sound which I've preferred on a few recordings.

I feel really comfortable on this bass. It's a mainstay for my recording. I've gigged with it on a few occasions but I prefer not to play with it standing up for long periods. I've found (as with all of the EB and SB series) the neck is heavier than the body of the bass so pretty much you have to hold it up with your left hand the entire time, which can really wear down your wrist muscles after only a half hour of playing. Although I've been thinking about putting some weight (maybe a knotted up sock filled with dimes or something) in the electronics compartment to make the bass a little more balanced this still is why I mostly keep it for recording.

Couple of minor qualms: The neck pickup selector is a little faulty. YOu have to jiggle it sometimes to get it to kick in.

All hardware screws have been stripped and are gonna be a pain to remove (if I have to remove them).

I bought this Bass used and you can tell by it's appearance it's been passed through the hands of about 100 players. That doesn't mean it's ugly or "beaten", it just has that vintage appearance to it. I'm certain all the hardware is original and has held up I would say quite well for a 34 year old instrument. Like I said, the only faults are the bridge pup selector and the old screws.

If I can solve the balance issue with this bass it will certainly get gigged more often.

Everyone who knows me knows that this is my "Me" bass... as in this, bass is synonymous with my personality. It's totally my soulmate musically and is probably the instrument I would hurt over most if it were ever lost or stolen; and I do have some other invaluable instruments like a 72' Les Paul Custom which are worth a lot more monetarily. If I were to lose it I would mostly definately have to get another at some point, although it wouldn't quite be the same as this particular instrument. I've also thought about snagging another one off EBay just as a backup and maybe have one for recording and one just for gigging.

In conclusion, I think these basses are a definate evolution from the EB series in sound and playing comfort. If you're after that vintage rock snarl, few basses are going to match up to the sound as well as this one produces. Definately don't pass the opportunity to bid on one of these extremely rare basses if you come across one on EBay!

I have one of these vintage bass's the model is a 1973 natural finish sb-450 serial 177185, long scale. 4 string, solid alder body sg style, 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 on/off switch for each pickup, 2 covered passive humbucking pickups (black), maple neck, rosewood fretboard, neck through, first year for the 3 anchor bridge.

Sounds are from full and rich to twangy and biting with a nice output from the pickups which are also very quiet.

The action seems just fine and displays the normal amount of wear expected for this year of an instrument. Some front pick wear and some belt buckle wear and some very cool looking micro cracking in the finish. Frets look great.

Excellent reliability.

this is a vintage instrument with no support needed.

While bass is not my main instrument this bass is highly collectable and extremely rare with only 237 shipped that year. You can read about this very model at the following link:

http://www.gibsonbass.com/SB450_1.php

I plan on trading this for a vintage gibson sg, les paul, les paul bbl cut, L6, ibanez artist pro. series or other reasonable offers.

First year of production 1972. USA made. 20 frets 4 string 34" long scale neck. One volume and tone control and separate on and off switches for both neck and bridge sealed humbuckers. Passive pickups. Maple neck and I believe it is a mahogany body. Finished in translucent orange. Stock chrome gibson tuners and bridge. SG body style, like the EB basses. These are extremely rare and hard to find. Less than 1000 of these were made between '72 and '78.

This bass is lightweight and compact for a 34" longscale bass and has a punchy sound but delivers a smooth low end. I play mainly rock with this bass and it cuts through the mix really well. The pickups are not noisy and are powerful. Makes this guitar great for recording. You can get a lot of good variations with the tone control and the on/off switches - from muddy to bright no prob! I like the look and feel of this bass and find it comfortable to play.

This bass is from '72 and still holds up well. Gibson quality throughout. The frets had a grind and polish done on them a while back and are still good. The original bridge and tuners are holding up fine. There's a thumbrest on mine, that I really don't use - but I won't remove it and leave screwholes. It looks good the way it is. I think this bass has held up well and has a lot of life left in it.

I've used this bass mainly in a studio environment (for recording). It seems very durable and have only played it live on a few occasions. I baby this thing and don't take it out much. I've got schaller straplocks on it for added security. The finish is excellent and has some general playing wear on the horns and some slight worming on the back body, but is not faded or scratched

Have never had a problem with this bass and have owned it for 15 years. It was 18 years old when I got it! On Gibsonbass.com - you can look up this SB450 model and see for yourself that these were not produced in large numbers and are very collectable and rare. I haven't dealt with Gibson for any repairs and haven't needed to.

I've been playing for 20 years and mainly use this bass in the studio. This bass compares closely to the other Gibson EB3 models, but I like the long scale of the SB450 better. I love the pickup layout and find the neck very comfortable. I inherited this bass, from a family member - so I based the value off of offers I've received for this guitar that have been in the $1200 -$1300 US range. I won't sell though. I love this guitar and tend to keep it. I would buy another one, but have never seen another one anywhere except occassionally on EBAY.