EB3 Help and Info

[Greg S]

 

Hello,

 

Was not too sure where to go to find reliable information about old Gibson Basses, but from what I have seen so far, this looks like it might be the proper place.

 

Many years ago, I bought an old Gibson bass, along with what was supposed to be the original case that has the extremely bright orange interior. Got a good deal on it, as, at that time, there was nothing vintage about it - it was just an old guitar. The salesman said that it was an EB3, and I have no reason to think that he was incorrect. I have two questions about it though, and hope to find some answers.

 

1.) I accidentally broke the selector switch for the pickups. Is there a good source for a new-old-stock one?

 

2.) What year do you think that this bass is?

 

The first question is the important one. The switch that was on it, was just a black toggle type, and I am guessing that it is a simple single pull double throw.

 

 

The second question is out of curiosity. I have no expectations of having that rare bass that was used by John Paul Jones, Phil Lesh, and Randy Meisner (all at the same time), but I still would like to know more about it. There is a number on the back of the head, but I am not sure if it is the serial number, and if it is, am not sure how to interpret it.

 

Thank you,

Greg

[pfox14]

You should post the number on the back of the headstock, which is the serial # and will help in dating the bass. As far as the selector switch - if your EB-3 has the tone suppressor, then it is a 4-way rotary type switch. Best to find a replacement on eBay or get a new from a guitar electronics supplier such as AllParts.

[Greg S]

The number on the back of the headstock is 847323. It is barely visible on the picture that is posted on the far right.

[Greg S]

Is the tone suppressor the device that is on the bridge, that has the felt in it? It seems to provide a good amount of damping when you move the lever, but I never knew what it was called. It kind of makes sense though, to have a suppressor of some sort on this bass, as I have never heard a bass put out as much rich, deep, powerful bass as this. When I was picking out an amp, years ago, it was difficult finding a bass amp that could handle the guitar's output. Several local guitar shops told me that I almost had no choice, but to find an old Ampeg amp and speaker unit. Eventually, a place called DiFiore's Music, in Cleveland, put together an amp and speaker combo that worked just fine.

 

I am pretty sure that the selector switch that broke, was only a 2 position switch. Maybe it was not the proper switch for the guitar. I would like to replace the broken switch with whatever was original.

[Grog]

The device under the bridge is a Mute, it adds a dampening effect. The EB-3 has a 4-way rotary switch, if yours had a toggle switch, it was altered. This switch on ebay is a compatable switch with the exception of being a 6-way switch. You could leave two positions unused. It comes complete with an original chicken head knob!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Gibson-NOS-Parts-6Way-Rotary-Switch-Knob-2pk-/260907002793?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3cbf44eba9

Your bass looks to me to be a 1968 or a 1969, I'll post a photo of my '69.

 

 

I played a 1967 EB-2 many years ago. I was told that the only amps that could handle it, (it has the same "Mudbucker" as your EB-3) were an Ampeg or a Peavey. Peaveys were closer to my price range at the time. I smoked quite a few speakers before that but the 2-15 Peavey did a good job.

 

Here is a link to a wiring diagram.... http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/EB3_schematic.php

[Greg S]

Grog -

 

If there is anything different between yours and mine, I do not see it. They appear to be the same instrument. Thank you for taking time to post a picture. The schematic will be very helpful when I rewire from the toggle switch to the rotary switch. The price is definitely reasonable on E-bay. I'll probably take a quick look around for a four way switch, and then buy the six way if I cannot find one.

