Epiphone EB3 sound... Too dull. Any suggestions?

[Tigerclaw_x]

Hi. I got myself an Epiphone EB3. First the good parts: the neck is THE BEST I have ever seen on bass. Folks say Ibanez necks are good? Epiphone neck is 10 times more comfortable. Mine came with enchanced full contact bridge and hard case for $200 shipped.
The bad. - Sound.
The sound of Epiphone EB3 is VERY nice and deep and full - LOVE IT. It is also... dull... Basically like you are playing in a cave. Any suggestions? The ideas I am exploring are:
1. Brass nut. Will it make the sound less dull?
2. Replacing the neck pickup. The problem is that I am not sure which pickup to get. There are some out there by DiMarsio, as well as some on Ebay and on Best Bass parts...
3. Replacing Caps. Maybe?

 

[SAlcott]

Curtis Novak Darkstar type pickup.

 

[Tigerclaw_x]

I mean something that does NOT cost me almost as much as bass itself...

 

[ajkula66]

Which strings do you have on the bass now? That would be my starting point before spending money on a pickup upgrade.

 

[Tigerclaw_x]

Warwick Steel strings.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I changed from D'Adarrio EXL nickle rounds to their Pro Steels with my SG bass, and it brightened things up considerably...

 

[ajkula66]

Rotosounds would be my thought, as thick as you can handle.

You may want to stop by SG & EB club for more recommendations...on all aspects of possible upgrades.

SG & EB Bass Club

 

[Tigerclaw_x]

Yes, Warwick steel did better than Nickel. Still very dull sound. I love how deep it is. But not how dull it is

 

[mesaplayer83]

Yes, Warwick steel did better than Nickel. Still very dull sound. I love how deep it is. But not how dull it is

You might find some helpful suggestions here:

Looking for strings brighter than Boomers...

 

[lz4005]

1. Brass nut. Will it make the sound less dull?
2. Replacing the neck pickup.

Replacing a plastic nut with a brass one will make a tiny difference in sound to the open notes only. The nut is completely out of the equation once you fret a note.

The neck pickup on an EB3 is called a mudbucker for a reason. The design and location makes them inherently muddy.

 

[ajkula66]

The neck pickup on an EB3 is called a mudbucker for a reason. The design and location makes them inherently muddy.

The PU on OP's Epi only looks like a Mudbucker. The internal design is completely different. The real Sidewinders/Mudbuckers died with EB series back in '79

 

[HaphAsSard]

The PU on OP's Epi only looks like a Mudbucker. The internal design is completely different. The real Sidenwinders/Mudbuckers died with EB series back in '79

Actually the internal design looks similar enough to the original* to me:

Epiphone EB-0 pickup

Epiphone EB-0 Bass Guitar Pickup & Wiring Harness Replacement Parts Chrome

Epi EB-0 sidewinder sound vs EB-3

Specs are very different though. The Epiphone sidewinder uses very thick wire and has very low DCR. As for tone, some report having a bright sounding Epi EB, but my EB-3 for one is as muddy as it can be. In fact, my impression is that the Epi (well, mine at least) manages to be duller than the original Gibson, with less midrange than the latter, to the point of compromising note pitch recognition without radical EQing.

(I'm in the same quest as the OP but am postponing tackling the problem until I have a more pressing need for the instrument - not using it much at the moment.)

*
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Epi EB-0 sidewinder sound vs EB-3
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[UNICORN BASS]

I will second the suggestion of Pro Steels, possibly in a gauge a little bit light of standard, i use these on my Jazz right now. I think they are 45/95, great zing and flexibility.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I will second the suggestion of Pro Steels, possibly in a gauge a little bit light of standard, i use these on my Jazz right now. I think they are 45/95, great zing and flexibility.

Yeah, Pro Steels made a huge difference in brightening up my SG Bass and Thunderbird, without losing too much of the low end I need...

 

[Orpheus55]

I had Pro Steels on my Epi EB3 for a long time and they really made a difference. The medium light gauge (45-100); EQ on the amp helps too.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Not sure if this is helpful, but I wonder if you can get a hold of the pickups used in the Gibson version. I have two of the modern Gibson SGs (2014 special and 2015 standard) and the stock pickups sound awesome. Full range with plenty of high end. Nothing like the mudbuckers of times past. They're called: "T-Bird Plus" and "vintage-style T-Bird mini". I did a quick google search and didn't see them for sale on their own though, unfortunately.

 

[mesaplayer83]

Not sure if this is helpful, but I wonder if you can get a hold of the pickups used in the Gibson version. I have two of the modern Gibson SGs (2014 special and 2015 standard) and the stock pickups sound awesome. Full range with plenty of high end. Nothing like the mudbuckers of times past. They're called: "T-Bird Plus" and "vintage-style T-Bird mini". I did a quick google search and didn't see them for sale on their own though, unfortunately.

My SG Bass is a 2013, my T-bird is an '06, and they still weren't bright enough for me - until I put some Pro Steels on them, that is... I'm primarily a Fender player, and although I like playing my Gibsons - and LOVE the way they look - their sound just wasn't working for me 'til the Pro Steels...

 

[fakeneckplate'65]

The bass is naturally very, tubby & dark. There's not much you're going to be able to do to brighten it significantly. I have Labella SS roundwounds on my Gibson SG bass & it sounds good, but, never bright unless you solo the bridge pick up.

 

[Warpeg]

Maybe add an onboard preamp that can help sculpt your tone? An Aguilar OBP-2 or EMG BTS would give you a ton of tonal versatility and it wouldn't break the bank. There are lower-priced preamp options out there, as well.

 

[Axstar]

Some of the dullness will just be down to the design of the instrument. Gibson-family basses are often darker due to a number of factors, though they have produced brighter-voiced instruments as well.

With the Epiphone EB-3, the neck pickup is possibly the weak link. It looks the same as the old Gibson Mudbuckers, but from (bitter) personal experience they aren't as hot and powerful as the originals. Epiphone tamed them a bit, but really they are bland-sounding as well as dark and dull.

A Dimarzio Model One might work better in the neck location, and it gives you fun wiring options thanks to the four-wire hookup cable. However any neck pickup will sound deeper due to its physical location.