SG & EB Bass Club

[ajkula66]

so sometimes i use the hand position of the picture to play the notes with my thumb but without slapping the string... so i don't slap, it's just a very old style of playing using your thumb

Oh I understood it the first time around, since there are two songs where I use my thumb to make my bass go thump...

It's just that the way picture was taken your hand looks perfectly (IMO) positioned for diving into some serious slapping.

Rock on in good health...

 

[Mvf]

Very cool little collection ya got there

Gotta say though, with its bits and bobs all exposed like that, your P bass is looking almost nekkid

Do you use the mutes on those EBs? (coming up bass-wise in the age of the SG bass like I have, I've never even played a Gibson EB-0/3 let alone used the mutes, so just curious. I don't even totally understand how that mute system works. Or how much use people get/got out of them)

Thanks! Actually I've been thinking of putting covers on the P, a Highway one from 2003, it is a little naked right now

For some reason I sold the -68 EB0 not so long ago, regret it already .
On the -66 EB3 I actually sometimes use the mute. It gives, as you can quess, a nice thumpin double bass type of sound, works fine for some old schol songs, however most of the times the mute is off. I also run it with the selector "in between" positions 2 and 3, this settting does not engage the choke, giving a fatter sound from the neck pickup. Add to this just a hint of overdrive and you have a super rock sound

The mute is very easy to use, just slide it towards the bridge pup, this makes it raise against the strings.

The EB is also equipped with flats, as most of my basses are. Only the Rick and my Orville Thunderbird wear rounds.

 

[Mvf]

My hat's off to you...

No covers on the P-Bass? I'm a pinch disappointed...

Maybe I have to add them... and of course the finger rest

 

[dmt]

i had the same question for many years and came to the conclusion since i've installed the covers and finger-rest on my p-bass. as you can see from my photo my elbow perfectly rests on the body contour, my arm doesn't mute the strings due to the pickup cover and my fingers hold on the tug bar. this arm placement is by far the most comfortable way i layed my arm on the instrument, even though most players don't play that way (thumb)
View attachment 3779641

I thought you were Brian Wilson for a minute there!

 

[emblymouse]

My '59 EB 0. And it belonged to Jack Bruce I will make a proper post with the whole story
soon, until then here it is! EDIT: I see this one does not qualify for inclusion due to the body shape. You should rethink that

Edit* I started another thread on this here '59 EB 0 from Jack Bruce Estate-now it can be told!

 

[flannel cat]

flannel cat: Chances are really high that the bridge pickup in your awesome vintage Ibanez is actually a single coil, and the pole pieces don't adjust jack and are just for show. A small screwdriver hovered over the pickup will help you "see" where the actual magnetic poles are. It's kind of obvious as you look at it that with the screws so close to the edge of the cover there's no room for them to be inside of a coil.
If memory serves these faux humbuckers were made by Maxon for Ibanez and many of the other Japanese manufacturers of this era.

In 1980 as I turned 18 and started playing guitar in bars I bought an Ibanez compressor pedal that was really good--never heard a comp pedal that was more useful and musical since. The Maxon name was prominent on the circuit board.

As for the Hipshot Y-key tuner discussion before that, I too have that style on an EB/SG--an LTD Viper--but they are Grovers. All six of my basses have Y-key tuners, not that I meant for that to happen but at this point I prefer them. It's a mixed bag--2 have Grovers including my 8-string, 2 are whatever Ibanez used in 1991 and 2004, and 2 are probably cheap clones that work and feel just fine. There's a D-Tuner on one of the Ibanez basses.
Gotoh and Hipshot etc Y-keys are just a really good tuner design. Sealed and greased smooth operation and a smaller peg that allows finer adjustment. Only downside is that on used basses I usually find a couple of the nylon washers between the tuning key and the shaft to be broken or missing. Replacements aren't easy to find, so I've been making my own using two sizes of leather hole punches and scavenged polypropylene from product packaging/container lids.

thanks for that info keith im gonna try the screwdriver test to see,, cheers!

 

[ctmullins]

My '59 EB 0. And it belonged to Jack Bruce I will make a proper post with the whole story
soon, until then here it is! EDIT: I see this one does not qualify for inclusion due to the body shape. You should rethink that


View attachment 3781103 View attachment 3781106

Wow, that's pretty neat.

How does the bridge pickup perform that close to the bridge??

 

[flannel cat]

First and foremost, a fair warning: this is going to be one LONG post.

Those of you who follow this club may remember my post from a couple of weeks ago, regarding my "latest adoption" (# 2928) where I remained vague about it apart from posting a couple of pictures and said that I would give an update on it...well, here we go.

