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Epiphone EB-0 for 'Yardbirds' bass.

Sweeps

Sweeps

Jul 25, 2014
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#1
Hi, I'm looking to pursue a sort of Yardbirds type bass tone (deep, muddy low end) and was wondering if an Epiphone EB-0 would be a good substitute for the Epiphone Rivoli that Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds used . I know the Rivoli had a semi-hollow body unlike the solid body EB-0 but both have the 'mudbucker' as their only pick up and a 30 inch scale length (which obviously won't make any difference to the tone but is another similarity) So I was wondering how similar the two basses would be tone and playing wise :)
 
#2
Probably it is as close as you can reasonably get with a modern bass, although in my experience the modern chromebuckers are a little less muddy than the vintage ones which, by the way, do still turn up occasionally at auction. I expect there are enough Yardbirds clips and Epi review clips on the internet for you to get some idea.

What's the euphonium in your avatar?
 
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#4
The pickup in those old Gibsons was uniquely thick-sounding. I understand the modern Epi ones are not their equal, but somewhere on this board back a couple years ago was a thread about an "Artec" mudbucker-style replacement pickup that was rated as sounding close to the real deal. I never got to use one, but you could probably find out about it here and swap one in if you're encouraged.
 
#5
The modern Epi pickup is a nice pickup, but not close to a mudbucker.

If you are interested in the bass, it might be worth either getting the Artec pickup or springing for a Dimarzio Model One. I have the latter in my Epiphone and while not as overpowering as an original Gibson, it has a nice thick tone. In fact, Scott Whitley used that pickup in a Gibson EB-3 short scale playing with the Animals on tour.
 
#10
Ericnordicbee said:
The modern Epi pickup is a nice pickup, but not close to a mudbucker.

If you are interested in the bass, it might be worth either getting the Artec pickup or springing for a Dimarzio Model One. I have the latter in my Epiphone and while not as overpowering as an original Gibson, it has a nice thick tone. In fact, Scott Whitley used that pickup in a Gibson EB-3 short scale playing with the Animals on tour.
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Don't know about the Artec but the Model One is in no way the same as a mudbucker. The Model One came about so people could clean up the tones of their EB-_'s.
 
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#12
Ericnordicbee said:
The modern Epi pickup is a nice pickup, but not close to a mudbucker.

If you are interested in the bass, it might be worth either getting the Artec pickup or springing for a Dimarzio Model One. I have the latter in my Epiphone and while not as overpowering as an original Gibson, it has a nice thick tone. In fact, Scott Whitley used that pickup in a Gibson EB-3 short scale playing with the Animals on tour.
Click to expand...

I too used a Model One in an EB-3 for a while, and had the chance to A/B it against the real deal in my '68 EB-2. It sounded good and pretty fat, but it wasn't an old Gibson in that regard. I'm still curious about the Artec which had a similar coil structure to the old Gibson if I recall, but I no longer have that EB-3 or the need to try it out. I'd like to hear about a modern Epi EB-0 with flats and an Artec installed. I bet it would be close to that desired sound and I hope somebody here (O.P.?) tries it out.
 
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#13
grrg63 said:
Ive had Gibson & Epiphone EBOs in the past. I think with flats you should have no problem approximating the Ybirds sound.
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Having covered several of their songs back in the 60s, I always used flats; when I got my 67 Epiphone Rivoli I had the sound of the bass. Then again that was when The Rivoli was damn near the same as it's Gibson Counterpart and I could mute the sustain with the lever.
 
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