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BassPlayer.com >> This Month >> 1969 Gibson Eb-3
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Click on the Images Retro-Rama 1969 Gibson EB-3| September, 2007 The EB-3 was the culmination of Gibson’s short-scale bass line, which began with the EB-1 violin-shaped bass in 1953. The EB-1 was followed in ’58 by the EB-2 hollowbody [see Retro-Rama, March ’05], and the solidbody EB-0 a year later, which introduced the distinctive “batman” SG shape into the bass line. The EB-3 was a two-pickup version of the EB-0, and the addition of the bridge’s mini-humbucker gave this bass much more versatility—but tone-wise, it still had all the “mud” you could ever need. In 1969, Gibson also offered the EB-3 in a long-scale version, the EB-3L, but to me, the short-scale version is the classic. The original cherry finish on this bass has faded to a deep, rich brown over the years. The 30w"-scale neck has really fast action and a straight and solid-feeling neck, but the short scale’s lighter tension still makes string-bending fun and relatively easy. The large neck-position humbucker has that classic Gibson “mudblower” tone. The 4-position switch has two different settings for the neck pickup only, one of which is more of a scooped, almost hollowbody, tone. In the normal No. 1 position with the tone rolled off, it is the reggae and dub tone from hell! The second, smaller bridge humbucker sounds pretty gnarly soloed, but when blended in with the big dog, this bass really finds another identity. The key to getting the most out of the EB-3’s possibilities is in the relative volume levels of the two pickups. Back in the day, the EB-3’s most famous proponent was the great bassist, vocalist, and songwriter Jack Bruce, who has always been one of my major musical influences. Jack’s work in Cream was a mindblower for me, and the nearly 17-minute live version of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” on Wheels of Fire [Polydor, 1968] was my bass bible throughout my teenage years. When Jack combined the Gibson with a Marshall stack, the resulting thick, nasty sound was a perfect match for his acrobatic playing, and it really brought this bass’s thick, midrangy tone to an equal position with Eric Clapton’s guitar and Ginger Baker’s drums. Pretty much any live Cream cut will give you a great snapshot of a bass icon and his chosen axe melding into one entity. Another personal favorite EB-3 player is Free’s Andy Fraser, who also pulled a very insistent, emotional sound out of his Gibson. Punk-rock pioneer Mike Watt has been using a heavily modified ’65 for a few years now; it’s good to know the mud is still flowing! This axe is in excellent playing shape and is simply a gas to play. It has that rock-star vibe, but as it tunes up way better than most short-scale basses, so it will still cut the mustard in the studio as well. The EB-3 is a distinctive bass that visually and sonically reminds me of a long-gone era, where peace, love, and Marshall stacks were the order of the day. Groove on!
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