Gibson EB-1 bass - Help!

[Jon Lars]

Put a Dark Star in it -

 

[shodan]

It appears that the pots/knobs were relocated to the present position. That alone would make me think it wasn't a Gibby to start with.

 

[GretschWretch]

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

This (arguably) is mud.



This most definitely is mud.



as is this



and -----

banjo tuners!



This is . . . what it is



As a codocil, since my retirement I have been decluttering my house, moving along or discarding things for which I no longer have any use and in which my family has no interest. I finally got through my stash of 78 rpm records and took on the audiocassettes. Imagine my surprise to discover a recording made at the Keithville (LA) jamboree back in 1973 with what was essentially a pick-up band of friends and spouses. I was using my 1959 EB-2, and it sounded NOTHING like the basses in the links attached above. The tone was clean and mid-rangy and sounded more like a Fender without the punch than it did the popular conception of a Gibson.

I had no memory of that sound. I also had no memory of how badly I over-played on that gig.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Felix Pappalardi got a great sound with one, he made it part of his sound, dirty. They reissued them because of him. Yes, they did.

Great sound for that project. Distorted mud however. For the record, I got the same sound out of an EB3 played through a 1-12 Ampeg Reverbrocket combo cranked. I was a big Mountain fan back in the day. I found I could play more like Felix that Jack Bruce. LOL!!!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

Just remember, there were Pet Rocks back in the 70s people collected...


Thanks for your response.

 

[Michedelic]

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

How do you figure that?

 

[Michedelic]

Felix was seen occasionally with a then-recent EB-0…

Same electronics set-up.

 

[Bass V]

Felix was seen occasionally with a then-recent EB-0…
View attachment 4945182Same electronics set-up.

lol that's my photo correction, it was reversed originally on facebook's Mountain page, so I flipped it.

the tragedy of the loved / hated mudbucker is it went down in fame as useless when in fact it's a most versatile PU if wired straight to the jack, which always opens up a PU, giving tons of treble, mids, lows, and in this case retaining the power to lift buildings when amped up. outside of Jack and Felix few other name bassists bothered with them at all, a real missed opportunity for the Rock world by ignoring this 30k goldmine sitting in plain sight, then ending up under the bed or in a closet. these days nobody would know what to do with them, they're too powerful.

 

[Michedelic]

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]

Then there was Joe Maphis…


He was a multi-instrumentalist, but primarily a jaw dropping guitarist…

 

[DJ Bebop]

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

Yeah, the pickup looks like a the one Guild used in the later JetStar hollow bodies and not the mudbucker that should be there. It appears to at least have had additional clear sprayed on, possibly a complete refinish.

Yes it's a Guild-DeArmond pick up.

I have one, sans cover in this joint...

 

[bobyoung53]

Great sound for that project. Distorted mud however. For the record, I got the same sound out of an EB3 played through a 1-12 Ampeg Reverbrocket combo cranked. I was a big Mountain fan back in the day. I found I could play more like Felix that Jack Bruce. LOL!!!

Jack played some very difficult lines, Felix was more of a melodic player. I love both but put Jack right up among the top electric players of all time, I enjoy listening to his playing probably more than anyone else. I saw Mountain twice, yes distorted mud, but a great distorted mud .

 

[bobyoung53]

Then there was Joe Maphis…


He was a multi-instrumentalist, but primarily a jaw dropping guitarist…

I had heard the name before but wasn't familiar with his stuff, thanks. 'Now don't play too fast, the old man won't be able to keep up with you.' That kid is great! Yeah, he was unbelievable, that guitar is reminiscent of a Mosrite at least the pickup slant.

 

[GretschWretch]

Just remember, there were Pet Rocks back in the 70s people collected...


Thanks for your response.

Also pet rolls that females would preserve in their refrigerators. Steven Stills even wrote a song about this: Rock and Roll Woman.

I will leave now.

 

[godofthunder59]

This (arguably) is mud.



This most definitely is mud.



as is this



and -----

banjo tuners!



This is . . . what it is



As a codocil, since my retirement I have been decluttering my house, moving along or discarding things for which I no longer have any use and in which my family has no interest. I finally got through my stash of 78 rpm records and took on the audiocassettes. Imagine my surprise to discover a recording made at the Keithville (LA) jamboree back in 1973 with what was essentially a pick-up band of friends and spouses. I was using my 1959 EB-2, and it sounded NOTHING like the basses in the links attached above. The tone was clean and mid-rangy and sounded more like a Fender without the punch than it did the popular conception of a Gibson.

I had no memory of that sound. I also had no memory of how badly I over-played on that gig.

Hey my EB0 video!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Also pet rolls that females would preserve in their refrigerators. Steven Stills even wrote a song about this: Rock and Roll Woman.

I will leave now.

It must have been the drugs….LOL

 

[dbsfgyd1]

lol that's my photo correction, it was reversed originally on facebook's Mountain page, so I flipped it.

the tragedy of the loved / hated mudbucker is it went down in fame as useless when in fact it's a most versatile PU if wired straight to the jack, which always opens up a PU, giving tons of treble, mids, lows, and in this case retaining the power to lift buildings when amped up. outside of Jack and Felix few other name bassists bothered with them at all, a real missed opportunity for the Rock world by ignoring this 30k goldmine sitting in plain sight, then ending up under the bed or in a closet. these days nobody would know what to do with them, they're too powerful.

I wish I knew about this. I loved how well my EB3s played, but….now we know! Thanks for the post.

 

[ragetoca]

Jealous! That EB-1 looks like a player, I would definitely rock it.

It plays and feels surprisingly well! Yes The sound is muddy but feels kinda fretless as the frets are low and super round. The tone is a like an upright. Probably needs a good setup / cleanup as it has not been played in a LONG time

 

[squarepeg]

I just learned that John Paul Jones used his EB-1 on Led Zeppelin III.

 

[bobyoung53]

Felix was seen occasionally with a then-recent EB-0…
View attachment 4945182 View attachment 4945183
Same electronics set-up.

I saw them twice three piece at one of the colleges in Worcester, Mass, he had had pretty much that exact Sunn setup in the bottom picture, don't remember which bass though, but yeah dirty as hell, a good dirty.

 

[Michedelic]

I had heard the name before but wasn't familiar with his stuff, thanks. 'Now don't play too fast, the old man won't be able to keep up with you.' That kid is great! Yeah, he was unbelievable, that guitar is reminiscent of a Mosrite at least the pickup slant.

Those are actual Mosrites, early ones; Semie Mosley would build those up in Bakersfield for players in that emerging SoCal country scene. Larry Collins was obviously a protege of Maphis, but was also in a duo act with his older sister, Lorrie, as The Collins Kids. While they never really broke nationally, they were a big hit on Town Hall Party and Tex Ritter’s Ranch Party, bringing that new-fangled Rockabilly sound to the proceedings. Lorrie dated Ricky Nelson, and was featured on Ozzie and Harriet.
The siblings continued into the mid-60’s, then Larry went into songwriting, penning Tanya Tucker’s hit, “Delta Dawn”, among others. They reunited in the 90’s, and were featured in many events put on by Deke Dickerson. Lorrie died in 2018…





If you are interested in more hot pickin’ from the Cali Country scene of the 50’s/60’s, check into Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West, unbelievable “Hillbilly Jazz”.