The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: 4stringer77 on August 29, 2017, 05:55:22 AM

Title: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 29, 2017, 05:55:22 AM
I'm going to head over to the shop selling this 1975 EB-0 today. I've always wanted to check out an EB-0 with a mid positioned pickup and a maple neck. I like that this one has a three point instead of a tilt-o-matic two point. I noticed the pick up's pole pieces don't line up the best with the strings in the pictures. I'll know for certain later today but I'm wondering if the crowd here thinks that's an issue.

https://reverb.com/item/454383-1975-gibson-eb0-cherry
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Granny Gremlin on August 29, 2017, 06:35:42 AM
Nice. Those later ones have much better tuners; the 60s ones are a bit of a pain.

The thing with the poles shouldn't matter much; that's one strong magnetic field.  Bring a scrwdriver with you, cause I find you really need to crank up E and D and lower A and G (the screws are super long) to get a good string to string balance; adjusting the poles can also compensate a bit for the misalignment.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Dave W on August 29, 2017, 07:01:57 AM
There's no straight-on photo, so don't assume there's any misalignment until you see it.

IMHO $1249 would be overpriced for a new listing on a '75, this one has been listed for over 2 years.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: bassilisk on August 29, 2017, 09:03:12 AM
I had a 76 EB-3 with that pickup position - it still bucked mud with the best of them.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: slinkp on August 29, 2017, 09:55:00 AM
Geez. I sold my '69 for wayyyy less than that.
Granted it was modified with an added EB3 bridge pup, but I can't see paying $300 more for a '75.
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=10007.msg169678#msg169678
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 29, 2017, 12:07:09 PM
The alignment of the poles wasn't a problem. The bass sounded great so I acquired it. I threw in my Epiphone Jack Casaday to bring the price down some. With the exchange I still have seven basses which is plenty. A few hundred here or there doesn't bother me much when I want something and it's convenient enough to get without having to deal with shipping.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: westen44 on August 29, 2017, 12:10:13 PM
So convenient to do it that way.  Congratulations on the purchase. 
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Granny Gremlin on August 29, 2017, 12:51:19 PM
That price isn't (wasn't - congrats) that high.  I mean, we remember when they were cheaper (even me) , but you can't expect to get a clean EBX for <1K anymore (I mean, it happens, but you can't expect it).  Prices also vary considerably by location - even within the US.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Dave W on August 29, 2017, 03:05:42 PM
Congrats on the new bass.

The final price was obviously right for you, whatever it was.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: slinkp on August 29, 2017, 04:28:18 PM
Yeah, can't argue with that!
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: godofthunder on August 30, 2017, 06:43:52 AM
   Congratulations!  These are great basses though often maligned. A few years ago I bought a '73-'75 EB3 and it's a beast!  One of my favorite EB3s ever!
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: westen44 on August 30, 2017, 07:18:14 AM
I can think of one place in particular where they're often maligned, too.  That can get old and tedious after a while. 
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 30, 2017, 07:38:44 AM
It may be the best EB-0 out of the whole production. It has much better tonal balance compared to my EB-1 or my 67' EB-3 with the neck pickup soloed. I could actually imagine showing up to a jam and being able to play it without people looking at me sideways like I'm trying to remove their fillings or shake their pictures of the walls.  ;D
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: uwe on August 30, 2017, 08:03:45 AM
Congrats, I prefer the 70ies EB-0s and -3s to the early and late 60ies ones. Yes, the mudbucker sound makes more sense with those.

Gibson faded out the two point evertilt in 1973 when it became clear that there were delivery issues with the long anticipated separate string holder which - as Dave never fails to point our - would have made an already very good bridge concept near-perfect. Alas!, the best-laid plans, but then those missing stringholders, must have been down to the metal shortage due to the Vietnam war effort, so essentially the Vietcong is to blame for that too.

