Gibson EB-1 bass - Help!

[SDC1-ClickClack]

Those Dan Armstrong Plexi basses are pretty cool. Do you know if he has any of the other pickup modules? They slide out the bass side where that notch is.

The Dan Armstrong plexiglass basses ARE cool, but of course, the Dan Armstrong pictured here is a guitar.

Yes it does View attachment 4944135

That’s cool. The “extra” pickups usually disappear.

Indeed they do. I bought one of those Dan Armstrong plexiglass guitars from its original owner in the early 1970s and it came with two pickups — but unfortunately, they sounded nearly identical to one another. There was no way to replace them with any other brand of pickups, and it was the sound and the weight that led me to sell mine.

[...snip...]
The Dan Armstrong is cool, but very heavy, which makes them uncomfortable to play, but it’s very collectible.

Correct on all three points: They look & are cool, they are very collectible, and they weigh a frickin' ton. BTW, the original Dan Armstrongs are both heavier and less fragile than the Univox versions that were being marketed later on. If you dropped one of the original ones on the floor, it might get a chip, whereas if you dropped onbe of the Univox copies, it would likely develop a large crack.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I've seen them on sites for $4-6K. What they sold for might be a different story.
You might want to get a larger audience for this one through a reputable national reseller.
Listen to some Mountain....especially the live side of Flowers Of Evil to hear what Felix did with his.

BTW- Felix Pappalardi might have been the first Rock Star.

Good Luck in your search, and please keep us updated.

 

[Iridescentone]

Mud machine. Aptly put.

Didn't the original ones Gibson issued come with a rod to play it upright as well as the "F" holes painted on?

Yes, at least my '53 had the pole. Found it for $250 in '75. It had a badly repaired broken off headstock with a 3" metal plate screwed onto the back of the repair. The bridge had been welded/brazed back together as well. It had the painted F hole and pinstriping on the body, a brown mudbucker, banjo-style tuners, and its orig brown hardcase with a shocking pink lining.

The only cool thing about that bass was the hardcase. Like the Les Pauls of the era, Gibson used to claim that their cases were so sturdy that you could stand on them without damage. Guess what?...a 175 lb dude actually could! Apart from its rarity and oddness, I never found a use for its dull sound (sorry, Felix). It lived under my bed 'til '84 when I included it as part of a trade bundle with a vintage dealer. I was glad to finally get my $250 back out of the goofy thing.

The later re-issues like the one above were said (at the time) to not be as desirable as the orig '53-'58 ones to collectors, but both are rare. From a player's perspective, I can't see how they could be any worse. Those mods probably make it a better sounding/playing bass than when it was new.

Absolutely no clue as to value, but suffice to say that there are plenty folks who'll pay strong money for it just because it's "vintage". The madness will never die, apparently.

 

[Jon Cowens]

Yes 1969/1970 reissue. This is all I could find.
Gibson EB-1 Bass 1969 promotional sheet >> Vintage Guitar and Bass
There are a lot of mods done.
Looks like the original pickup route was filled and a fretboard extension added with the relocation of the replacement neck pickup. Also an mini humbucker route and pot holes.
No pickguard.
I agree with godofthunder59. The tuners and bridge are stock and probably the truss rod cover.
You really think 2k? That's more than I would pay as is.
That said, it's easily fixable. late 1960s humbuckers are available. Another refin won't matter.
Do you have the case? That might make it worthwhile.
I am a sucker for fix it jobs.

 

[bobyoung53]

Yes 1969/1970 reissue. This is all I could find.
Gibson EB-1 Bass 1969 promotional sheet >> Vintage Guitar and Bass
There are a lot of mods done.
Looks like the original pickup route was filled and a fretboard extension added with the relocation of the replacement neck pickup. Also an mini humbucker route and pot holes.
No pickguard.
I agree with godofthunder59. The tuners and bridge are stock and probably the truss rod cover.
You really think 2k? That's more than I would pay as is.
That said, it's easily fixable. late 1960s humbuckers are available. Another refin won't matter.
Do you have the case? That might make it worthwhile.
I am a sucker for fix it jobs.

