Epiphone EB03, muddy sound lost in the mix?

[Chaykin]

Epiphone EB03 is a nice looking bass, cheap, the sound is very vintage and muddy.
In solo seems awesome, but in a band i fear that his muddy sound can be lost in the mix.... specially in rock-live contest.

Anyone used this bass live? Any opinions?

[jordak]

do you mean the eb0, or eb3? the eb3 has a bridge pickup which you can dial in for some more definition.

Jack Bruce notably used one in Cream, but for the past 20 years or so, I think he's been playing warwicks exclusively. Short scales aren't my preferred basses, but that neck position humbucker is a very unique asset to the gibson/epiphone eb series.

TLDR: you can make it work if you want to.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Not EB3, but I do have a DiMarzio Model One in my Epi Thunderbird, so it's a kind of a close match.

With that combination I can use EB1, EB3, or T-Bird PU configuration approximation, taking into account the shortcomings of the EPI T-Bird PU's obviously.

That said, the "Epi" Mudbucker PU (almost identical to the Gotoh PU, I have both) is nothing like the original, and nothing like the Model One either. The DC resistance is around 1.2KOhm IIRC, and while the PU does work, it's not very good. IMHO anyway.

But the bass itself IMLE is definitely good enough to have a either a Model One -or even a genuine vintage Gibson Mudbucker- installed.

Model One can be muddy with certain rigs and playing styles, but it's really a more versatile PU than people give credit for.
Again, IMHO anyway .

Regards
Sam

[Chaykin]

I mean eb3, the model is not short scale.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Bass/EB-3.aspx

Jack Bruce used something similar as tone, but maybe in a contest with more heavy guitar and faster music, muddy sound and low definition can be a problem?


T-Bird: Thank you for your comment, so the bass is so cheap that maybe can be a good idea change pick up.

[Rebop]

I have a '67 EB0 that I've used for over 1,000 gigs and it sits in the mix like nothing else.
I had a 6 string Roscoe when I was playing in a lot of rock and cover bands and eventually just used that for songs that needed the low B (the Roscoe would get lost in the mix especially on the G and C strings). After that I sold it and the EB0 is pretty much my main electric now (primarily an upright player now; only get 1 or 2 electric bass gigs a year these days).
Playing up the G string, it seems to stay real nice whereas the Roscoe would thin out to nothing.
IMHO the modern/high-end basses I have owned never came near cutting through the mix like the EB0. Totally different animal. The Roscoe was a good solo bass and good for jazz fusion and stuff like that but really didn't "rock" the way I wanted to.

[AuntieBeeb]

I regular play an EB-3 with my main band - the long-scale version, just so we're clear! Yes, the sound can get quite muddy, particularly if, like me, you exclusively use the neck pickup. Surprisingly, though, it never gets lost in the mix!

I'm not sure what it is, but there's so much booming low end from that neck p/up that it holds its own even against two guitarists who didn't know when to turn down. Also, maybe due to the set-neck joint, the top notes are very well articulated and really will "sing" over everything else if you're taking a solo.

Edit: tell you what, you can hear it in a band setting here. (For reference, the amp is a 1x15 with the EQ set flat; ffwd to about 2:40 for the full band)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjMdpetGMLw

[hbarcat]

I've got a vintage EBO (mudbucker) in my Ibby Frankenbass that I use for some live shows, and I know from experience that it does take a bit of a different approach to keep the bass sound well defined without getting muddy.

Essentially you're going to have to EQ most of the bottom end (anything below 100 hz) out of it and allow some of the upper mids (3-4 khz) to shine through. Additionally, you need to make sure your guitarists/keyboardist aren't hogging all the bottom end. Start to roll off their instruments below 125 hz which is good practice no matter what your bass tone is like.

With your lows EQ'd out you can then turn up your volume to compensate and should hear the bass sounding something like that "Cream" sound.

[Chaykin]

Thanx for your feeback guys!

AuntieBeeb: The tone in the video is awesome! And the vocalist sings very well.
I play rock music: Stooges, Clash, Ramones... we are a power trio, we are very rock'n'roll oriented, anyway seems that with one only guitar there isn't problem.

hbarcat: thanx for the tips!

[willbassyeah]

yup, i tried one today, the only bass they have in the studio, for some reason it makes me use a pick, sounds darn good, much better than i expected, totally different than my fender mim strung with nickel, the action on that bass was super low, much lower than my fender. neck felt a bit uncomfortable for me though at the start, but felt better after my hand get use to it. good overall bass. we jam billie jean and it nails that old school bass tone.

[iiipopes]

[quote=Rebop;13512477]I have a '67 EB0 that I've used for over 1,000 gigs and it sits in the mix like nothing else./QUOTE]
Mmmm. Ahhh. Yes.

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by Chaykin

I mean eb3, the model is not short scale.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Bass/EB-3.aspx

Jack Bruce used something similar as tone, but maybe in a contest with more heavy guitar and faster music, muddy sound and low definition can be a problem?


T-Bird: Thank you for your comment, so the bass is so cheap that maybe can be a good idea change pick up.

I don't know about the Epi, but I had an actual Gibson EB3L (Long scale) bass, and I didn't find it muddy at all. It cut thru the mix in our band quite well. It was pretty much just a matter of setting the controls just right. The only problem I had was that the amplification could have been a tad louder, but that wasn't the bass's problem.