By late 73 and further onward, the stringholder delivery issues had forced Gibson to settle with the three point bridge which was, of course, nowhere near as good and a major step backward.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Dave W on August 30, 2017, 08:06:07 AM
But I LIKE shaking the walls and loosening fillings!
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: uwe on August 30, 2017, 08:11:43 AM
A 70ies model doesn't do that any less! It's just more "Mel Schacher in Terry Knight production era"-sound than Jack Bruce or Felix Pappalardi.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Granny Gremlin on August 30, 2017, 08:15:14 AM
But I LIKE shaking the walls and loosening fillings!

Like that's why we took up the instrument in the first place, right
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 30, 2017, 10:50:19 AM
Congrats, I prefer the 70ies EB-0s and -3s to the early and late 60ies ones. Yes, the mudbucker sound makes more sense with those.

Gibson faded out the two point evertilt in 1973 when it became clear that there were delivery issues with the long anticipated separate string holder which - as Dave never fails to point our - would have made an already very good bridge concept near-perfect. Alas!, the best-laid plans, but then those missing stringholders, must have been down to the metal shortage due to the Vietnam war effort, so essentially the Vietcong is to blame for that too.

By late 73 and further onward, the stringholder delivery issues had forced Gibson to settle with the three point bridge which was, of course, nowhere near as good and a major step backward.

The 3 pointer was an added incentive but I would have been tempted even if it had a two point. The last I heard about my project to replace the bridge on my EB-1 is that plans have been drawn up and production will be forthcoming. The idea is to have it be very close in appearance to the original design but with a heavier base plate, metal saddles and added tilt prevention. I'll let you guys know when I get more info.

A 70ies model doesn't do that any less! It's just more "Mel Schacher in Terry Knight production era"-sound than Jack Bruce or Felix Pappalardi.
Allen Woody was a big inspiration as well. I did have E pluribus funk playing in my car on the drive over to the store.

Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: uwe on August 30, 2017, 11:05:39 AM
I'm currently in full Grand Funk mode, I bought the two new boxed sets "Trunk of Funk Vol. 1 and 2" and that has all their outpost save for the Zappa-produced Good Singin', Good Playin' and the 8Oies stuff with Dennis Bellinger. (Plus of course not the Flint album the others did without Farner.)

The way Schacher's "bone-rattling bass" (Homer Simpson) was mixed loudly on those first six Terry Knight productions, I'm sure Mel either bribed or had sex with him on a regular basis.  :mrgreen: Schacher was really the hidden virtuoso in that original three-piece. His bass playing defines "organic".
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Grog on August 30, 2017, 11:32:24 AM
But I LIKE shaking the walls and loosening fillings!

I like loosening bowels & blowing out light bulbs.................
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 30, 2017, 11:46:22 AM
Bong-rattling bass. I can't wait for Fender to release the Mel Schacher signature Jazz bass. They'll need to have it to compete with the Cliff Burton signature Rickenbacker. These things aren't too unreasonable to hope for right?
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: godofthunder on August 30, 2017, 12:38:35 PM
  Well that's the point isn't it?
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Highlander on August 30, 2017, 01:58:31 PM
lol... :mrgreen:
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: patman on August 31, 2017, 05:53:11 AM
Agreed that Mel made Grand Funk...big sound, lots of slides and slurs...

An original and very cool, very rock bass sound...
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: 4stringer77 on September 02, 2017, 10:34:42 AM
Looking at the wiring on my bass, I noticed there was only one cap instead of two as I expected to see based on the last available schematic from flyguitars.
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/EB0_circuit.php
I thought perhaps someone had changed the pots and wiring at some point until I noticed other listings had a similar schematic as mine.
https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--jAgL87Cl--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_1600,q_80,w_1600/v1488104327/q0tpuwlm0xeme6inei3c.jpg
https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--p0f3Xn2---/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_1600,q_80,w_1600/v1497546050/vcwvc8claeylfnacy8jm.jpg
So it seems the schematic of the EB-0 had changed to have a single capacitor around the same time the three point bridge began being used.
Title: Re: The mudbucker's last hurrah
Post by: Dave W on September 02, 2017, 09:56:24 PM
The .01uf cap in parallel with the pickup was discontinued.