E String on Gibson Bass problem

[Eric Eric]

Hi,
I have a 73' Gibson EB1 and sometimes when I'm playing, I can push the E string off the fretboard. Also, the volume of this string is lower than the other 3 strings. Please let me know if there is a remedy t make the E string louder?. Thanks. Also, should I file the nut

[radapaw]

a lot of ol' gibsons suffer from a weak e string, probably due to the short scale. You can try raising your pickup height on that side. You might also want to try short scale strings as some manufacturers compensate for flab.

If your falling off the board I'd suggest a new nut, with new spacing, not a deeper groove.

[BellBottomBlues]

Before you buy a new nut, make sure the E string is wound properly. The E string on my P-bass kept sliding off the nut and had poor volume because it was put on wrong.

One set up later and everything is golden.

[billbass1]

Is it just the open E string or, all the fretted notes also ?
I had a 67 EB-2D which had a very open weak E string.
Even a fretted F on that string was poor.
The rest of the fretted notes were good though.
My 73 EBO was just fine on the E string.
I dont believe it is due to being a short scale.
It could just be a dead spot.

[Baleen]

The E string on my EB-3 can almost sound in sub woofer frequencies. With practice or small amps or when turned down low, it feels weak, but I've noticed that when I'm using my better amp or when playing at high levels, the E string is very big - bigger than the others.

Switching from D'Addario short, rounds to Thomastik jazz flats has smoothed this out somewhat, but I still notice it.