2013 & 2014 Gibson EB Enthusiasts

[Lamar Fandango]

Funny thing about Thunderbird...None of them sound quite like Thunderbuckers which I have in a 1991 Thunderbird, but the difference disappears in a mix. They all sound like Gibson bass guitars with humbuckers. They are all versatile if you know how to play and EQ them... I won't talk anybody out of altering a bass guitar, though. It's not like I haven't done plenty of that over the years.

That's the content I was looking for! Thanks. I used to have a Gibson IV with the early TB+ pickups and a 70s RD Artist. As non-vintage as my opinion is, the TB+ is what I envision in a t-bird. Never played a 60s tbird or vintage clone pickups. I have a lot of EQ options on my amp, so I've been messing around with that.

 

[ajkula66]

As non-vintage as my opinion is, the TB+ is what I envision in a t-bird.

I happen to like that sound myself. Less grindy than a vintage Bird, but still maintains that piano-ish presence for a lack of better description.

While the measurements do confirm that my hearing is shot - especially in the upper frequencies - I don't find much common sonic ground between De Colas and TB+. That's why I'm waiting for some non-music-related stuff to hopefully clear out of my life and have a custom bass built around a set of De Colas that I acquired last year. For the TB+ sound, there's my Bass V...

 

[Ostie]

I feel like the "THAT'S NOT AN EB" in my head holds me back from giving it a fair shot

(tho it is indeed an Electric Bass)

It’s an EB, but it’s not an EB0, EB2 or EB3. They are much cooler.

 

[ajkula66]

It’s an EB, but it’s not an EB0, EB2 or EB3. They are much cooler.

Fair enough but speaking as an owner of all the models listed above the 2013 EB is as cool as anything designed in this millennium when it comes to basses...

 

[bassbrad]

It’s an EB, but it’s not an EB0, EB2 or EB3. They are much cooler.

Sorry but you are so wrong, an EBO was my dismal first bass and my EB14 5 string is so much cooler, especially in Bullion Gold!

 

[kbakerde]

Why would you swap the bridge? Babicz bridges are what I put on Thunderbirds these days, because I like the one on my EB so much. Seeing this thread pop up again tells me it's time to get the EB out and play it. It's been a while. Thunderbirds shouldn't get all the love, should they?

Just cause the FCH bridge is such a pain to do the setups. Specifically string height. Really my only reason.

 

[Christophe C]

Just cause the FCH bridge is such a pain to do the setups. Specifically string height. Really my only reason.

Really ? I did the setup once and I found that it was a pleasant and clever design.

 

[ajkula66]

an EBO was my dismal first bass

I wish that I could've started on such a "dismal" bass...

 

[rockscott]

I have never even seen an eb, would love to play one. It seems like the northeast is the last place to get gibson basses shipped, even gibson dealers never have more than one bass. They always have plenty of gibson guitars, but few basses!

 

[deff]

I have never even seen an eb, would love to play one. It seems like the northeast is the last place to get gibson basses shipped, even gibson dealers never have more than one bass. They always have plenty of gibson guitars, but few basses!

They don't make this version anymore, but you can find them once in awhile on craigslist and FB marketplace.

 

[Gaolee]

Really ? I did the setup once and I found that it was a pleasant and clever design.

I can see his point. When you adjust one thing, you end up having to readjust everything else up to a point. I like the way they look and the mechanical ingenuity that went into the design. What can I say? I'm completely shallow that way.

In spite of the web of adjustments that you have to do with them, I find them very easy to adjust from a purely ergonomic standpoint. You don't have to move strings out of the way or fight with them like you do with some bridges. The old tilt-o-matic two point Gibson bridge comes to mind.

 

[Gaolee]

They don't make this version anymore, but you can find them once in awhile on craigslist and FB marketplace.

They didn't sell well when they were new, since Gibson didn't market them very well and they didn't find their players right away. Gibson did what Gibson does and quit making them when they started to get discovered.

Funny thing about mine. When they first came out, I was unimpressed. As a long time player of Gibson bass guitars, I tried one, but didn't think that much about it. This is TB, so there's always another bass to buy, and when a used one popped up, I went for it just to see what it was like. I bought it from a guy who said he had moved on and only was playing fivers when it was a year old. I got it for $500, shipped, and with the case. It was in mostly perfect condition, except there were marks on the neck where he had written the E-string notes on the side of the neck with sharpie. I thought that was pretty funny. Those notations are all worn off now. A couple years later, my brother, who is a dedicated Fender Jazz player, tried it and completely fell in love with what it could do. I wasn't playing it all that much, so I sold it to him for $500 with the one string attached that if he ever wanted to sell, I could buy it back. About a year later, he had decided that he didn't love it at all and sold it back to me. It won't be going anywhere now.

The only things I didn't like about it were the upper strap button placement and the tort pickguard. I like the strap button at the heel of the neck, since it can balance a lot of different ways when the button is there instead of the upper horn. I guess that's a Gibson bass player thing. And the tort pickguard has been replaced by a black one. Tort pickguards just don't belong on Gibson electric guitars or basses.

The matte finish has burnished over the years to a soft glow that's not exactly matte, not exactly gloss. I really should play it more.

 

[deff]

They didn't sell well when they were new, since Gibson didn't market them very well and they didn't find their players right away. Gibson did what Gibson does and quit making them when they started to get discovered.

