New Gibson EB bass

[bassfiddlesteve]

Yes, please do and let us know. I did read of a guy who switched his pickups to EMG TB-HZ and that cured it. Less magnetic pull.

Changing the string had no effect, but lowering the pickups did the trick. The chorus effect is gone. I now have about 7mm of clearance between the bottom of the E and G strings and the top of the pickup which is quite a bit lower than how it came set up. I don't have a feeler gauge so I'm using a small metric ruler to measure the distance.

I'm surprised it left the factory like that, but perhaps I shouldn't be.

- Steve

 

[Major Softie]

I'd rock a white one of them like there's no tomorrow..

It's "Creeeeeeeeam."

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Y'know, this bass may not be a keeper for me

Lowering the pickup height addressed the phasing effect in the upper register, but now the E string sounds "wooly" to me with no fundamental. I know I'm going to want the action lowered at the both he bridge and nut, so I don't know where that will leave me in terms of setup. I've never encountered a problem like this before.

I'm also finding the neck dive to be an issue. The bass is nice and lightweight, but I think there's a reason that the strap button my Fender basses is located at the twelfth fret.

- Steve

 

[60bass]

Y'know, this bass may not be a keeper for me

Lowering the pickup height addressed the phasing effect in the upper register, but now the E string sounds "wooly" to me with no fundamental. I know I'm going to want the action lowered at the both he bridge and nut, so I don't know where that will leave me in terms of setup. I've never encountered a problem like this before.

I'm also finding the neck dive to be an issue. The bass is nice and lightweight, but I think there's a reason that the strap button my Fender basses is located at the twelfth fret.

- Steve

I've never checked but does Gibson publish a set up guide with the specs like Fender does? Seems like they should have specs listed somewhere what the pickup heights are supposed to be.

I hate neck dive. I had a T-bird for a couple of years and loved the tone but man you always had to have a hand on that bass cause the neck dive was so bad. I'm surprised the EB has dive cause the body looks like it would have good balance. Still interested in one of these but if the neck dive is bad, I know I'll never feel comfortable playing it.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I've never checked but does Gibson publish a set up guide with the specs like Fender does? Seems like they should have specs listed somewhere what the pickup heights are supposed to be.

That's funny. Gibson doesn't even have an owners manual for their basses. The EB bass came with a generic electric guitar manual.

- Steve

 

[swamp2]

Y'know, this bass may not be a keeper for me

Lowering the pickup height addressed the phasing effect in the upper register, but now the E string sounds "wooly" to me with no fundamental. I know I'm going to want the action lowered at the both he bridge and nut, so I don't know where that will leave me in terms of setup. I've never encountered a problem like this before.



- Steve

You may want to try changing strings before writing it off. I put a set of Chromes on it right away and do not have any issues with the E string (or any others). I fiddled with the action at the bridge but left the nut alone. It plays very well where I have it set up. Couldn't get it as low as my old Carvin without obnoxious buzzing, but still very nice.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

You may want to try changing strings before writing it off. I put a set of Chromes on it right away and do not have any issues with the E string (or any others). I fiddled with the action at the bridge but left the nut alone. It plays very well where I have it set up. Couldn't get it as low as my old Carvin without obnoxious buzzing, but still very nice.

The thing is, I was planning on using roundwounds on this bass. My other electric bass is a Vintage '62 Jazz Bass and I keep La Bella flats on that one.

- Steve

 

[lomo]

So I tried the EB4 5 string, natural, at 8.3 lbs from Sweetwater.
My take:

Light with good balance and a very pleasing neck. Sounds fantastic-pretty old school, not hi-fi. I love the passive electronics packge and I love that the truss rod adjuster is a bolt with a dedicated wrench included.

What I don't like is the fact that the truss bolt is covered by the traditional thingy requiring the removal of 2 tiny screws to access.....the screw holes for this will be stripped in fairly short order IME.

The nitro finish also has several flaws....areas where it pooled and dried....not detectable unless scrutinized but they are there.

The strap pins are the cheapest stuff around. No straplocks.

Overall I'd have kept it in spite of its' flaws if it wasn't for the fact that very few body shapes are comfy for me when seated (Fenders included) and this one is no exception. The tone and neck are really great. Overall, however, the fit and finish lag significantly below USA Fenders IME/IMO. I must admit, though, that I REALLY dig the sound and neck feel of this bass, not to mention the fantastic weight and balance!

