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Just bought a '66 EB 0 bass...any thoughts?


old mark

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I never owned a Gibson bass, and have been playing since the mid 1960's.. AWAYS loved the look of the earlier EB 0, with the massive pup right

beneath the fret board...Just bought a 1966 example that has the old style bar bridge, and what looks like all original factory fittings...The bass is heavily used and has dings, etc, but plays well, which is all I wanted...I'm going on 70 and a bass with a good fast neck and light weight appeals to me...

 

Any EB 0 players here? what strings do you recommend - flats or rounds? Any thoughts on these old machines?

Thanks.

 

msp_thumbup.gif

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I never owned a Gibson bass, and have been playing since the mid 1960's.. AWAYS loved the look of the earlier EB 0, with the massive pup right

beneath the fret board...Just bought a 1966 example that has the old style bar bridge, and what looks like all original factory fittings...The bass is heavily used and has dings, etc, but plays well, which is all I wanted...I'm going on 70 and a bass with a good fast neck and light weight appeals to me...

 

Any EB 0 players here? what strings do you recommend - flats or rounds? Any thoughts on these old machines?

Thanks.

 

msp_thumbup.gif

 

Lets see pictures! I've been playing my late '67 EB-0 since I bought it in late '67! I've had everything from flat wounds to Earnie Ball round wounds on it. When I was gigging with it in the late '60's I was trying to keep up with two Marshall full stacks and a Hammond B-3 with a hotrod Leslie, so I had D'Adario Round wounds on it all the time and I used a pick. It sounded very Jack Bruce-like, growling and full of the fuzzbucker low-range. I now am not competing with such loud guitar amps but I still have round wounds on it for the extra highs and mid punch they give me. The frets did need replacing due to wear and the fretboard was redressed also, but it plays like it always did. I love the rounded neck and overall balance of it. That is a real find for you, I think they are rare. Play it and see what works best for you.

 

Play often, repeat.

 

John

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Lets see pictures! I've been playing my late '67 EB-0 since I bought it in late '67! I've had everything from flat wounds to Earnie Ball round wounds on it. When I was gigging with it in the late '60's I was trying to keep up with two Marshall full stacks and a Hammond B-3 with a hotrod Leslie, so I had D'Adario Round wounds on it all the time and I used a pick. It sounded very Jack Bruce-like, growling and full of the fuzzbucker low-range. I now am not competing with such loud guitar amps but I still have round wounds on it for the extra highs and mid punch they give me. The frets did need replacing due to wear and the fretboard was redressed also, but it plays like it always did. I love the rounded neck and overall balance of it. That is a real find for you, I think they are rare. Play it and see what works best for you.

 

Play often, repeat.

 

John

 

It's still on the way here, still in Texas last I checked...I wanted one of the older ones, before hey moved that big pickup toward a middle position...This one APPEARS to be an early '66, before they made changes to the design...I'm anxious to actually see it...FWIW, I bought it from Guitar Center online from a single photo, but I have bought a LOT from them online and they will take returns with no questions if there is a problem with it...

It's at the 3rd city in Texas...they must have sent it by mule...unsure.gif

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  • 2 months later...

The bass player in the first band I was ever in, used an EB-O! Loved it! It sounded great,

was a hoot to play, when I got the chance, that is... [biggrin] So, I've always had a soft

spot, for EB-0's and EB-3's! Might get one or the other, as some future point, IF I have

the cash, and the price is right, etc. I too, prefer the mid-sixties, for the very reason

you mentioned, and I like the beveling and horn tapering, from that era, more.

 

Enjoy it!! [thumbup]

 

 

CB

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I did an EB0 in late 1969. I played it for a couple of years, then sold it to a friend. He played it, and used to record an album with it. A great bass.

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