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FAKE or real 1969 Gibson EB0 EBO? Help!

#5
Fake. Should be an inlay not a sticker. Pickguard is wrong but ccould have been changed (looks a melody maker guard maybe). Lastly, the 3 point bridge didnt appear until after the slotted headstock was gone, '73 IIRC.

Could be it's real but has been refined/modded but I personally wouldnt risk it.
 
#6
Zildjian106 // If it's sticker, it's not real decal. As 66Atlas said, refined or modded ?.
check this links,
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and the wires doesn't look gibson's. They usually used black shrinktube to hide wires.
This is 65 EB0 cavity inside (from Ebay listing)
$(KGrHqV,!jME66MHip4uBO38Q8cjmg~~60_3.jpg


and here's my 1972 EB-0L
Head pic
IMG_2680.jpg


Head Logo
IMG_2681.jpg


Body
IMG_2666.jpg


Pots
IMG_2705.jpg


but I recommend you to show someone specialized on gibson in local.
 
#7
Too many things were fishy with the bass, why would anyone take the shielding and wiring covers out of the cavity, it just does not make sense to me...

The guy got this at an estate sale under some bed. The case looked just like the original with the purple interior, he was told that this was owned by Chubby Checkers bassist.
 
#8
Also the truss rod cover was fitted with a slightly shorter one that just said gibson, and a screw was placed a half an inch above it where the "original" hole was left.

I thought it was real and he just put on a custom pick guard and truss rod cover for looks, but the cavity wiring and headstock makes it fishy. Could be completely refinished too as it was more of a mocha color, this is plausible if the inlay is not imbedded into the wood, if it is simply glued on maybe it was lost along the years.

Thanks for the responses
 
#9
The body and neck look original, but it is hard to know about anything else. The pickguard and bridge certainly are not original--there will be post holes for the original 2-point bridge visible under the cover if it is a genuine Gibson. The bridge cover itself looks like the correct style, but it also looks like un-chromed brass and is upside down. Impossible to know from pics if pickup is original, likewise the pots. My guess is that someone bought a stripped body and revived it.

Value will depend partly on whether it is the original pickup or not--it could just be from a Chinese Epiphone. Also, if seller is not acknowledging any non-original parts, then not someone to be trusted too much.
 
#10
The seller truly did not know much about the instrument. So its not his fault. I informed him that the pick guard and truss rod cover were not original, which he was unaware of. Its a mystery thats for sure. Whoever he obtained the bass from told him again that it was a real gibson, after I told him I was unsure if it was a Gibson or not.
 
#12
If that's not a real Gibson, someone went to a LOT of trouble to counterfeit a bass that isn't worth that much money to begin with. Why would someone go to the great effort to duplicate a Gibson serial number and "Made in USA" on the back of the headstock, and then overlook easy stuff like the wiring and the truss rod cover?

It's a real Gibson that's been battered around through the years. It's not collectible, and if Chubby Checker's bass player owned that, I'm a monkey's uncle.
 
#15
IMO, it's definitely a real EB0. i think that the body has been refinned (& logo replaced with a sticker) and of course the pickguard isn't stock. IME, the serial numbers in that era are not the best way to determine it's year, so think that it could be anywhere from a late '69-71. the three point bridge debuted in late '73 so the bridge isn't stock either.
 
#16
I had a 69 EBO and it sure looked the same as those pics. It may not be all original but that doesn't say it not a real 69 it just changes the value of it as a vintage bass.

I'm with smcd. That's a lot of trouble to go through and if your gonna fake it then least get it correct. I never liked mine. That big old "mudbucker" had some power to it but damn it was boomy. I used it for a bit, sold it, and went back to my Jazz Bass.
 

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