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I wound up returning mine too. I got a 2011 American Standard Fender Precision that was on closeout instead

- Steve

 

[60bass]

I wound up returning mine too. I got a 2011 American Standard Fender Precision that was on closeout instead

- Steve

It's not the brand of bass that matters, it's that you get one that you like and will play regularly. Sorry the Gibby didn't work out but enjoy the new P

 

[swamp2]

So I tried the EB4 5 string, natural, at 8.3 lbs from Sweetwater.
My take:

Light with good balance and a very pleasing neck. Sounds fantastic-pretty old school, not hi-fi. I love the passive electronics packge and I love that the truss rod adjuster is a bolt with a dedicated wrench included.

What I don't like is the fact that the truss bolt is covered by the traditional thingy requiring the removal of 2 tiny screws to access.....the screw holes for this will be stripped in fairly short order IME.

The nitro finish also has several flaws....areas where it pooled and dried....not detectable unless scrutinized but they are there.

The strap pins are the cheapest stuff around. No straplocks.

Overall I'd have kept it in spite of its' flaws if it wasn't for the fact that very few body shapes are comfy for me when seated (Fenders included) and this one is no exception. The tone and neck are really great. Overall, however, the fit and finish lag significantly below USA Fenders IME/IMO. I must admit, though, that I REALLY dig the sound and neck feel of this bass, not to mention the fantastic weight and balance!

Well, to each his own, but... The truss rod cover? How many millions of basses have been made with the same arrangement? I've never stripped a screw on the many I've owned... And as for the finish - yes, they cheaped out here. But I think i've posted a comment before - when Fender can make a good buck selling relics and "road worn" instruments for more than this instrument costs - why pick on Gibson for saving some cost on the finish? Personally I'd rather have the good bridge, pickups, tuners etc and save a couple hundred bucks on the finish. I don't there's any upgrades needed on this bass if the finish doesn't bug you. Anyway, I think mine looks really nice in the natural. But, if the body doesn't fit right for you, ok - not much to do about that.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

And as for the finish - yes, they cheaped out here. But I think i've posted a comment before - when Fender can make a good buck selling relics and "road worn" instruments for more than this instrument costs - why pick on Gibson for saving some cost on the finish?

Even though I returned the bass I agree with this. The finish on the EB is not that much different then the Fender Highway 1 basses. It may not be to everyone's liking, but it's a way to keep costs down and offer an American made instrument at a lower price point. When Fender replaced the Highway 1 series with the American Special the price went up and I'm sure the gloss finish was a factor.

- Steve

 

[bassplayer8953]

As a life long Gibson player you couldn't give me one of those.

Gotta agree. Although I'm not exclusively Gibson by any means, this bass is more Fender than Gibson. If I want what Fender brings to the table, I'll buy a Fender.

 

[G On Bass]

Changing the string had no effect, but lowering the pickups did the trick. The chorus effect is gone. I now have about 7mm of clearance between the bottom of the E and G strings and the top of the pickup which is quite a bit lower than how it came set up. I don't have a feeler gauge so I'm using a small metric ruler to measure the distance.

I'm surprised it left the factory like that, but perhaps I shouldn't be.

- Steve

OMG! Thanks for this! I had the same thing and the bass was boxed up and ready to go back to my dealer. I dropped the pickups and it cleared it up.

I'm glad to have one less hassle on this. My bass shipped with a host of issues (broken nut, bad pot) and it wasn't until I got all that fixed that I heard the chorus effect. Gibson already told the dealer that I violated the warranty for replacing the broken nut and pot. Yet it took Gibson 4 days (and my sending multiple e-mails) for them to contact me offering to have me ship it back on my dime for a 'warranty evaluation'. I wasn't sure what was to become of this bass or my wallet to get it working.

So it looks like I can hang on to it now, and I might. Thanks to TB! I like how it sounds and plays (now that I've put $300 into electronics, a bone nut and a fret job).

But I'll likely not buy another Gibson. IME, they've shown the least attentive, disconnected Customer Service I've experienced yet from any company. If they invalidate warranties based on something as simple as nut changes, they must have no instruments under warranty at all, anywhere.

 

[hsech]

I have two Gibson SG Basses. No problems with either one. The second SG Bass I just got as a trade from a fellow TB member. The only Gibson bass I have not liked was a Les Paul Money Bass. It really had bad neck dive. Gibson makes decent basses, but sometimes I think they should just stay with the old proven designs.

 

[two fingers]

I finally saw one of these new basses in person recently. It was fine. Nothing to write home about but fine none the less. The guy playing it (and his band) have a deal with Gibson and they sent him a 4 string in natural. Sounded pretty good out front (probably could have been better if the guy weren't running it through the line out of a pretty crappy rig). Fit and finish seemed fine, but I saw it after a few months on the road so it had a few bruises.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Fit and finish seemed fine, but I saw it after a few months on the road so it had a few bruises.

