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Epiphone EB-3?

Din Of Win

Din Of Win

Feb 24, 2009
3,652
116
43
Frederick, Maryland
#1
I guess it's thanks to me listening to a ton of the band, Witchcraft () lately... but i LOVE his EB-3 tone.

Now, it full well COULD be a Gibson SG bass... but i'm pretty sure it's an Epi (based on the inlays)...


How are these basses? I have NEVER owned an Epiphone ANYTHING before.

I do hear a lot about 'OMG SO MUDDY', but i think that's more of an EQ thing... But in general, are these sturdy enough, gig-able basses? I rarely see them in GC... usually i see the EB-0, but i've admittedly never played one of those either.

So yeah... whatch'all think about the EB-3?
 
#2
Epi Eb3s are not bad for what they are. I have 60's and 70's EB3s. The Epi is sort of a combination of the two. It has the heavily sculpted body of the 60's but it is thick like the 70's. Long scale neck like the 70's but 60's pickup spacing. They are neck heavy but that isn't a issue for me. At the price point they have issues you would expect, cheap pots and electronics. Overall build quality is pretty good for a $300 bass. The neck pickup doesn't have the output of a 60s or 70's no mud if you will but they do deliever clear and usable tones. I do own a Epi EB3 I put a 60's mudbucker in it and it sounds and plays great! I like the 60's ones best(67-68) the Epi second and third I like the 70's ones. If you are looking for a EB3 and are on a budget I think these are a good way to scratch the itch. The SG basses are good also but are more expensive, I like the worn finish ones myself. The also have a more modern tone. Hope that helps, here is my Epi EB3.
charspringconcert001.jpg
 
#4
godofthunder59 said:
Btw that is a SG RI in the vid. the never ones have the trapizoid inlays.
Click to expand...

Ah, good to know! I thought all the SG RI's had dots, and only the Epi's had trapezoids.


Hmmm... i have an in on an Aria EB-3 copy, but it's a Short Scale... would the tone just be more thumpy? Would it be TOO muddy?


BTW: Man... i'm totally swooning over the White w/black pickguard EB-3!! My fave color combo!
 
#7
Din Of Win said:
Ah, good to know! I thought all the SG RI's had dots, and only the Epi's had trapezoids.


Hmmm... i have an in on an Aria EB-3 copy, but it's a Short Scale... would the tone just be more thumpy? Would it be TOO muddy?


BTW: Man... i'm totally swooning over the White w/black pickguard EB-3!! My fave color combo!
Click to expand...

The old Arias are a neat piece of history and are usable to a degree. They have bolt on necks not the best hardware, some have plywood bodies I think. They are fun little basses to have around but I wouldn't want to gig with one. They do cop the EB3 tone pretty well though. I'd save for the SG RI the worn finish ones can be had for about 750-800 maybe less on a good day.
 
#9
probert said:
I don't think the scale will make a huge difference (stone me I'm a heretic), rather muddy pickups etc. but I haven't compared (I just know short scale EB basses with modern pickups and those don't sound particularly muddy at all).
Click to expand...
With the short scale the difference really shows up on the E string it has a distinctive thump and short decay.
 
#10
godofthunder59 said:
The old Arias are a neat piece of history and are usable to a degree. They have bolt on necks not the best hardware, some have plywood bodies I think. They are fun little basses to have around but I wouldn't want to gig with one. They do cop the EB3 tone pretty well though. I'd save for the SG RI the worn finish ones can be had for about 750-800 maybe less on a good day.
Click to expand...

That's the PERFECT info!!! It IS a plywood body... which is oooookay... i have enjoyed the Univox Mosrite copies, and those are plywood... but yeah... It WOULD be rad to get a real Gibson!

Hmmm... but, would a $200 Epiphone with upgraded pups/pots do a good job? I may be off, but the gibson style pickups seem to be much more pricey than their fender brethren...


DaZombieWoof said:
Fine basses for pricepoint. The long scale and pickups not being atrociously overwound make for a very usable bass. It hass a neck somewhat like a Jazz, but it isn't the bass for you if you want to sound like a Fender.
Click to expand...

Mmmm... the whole point of me looking at the bass is that it DOESN'T sound like a fender :D

I've only ever owned and played Fender or MM style basses... never the Gibson sound. I really like the idea of a Jazz-like neck...
 
#11
So I guess it boils down to what you can afford and where your career is right now. Are you just starting out ? Are you gigging regularly? Will the Aria or Epi be your only bass ? If the Epi or Aria is to be your only bass I would hands down go with the Epi. The Aria is 70's Japan entry level quality and that is a whole lot different than todays entry level quality. Todays Squires, SX, Epis beat the pants off the crap I had to learn on so keep that in mind when picking your bass. How much for the Aria ?
 
#12
The biggest problem I have with my EB-3 is setting intonation. I hate the bridge, but it's also pretty low output when recording/playing. I ususally have to boost it 5-6 db when recording compared to my BBs and have to turn up quite a bit if I use it with the band. There's also the issue of the neck dive.

