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NBD: Gibson SG What the ????

#21
I was in a Denver area GC recently and they had a pair of Gibson EB3 basses. The new ones wired VVT and the 32" scale neck. They played nice and sounded nice. If I had any interest in a 4 string bass I would have got one. I seem to remember the price being under $1000.
 
#24
3234718 said:
Why? I've heard this opinion before but I'm curious why you think so . I've never had a problem with my stock bridge. Aside from the short ball end to saddle distance.
Click to expand...

Only reasons I switched bridges was for ease of adjustment and the ability to individually adjust string height. The original bridge worked and was adjustable but it bothered me that I couldn't tweak each string. Plus the supertone is a very nice piece of hardware.

All IMO of course. I didn't notice any difference in sound or anything like that.
 
#25
This brings back memories. My very first good bass was a new EB-3 that I bought in early '71....for $345.00! Bass, case and tax included! Many times I wished I still had that bass. Worked many hours after school and on weekends washing dishes in a resturaunt and I remember the feeling of accomplishment when I finally bought it. It was like "wow, I did it!!"
 
#27
3234718 said:
Why? I've heard this opinion before but I'm curious why you think so . I've never had a problem with my stock bridge. Aside from the short ball end to saddle distance.
Click to expand...

I used to feel that way about the 3 point bridge too. I've had 5 basses with them. The last one I bought, a 2011 Gibson Thunderbird short scale had the bridge very high off the body, much higher than my other Thunderbirds and Rumblekat. The bass always had a very scooped (not in a good way) sound, and I had trouble getting a good sound out of it. It sounded like something was missing in the mids, even when I boosted them.

I decided to try a Supertone (not because of the tone), and suddenly the bass came alive. The missing mids are now there. The solid connection to the body seems to really make a difference. And I'm not a high mass bridge kind of guy, but in this case it works.
 
#28
petrus61 said:
But how does it sound with the band? Some basses can sound great soloed, then in a band go *poink*. The SG (EB-0 facsimile) is a well rounded bass in the midrange and low end, and should suit that type of music well.
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Sounds perfect with the band. We record most rehearsals and this bass through my Orange and a single 15 sits perfectly in the mix.
 
#29
Congrats on the bass, man! I've got the superfluous glossy model, which I can't justify in any logical way other than it's the one I wanted and I had the money (it's also a one-piece body while the satin models are 2-3 pieces, but that's neither here nor there).

aproud1, could you post a pic of your SG's headstock with the Resolite tuners? I've been considering putting them on mine but I'm slightly worried they will look goofy sticking out so far from the headstock.

I do have a question for any other SG owners: are you guys getting loud squealing when using distortion? I don't mean feedback, this is an entirely different sound that I get as soon as I turn on even light distortion. I've been told the pickups need to be potted, but that's expensive and apparently not under Gibson warranty. I'd just like to know if any other SG owners are experiencing this issue, as it may help my case in getting Gibson to pay to fix it.
 
#30
Reynoldbot said:
Congrats on the bass, man! I've got the superfluous glossy model, which I can't justify in any logical way other than it's the one I wanted and I had the money (it's also a one-piece body while the satin models are 2-3 pieces, but that's neither here nor there).

aproud1, could you post a pic of your SG's headstock with the Resolite tuners? I've been considering putting them on mine but I'm slightly worried they will look goofy sticking out so far from the headstock.

I do have a question for any other SG owners: are you guys getting loud squealing when using distortion? I don't mean feedback, this is an entirely different sound that I get as soon as I turn on even light distortion. I've been told the pickups need to be potted, but that's expensive and apparently not under Gibson warranty. I'd just like to know if any other SG owners are experiencing this issue, as it may help my case in getting Gibson to pay to fix it.
Click to expand...

I don't use distortion but regularly overdrive my Orange with this bass and haven't had any problems. And yes mine is three piece but very, very well matched. Took awhile to find the seams and you can only see them from the side of the body.

The Gotoh's aren't really much longer than the Grovers but the ears are smaller so they look to stick out. Here are some pics.

Before and After

Gibface.jpg
SGBass003.jpg

Bibback.jpg
SGBass004.jpg
 
#31
Reynoldbot said:
I do have a question for any other SG owners: are you guys getting loud squealing when using distortion? I don't mean feedback, this is an entirely different sound that I get as soon as I turn on even light distortion. I've been told the pickups need to be potted, but that's expensive and apparently not under Gibson warranty. I'd just like to know if any other SG owners are experiencing this issue, as it may help my case in getting Gibson to pay to fix it.
Click to expand...

I believe both p'ups are already wax-potted. But the chrome covers can cause the same problem...

Take the covers off, put rolled up tape (gaffer's is best, but electrical tape is ok too) between pickup and cover.

I did this at each end of the neck p'up (near the E and G poles), and the squealing goes away. The closer to the middle of the p'up you can get (i.e., between the A & D poles), the better. This reduces/damps the p'up cover's vibration, thereby reducing/eliminating the squeal/feedback.

Anyway, it's kind of an old Gibson "problem." That is why guitarists used to remove the chrome p'up covers back in the 60s, when things got really loud (and more distorted).
 
#32
I feel the same way about that bass. I was at my local GC with my son. He was checking out guitars. I wasn't planning on buying anything but, of course, had to play some basses. I never expect anything to sound good to me at GC. I'm a flatwounds, roll off all of the treble, play some Duck Dunn stuff kind of guy. They rarely have anything like that. I had heard that the first album by The Meters was played on one of these SG basses (with only three strings!). So, i picked it up and plugged it in. Man, that thing sounded great. I've gotta have one. Been trying to save some scratch but life seems to be getting in the way. Soon... It will be mine.
 
#33
BTW the baked maple was actually maple that had been "baked". This was due to the rosewood fiasco which had nothing to do with the rosewood being exotic it had to do with buying raw rosewood when the law said that it must be processed. (the ebony issue actually was illegally sourced wood). This has been closed (big fine) and they are back to rosewood. I have a baked maple and right out of the box you could smell a distinct maple scent. The baking process seems to give it an almost syrupy smell (sadly this gassed out and no longer is noticeable).

I have a flying v but have been gassing for an SG. The Gibson sound and playability has largely made my Fender AM SPJ unused. I have been seriously thinking about trading in the Fender and Godin for an SG which seems insane but the SG I played at GC did have a different tone than the V with the same playability but a more ergonomic shape. I use a 3" padded strap and this eliminated any neck dive issues.

How big of a difference does the new bridge make? I have the 3-point and it has not been an issue. I really like the look of the adjustable bridge in the OP's pic and wonder if it is worth it in terms of tone.
 
#35
Psychbunny said:
How big of a difference does the new bridge make? I have the 3-point and it has not been an issue. I really like the look of the adjustable bridge in the OP's pic and wonder if it is worth it in terms of tone.
Click to expand...

The Supertone functions like a normal modern bridge, plus it allows for individual string adjustment up down and side to side. The Gibson bridge works fine and adjusting it can get you set up well but isn't quite as tweekable. The Supertone is also milled from a chunk of Aluminum and looks super cool... ;)

Some people have reported a difference in tone some have not. I didn't notice much difference. Doesn't matter though because thats not why I replaced mine. I just wanted something that worked a little more like my more modern bridges.
 

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