 

Which pickup is the Mudbucker? I knew that something was different about this bass, other than the neck size, when I bought it. It was really quite amusing what was happening at all the music stores. Every store was very willing to let me try playing the bass through their amps, and many of them sounded pretty good at very low volume. Before making a final decision though, I would say that I had to turn the volume up to the level that I desired, and that if the amp and speakers survived, that I would buy the system. In every case, it seemed that the salesman would make a mad dash to the volume knob after the first note was struck, and tell me that he didn't have anything that could handle that bass. No options, no false claims, nothing. Just get that bass out of my store! Eventually Chip DiFiore took me to his basement, and he assembled a combo that worked from spare parts. The speaker unit started out as an Accoustics combo which had a labyrinth design enclosure. He removed the stock speaker, and put in a 15" speaker of a type that I had never heard of. After that, he coupled it to an even higher output Accoustics head. It sounded great!

 

Is there any specific Ampeg or Peavey that you would recommend? I have been happy for the last couple of decades, but may invest in another setup before they completely disappear.

 

 

Thanks again!

Greg

[Greg S]

I just came to me. I believe that the speaker type that Chip used was called a Gauss.

[pfox14]

Since Gibson had a lot of overlapping serials #s in the 60s and 70s your bass is either a 1966 or 1969 - I believe it's a 1969 based on the pix. Sounds like someone must have removed the tone suppressor which was a fairly large resistor that would have been in the electronics cavity. The toggle switch was probably changed to act as a simple pickup selector, which is NOT original. Most EB-3s I've seen had the suppressor removed anyway since it didn't do much but make it sound worse. The "mud bucker" is the neck pickup and the suppressor was meant to muffle the boominess of that pickup as compared to the bridge pickup. You can also use a 3-way rotary switch which would act as a simple pickup selector like the toggle OR don't use the 4th position on a 4-way rotary, if the suppressor is gone.

[Greg S]

I ordered the switch that you referred to in E-bay. Thanks for the tip.

[Grog]

Grog -

 

If there is anything different between yours and mine, I do not see it. They appear to be the same instrument. Thank you for taking time to post a picture. The schematic will be very helpful when I rewire from the toggle switch to the rotary switch. The price is definitely reasonable on E-bay. I'll probably take a quick look around for a four way switch, and then buy the six way if I cannot find one.

 

Which pickup is the Mudbucker? I knew that something was different about this bass, other than the neck size, when I bought it. It was really quite amusing what was happening at all the music stores. Every store was very willing to let me try playing the bass through their amps, and many of them sounded pretty good at very low volume. Before making a final decision though, I would say that I had to turn the volume up to the level that I desired, and that if the amp and speakers survived, that I would buy the system. In every case, it seemed that the salesman would make a mad dash to the volume knob after the first note was struck, and tell me that he didn't have anything that could handle that bass. No options, no false claims, nothing. Just get that bass out of my store! Eventually Chip DiFiore took me to his basement, and he assembled a combo that worked from spare parts. The speaker unit started out as an Accoustics combo which had a labyrinth design enclosure. He removed the stock speaker, and put in a 15" speaker of a type that I had never heard of. After that, he coupled it to an even higher output Accoustics head. It sounded great!

 

Is there any specific Ampeg or Peavey that you would recommend? I have been happy for the last couple of decades, but may invest in another setup before they completely disappear.

 

 

Thanks again!

Greg

 

 

Greg,

 

Our basses should be the same. They were slightly different in 1967 & had a slotted headstock in 1970. The Mudbucker is the large neck pickup that is known for blowing up speakers.. !

Most of my stuff is vintage now, I have a 1991 Peavey Mark VIII with a 2-15 Black Widow cabinet, I believe it's about 350 watts. It handles all of the EB's quite well. On a smaller scale, I have a Peavey TNT 150 with a Black Widow 15" from about the same time period. The speaker handles the bass ok, but it seems like it might not be ported enough to handle the low end.

[zurdo]

"Mudbucker" is sarcastic slang for the EB (Electric Bass) pickups made by Gibson since the 1953 EB-1 (a Violin-shaped solid body bass that caused many a player's back pain due to its weight).

