I was in the local GC today, noodling around on some of the new Jag Specials, when I saw an Epiphone "Worn" EB-3 sitting in a stand a few feet away. Curiosity got the better of me, so I picked it up and played it.
Now I really don't like the SG shape, the 2+2 headstock, the control layout, or basses with set necks in general. But I was pleasantly surprised by 1) the fit and finish 2) the playability and 3) the sound of this particular sample.
It was pretty nicely put together. The cherry finish was smooth and even, the controls worked as they should, the fretwork was solid and the neck...really sweet rosewood board, cool inlays and honestly, it felt like butter. Yes, it was that nice to play. I'm a big fan of J necks, and I didn't even notice it had a 1.65" nut until after I looked at the specs.
I snagged a cable and plugged it into a small Acoustic amp. I was waiting for the overflow of mud, but I never found it. Yes, the tone was definitely on the murky side of things, but I was expecting much worse, given the location of the neck pickup. The bridge pickup was a little weak, but the two together were a pretty nice balance. I wasn't exactly blown away, but the tone was solid.
I've read the reviews, and many folks bash the EB-3 for everything from crappy build quality to buckets of mud pickups to horrendous neck dive. To be fair, I only played it sitting down, so I can't speak to the neck dive issue, but I found nothing but a pretty nice bass for the price. Granted, this was the "limited edition" version, but I'm seriously thinking of plunking down my $299 on one. Not really my style, but I couldn't help but be impressed with the way it played.
EB-3 owners, what do you love (or hate) about this bass?
Now I really don't like the SG shape, the 2+2 headstock, the control layout, or basses with set necks in general. But I was pleasantly surprised by 1) the fit and finish 2) the playability and 3) the sound of this particular sample.
It was pretty nicely put together. The cherry finish was smooth and even, the controls worked as they should, the fretwork was solid and the neck...really sweet rosewood board, cool inlays and honestly, it felt like butter. Yes, it was that nice to play. I'm a big fan of J necks, and I didn't even notice it had a 1.65" nut until after I looked at the specs.
I snagged a cable and plugged it into a small Acoustic amp. I was waiting for the overflow of mud, but I never found it. Yes, the tone was definitely on the murky side of things, but I was expecting much worse, given the location of the neck pickup. The bridge pickup was a little weak, but the two together were a pretty nice balance. I wasn't exactly blown away, but the tone was solid.
I've read the reviews, and many folks bash the EB-3 for everything from crappy build quality to buckets of mud pickups to horrendous neck dive. To be fair, I only played it sitting down, so I can't speak to the neck dive issue, but I found nothing but a pretty nice bass for the price. Granted, this was the "limited edition" version, but I'm seriously thinking of plunking down my $299 on one. Not really my style, but I couldn't help but be impressed with the way it played.
EB-3 owners, what do you love (or hate) about this bass?