Also, I've found no use for the bridge mini-bucker yet. The way it's wired right now (at least on my bass) it takes away from the output of the mudbucker when it's on and the bass becomes even weaker. Also, it'd be nice if they put the spring-loaded/adjustable mudbucker in there like they did for a while in the Gibsons. As it stands, the pickup is pretty far from the strings and I'd guess that hampers the output as well.

I love the way it looks and I love the baseball bat neck profile. The fretwork was pretty much perfect and it sounds good. Just dives, the output is weak, and the bridge is a pain to adjust.
 
#13
zachoff said:
The biggest problem I have with my EB-3 is setting intonation. I hate the bridge, but it's also pretty low output when recording/playing. I ususally have to boost it 5-6 db when recording compared to my BBs and have to turn up quite a bit if I use it with the band. There's also the issue of the neck dive.

Also, I've found no use for the bridge mini-bucker yet. The way it's wired right now (at least on my bass) it takes away from the output of the mudbucker when it's on and the bass becomes even weaker. Also, it'd be nice if they put the spring-loaded/adjustable mudbucker in there like they did for a while in the Gibsons. As it stands, the pickup is pretty far from the strings and I'd guess that hampers the output as well.

I love the way it looks and I love the baseball bat neck profile. The fretwork was pretty much perfect and it sounds good. Just dives, the output is weak, and the bridge is a pain to adjust.
Click to expand...

I always use the mini bucker these things can do so much more than mud!
 
#15
godofthunder59 said:
I always use the mini bucker these things can do so much more than mud!
Click to expand...

I'd like to use it, but it gets too quiet. In my band I play my BBs at 10:00 through my SVT and to get the same volume I need to play at 12:00 with the EB sans-mini bucker. If I turn that on it's even worse. Anyway, yeah... Weak pickups for sure. At least in mine.
 
#16
godofthunder59 said:
So I guess it boils down to what you can afford and where your career is right now. Are you just starting out ? Are you gigging regularly? Will the Aria or Epi be your only bass ? If the Epi or Aria is to be your only bass I would hands down go with the Epi. The Aria is 70's Japan entry level quality and that is a whole lot different than todays entry level quality. Todays Squires, SX, Epis beat the pants off the crap I had to learn on so keep that in mind when picking your bass. How much for the Aria ?
Click to expand...

Oh, i've been at the bass thing for a good 15 or so years. But i'ts always been more-or-less Fender copies (with a bunch of exceptions). I have 4 or 5 other basses at the moment, and my Peavey T-20 and '95 ATK300 are my main gig basses... and i gig about 4 or 5 times a month. So i doubt i'd gig with it, at least right away. So essentially i don't NEED it now...

The Aria is pricy... $375 used, with some wiggle room... but i doubt i could get it for much below the $350 range. It IS pretty... natural finish, tort guard (yes, the SG style guard!), and a maple neck with white block inlays and white binding.
 
#17
zachoff said:
I'd like to use it, but it gets too quiet. In my band I play my BBs at 10:00 through my SVT and to get the same volume I need to play at 12:00 with the EB sans-mini bucker. If I turn that on it's even worse. Anyway, yeah... Weak pickups for sure. At least in mine.
Click to expand...

IME... BB's are like SUPER high output to begin with... so it might be a bit of an unfair compairison... haha, i got my ATK as my second bass, and ignorantly used it's output as a measure against the other basses i tried for years afterwards...
 
#18
Din Of Win said:
Oh, i've been at the bass thing for a good 15 or so years. But i'ts always been more-or-less Fender copies (with a bunch of exceptions). I have 4 or 5 other basses at the moment, and my Peavey T-20 and '95 ATK300 are my main gig basses... and i gig about 4 or 5 times a month. So i doubt i'd gig with it, at least right away. So essentially i don't NEED it now...

The Aria is pricy... $375 used, with some wiggle room... but i doubt i could get it for much below the $350 range. It IS pretty... natural finish, tort guard (yes, the SG style guard!), and a maple neck with white block inlays and white binding.
Click to expand...

Ok Cool know I know where you are ! If the Aria is in good shape I'd say that is a fair price. I had one once and while it looked cool and sounded pretty good it was hard to set up and it played poorly. My 2cents hope that helps let us know what you get! The Epi Elitest that were out a few years ago are about the closest you can get to true EB3 reissue I think they can be had for about 650
 
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#19
Thanks for the input guys, especially godofthunder59!!

I have a new idea now! So i did a little more digging, and HONESTLY what i want is a longscale with the humbucker slammed against the neck. The chunky Epi EB-3 neck seems like i won't like it too much... i have too many bad memories of playing old Teiscos... but i digress...

My new thought is picking up one of the Squier VM Tele basses: Invalid Link Removed

I do love that tele neck... possibly adding a bridge pickup could also make for a fun project later on down the road...
 
#20
I hate to bring back a thread from the dead, but....I have a Madiera (Guild's off brand) EB3 copy that I love since I fixed the neck dive but I don't get enough volume out of D and G strings to be even with the E and A strings. What can I do to make this work? Thanks for your help. BTW I found an Aria EB3 for 175.00 Is that a good deal?

SG
 

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