2013 & 2014 Gibson EB Enthusiasts

[swamp2]

I have a '13 natural strung with flats. Great bass. I'd picked up a cream one on the MF STOTD some years back but never had a reason to touch it so moved it along.

 

[Guzzi Toad]

I want one BAD!
Something just like this:
Gibson EB 2014 120th Anniversary Bullion Gold | Martin Music | Reverb
My finger hovered on the "add to cart" button the other day but I ended up getting (another) Guild B-302.
One of these days ...

 

[lowendrachel]

Had a 2013 Sunburst. Traded for an EA head. One of my biggest regrets! Perfect bass!

 

[bassbrad]

I have an EB14 5string in Bullion Gold strung HiC that is one of my main players in the studio. Great all around modern tones, melodies, chords on one bass makes composing and arrangements go fast.

 

[bobfarabaugh]

 

[Guzzi Toad]

How do you owners feel about the front mounted output jack on the 2013's versus the sidejack on the 2014's? (I hunt specifically for 2014's for that reason.)

I have basses with both but I'm not so sure the clean aesthetic of the sidejack outweighs the minor inconvenience of hunting for the jack. For example, I always have to flip my 4003 over to make sure I'm plugging into the correct output.

On the other hand, it could be argued that a front mounted jack can be more prone to damage especially when mounted to a plastic pickguard. (Guild B-302, Fender Precision, etc)

 

[2F/2F]

Got one of the white ones for closeout pricing, as the line was being discontinued. It was $650 from G.C. online. It was built like complete garbage. I kept it for a few weeks, and sent it back after deciding that it needed too much work.

The only way to have fixed the issues would have been a refinish, after some wood work. It had been sanded/shaped horribly prior to finishing. The roundovers were not even "round," nor were they anywhere near consistent around the perimeter of the bass. Other areas had weird sanding dips and inconsistencies. It looked worse than a junior high school wood shop project.

The frets were like violet little square speed bumps, and had a crappy polish on them.

The nut was cut wrong.

The fingerboard edges were sharp as can be.

And the pickguard didn't fit properly, leaving gaps around the components.

Also, I wasn't impressed with the build quality of the Babicz bridge. It made me wonder if the EBs used a run of deliberately cheapened versions made specifically for Gibson. Seemed kind of junky and low rent for such a highly lauded piece of hardware.

Too bad, as I love the way they look, and I have yet to find a nice example of a white one for the right price. These things were built near the end of the Henry J. era, when Gibson was at their absolute worst ever, in terms of build quality. I would love to find a nice example of one of the white ones...for the right price, which is, IMO, no more than what I paid brand new back in 2014. If these things are actually selling for the prices people are asking, which are often the same as, or more than, the $1,000 original retail price, I don't get it.

 

[Jefenator]

How do you owners feel about the front mounted output jack on the 2013's versus the sidejack on the 2014's? (I hunt specifically for 2014's for that reason.)

I have basses with both but I'm not so sure the clean aesthetic of the sidejack outweighs the minor inconvenience of hunting for the jack. For example, I always have to flip my 4003 over to make sure I'm plugging into the correct output.

On the other hand, it could be argued that a front mounted jack can be more prone to damage especially when mounted to a plastic pickguard. (Guild B-302, Fender Precision, etc)

The top jack looks cool IMHO - especially since you don't see it very often on a 5-string. But you do have to be a little careful not to fatigue the pickguard. (These would be tougher to replace than a guard on a P-bass.)
I'm fine with side mount, too. I like how they went one way the first year and another the next before pulling the plug on this shape.
If I were buying again, I would go for whichever one came up first at a good price from a reputable seller.

 

[bradd]

How do you owners feel about the front mounted output jack on the 2013's versus the sidejack on the 2014's? (I hunt specifically for 2014's for that reason.)

I have basses with both but I'm not so sure the clean aesthetic of the sidejack outweighs the minor inconvenience of hunting for the jack. For example, I always have to flip my 4003 over to make sure I'm plugging into the correct output.

On the other hand, it could be argued that a front mounted jack can be more prone to damage especially when mounted to a plastic pickguard. (Guild B-302, Fender Precision, etc)

I prefer the side jack, but barrel jacks are prone to failure. Electrosocket to the rescue!

 

[woodyng2]

View attachment 4198347

I've had mine for a while. I would be lying if I said it's my favorite bass, but I still keep it in rotation when I gig. I swapped the guard on mine for a cream 3 ply and dumped the tone knob for a V/V set up in the process. I went with the gold knobs as a nod to the Gold Top Les Paul. The pickups have 4 leads, so one of these days I'm going to get around to adding a series/parallel switch for each pick up... and maybe one for the combo as well in case I want to switch the whole thing to series and get rid of a set of speakers.

Great looking color and mods!

 

[rodl2005]

I've a 2013 or 14 EB4 and as I look back thru my pics from the last few yrs of gigging, I think it's probably my most used bass! Favorite? I dunno, as favorites go in and out of favor.
But, just the fact that it's at MOST gigs, is very telling imo.

I play in a few bands, ranging from quiet dinner music to classic rock and need versatility in most cases.

This Gibson EB gives me versatility, awesome tone and is possibly the lightest weight bass I own.

What's not to like?

Top pic with Orange AD200B and Bergantino NV215 (89 EBMM Sabre as back up)
Bottom pic when I got it, with its orange DR's on... (with Bergantino B|Amp and HG410

Edit: I think it's had, and still got, Labella clear/ white Tapewounds on ever since the orange DRs came off

 

[woodyng2]

I don't have a better picture at the moment, but the 5 string has Thunderbuckers in it. Much more satisfying than the stock electronics.View attachment 4198360

Those already look better. And I know I’d prefer the sound of them to the stock pickups.

 

[woodyng2]

View attachment 4198518

That’s gorgeous! What pickups are you using?

 

[Jefenator]

Just looked and found that WD Music does offer pickguards for these. (The tort ones are pricey, though!)

 

[TinIndian]

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on one of these and before I knew it they stopped making them and changed the body shape. I was really liking that Gold Bullion. I'll grab one sooner or later.

 

[Dominic D]

Here's my baby:

It replaced my old G&L L2500 Tribute and I expect it'll be my main bass for a long time.

 

[TDR1138]

4 string 2013 here. The only thing I didn't like was the tort pick guard. It has a black one now.

I did the same. (since traded away)

 

[bassbrad]

@Guzzi Toad I like the side jack that is what I have on almost all my basses.

 

[Dominic D]

After replacing the barrel jack twice in one year, I did the side jack mod as well.

EDIT: Besides that, I also replaced the middle volume pot with a blend pot and the main Volume is a push/pull that splits both pickups.

 

[WillyW]

I have the 2017/2018 evolution.

The color choices weren’t as nice and the headstock changed to a 4 inline, but it is my #1 fretted. And the first time I have ever though splitting humbucker coils sounded good.

that gold is awesome