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Played a Gibson SG and hated it..
- Thread starter project_c
- Start date
I really prefer my 2013 Gibson SG bass to my Epi Elitest EB3 mainly because the SG has good pickup blending, while the EB3 has the Varitone that I find limiting and kind of useless though interesting on a couple of the positions. I want to have the varitone bypassed so I can just blend the pickups like on the SG.
I didn't by the latest version of the Fender Bass VI For the reason I gave especially as I'd tried the original way back in 1964.
I bought the Epiphone EB3 and got rid of it when it started to come apart.
A friend has the recent SG bass, for the price it lacks actives and features of the 60s/70s models of the EB3.
PS Just been on the Gibson site and found they've made a five string version that looks more like a Fender Body, anyone tried on?
Pretty. I own two 1960's tribute short scales. You might try to replace the pole screws of the mudbucker by a 6x6 mm steel rod between the bobbins. It will make the tone a lot fuller and give You the warmth of the real mudbucker.
It is one of my major modding projects and still ongoing:
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Since yesterday i also own a Les Paul Junior DC. That one will also be a case of modding. I do not like the neck PU at all - deep fundamentals, no warmth, lacking lower mids. I am pretty sure that any sidewinder will better cut through the mix than that pickup. And the pickup volumes totally unbalanced.
First mods done: corrected the slots in the saddle (!!!), adjusted the bridge. Repaired the finish at the edges of the neck pickup. Put on different strings - a used but still good set of GHS brite flats.
Replaced the knobs by chrome knobs.
Most important: added a resistor of 47 kOhms in series with the neck pickup and a treble bleed capacitor of 390 pF. Now both pickups are balanced well, and the neck pickup is a bit more versatile.
Plan: Hipshot bridge, new pickups - i am evaluating custom made darkstar-alike PUs in both positions, pickups selector switch and active electronics.
After those modifications it will probably be better than the Epi because the neck appears to be stiffer as the neck of the Epi. But currently the EB3-clone is clearly superior.
Unlike the SG-shaped basses the LP Junior DC is balanced almost perfectly on the strap. But on the lap the SG shape is more comfortable.
Can you post some pictures of the mods to your Les Paul Junior DC? I just got one of those myself last week, and I'm interested in seeing what can be done with it. Thanks!
I had a '67 Gibson EB-3 back in the day. I got rid of it when I went in the military. I've played Fenders ever since, but always wished I had that Gibson...if for no other reason, just to have it. I play a Hofner Beatle copy for acoustic-like shows and that strap button on the back just drives me nuts! I always must have my right arm/hand holding the bass against me so I can play the darn thing. If I'd let it go I'm sure it would flip face-first onto the floor!
I think that is why I wouldn't care to play the new SG out in a live situation. I am wondering why I haven't seen many posts about this. Is this not an issue with this bass? How do you guys deal with this?
I think that is why I wouldn't care to play the new SG out in a live situation. I am wondering why I haven't seen many posts about this. Is this not an issue with this bass? How do you guys deal with this?
Mhmm, i might tell You how a woman deals about that: i moved the strap pin to the neck, in about the height of the upper horn.
On the SG i am currently building the strap pin will be attached to the upper horn, probably on the back. Then the center of mass will be sufficiently far below the strap mounting points that the instrument will be stable.
On the Junior DC this is not an issue because the strap mounting pin is already at the upper horn.
@ih8law: at present there is hardly anything visible. And that is philosophy.
Just three chrome buttons instead of the plastic button, and these are temporary. On the long term there will be a rotary switch for pickup selection, probably with a chicken head, and two buttons for Volume and tone. The new pickups will live under the original covers. So the hipshot supertone will be the most visible change to the bass - if i decide to install that. And everything will be done reversibly.
Luckily, Gibson decided for a reasonable position of the bridge pickup. Therefore the surgery i needed on the EB-3 can be avoided.
Photos will therefore show almost no change.
On the SG i am currently building the strap pin will be attached to the upper horn, probably on the back. Then the center of mass will be sufficiently far below the strap mounting points that the instrument will be stable.
On the Junior DC this is not an issue because the strap mounting pin is already at the upper horn.
@ih8law: at present there is hardly anything visible. And that is philosophy.
Just three chrome buttons instead of the plastic button, and these are temporary. On the long term there will be a rotary switch for pickup selection, probably with a chicken head, and two buttons for Volume and tone. The new pickups will live under the original covers. So the hipshot supertone will be the most visible change to the bass - if i decide to install that. And everything will be done reversibly.
Luckily, Gibson decided for a reasonable position of the bridge pickup. Therefore the surgery i needed on the EB-3 can be avoided.
Photos will therefore show almost no change.
