Pickup and Tuning Peg Mods for EB-0

[kokoshmusun]

I'm thinking of making some mods to my new EB-0. I like the huge pegs on EB-0, they look nice, but they get bumped easily and it's hard for my bass to stay in tune while it's travelling in the gig bag or while it's being passed around. I found out about SPERZEL tuning pegs (machine head). Has anyone installed these on their EB-0? I want to make sure they will fit in nicely.

 

Also, has anyone installed a different pickup on their EB-0. If so, which pickup did you install and how has it improved your sound?

 

Thanks!

[8trackdude]

Well, I don't have an EB-0, but I do have an EB-3 that I changed the neck pickup in. I used the Artec sidewinder (it is the one that has a 29 kOhm output, similar to the original Gibson sidewinders). While I was at it, I rewired everything to match the original Gibson EB-0 wiring diagram (check out www.flyguitars.com ). All I can say is WOW! That Artec pickup gives the closest sound possible to a vintage EB-0, which is great if you want the huge, fat bass tone. Trust me, I owned a '61 EB-0 once upon a time. Gone are the microphonics of the Epiphone sidewinder. It is possibly the best $35 I have spent on the bass. If you are contemplating swapping the pickup, maybe you should consider swapping out the pots, jack and wiring for higher quality ones... Just something to think about. Good luck with your project!

 

Tim

 

P.S. The Artec pickup has enough wire between the coils to allow coil splitting quite easily...

[Beate]

I used the Artec sidewinder (it is the one that has a 29 kOhm output,

 

Mine had 31 kOhms and - unfortunately - a somewhat too wide string spacing. I would actually prefer something like the Di Marzio Model One or a sidewinder rewound to, say, 12 kOhms, additional Alnico magnets and maybe some additional iron (steel plate and a stripe between the bobbins). Maybe this will also help the Epi-PU a bit - it actually lacks just the deep lows and some dynamics (well, inductance...).

 

P.S. The Artec pickup has enough wire between the coils to allow coil splitting quite easily...

 

Which does not have much effect because of the damping of the resonance due to the high resistance. I tried it out.

 

Target instruments: a black EB-0 and a white EB-3 in shortscale (!) (Ltd. Ed. 1960's EB-3 Bass AW Arctic White)

 

(As You might notice, the EB-0 has been extended by a Mini Humbucker from Wilkinson)

 

Beate

[8trackdude]

Mine had 31 kOhms and - unfortunately - a somewhat too wide string spacing. I would actually prefer something like the Di Marzio Model One or a sidewinder rewound to, say, 12 kOhms, additional Alnico magnets and maybe some additional iron (steel plate and a stripe between the bobbins). Maybe this will also help the Epi-PU a bit - it actually lacks just the deep lows and some dynamics (well, inductance...).

 

 

Yes, my string spacing was also off. When I installed the Hipshot Supertone bridge, I was able to change the string spacing enough to correct this problem. I had also considered the Model One, but the price difference was what drove my decision. Well, that and the fact that the Artec would get really close to the original sound that I was missing so badly.

 

 

 

Which does not have much effect because of the damping of the resonance due to the high resistance. I tried it out.

 

 

Actually, I was happy with the results. It was still deep, but not overly boomy. I also found that it caused the mudbucker to play nicer with the minihumbucker. Of course, it is all in the ear of the beholder, and the acoustics of the room. The split setting sounds great in some rooms and terrible in others.

 

 

BTW, I love your Limited Edition...