Need help to identify Gibson bass

[ChrisHEB3]

What a find!!

I got my EB3L '74 from its first owner for £150, but that was in 1981......

This site has all the info you will ever need:

http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/

You can date the bass from the serial nos on the pots as well as the stamp on the headstock.

 

[ChrisHEB3]

yeah do me a favor and get some diff tuners on it too...just dont spend more on parts than you did the bass itself...and simon youre welcome...supertone bridge rocks

Remove Schaller originals.....Why would you do that if they are not damaged?? best tuners on any of the basses I have...

 

[aquateen]

nice score! it has all the same features as my '72 shortie. gibson didn't use the 3 point bridge until '73, iirc. the bridge is definitely bent. funny that the front of it looks ok but the rear...not so much. what kind of saddles does yours have, plastic or metal?

 

[Rush-2112]

Well, I paid $270 for it.

What a steal!

Congrats man, enjoy it!

 

[mccartneyman]

Brian Ray with Paul McCartney uses one of these and it sounds great.

 

[Comic Book Guy]

Thanks for all your help & congratulations! You seem to have a great forum here.
Got a reply from Gibson, and they said that according to the serial & pictures, it's a '73. Not bad! Only one year younger than me!

what kind of saddles does yours have, plastic or metal?

Metal. Tried to take some pics, but couldn't find the camera battery charger. Oh why does all evil things happen to me? *just kidding!!* Are metal or plastic saddles preferred?

Thanks again, I promise to treat her with love & respect!
martin

 

[lowend1]

The switching is pretty straightforward - as I recall, it selects either pickup solo, both pickups on, or only the neck pickup in "choked" mode. The choke is actually an inductor coil - consisting of the inductor AND a capacitor that acts as a bass and treble cut (a 1st order low pass filter in series with a 1st order high pass filter). Crack open the control cavity on the back of the body and have a looksee. BTW, your bass looks just like my '72 EB-3, except for the scale length, naturally.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I confused the varioswitch with the varitone used mainly in the semi-acoustics:

And it seems like I also remembered the inductor incorrectly, must've been thinking about HAS sound or something.

Regards
Sam

 

[vespasian1]

What a find!

I had a '73 EB3 that I bought brand new. Aside from the neck length, yours looks just like it. It was a great bass.

Enjoy.

PS- Put flats on it!

 

[pigsonthewing]

I've been really wanting one of these lately, that price is an amazing deal congrats

 

[vbasscustom]

shes got some real mojo thats for sure. play her. play her good.

 

[aquateen]

Are metal or plastic saddles preferred?

the plastic saddles were used with the earlier 2 point bridges and metal saddles were used in later runs, before gibson switched to the 3 point bridge. sorry, but I don't know the timeline.

here's a schematic
Link Removed

 

[Comic Book Guy]

the plastic saddles were used with the earlier 2 point bridges and metal saddles were used in later runs, before gibson switched to the 3 point bridge. sorry, but I don't know the timeline.

here's a schematic
Link Removed

ok, thanks!
martin

 

[michael_atw]

Thanks! Well, I paid $270 for it. Local flea market out in the country. Guess they didn't know what they were selling, and I didn't really know what I was buying... but I like it a lot!

Thanks,
Martin

+1111111111111111111

 

[Simon Langley]

Check out this thread here for a problem that I am experiencing with the Hipshot two point bridge as talked about on page one.

 

[Comic Book Guy]

Check out this thread here for a problem that I am experiencing with the Hipshot two point bridge as talked about on page one.

Thanks, I'll follow the thread with great interest!
martin

 

[godofthunder59]

Thanks! Well, I paid $270 for it. Local flea market out in the country. Guess they didn't know what they were selling, and I didn't really know what I was buying... but I like it a lot!

Thanks,
Martin

Deal of the decade ! It is a 70's EB3. Man I wish they had stuff like at at the flea markets I hit !

 

[elgranluis]

How does she play? maybe the bridge was bent on purpose since those old ebs have bridges like rics where you can´t adjust the height individually. If the bass plays alright then I wouldn´t try bending it back.

 

[jbassbob]

Just a note on the bridge. The two point bridges tend to tilt forward. There really isn't much you can do about it (I'd love to hear otherwise since I have a 1969-70 Eb3 with the same type of bridge). Probably the reason they went to the three point bridge later on.