Epiphone EB-0 and EB-3 basses

[Billy4001]

I recently played the short scale EB-0 and the normal scale EB-3 epiphany sg basses and really liked how they played and the sound but they are really quite cheap which made me think there must be a downside to them. Has anyone found sonething they really hate about them, if not I'm bringing one home

[belgabass]

If you like them buy them. The fact that they are cheap means nothing. Go for it !

[Billy4001]

Haha, glad someone said that, the only reason I posted this thread was if sone came on and said don't it they fall apart like sand lol

[WhoSeyes]

I own the EB-0.

The "downsides" may be:

- BRIDGE: hard to adjust. This is not a problem only for the epiphone, thought, cause the bridge in this resembles the gibson original. There's a Hipshot direct replacement. I myself keep the original bridge because I don't tweek excessively my action.

- NECK GLOSS: a little bit sticky, thought I can live with it.

- TONAL RANGE: with just one pup, you cannot get certain sounds. I would like to experiment with adding an unusual bridge pup (lipstick, rick or such...). The stock mudbucker, thought, is pretty nice... there's a dimarzio replacement, but I don't feel like changing it.

- STOCK COLOURS: black or cherry only! I would like to experiment with an unusual colour too. Someday...

[hdracer]

I own a Gibson SG & two Epi EB-0's
I have used the Epi's for mod projects and back up-kick-around for the Gibby.
They are well made, equal to most other basses in their price range.

[WhoSeyes]

- NO THUMBREST: I anchor my thumb in the pups or neck of my basses. With the EB-0 I have a hard time playing close to the bridge because there's no pup in there... time to improve my technique!



As you can see, the TONAL RANGE and the NO THUMBREST "downs" are not a problem with the EB-3. I love the looks and feel of the shortscale EB0 better, thought...

GO GET ONE NOW!!!

[zachoff]

I have an EB-3 for sale. I like the neck, but it dives like crazy. The output is weak, meaning I have to turn up the EB-3 quite a bit higher to produce the same volume as my other basses (G&L L2000 and BB800/1000). Another thing I dislike about it is the bridge is really hard to adjust. But it looks cool and has tons of mojo, which is why I bought it, originally. It just wasn't practical enough to be played in my band.

[GM60466]

If you like that look ESP makes a Viper series with several price points. IMO all play better that Gibson and Epiphone. They are 34" scale

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by WhoSeyes

- NO THUMBREST: I anchor my thumb in the pups or neck of my basses. With the EB-0 I have a hard time playing close to the bridge because there's no pup in there... time to improve my technique!



As you can see, the TONAL RANGE and the NO THUMBREST "downs" are not a problem with the EB-3. I love the looks and feel of the shortscale EB0 better, thought...

GO GET ONE NOW!!!

All you need is a router and some pick ups and you are set

The red one has the old bridge pick up from my Fender Jazz and the neck pup from my SG

[IMG]

I just finished this black one. I don't have a completed photo, been to busy playing it. It has a DiMarzio Model One ( Like my SG) and the bridge pup is a TV Jones Thundertron from a Gretsch bass. Like all of them it has a Hipshot Supertone bridge. A MUST for the EPI's. I got it off CL with a hard case, nice strap and a 10' cable for $80.00, I have around $300 into it now but this bass ROCKS, I am using it more than my Gibson. I'll get some finished ones up later.

[IMG] [/IMG]

[NecroticImbecil]

Recently bought a new Epi EB-0.

Minuses:

Bridge. I tried to lower the action, first loosening the strings then lowering the bridge. When I tuned it back up to pitch, a mounting post (ferrule) came out. Glued it back in, the other one came out. Glued that back in. Also, without strings on the bass to keep it in place, it falls off, hits the floor, and the saddles scatter to next 4 counties. Not so bad if you know it will happen. I didn't.

Also found the stock strings to be.. interesting. Tuned to pitch, they dug into the nut and were so tight I thought the bass was going to snap in 2. Currently I have the stock strings on, tuned BEAD. That's the set that are supposed to be EADG. The B is pretty floppy, but it felt useable at C. That doesn't seem right. I put an old set of 85's on it, but the G string rattled like mad until I put the thicker stock strings back on. It's a bit of a dilemma.

Other than that, it is what is. It sounds like it sounds. It sounds good, but that sound is one you'll pretty much only get with a bass like this, while you'll ONLY get variations of that basic sound with a bass like this. If you want that sound, you'll be happy. If you don't, you won't.



