Old Player wants an update

[Stewie26]

Originally Posted by starmann

Hey Willy:

I own a 2011 SG short scale and various other "long scale" basses.

The SG short scale is one of my favorites.

My opinion to you is to get dadarrio chrome flat wounds for that short scale SG. They sound great and way better than round wound strings on an SG short scale bass.

Enjoy!

+1
I really dig my SG bass

[ejaggers]

Welcome Home bweyland,
I also got the itch after being on ice for several years. I’m currently not playing which causes a different problem. I buy basses to mod and fiddle around with. I put on strings, take them off, put them on again, change the bridge, tuners, etc. Boy, do I need a band bad!!!

The EB3 is generally a long scale w/ two pickups, and the EB0 is always short scale with one pup. Many players here have said the EB0 is a one trick pony, because it’s not very versatile. But I have threatened to buy a EB0 many times because I started on a SS Kalamazoo (SG style) years ago. I don’t think I would be happy if it was my only bass though. J’s are probably the most versatile, but P’s are solid. I use round wound strings on my J, and flats on my P, because I believe that a J should growl like a pissed off Kodiak Bear, and P’s should bark like a St Bernard with rabies. You mentioned Carvin, which I have not tried, but most on this site will agree that the best bass for little money will be the USA Peavey’s.


057912

[Aussie Player]

Originally Posted by ejaggers

Welcome Home bweyland,
I also got the itch after being on ice for several years. I’m currently not playing which causes a different problem. I buy basses to mod and fiddle around with. I put on strings, take them off, put them on again, change the bridge, tuners, etc. Boy, do I need a band bad!!!

The EB3 is generally a long scale w/ two pickups, and the EB0 is always short scale with one pup. Many players here have said the EB0 is a one trick pony, because it’s not very versatile. But I have threatened to buy a EB0 many times because I started on a SS Kalamazoo (SG style) years ago. I don’t think I would be happy if it was my only bass though. J’s are probably the most versatile, but P’s are solid. I use round wound strings on my J, and flats on my P, because I believe that a J should growl like a pissed off Kodiak Bear, and P’s should bark like a St Bernard with rabies. You mentioned Carvin, which I have not tried, but most on this site will agree that the best bass for little money will be the USA Peavey’s.


057912

Small Point, Gibson EB3's are short 30.5 scale. There was a long scale version made about 1970 but I have never seen one in the felesh, so to speak, only seen a few listed on ebay.

[ejaggers]

Aussie Player,

Thanks for that info. I've actually never seen a gibby EB3; only seen epi's, but I've never seen a epi that was SS.

[bassman64]

Originally Posted by Aussie Player

Wille,
The disease of bass playing has fundimentals such as:
1. You can't play golf with 1 club, and neither should you try to do everything with 1 bass.
2. Young punkies like to show you how big and tough they are, so when they want to pick up your heavy amp....let them.
3. Strings are there to show what your fingers can do, if they don't sound right, change them.
4. Little speakers make big sounds....explore 10" speaker cabinets as they wern't there when we were pups.
5. The right amp is as exclusive and elusive as the right woman.
6. People who book bands will still steal your eye and spit in the socket...no change there.
7. Bass players make great mates because there is usually only 1 in each band so there is no need to be competitive and withhold the best ideas.
8. Bass playing builds soul.
9. Time spend playing your bass is not deducted from life.
10. No-one can pluck a string like you can. Every bass player is an individual.

thats great

I didnt see or missed if anyone answered

Nothing new is like anything old.

I had a 66 EB-0. No way in hell the new ones feel like that.

I had a 68 P bass too...nothing feels like that either

to be fair, there is some new stuff that blows away the old stuff. especially amplifiers.

nothing will ever beat the sound as we heard it through our Fender Bassman, Kustom tuck and roll's and Traynor stuff. but some of the stuff out there is so small, portable and super friggin loud its un believable.

just go to some stores and play some bass's and amps and see what feels right to you.
and

hurry up, you aint getting any younger!

lol

[Aussie Player]

Originally Posted by ejaggers

Aussie Player,

Thanks for that info. I've actually never seen a gibby EB3; only seen epi's, but I've never seen a epi that was SS.

There was an Epi model called the "Elite" that was a short scale like the Gibson. The other long scale Epi models are not clones as they differ in several features including the chicken head toggle pick up selector switch with the Gibson having 4 setting and the Epi with 3.