I have 4 basses with the strap button at the neck heel, 3 Thunderbirds and one Danelectro. I have not had this issue. They may lean forward a very small amount (mostly due to my stomach), but they do not fall forward.
Example:
As you can see, my stomach pushes it forward a little bit, but it stays there. If I lower the bass to below my stomach it does not tilt. I will say that if I use a strap lock, which pushes the bass out a little farther from my body, it does lean a little but if I use the strap directly on the strap pin I have no problem.
- Feb 24, 2004
- 4,103
- 642
- 68
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Phantom Guitars, Eastwood Guitars
New member here. I started playing in the early 70's and bought a Gibson EB3:
I believe it's a '71 judging by the headstock and pickups but I'm not positive. I played in high school and college and then got away from it to raise a family. I just got back into playing last fall and am having a blast taking lessons from a great teacher!
Not to get too far off the subject but I recently picked up a 2006 Fender MIM standard off of CL. The guy played it for a year and gave it up. The pickguard still had the protective film on it. $250 and it looks factory new.
I love them both and they are, of course, very different.
I believe it's a '71 judging by the headstock and pickups but I'm not positive. I played in high school and college and then got away from it to raise a family. I just got back into playing last fall and am having a blast taking lessons from a great teacher!
Not to get too far off the subject but I recently picked up a 2006 Fender MIM standard off of CL. The guy played it for a year and gave it up. The pickguard still had the protective film on it. $250 and it looks factory new.
I love them both and they are, of course, very different.
I thought only the EPI EB-0 did this.
It drives me nuts too. I taped a small pad to the back side (on the bottom). Solved the forward flip problem but it's not very elegant looking.
Agree completely.
A Gibson RD Artist was my first quality bass, if it had been a lefty (Gibson never made them lefthanded) I would still have it. I really wish Gibson/Epiphone would make a lefty Grabber or Ripper, I have always loved those.
No Gibson bashing here. I just got my first one (SG Supreme) last month and although I'm still in the honeymoon phase I continue to be impressed with the fit, finish, playability, tone and looks of this bass.
If you're looking for a solid short scale deep sounding bass the SG is a great choice. My made in China Fender mudbucker Tele Modern Player costs half as much and looks and sounds equally good but isn't as fast or light as the SG. Both have their place and both are great basses but neither one is my main bass.
Earlier in the thread someone asked what strings I have on the SG. They're stock strings (what ever Gibson uses) but when I replace them I'll probably go the La Bella white tapewound route if I can get them in a 30" scale. As fast as the neck is, I think this thing would smoke with some low tension tapewounds.
If you're looking for a solid short scale deep sounding bass the SG is a great choice. My made in China Fender mudbucker Tele Modern Player costs half as much and looks and sounds equally good but isn't as fast or light as the SG. Both have their place and both are great basses but neither one is my main bass.
Earlier in the thread someone asked what strings I have on the SG. They're stock strings (what ever Gibson uses) but when I replace them I'll probably go the La Bella white tapewound route if I can get them in a 30" scale. As fast as the neck is, I think this thing would smoke with some low tension tapewounds.
Here a first picture:
Note the new (old...) metal knobs and the rotated bridge pickup (pole pices show away from the bridge). Probably the optically most significant change will be a Hipshot Supertone bridge. Every further change will be "undercover" - i am going to avoid optical modifications, especially irreversible ones.
I bought a Waterstone short scale bass used for pocket change basically, and it turned me off to short scale basses. I like playing it, but cannot play it without a pick because of string spacing, and at that point it no longer feels like I'm playing bass because I'm playing a guitar-sized bass with a plectrum and it feels like I'm playing guitar. Not cool.
I actually prefer short scale basses over long scale basses.
Most of my instruments have Gibson-alike string spacing - no problem to play these with the fingers. Thousands of bass playes can do that.
What i actually do not like with this bass (and the SG as well) is the neck pickup. It lacks the warmth of the sidewinders. Neither i like the Jazz bass circuitry: pickup selector, C-switch, master volume and possibly active electronics providing some kind of tone control is the better way to do things.
Most of my instruments have Gibson-alike string spacing - no problem to play these with the fingers. Thousands of bass playes can do that.
What i actually do not like with this bass (and the SG as well) is the neck pickup. It lacks the warmth of the sidewinders. Neither i like the Jazz bass circuitry: pickup selector, C-switch, master volume and possibly active electronics providing some kind of tone control is the better way to do things.
I have a 2011 SG with D'Addario ETB92S Nylon tapewounds on it and it's become one of my favorites to play.
Just got a new pickguard from PickguardHeavan.com for my SG Supreme. Still loving this bass after my honeymoon phase (we still sleep in the same room, but I've started to see other basses on weekends and have been caught looking at pictures of other basses online at night).
