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New EB Bass


Kelvinator

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PLEASE< PLEASE< PLEASE......DOES ANYONE KNOW FOR SURE, WHEN THIS BASS WILL BE RELEASED IN THE United Kingdom.????

 

I Just have to try one first, but I'm pretty sure that I'd end up buying one anyway!!!!

 

I'd sure like to try one too. We can "pre-order" them through American Musical here in the US, but there is no expected delivery date given, so nobody seems to know. You could ask your local Gibson dealer to make inquiries - maybe they could get some answers. msp_confused.gif

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gsg, although I haven't played one, the new EB was recently reviewed/discussed on another forum I belong to.

I'd like to try one but haven't been able to find it anywhere yet.

 

 

That seems to be the problem with Gibson basses Ramone - You can't find them even at Gibson Dealers. The Gibson dealer in my town hasn't stocked a Gibson bass in many years. I go to Cleveland (nearest big city) a few times a year and Fort Myers FL twice a year. I visit Sam Ash and Guitar Centers; the only Gibson basses I've seen are SGs. My '01 & 05 Les Paul Stds, '05 SG, & '06 Double-Cut were all internet purchases. I bought the '01 LP STD off eBay in 2004 on a whim - simply because I liked the looks of it. After playing it, I fell in love with everything about it. If I could have played a LP at a music store, I would have owned one years ago. Why these things aren't available to try in person is a mystery to me. I know the economy is bad and most of the stores are stocking more low-end instruments, but Gibson LP guitars are there; I've seen Warwick basses, Rickenbackers, and American Fenders (none of which are cheap dates), so why no Gibson basses?

 

I really think if people could sit down and play these basses in a store, they'd sell a lot of them, and I think most of us would rather support our local music stores than the internet sites. Up until I bought that first LP, I had owned 6 very good basses (over 35 years). Raising a family, I could never afford to own more than one at a time. Every one of those was bought at a store - not because I needed a new bass, but because I was exposed to an instrument that was better than the one I had. Going by the specs and looks I'll bet the EB is a great sounding and versatile bass, but all the pictures, ads, and reviews in the world don't compare to sitting down with a bass, plugging it in, and playing it. A good instrument will sell itself. I guess I like a little foreplay before making a commitment!

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the Guitar Center near me generally stocks T-birds and SGs but those are the popular models. once they had six of Gibsons on the floor (new Explorer, a couple of Flying Vs, new RD, a couple SGs)! [scared] I almost fainted. the next time I was there, it was back to the T-bird & SG.

Chuck Levin's is local to me but they're hit & miss, too. I did get to play one of the LP Jr doublecuts (very nice!) but plenty of times there's not even one Gibson bass on the floor. I get the feeling that Gibson doesn't care if their dealers sell (or carry) the basses or not, just the number of units they can sell.

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I saw and played with it a bit recently in a local shop. It is a little underwhelming at first. It has a good feel to it once you get past its almost a Fender Jazz but not quite looks. The finish is thin looking and the grain isn't filled. I expect it will age well, but brand new, it could use a bit more gloss. It looks a bit like a Jazz bass, but it has 'buckers. I have been thinking about a fretted two pickup long scale bass, and it caught my eye as a possibility. It is certainly competitively priced. If it is still there in another week or two, I might have to plug it in and find out what it sounds like. It is very light, as you would expect from a Gibson bass. The guy in the shop, who is also a bass player, says it sounds a bit generic, but I don't know what that means. I play a P-Bass and it has its voice, an EB-2 which has it's voice, and a Thunderbird Pro, which has a voice I'm about to change up a bit. So what is generic? I don't really know, but if I manage to plug it in, I'll report back.

 

The one I really want to see and play is an ES335 bass, or whatever they are calling it. That one might short circuit my mental scrooge.

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Just got one this past weekend and I was blown away by the quality of the sound through my home rig. (Yorkville solid state head with 4 x 10 and 1 x 15 Hartke cabs)Lots of definition with the individual notes, and lots of power (volume)! I attribute this to the new pickups and long scale.

I also liked the single coil splitting capability. Lot of variation to the tone. Worked very will with effects too!

No muddy bass tones here! But there was a big difference in sound when I played through my Hartke 1 x 15 compo and had too adjust, just a bit too much bass.

Plays very comfortably. I like it!

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I plugged it in and found out what he meant by "generic." It sounds a bit like a Jazz through an Ampeg tube head and 410 cabinet. I was surprised at how little variation you get when your hand moves up and down the strings. Until you get right on the bridge, the sound stays very consistent, unlike what I'm used to. That's not good or bad so much as it just is. It's a nice bass and given the choice of an EB or an American Fender Jazz, the EB gets my vote. The EB comes in at a better price for starters. It seems to be just a bit more versatile than a Jazz, but it can nail down that sound pretty convincingly. I found it a bit more comfortable than the usual Fender neck. It is a good instrument. I hope people figure it out and it is successful. My concern with it is that it looks and sounds enough like a Jazz bass that it will be completely overlooked. The hollow bodies won't have that problem.

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