I tried out Epi EB-0, EB-3, and a few varieties of new "SG" basses. No vintage EB basses in the area to compare to. I found the Epi EB neck pickup had less output than the Gibson, and sounded a bit "woofier." The additional pickup on the models equipped with them added a bit of variety but still just flavored the basic tone. Using just the bridge pickup sounded thin and honky. The Epi EB-0 has a 1.5 nut width, Epi EB-3 1.65, Gibson SG bass 1.6. That combined with the short scale made it the most comfortable for me. It balances fine when strapped med-high, less so when strapped low.

The biggest variety in tone comes from you. Where and how you strike the strings makes a difference. It tends to be muffled and boomish, even with the new stock strings and tone all the way up. Rolled down, though, it seems to be more of a low-mid roar than true low, low end. With the low tension I have, I was getting some clank coming through the amp (most fret noise, along with other soundsin the high end of the spectrum, isn't really reproduced all theat well). The band liked it for old fashoined, straight ahead hard rock, guitarist said it sounded like Geezer's early tone. Not too bad for a cheap hunk of scrap wood.

The ESP/LTD Viper isn't in the same ballpark. It has a similar body style, but other than that it's like any other conventional cheap bass. Not saying it's junk, but it won't sound or play the same. The 30" scale is an important part of the sound and feel of the EB-0, but obviously nothing ot do with the 34" Epi EB-3. The LTD could be a good alternative to that one, though the Epi looks better.

[WhoSeyes]

Originally Posted by hdracer

All you need is a router and some pick ups and you are set

The red one has the old bridge pick up from my Fender Jazz and the neck pup from my SG

[IMG]

I just finished this black one. I don't have a completed photo, been to busy playing it. It has a DiMarzio Model One ( Like my SG) and the bridge pup is a TV Jones Thundertron from a Gretsch bass. Like all of them it has a Hipshot Supertone bridge. A MUST for the EPI's. I got it off CL with a hard case, nice strap and a 10' cable for $80.00, I have around $300 into it now but this bass ROCKS, I am using it more than my Gibson. I'll get some finished ones up later.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Niiice!

I guess you had to enlarge the routing on the backside of the bass to add those extra knobs and switches, right?

The looks are incredible!

[JacobE]

i was playing an eb-0 the other day, is it just me or is the neck ridiculously heavy given the size?

[Diogenes]

The stock mudbucker on my Epi EB-0 was pretty anemic so I made a few modifications. I like the way it plays and sounds. It's also nice to get on stage and play something that not every other bassist is playing (in my area that's mostly Fender Jazzes followed by Precisions).

[nocontrols]

Originally Posted by belgabass

If you like them buy them. The fact that they are cheap means nothing. Go for it !

This.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like with Gibson-derived basses haters become more vocal and declare that they absolutely abhor them because of one or two minor flaws that they don't agree with. In other words, you will get some negative feedback. If you can live with neck dive and cheaper components and the fact that it's "not a true Gibson" then there's really nothing absolutely wrong with them and it will be a good purchase, relative to the money you're spending.

Let your ears and your hands decide.

[nocontrols]

Also, none of the haters I mentioned above have showed up on this thread so far. I wasn't commenting on anyone here now. The people on TB are generally OK but there are some whiny people on the internet.

[StrangerDanger]

Its a no go for me because of the sticky neck. Other wise a good bass for the $.

[WhoSeyes]

Originally Posted by Diogenes

The stock mudbucker on my Epi EB-0 was pretty anemic so I made a few modifications. I like the way it plays and sounds. It's also nice to get on stage and play something that not every other bassist is playing (in my area that's mostly Fender Jazzes followed by Precisions).

Tell us about thouse mods! I can see a guitar pickup and some kind of bridge extension there.

How do you select pickups there?

How would you describe your new tone?

[GeneralElectric]

I'm borrowing an EB0 right now that was retrofitted with a badass II and hipshot ultralights. No real neck dive to speak of. If I decide to buy it for the $120 he's asking, I'm going to take out the stock humbucker for a DiMarzio and put some TI Flats on it.

Bass currently has a set of SIT (or was it LaBella) Rock Brites on it. Sounds pretty decent but its kinda woofy in a band context. It works for the country tunes we do where I need to lock in with the kick drum. Playing it with a felt pick helps a bit too (the Dunlop .73mm I use make it sound too clanky) I play it through an Aguilar AG500 into a Bergantino 610 or an Ampeg 1x15 and B25B head.

[RCCollins]

it is significant that the stock "mudbucker" is NOTHING like an original EB-0 mudbucker.

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by hdracer

[IMG]

What bridge is that?