Funny thing about mine. When they first came out, I was unimpressed. As a long time player of Gibson bass guitars, I tried one, but didn't think that much about it. This is TB, so there's always another bass to buy, and when a used one popped up, I went for it just to see what it was like. I bought it from a guy who said he had moved on and only was playing fivers when it was a year old. I got it for $500, shipped, and with the case. It was in mostly perfect condition, except there were marks on the neck where he had written the E-string notes on the side of the neck with sharpie. I thought that was pretty funny. Those notations are all worn off now. A couple years later, my brother, who is a dedicated Fender Jazz player, tried it and completely fell in love with what it could do. I wasn't playing it all that much, so I sold it to him for $500 with the one string attached that if he ever wanted to sell, I could buy it back. About a year later, he had decided that he didn't love it at all and sold it back to me. It won't be going anywhere now.

The only things I didn't like about it were the upper strap button placement and the tort pickguard. I like the strap button at the heel of the neck, since it can balance a lot of different ways when the button is there instead of the upper horn. I guess that's a Gibson bass player thing. And the tort pickguard has been replaced by a black one. Tort pickguards just don't belong on Gibson electric guitars or basses.

The matte finish has burnished over the years to a soft glow that's not exactly matte, not exactly gloss. I really should play it more.

I ended up selling mine as well, but only because it was so different from my other basses in almost every aspect. It didn't sound like them, or play like them. Since I'm pretty much a 1 trick pony in whatever band I'm in it was too hard to get it to fit in the way I wanted it to. Oddly enough the drummer loved it. He wanted me to get rid of my other basses, but he's not the boss of me, so.... If I was just starting out and was playing anything other than really heavey music I think I would have loved and kept it and played only it. It was incredibly vintage sounding to my ears. It sounded and played great with flats, (not anything I'd ever do). It's just such a unique animal. The neck is pretty thin yet has some girth. It was really compfrtable to play in a high position on the body. Just everyting about it was antithetical to how I normally operate.

 

[Jefenator]

My 2013 EB-5 wouldn't be the last one I would hang on to.
But it might not be the first one to go. In fact, it might even outlast my P-bass. I've been tinkering & trying to bond with my P for years & years and it just never quite turns my crank. The EB-5 seems to have more sonic and visual pizazz.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Though I haven't used it in a while (been playing only short scales), this is one of the few that I will NEVER let go of. Its incredibly versatile and sounds awesome no matter what you dial in. Feels great, too.

Thanks for inspiring me to take it out of hiding, which is what I'm about to do when I get home today .

I love this bass. Nothing like the older Gibsons at all.

 

[Gaolee]

I ended up selling mine as well, but only because it was so different from my other basses in almost every aspect. It didn't sound like them, or play like them. Since I'm pretty much a 1 trick pony in whatever band I'm in it was too hard to get it to fit in the way I wanted it to. Oddly enough the drummer loved it. He wanted me to get rid of my other basses, but he's not the boss of me, so.... If I was just starting out and was playing anything other than really heavey music I think I would have loved and kept it and played only it. It was incredibly vintage sounding to my ears. It sounded and played great with flats, (not anything I'd ever do). It's just such a unique animal. The neck is pretty thin yet has some girth. It was really compfrtable to play in a high position on the body. Just everyting about it was antithetical to how I normally operate.

I think that if you play Gibsons, you play Gibsons. If you don't, you just don't. I have a Precision, but it would be the first to go. I even built a P-Bird that's a Precision in all but shape for when I want a Precision sound. It's shaped like a Thunderbird and hangs like a Thunderbird, so it works great for me. It's ash, with a bolt-on maple neck and split coil pickup, so it sounds like a Precision. Yeah, I'm a bit of a freak that way.

 

[deff]

I think that if you play Gibsons, you play Gibsons. If you don't, you just don't. I have a Precision, but it would be the first to go. I even built a P-Bird that's a Precision in all but shape for when I want a Precision sound. It's shaped like a Thunderbird and hangs like a Thunderbird, so it works great for me. It's ash, with a bolt-on maple neck and split coil pickup, so it sounds like a Precision. Yeah, I'm a bit of a freak that way.

Oddly enough I built one as well

 

[bassbrad]

I wish that I could've started on such a "dismal" bass...

Not EBO basses in general but that specific bass and all it's trappings. I bought it for $50 and played it for a year or so but when I went to trade it found out 2 things [1] it had a broken truss rod that could not (then and there in 77 be repaired) [2] the bass had been stolen and was on a police recovery list.
The only reason I could play the bass was because I also played upright so the terrible action didn't matter as much and the school had also had an EBO I played there so I had only used it to practice at home. I wanted a better bass as I had been asked to join a band outside school prompting me to trade it in. I avoided being arrested by providing information on where I'd gotten the bass, I was also able to get my $50 from the person I'd bought it from. The Hagstron HB901 was a brilliant improvement over the EBO I must say and in many ways it reminds me of the EB14.

 

[ajkula66]

Not EBO basses in general but that specific bass and all it's trappings. I bought it for $50 and played it for a year or so but when I went to trade it found out 2 things [1] it had a broken truss rod that could not (then and there in 77 be repaired) [2] the bass had been stolen and was on a police recovery list.

Ugh...

The Hagstron HB901 was a brilliant improvement over the EBO I must say and in many ways it reminds me of the EB14.

HB 901 is an incredible little bass...I held on to mine for about 13 years, making it the longest-serving instrument I've ever owned. Wouldn't mind getting it back either...

 

[Christophe C]

Here is mine after 16 months of ownership. Before it was a case queen. I bought it partly because I read that the nitro was quite weak and natural relicing would come fast.