 

the Gibson EB humbucking or humbucker pickups were massive and produced a "muddy" bass sound, very undefined but very penetrating at the same time. If you want to hear a mudbucker EB-3 listen to any album by The Cream, especially their Live albums. Those mudbucking basses could cause buildings to rattle; You can achieve that using 18" diameter speakers, at least 2 of them with a 500 watt amp. if you want to annoy or take revenge on anybody, just do as I say above.

 

the rotary switch in your bass was designed to remove killer low frequencies and make the instrument sound "flatter". You might not even need to replace it, it might just be a lose wire. Take it to a technician to check it, if the switch is good, why replace it?

[Greg S]

Zurdo - The only reason that I am replacing the switch, is that the toggle lever broke off. The bass is stuck in the mudbucker mode. It has been this way for quite some time, but never bothered me, as the deep bass mode was all that I ever wanted to hear anyway. Eventually, I knew that someday I would get a new switch, but not for the sake of switching pickups, but rather, just because something that wasn't quite right tended to bother me. It wasn't until joining this site that I found out that the switch that was on the EB was not even the correct type switch. The switch on E-bay will at least be a lot more correct that the toggle switch that it used to have.

 

Grog and Zurdo - Since I only have one 15" speaker, that is driven by a 350 watt amp, I am thinking about upgrading to see what the bass is really capable of. I haven't contacted the seller yet, but it looks like maybe these speakers might work:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gauss-18-4883-Red-woofer-subwoofer-speaker-pair-/360392947314?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e917f672

[Greg S]

pfox14 -

 

I found a S/N list on the web at: http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html

 

This indeed indicates that the bass is either a 1966 or 1969 (S/N 828002 to 847488 1966 or 1969)

 

 

 

Some verbiage from: http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson9.html#eb3

 

Seems to indicate that it would be a 1966 if the bit about the handrest is true:

 

Model: EB-3, EB-3L

Available: 1961 to 1979

Solid mahogany SG style double pointed cutaway body, 2 humbucking pickups (large neck pickup, smaller bridge pickup), 4 position rotary tone switch with pointer knob, string mute, neck joints body at 17th fret, 30.5" scale, dot fingerboard inlays.

 

1961 EB-3 specs:

Model introduction. Black plastic pickup cover on bridge pickup only, handrest between pickups, crown peghead inlay, solid peghead, cherry red finish.

1962 EB-3 specs:

Both pickups have metal covers.

1969 EB-3 specs:

No handrest, metal bridge cover, sloted peghead, no crown peghead inlay. EB-3L available with 34.5" scale (available until 1972). Natural finish optional (available until 1973).

1972 EB-3 specs:

Solid peghead, crown peghead inlay.

1976 EB-3 specs:

White finish available.

1979 EB-3 specs:

Discontinued

 

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

[Grog]

pfox14 -

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

 

I think mine is an early 1969, some later basses had a slotted headstock. In 1966 the color was heritage cherry, ours are almost a wine red, a bit darker. Also in 1966 the bridge, handrest & knobs were different. Ours has what we jokingly call a "Tilt-O-Matic" or "Evertilt" two post adjustable bridge. This bridge was used from about 1968 to about 1972. Witchhat knobs instead of reflector knobs is also a hint.

[Grog]

pfox14 -

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

 

I think mine is an early 1969, some later basses had a slotted headstock. In 1966 the color was heritage cherry, ours are almost a wine red, a bit darker. Also in 1966 the bridge, handrest & knobs were different. Ours has what we jokingly call a "Tilt-O-Matic" or "Evertilt" two post adjustable bridge. This bridge was used from about 1968 to about 1972. Witchhat knobs instead of reflector knobs is also a hint.

[Grog]

pfox14 -

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

 

I think mine is an early 1969, some later basses had a slotted headstock. In 1966 the color was heritage cherry, ours are almost a wine red, a bit darker. Also in 1966 the bridge, handrest & knobs were different. Ours has what we jokingly call a "Tilt-O-Matic" or "Evertilt" two post adjustable bridge. This bridge was used from about 1968 to about 1972. Witchhat knobs instead of reflector knobs is also a hint.