In 1970, Gibson destroyed their wonderful product.
1. The body became a fat plank void of the smooth contours the SG shape was known for.
2. The neck joint became a carpenter joint insteat of a luthiers join. It made the top frets uncomfortable and was "clubby"
3. The bass pick up (commonly called the neck pick up in the US) was moved back centrally in the body.
3. The headstock was elongated removing balance and also had the "modern" heal added as a bridge support to reinforce the headstock. This is possibly an improvement but changes the feel of the neck.
4. The cases became cardboard instead of leather covered wooden instrument cases, brass locks were removed and chrome press locks added.

This is why the 60's vintage basses cost more on the used market. I had several because I was there and never paid mroe than $250 for any of them right up to the end of the 70's whence they all dissappeared into hibernation under some Fender owners bed for all time.

With today's amps, the old EB3 would be a wonderful guitar. The new rendition called the SG bass is a very poor adaption of what was already a great instrument.

These days, I still have my 1966 EB2D which is the Gibson 335 body with EB 3 pickups and when played through a decent amp like the Hartke, is tone machine that makes grown bass players drool. Always get compliments when I drag that one out including the usual, "where did you find that thing?". The answer being simply, that is has been with me for decades and no, it is not for sale.

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by bassguitarthund

P= precision bass. Two pick ups together but offset and towards the neck. J= jazz bass. Two single coil pick ups one near the bridge and one near the neck. PJ precision pick up near the neck and jazz pick up near the bridge.

Small clarification....the P bass is usually described as a single split pickup, though the pickup is in two pieces. A picture is worth a thousand words:



The single pickup is wired as a humbucker, which means it will be a thicker sound than single coils like jazz basses, and have less top end sparkle. OP's EB3 is also a humbucker.

As well as having different pickups, the P and J basses feel quite different. The P has a much chunkier neck. Never played a modern Gibson, don't know which it is more similar to.

[Klonk]

Originally Posted by dvh

Why not? It comes down to individual needs (note; not wants) but I'm willing to bet that a single 4 string electric bass would cover the music requirements of 90% of TB'rs.

.. and people who love cars will always just have one, right?

Same goes for all hobbies, I suppose

Welcome back to the bass community, OP!

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by dvh

Why not? It comes down to individual needs (note; not wants) but I'm willing to bet that a single 4 string electric bass would cover the music requirements of 90% of TB'rs.

Originally Posted by Klonk

.. and people who love cars will always just have one, right?

Same goes for all hobbies, I suppose

Welcome back to the bass community, OP!

I don't think 5-strings are just a GAS thing. There are plenty of styles of music where you need to get below E. I'm primarily a 4 string player, but I own a 5 because sometimes it is requested, and playing the low notes up an octave just isn't the same.

I don't have any data to refute dvh's claim, but I don't accept it.

And, yeah, I own a couple more basses than I strictly need But it's for artistic development reasons!

[bassman64]

I picked up a new amp today. while they were getting out of the storage room I noticed a few Epiphone SG bass's one had a 34 in scale neck, one was short scale and the other was something else.

I tried the 3/4 in scale and a short scale



very plastic y

hopefully the Gibsons are better but those Epi's were very cheap feeling

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by fingerbun

Small clarification....the P bass is usually described as a single split pickup, though the pickup is in two pieces. A picture is worth a thousand words:

The single pickup is wired as a humbucker, which means it will be a thicker sound than single coils like jazz basses, and have less top end sparkle. OP's EB3 is also a humbucker.

As well as having different pickups, the P and J basses feel quite different. The P has a much chunkier neck. Never played a modern Gibson, don't know which it is more similar to.

The unique thing about the split P bass pickup is that while it is a humbucker, unlike normal humbuckers where you have two coils picking up ALL the strings in a P-bass each coil only picks up two strings.

What this means it that normal humbuckers pickup strings at two places which is where the legend of "mud" comes from. Single coils only pick up the strings at one point but hum. But the fact that each P-bass coil only picks up it's own strings means it doesn't have the "mud". But the fact that the pickup for the two low strings is shifted from the pickup for the two high strings can effect harmonic interaction to a degree.

P necks are wider and chunkier which in my opinion is a good thing.