I've had this particular bass bookmarked for about two years. There was *something* about it - couldn't define what exactly - that I liked, but the initial price was *way* above what I would be willing to pay for such an instrument.

The time went on, and the price kept on going down. And down. And down.

About a month ago, it came to the point where I said "OK now you're mine" and called the store. Gave them all the info, but the sale wouldn't go through. The system just wouldn't allow them to release the bass for whatever crazy reason. After a bit of back and forth, they agreed to ship the bass internally to my local store, and that I would simply pay for it when I come to pick it up. Fair enough.

Several days later, I called "my" store to verify whether the bass had arrived. The guy who answered my call comes back and says that his manager wants to talk to me. No problem, we know each other quite well having done a fair amount of business over the last few years..

"Hey, buddy, how are you doin' ?"

"I'm fine. What's going on, my friend ?"

" You want the good news or the bad news first ?"

" Start with good news."

" Your bass is here."

" But...?"

"They didn't pack her well and she got hurt in transport. And it's not just cosmetic damage."

My heart sank.

"How bad is it ?"

"Well, she's broken. Still holds together but broken nonetheless. The good thing is that you're not out any money. I'll be calling our vintage department to see whether they want us to fix it, or whatever. I could give you a call once she's fixed and you could have her at a discounted price."

"How about I come over tomorrow, take a look and let you know whether I'd be willing to take her "as-is".

"Sure thing."

This is what I saw when I opened the case a day later:

View attachment 3775937

View attachment 3775938


I picked up the bass as gently as I possibly could have, and plugged her into a Markbass combo sitting there. Plucked a couple of completely-out-of-tune notes. Put her back in the case, walked over to my buddy the manager and submitted the offer.

Went out for a smoke, made a couple of calls and when I came back in the store I became the new owner of an old, well-played-and-now-busted '63 EB-0.

Happy to report that she's back from surgery and fully recovered, although the scars remain visible.

View attachment 3775943

View attachment 3775945

View attachment 3775946

The last little bit from the theatre of absurd?

I ended up giving my luthier a wrong set of strings, so she ended up being strung with flats that were sitting in a package left over from GHS rounds...

So, how does she sound?

She's loud, and generally very impolite-sounding, especially with these flats - does anyone know what they are BTW since I have absolutely zero idea where they came from - and I can fully understand the sentiment of going in with a pick, turning the volume up and unleashing one's inner Pappalardi...

Once the volume is down to 6.5 she mellows and becomes just warm and thumpy. Not a bad sound per se, but not what I'm looking for either, so a fresh set of rounds has already been ordered.

How does she play after the debacle that she's been through?

Great. Medium-low action, no buzz. Intonation is surprisingly good for a bass with a bar bridge. Flats make her a bit stiffer than I'd like, but that soon shall come to pass too.

How does she compare with her younger sister seen in my avatar:

View attachment 3775956

View attachment 3775957

These are two extremely different instruments when it comes to playing feel.

The '63 has a big, chunky neck with a 1.65" nut that feels a lot like early Les Pauls, fat and round. Neck joint is also completely different and calls for a somewhat different approach when playing high up the neck.

The '69 is gentle and fragile-feeling with a tiny neck sporting a 1.5" nut and an overall more sophisticated playing feel.

You just grab the '63 right out of the case and play her, preferably as loud as you can.

The younger sister needs to be picked up gently and caressed while playing. Light touch is the key to getting the most out of her.

Is there anything that you don't like about your "latest adoption" ?

I could most definitely live without the reverse tuners, but they are original and are staying there. The bar bridge may end up being swapped for a Hipshot depending on how the bass behaves once the rounds come on.

All in all, she's one cool old lady that I like a lot and my take is that she'll do really well with some music that I'm working on once she's strung with rounds...

sad to see what happened to your 63,,glad she bounced back swinging. about those bar bridges did they just stay in place with string tension? and could float around to set intonation? just seeking education.cheers!

 

[ajkula66]

EDIT: I see this one does not qualify for inclusion due to the body shape. You should rethink that

Speaking just for myself, I'm sure that we can make an exception for such a lovely bass and its owner...

sad to see what happened to your 63,,glad she bounced back swinging. about those bar bridges did they just stay in place with string tension? and could float around to set intonation? just seeking education.cheers!

Thank you. As for the bar bridge, it works just as you presumed, and there is a small screw on the bass side that one can use to somewhat compensate for the intonation. My experience is that on most of these basses the intonation starts being seriously off around 15th fret.