I think that would easily go for 2 grand, probably more, stick it on Reverb, a good one stock will sell for 3-4 grand and up, even the reissues unless they've gone down recently. the 50's EB's can go for 5 and up.

 

[HaphAsSard]

The originals had the mudbucker right at the end of the neck

Yes, at least my '53 had [...] a brown mudbucker

Under the brown cover, the original Gibson Electric Bass (and, under a black cover, the freshman EB-2)'s pickup brought the mud, but couldn't buck hum: it was a single-coil, if already a sidewinding one. Kind of like taking the front coil out of the later mudbucker, making the surviving rear one even taller (well, wider, since it's on its side), and relocating it and the poles inside the casing.

 

[Engle]

I had one of these years ago. I agree with others here about the refinish and mods. Cool bass visually, but it was a real mud machine with the original pickup, and the body shape wasn't very ergonomic (for me, at least).

I get why they are called mudbuckers, but with a modern amp they are very useable.

 

[Pet Sounds]

Mud machine. Aptly put.

Didn't the original ones Gibson issued come with a rod to play it upright as well as the "F" holes painted on?

Yes. The '68-72 reissue also had the telescoping pole. I think the reissues also had the painted f-holes, but mine was refinished natural, so I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

The Dan Armstrong plexiglass basses ARE cool, but of course, the Dan Armstrong pictured here is a guitar.




Indeed they do. I bought one of those Dan Armstrong plexiglass guitars from its original owner in the early 1970s and it came with two pickups — but unfortunately, they sounded nearly identical to one another. There was no way to replace them with any other brand of pickups, and it was the sound and the weight that led me to sell mine.


Correct on all three points: They look & are cool, they are very collectible, and they weigh a frickin' ton. BTW, the original Dan Armstrongs are both heavier and less fragile than the Univox versions that were being marketed later on. If you dropped one of the original ones on the floor, it might get a chip, whereas if you dropped onbe of the Univox copies, it would likely develop a large crack.

So it is…. I guess I shouldn’t browse TB on my phone… in a hurry…

 

[Levent]

R.I.P. the dude he inherited from had good taste.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Kind of like taking the front coil out of the later mudbucker, making the surviving rear one even taller

(Um, 'twas the other way around, actually:
Gibson EB Single Coil Pickup (1950s)
Oops.)

 

[GretschWretch]

Olsie Robinson of Little Richard's band, The Upsetters- 1956 Gibson EB (they called them EB-1's when they reissued them during the late 60's).


[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Yes, and this pickup is not the mudbucker, any more than the pickup on Felix Pappalardi's was. Up until around 1961 the Gibson pickup was the black plastic cover one. That pickup could distort like crazy, but muddy it was not.

 

[CryingBass]

Ah the old days of a mudbucker and a silver-face bassman cranked to 9 - Vomit Bass!

 

[bobyoung53]

Yes, and this pickup is not the mudbucker, any more than the pickup on Felix Pappalardi's was. Up until around 1961 the Gibson pickup was the black plastic cover one. That pickup could distort like crazy, but muddy it was not.

Yes, I've never tried a 50's EB, actually never tried a reissue either.

 

[bobyoung53]

Ah the old days of a mudbucker and a silver-face bassman cranked to 9 - Vomit Bass!

One of the best bass sounds I've ever heard was a guy using an EB-0 with a Fender Bassman at an outside concert in one of the parks in Worcester, Mass, probably a blackface as it was 1969-70, it wasn't cranked, had just a bit of distortion but enough to give it a really cool sound, never forgot the sound.

 

[Jeff Scott]

...Vomit Bass...

Isn't he a member here?

 

[bobyoung53]

Isn't he a member here?

In sick bay.

 

[Wesley R]

Looks like a refinish with a pickup swap as well. That pickup suggests Guild more than it does Gibson.

Bingo!

 

[2thAche]

Odd choice for whoever put the speed knobs on.

 

[Iridescentone]

There are some EB's listed on Reverb right now asking a pretty penny for them, too. This '57 looks to be all original sans the pole, but has its original brown pickup and other accoutrements. I was unaware that the early pickups were actually s/c (learned another new factoid today!) Still, mud is mud. Even Roto Swings didn't help the one I had.

Gibson EB EB1 1957 Mahogany | Reverb