[Freight Train]

Originally Posted by bweyland

I have a bunch of questions not to many. First I played in a rock and roll band in my younger years before they started calling the Gibson SG EP3 it was an OB3. Also had a Vox Super Beatle. Well the house burned down and I quit playing. Now that I am retired I want to start again so I ordered my Gibson SG EP3. Now I know they aren't the same but how close are they? What is a P-Bass and a J-Bass, what is the P and J all about? Does the new Gibson EP3 SG just as good as the old one? Does SG stand for a short fret board. I won't ask this question I know I will get a lot of different answers such as Lakland, Fender, etc. Has anyone played a Carvin? Well I am sure I will have more questions as I go along and it seems no one wants a 63 year old bassist that hasn't played since the late 60s. So I am having a hard time finding a group here in Salt Lake. I am taking a lesson course from Roy Vogt first guy to get a Masters Degree in Jazz Bass from Miami University if I remember correctly. At least I can play with him. It is a very comprehensive course. Have to be able to read music, he does have tabs but I like to read the music for the timing. Well see ya all on the flip side some day I hope.

Willy

Hey Willy -
You gotta get it done man. Here's this nearly 60 year old bassist who hadn't played in 20 years teaching the kids how to rock! This will soon be you!

[bweyland]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I get it now so I am off to the store to try different basses and find the one I like be it 4 or 5 or 6 strings. I did put the flat strings on my Gibson SG and I do like them better but the intonation on the E string just won't come in but it is just a little sharp. I had to redo the intonation on the other strings making them falter as they were all sharp. Thanks again and I will never buy a guitar again just because I used one when I was 17.

Willy

[lpdeluxe]

Originally Posted by bweyland

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I get it now so I am off to the store to try different basses and find the one I like be it 4 or 5 or 6 strings. I did put the flat strings on my Gibson SG and I do like them better but the intonation on the E string just won't come in but it is just a little sharp. I had to redo the intonation on the other strings making them falter as they were all sharp. Thanks again and I will never buy a guitar again just because I used one when I was 17.

Willy

Rock on. You're still a kid, with many years of playing ahead of you. I got a full time bass gig at age 64, just turned 70, and am involved with a couple of groups that rehearse regularly and gig when we can -- one of these features a lead singer/guitarist who turned 82 yesterday (and he calls me almost every day about new songs he wants to work up) and the youngest is 21.

Here's a larger version of my avatar. I have to sit down, and my arthritis makes my technique peculiar, but that doesn't stop me.

[bumperbass]

Willy, I'm back after 16 years off. Started over with equipment because like so many others, I sold everything. I had a 67 EB-3. It was fine for the times but today expect to need a more cutting tone than those muddy humbuckers provided on the EB-3. BTW, SG stands for Standard Guitar.
Here's what I realized.....even when I was off for all those years, I still heard the bass part on the radio in every song. When I came back, my brain was OK. All that was needed was some loosening up and the only way to really do that is just DO IT. You can never get up to speed in your livingroom like you can doin' it live.
Get with a band...ask for a songlist first and just learn the tunes you need to know right now. The rest will come back and so will your technique. I also found out that I changed my style slightly after all this time and I'm a better player than ever. You will be fine. Good bass players are in demand. You should have no trouble finding a gig.
Buy used if possible. There's lots of lightweight stuff now that we never had. Don't make the mistake of buying heavy, bulky stuff. There's options now! Good luck!

[NoiseNinja]

Originally Posted by 2cooltoolz

Welcome back to playing!!

+1

[drummer5359]

Welcome back to playing Willy, you'll have a lot of fun with it. You've already been given a lot of good advice. Talkbass is a great resource, it's really helped my playing and it is a friendly, welcoming group.

[old mark]

Willie, I'm glad to find other old guys playing...I'm 65 and getting back to it again, too...Remember, Bill Wyman, formerly of the Stones who heads Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings for many years now...he's 76...still touring Europe and recording.

The more you can read and practice, the better...

Keep moving and you will keep moving. dude.

mark

[Kmonk]

I own MIA Fender Jazz and Precision, a couple of Alembic Epics (4 and 5 string) and two Spectors. I owned a Carvin LB75 for one week. I sold it because I couldn't get a good tone from it even though it did appear to be well made.

[TolerancEJ]

Willy... Never mind those instruments. THIS should be your next instrument to bring you to today's standards:



Just kidding. Welcome back to the world of music. I am positive that you will enjoy yourself.