I think these basses will show wear faster due to the finish, just like the Fender Highway 1 instruments.

- Steve

 

[60bass]

OMG! Thanks for this! I had the same thing and the bass was boxed up and ready to go back to my dealer. I dropped the pickups and it cleared it up.

I'm glad to have one less hassle on this. My bass shipped with a host of issues (broken nut, bad pot) and it wasn't until I got all that fixed that I heard the chorus effect. Gibson already told the dealer that I violated the warranty for replacing the broken nut and pot. Yet it took Gibson 4 days (and my sending multiple e-mails) for them to contact me offering to have me ship it back on my dime for a 'warranty evaluation'. I wasn't sure what was to become of this bass or my wallet to get it working.

So it looks like I can hang on to it now, and I will. Thanks to TB! I like how it sounds and plays (now that I've put $300 into electronics, a bone nut and a fret job).

But I'll likely not buy another Gibson. IME, they've shown the least attentive, disconnected Customer Service I've experienced yet from any company. If they invalidate warranties based on something as simple as nut changes, they must have no instruments under warranty at all, anywhere.

Was that shipped to you in a factory sealed box? With no visible damage to the box? Who was the dealer? Do you think it's possible they shipped you a customer return and listed it as new? I've seen this happen before. I once returned a mexi jazz bass to GC due to a twisted neck and saw the bass back on the wall for sale as new the very next day.

I've heard of QC issues before but if Gibson shipped it out like that then they really have severe QC issues on this line. Honestly made in the USA doesn't mean much if Gibson let that one go out in that condition. I wouldn't have kept it if it arrived in that condition but that's just me. To each his own.

Having to put in an extra $300.00 to make it right just netted you a $1300.00 bass. IMO There's a lot of better basses than the EB out there in that price range.. From Gibson, Fender, and lots of other companies.

 

[G On Bass]

Was that shipped to you in a factory sealed box? With no visible damage to the box? Who was the dealer? Do you think it's possible they shipped you a customer return and listed it as new? I've seen this happen before. I once returned a mexi jazz bass to GC due to a twisted neck and saw the bass back on the wall for sale as new the very next day.

I've heard of QC issues before but if Gibson shipped it out like that then they really have severe QC issues on this line. Honestly made in the USA doesn't mean much if Gibson let that one go out in that condition. I wouldn't have kept it if it arrived in that condition but that's just me. To each his own.

Having to put in an extra $300.00 to make it right just netted you a $1300.00 bass. IMO There's a lot of better basses than the EB out there in that price range.. From Gibson, Fender, and lots of other companies.

It shipped from the dealer (Sweetwater), who double boxed it to get to me. The bass showed no signs whatsoever of being payed, as it was unplayable. No visible damage. The busted pot has to be a factory thing. I think it's silly to send a bass back for a nut, considering that I had every intention of changing it to a bone nut anyway. Of course, had I known what lay in store for me, or had I known that Gibson invalidates a Lifetime Warranty for a nut change, I'd have sent it back immediately and bought something else. That's my fault as the dealer offered immediately to swap it out. I guess I expected a company like Gibson to have some degree of customer service, considering I have had impeccable customer service from less-known and newer companies like Carvin, Lakland, Reverend and even Rondo Music on a $139 bass. Sweetwater has gone insanely above and beyond on this, and Gibson should be immensely grateful that at least someone cares about their prodcuts.

Personally, I'm astonished that Gibson would launch a new bass product and not be absolutely anal about what goes out the door, and still have people on high alert to handle any QC issues to help make the product gain market acceptance.

All that aside, I do like the tonal options on the bass, now that the built-in chorus has been rectified. It really does sound great and the controls do actually make a difference. If I had picked this up used from someeone instead of doind it all myself, I would be totally stoked with it. I just need to find the right strings for it now.

 

[RED J]

>>I'm also finding the neck dive to be an issue. The bass is nice and lightweight, but I think there's a reason that the strap button my Fender basses is located at the twelfth fret.

I haven't played one, but this was the first thing I noticed in the initial pics. I like the look of the overall design, but for me, a long scale bass needs to have the strap connect twelfth fret territory.My reaction was they're getting closer, but still don't quite get it.

On short scale basses, I don't notice the neck dive issue at all. I should add part of the issue for me is reach, short arms. I had an Electra X-6-something P bass that was a great bass overall, but had the top bout end at 14th fret, just like the EB. Just a little too much stretch and not quite enough balance.

As an interesting side note, the new Carvin PB bass has, by the pics, top bout that reaches 11th fret territory.Their BB basses started that, the SB followed. Not a mistake in promoting a new bass, I'd say. I'd still like to give the EB a test drive.