[Grog]

pfox14 -

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

 

I think mine is an early 1969, some later basses had a slotted headstock. In 1966 the color was heritage cherry, ours are almost a wine red, a bit darker. Also in 1966 the bridge, handrest & knobs were different. Ours has what we jokingly call a "Tilt-O-Matic" or "Evertilt" two post adjustable bridge. This bridge was used from about 1968 to about 1972. Witchhat knobs instead of reflector knobs is also a hint.

[Grog]

My computer wasn't responding when I submitted the reply, I don't usually stutter this bad!

[pfox14]

pfox14 -

 

I found a S/N list on the web at: http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html

 

This indeed indicates that the bass is either a 1966 or 1969 (S/N 828002 to 847488 1966 or 1969)

 

 

 

Some verbiage from: http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson9.html#eb3

 

Seems to indicate that it would be a 1966 if the bit about the handrest is true:

 

Model: EB-3, EB-3L

Available: 1961 to 1979

Solid mahogany SG style double pointed cutaway body, 2 humbucking pickups (large neck pickup, smaller bridge pickup), 4 position rotary tone switch with pointer knob, string mute, neck joints body at 17th fret, 30.5" scale, dot fingerboard inlays.

 

1961 EB-3 specs:

Model introduction. Black plastic pickup cover on bridge pickup only, handrest between pickups, crown peghead inlay, solid peghead, cherry red finish.

1962 EB-3 specs:

Both pickups have metal covers.

1969 EB-3 specs:

No handrest, metal bridge cover, sloted peghead, no crown peghead inlay. EB-3L available with 34.5" scale (available until 1972). Natural finish optional (available until 1973).

1972 EB-3 specs:

Solid peghead, crown peghead inlay.

1976 EB-3 specs:

White finish available.

1979 EB-3 specs:

Discontinued

 

 

Grog -

 

If the above is true, then wouldn't the handrest on your bass make it a 1966?

 

Yes, I would agree that it's probably a 1966, although I've never seen an EB-3 without the handrest. Not sure where that info came from. Both the EB-3 and EB-0 had the handrest and metal pickup cover in '66, but I'm NOT 100% sure about 1969. They completely changed the EB-3 in 1970 to the EB-3L long scale with the slotted peghead and no handrest.

[Grog]

Here is an original rotary switch for an EB-3......

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIBSON-BASS-1960S-HARNESS-EB3-GIBSON-ROTARY-SWITCH-VINTAGE-POTS-/230716278391?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item35b7c30677

[zurdo]

Zurdo - The only reason that I am replacing the switch, is that the toggle lever broke off. The bass is stuck in the mudbucker mode. It has been this way for quite some time, but never bothered me, as the deep bass mode was all that I ever wanted to hear anyway. Eventually, I knew that someday I would get a new switch, but not for the sake of switching pickups, but rather, just because something that wasn't quite right tended to bother me. It wasn't until joining this site that I found out that the switch that was on the EB was not even the correct type switch. The switch on E-bay will at least be a lot more correct that the toggle switch that it used to have.

 

Grog and Zurdo - Since I only have one 15" speaker, that is driven by a 350 watt amp, I am thinking about upgrading to see what the bass is really capable of. I haven't contacted the seller yet, but it looks like maybe these speakers might work:

http://www.ebay.com/...=item53e917f672

 

Greg S., those mudbuckers are very capable, I had a 1953 EB-1 and a 1966 EB-2 (same front pickup as the EB-3) and they really shook buildings.Nothing comes close to those old basses. Many players don't like them because they want to sound flat, or like Jaco Pastorious, but I sure like them. Remember The Cream. Instead of those 18" arena cabs you're buying or bought, I would have gone with a pair of JBL twin 15" plus horn cabs. (four fifteen inchers and two horns).

 

 

Merry Christmas!