 

[Craig4003]

EDIT: I see this one does not qualify for inclusion due to the body shape. You should rethink that

Agreed. Any Gibson EB model from the 1950s to 1970s, including the original EB violin bass, the EB-2 hollow-body bass, and the '59 double-cut EB-0, should be allowed here, along with copies and reissues, including the modern Gibson SG bass.

 

[dmt]

I see this one does not qualify for inclusion due to the body shape. You should rethink that


View attachment 3781103 View attachment 3781106

Rethought.

As far as I'm concerned, post away

 

[dmt]

[QUOTE="Craig4003, post: 23841087, member: 318482"...including the modern Gibson SG bass.[/QUOTE]
Whew, had me gettin' nervous for a few seconds there!

 

[El Pelusa]

I appreciate your advice thanks ctmullins. The only problem is that the Hipshot bridge works best if it is flat against the guitar body. There is no provision for raising the front of the bridge unlike the old three point bridge that I have just taken off.
So far, after glueing the dowels back into the body with heavy duty araldite, the bridge has not lifted.

I'm not sure if the pole pieces are meant to be adjusted on the Dimarzio Model 1 pickup, as they seem to be totally immovable in my case. I used a fair bit of muscle with the Allen key and the key started to flex slightly (!) so I gave up. I might have to consider using a shim to raise the pickup to the strings slightly.

When I first got my Hipshot Supertone bridge through the post I had the same problems as others here when trying to install it to my bass. Firstly I noticed I couldn't get the saddles back to intonate correctly for Eb standard and the insets started to lift out of the body. I went to my trusted tech and he sorted all these issues. Overall I love the look of this bridge and the way it has effected the tone. Well worth the paper!

 

[El Pelusa]

First and foremost, a fair warning: this is going to be one LONG post.

Those of you who follow this club may remember my post from a couple of weeks ago, regarding my "latest adoption" (# 2928) where I remained vague about it apart from posting a couple of pictures and said that I would give an update on it...well, here we go.

I've had this particular bass bookmarked for about two years. There was *something* about it - couldn't define what exactly - that I liked, but the initial price was *way* above what I would be willing to pay for such an instrument.

The time went on, and the price kept on going down. And down. And down.

About a month ago, it came to the point where I said "OK now you're mine" and called the store. Gave them all the info, but the sale wouldn't go through. The system just wouldn't allow them to release the bass for whatever crazy reason. After a bit of back and forth, they agreed to ship the bass internally to my local store, and that I would simply pay for it when I come to pick it up. Fair enough.

Several days later, I called "my" store to verify whether the bass had arrived. The guy who answered my call comes back and says that his manager wants to talk to me. No problem, we know each other quite well having done a fair amount of business over the last few years..

"Hey, buddy, how are you doin' ?"

"I'm fine. What's going on, my friend ?"

" You want the good news or the bad news first ?"

" Start with good news."

" Your bass is here."

" But...?"

"They didn't pack her well and she got hurt in transport. And it's not just cosmetic damage."

My heart sank.

"How bad is it ?"

"Well, she's broken. Still holds together but broken nonetheless. The good thing is that you're not out any money. I'll be calling our vintage department to see whether they want us to fix it, or whatever. I could give you a call once she's fixed and you could have her at a discounted price."

"How about I come over tomorrow, take a look and let you know whether I'd be willing to take her "as-is".

"Sure thing."

This is what I saw when I opened the case a day later:

View attachment 3775937

View attachment 3775938


I picked up the bass as gently as I possibly could have, and plugged her into a Markbass combo sitting there. Plucked a couple of completely-out-of-tune notes. Put her back in the case, walked over to my buddy the manager and submitted the offer.

Went out for a smoke, made a couple of calls and when I came back in the store I became the new owner of an old, well-played-and-now-busted '63 EB-0.

Happy to report that she's back from surgery and fully recovered, although the scars remain visible.

View attachment 3775943

View attachment 3775945

View attachment 3775946

The last little bit from the theatre of absurd?

I ended up giving my luthier a wrong set of strings, so she ended up being strung with flats that were sitting in a package left over from GHS rounds...

So, how does she sound?

She's loud, and generally very impolite-sounding, especially with these flats - does anyone know what they are BTW since I have absolutely zero idea where they came from - and I can fully understand the sentiment of going in with a pick, turning the volume up and unleashing one's inner Pappalardi...

Once the volume is down to 6.5 she mellows and becomes just warm and thumpy. Not a bad sound per se, but not what I'm looking for either, so a fresh set of rounds has already been ordered.

How does she play after the debacle that she's been through?

Great. Medium-low action, no buzz. Intonation is surprisingly good for a bass with a bar bridge. Flats make her a bit stiffer than I'd like, but that soon shall come to pass too.

