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Is there something wrong with this EBO??

A

anysomebody

Oct 23, 2007
16
0
#1
Hey guys, I was shopping around for a bass and I found this one, for a pretty good price. It is a 1966 Gibson EBO and its in fairly good shape, but I noticed the tuners probably aren't original. I wanted to verify that, but what really worries me is the black finish on the back of the neck. I've seen a few other EBO's from this period and none that I've seen have this black finish. Just wanted to get people's opinions on whether it's a refinish or original, and how much you guys think this bass would be worth. I have a couple more pictures that I'll post shortly.

Thanks a lot :)
 

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#5
After this many years, a number of mods may have happened - including a neck refin at some time. Gibbys are famous for neck/headstock breaks..and although I don't see evidence of one in the photos, the neck might have been replaced. Looks like a fun bass to me...enjoy it as a player, not as a collectible object. As long as the neck intonates and plays correctly, it shouldn't be a big issue.
 
#7
Thanks for the feedback, sounding like what I thought about the modifications is true. I was also wondering what you all thought about the price. I might be able to purchase it for around $450-$500, but I'm not familiar with the value of these basses with these kinds of mods. Can anyone help me out?
 
#9
So I've now found a couple other vintage EBO's with the same tuners, so maybe these are original? And the only serious worry that i have about the neck is that it is:
A) not original
B) Cracked/Broken
does the neck appear to be original to someone with a better eye than me? haha :)
 
#10
I didn't read anyone saying that it was cracked or broken. I specifically said that I did NOT see any evidence of a break on that neck.

However, IF the neck has been replaced, a broken headstock might have been the reason.

IF the neck is not original, then as long as it plays and intonates well, I don't see a problem.
 
#11
Those tuners came on a bunch of early 70s Japanese basses. So I doubt they are original, and probably not the greatest, although they do work OK. The finish on the back of the neck looks like a Krylon job, but as long as the headstock wasn't snapped off and repaired (look very closely for evidence of that, especially since the neck has been repainted. Could be a camouflage job).

Is there a serial number visible on the back of the headstock? It would be stamped near the top of the back of the headstock. I don't see one, and that would have me concerned. However, it could have been sanded off if the refinisher sanded it to bare wood before repainting.
 
#12
anysomebody said:
So I've now found a couple other vintage EBO's with the same tuners, so maybe these are original? And the only serious worry that i have about the neck is that it is:
A) not original
B) Cracked/Broken
does the neck appear to be original to someone with a better eye than me? haha :)
Click to expand...

A well repaired neck will give you no problems, in fact it is probably stronger than it was originally (which isn't saying much, those necks are notorious for breaking at the slightest provocation). If it is repaired well enough to not be seen through the finish you should be fine. I have a '76 Gibson Thunderbird that had the neck repaired and it is as stable as it can be. I seldom need to adjust the truss rod.
 
#13
Busker said:
Those tuners came on a bunch of early 70s Japanese basses. So I doubt they are original, and probably not the greatest, although they do work OK. The finish on the back of the neck looks like a Krylon job, but as long as the headstock wasn't snapped off and repaired (look very closely for evidence of that, especially since the neck has been repainted. Could be a camouflage job).

Is there a serial number visible on the back of the headstock? It would be stamped neat the top of the back of the headstock. I don't see one, and that would have me concerned.
Click to expand...

The apparent lack of a serial number was really concerning me, it's just a combination of all these uncertainties that are making me hesitant to purchase it. I just don't know if I can bring myself to take the plunge with how uncertain the authenticity is.
 
#14
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] were used (amongst others) between around '66 and '69. The shape of the heel and the bridge etc suggest this is a '66-67 EB0. Tuners are fine, neck is probably original too, just painted black. Look at the orange peel texture. A fairly amateur paint job.

Unless someone sawed it into a million bits the necks don't get replaced - far more likely to be glued back together. This is almost certainly the case. The amateur paint job could mean an amateur glue job too. If so it might come undone, in a worst case scenario, but still easily fixable. Just make sure you save all the shards. It is unlikely that this was painted for no reason.

Theoretically a headstock repair should be stronger than the wood surrounding it.

The crack on the body could be an issue - it may be an old repair (in which case no probs), or a new problem starting - this is VERY common on these - but a luthier will inject some glue in there and clamp it - easy fix for very little outlay. You could do it yourself even.

Yeah a good price - you'll love the sound of this (or maybe hate it) - get it and hope. Even if it falls apart it will be well worth fixing up.
 
#15
Those are original 66/67 tuners,All melody Maker basses of the same vintage came with them. Bass looks like a repaired headstock(some serial nubers were stamped pretty shallow and could dissapear with a refin), sometimes they just get a stinger and sometime a whole neck refin. If the price is right and your into the EBO tone with the Mudbucker right on the neck, whats not to love?
 
#16
OK, they are saying the tuners are original, which I never would have thought. So you're good there.

Even if they are original, were they made in Japan? Because they look just like the cheap Japanese tuners.
 
#18
Craig_S said:
The logo doesn't look right to me.
Click to expand...


Hey, you're right, it doesn't look exactly right. The "G" is a little too rounded for one thing. If the front of the headstock were refinished however, it could simply be a sloppy job of scraping the paint off the pearl logo. AFAIK, Gibson would do the inlay work, spray the peghead black, then carefully scrape the black paint from the pearl inlay, then clear coat.

I've done repairs in this exact way.
 
#20
Those tuners ARE original. There was a period when Gibson used those incredibly cheap looking things. I don't know if they're good or not. The early Japanese copies had similar looking tuners - probably because they were easier to copy.
The more familiar Kluson type look better to me but that bass is the real deal.

anysomebody said:
Hey guys, I was shopping around for a bass and I found this one, for a pretty good price. It is a 1966 Gibson EBO and its in fairly good shape, but I noticed the tuners probably aren't original. I wanted to verify that, but what really worries me is the black finish on the back of the neck. I've seen a few other EBO's from this period and none that I've seen have this black finish. Just wanted to get people's opinions on whether it's a refinish or original, and how much you guys think this bass would be worth. I have a couple more pictures that I'll post shortly.

Thanks a lot :)
Click to expand...
 

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