How does she compare with her younger sister seen in my avatar:

View attachment 3775956

View attachment 3775957

These are two extremely different instruments when it comes to playing feel.

The '63 has a big, chunky neck with a 1.65" nut that feels a lot like early Les Pauls, fat and round. Neck joint is also completely different and calls for a somewhat different approach when playing high up the neck.

The '69 is gentle and fragile-feeling with a tiny neck sporting a 1.5" nut and an overall more sophisticated playing feel.

You just grab the '63 right out of the case and play her, preferably as loud as you can.

The younger sister needs to be picked up gently and caressed while playing. Light touch is the key to getting the most out of her.

Is there anything that you don't like about your "latest adoption" ?

I could most definitely live without the reverse tuners, but they are original and are staying there. The bar bridge may end up being swapped for a Hipshot depending on how the bass behaves once the rounds come on.

All in all, she's one cool old lady that I like a lot and my take is that she'll do really well with some music that I'm working on once she's strung with rounds...

That's a great story and a awesome looking bass!

 

[emblymouse]

Wow, that's pretty neat.

How does the bridge pickup perform that close to the bridge??

Yes, it is smack up against the bridge there, but it must be intentional The way it was routed for leaves very little clearance for the G. We had to actually re route when re assembling because the thickness of the new finish was enough to cause contact with the string!

It's not something you would ever use solo but it behaves nicely blending with the big guy!

 

[ajkula66]

She's got a tan line to show for it, too (reverse tan line?)

Well, I wasn't happy with the (aftermarket) pickguard so I decided to borrow a concept from the late Andy Fraser...

The only reason why I put the (also aftermarket) thumbrest back on is the fact that there's a couple of "extra" small holes under it. Not a huge deal but looks better this way IMO.

As a point of interest, only '65 and older EBs can have this done since the later ones have an "open" wiring route that would be exposed without the pickguard in place.

 

[Bobhmcs]

Well, I wasn't happy with the (aftermarket) pickguard so I decided to borrow a concept from the late Andy Fraser...

View attachment 3786148

View attachment 3786150

The only reason why I put the (also aftermarket) thumbrest back on is the fact that there's a couple of "extra" small holes under it. Not a huge deal but looks better this way IMO.

As a point of interest, only '65 and older EBs can have this done since the later ones have an "open" wiring route that would be exposed without the pickguard in place.

Finally a afficianado that knows the proper placement of the "Thumb" Rest. I am not sure if that is a thumb or palm rest. My '69 EB has mounting holes for it on the pickguard and it came in a bag of extras with the instrument

Just to the right of the Dimarzio you can see the mounting holes for the thumb/palm rest.
Hi all it's been a while
Bob

 

[ajkula66]

Hi all it's been a while
Bob

Very happy to see you back...

Hope that you're feeling better and that you'll be able to spend more time with us here. I always over that EB-3 of yours.

 

[Bobhmcs]

Very happy to see you back...

Hope that you're feeling better and that you'll be able to spend more time with us here. I always over that EB-3 of yours.

I have been given your wonderings of my travells. This social osterization is driving me crazy (short trip) and I have a severe case of cabin fever. My removal from society is due to the Leukemia I am said to have. Oh and my refusal to wear a mask when I am outside in beautiful weather. Otherwise I am as fit as a Double Bass.
The restoration of the EB3 has slowed quite a bit. I obtained a Mudbucker but there has arisen two camps about this part of the process. One camp is vehemanently(sp?) against removing the Dimarzio Model 1 as it is from the first run in 1972 that put that company on the map and in itself is a vintage piece. The camp that is very pro replacement pushes to return this poor beast to as close to original as it can get. Both camps are quite vocal about there um concerns. Interestingly this is all occurring away from TB. So I am being pulled in opposing directions. I have seriously considered putting it up for sale in the classifieds here on TB just to be done with it. But then I pull it out to either clean it or tune it and all of those 50 years of feelings start flooding back and I start getting the restoration itch again.
Don't worry about me physically I have been exposed to and innoculted against many things much worse. To include my ex (not late) wife. No self respecting bug has a chance inside this body. Self destructing behavior is a whole different subject for another time (jk).
Good to converse with you all and I will be back. That's a guarantee!
Bob

 

[ajkula66]

No self respecting bug has a chance inside this body.

I love your attitude. Seriously.

Good to converse with you all and I will be back. That's a guarantee!
Bob

We'd expect nothing less.

On a "restoration" note...just flip a coin. Seriously. That's the way I've resolved many "insolvable" dilemmas in my own life...that should scare you right there...