New Gibson EB bass mini review

[exiledarchangel]

It's a little out of the way but I've been here.
Named for a poetess from the isle of Lesbos........

I have a (female) friend from there. She tried to be straight, she really did, but...

[Highlander]

... you drove her round the (banana) bend...?

[amptech]

I had a chance to sneak downstairs and play for a while. First impressions: on a 2" cotton strap, there's a slight tilt. I wouldn't call it neck diving. I'm sure it's because the upper horn isn't as long as on a typical Fender-inspired design. The tip of the upper strap button is opposite the 14th fret; by comparison, on my MM SUB it falls about halfway between the 11th and 12th frets.

Unlike Scott, I did not hear any significant dropoff in volume when bending, even doing half-step bends with my left hand and really trying to pull the string off the poles with my right. Then again, I'm not a string bender, maybe it's just a matter of different technique.

The neck profile is comfortable and not too thick front to back. The sound, well, it's definitely not a T-bird but it's certainly no MM either, despite the MM look of the pickups. Not muddy at all, even with the neck pickup soloed. IMHO clearer and not as midrangy as a modern or Bicentennial 'bird, more fundamental, nice highs but not as crystal clear as one would expect of a Fender or MM. All in all a nice tone. I haven't pushed it hard so don't know how aggressive it can be.

Using the highly scientific method of weighing myself with and without the bass, it's about 8 1/2 lbs., compared with 10 lbs. for my poplar SUB, which is a slab body. As you can see, it really isn't compact, not much difference in the body sizes except for the upper horn. I'll take better pics with some daylight coming into the basement later

Ok, old thread.. But a guitar playing friend of mine just came by with a bass he bought ´to have a nice allround bass for home recording´. He looked at Fender P basses and the usual stuff, surprised me when he dug up a 2013 model EB bass.
I havent seen it in shops here yet (they had to order one from sweden last week, only 2 sunburst left in scandinavia??)
and really never thought of looking one up for testing. I only use shortscale basses now, but played a Grabber and a P bass for about 20 years before I fell in love with the shorties...

I´m not a ´reviewer´either, just thought I´d chip in and agree to the positive comments it got here.
I didn´t instantly get the feeling of a bass with a lot of personality, despite the corny looks, but when plugged in I did not want to put it down either. The set neck is nice, feels fine. It also had a decent (not perfect) factory setup.
Sloppy bridge (intonation) but a good low action on a dead straight neck.

I liked the sound of both pickups, single and together. I have to agree also on the neck pup - nice full sound but not muddy. All over, a very clean and focused tone at any setting. Missed a switch, and can´t say the splitting was a huge surprise tone wise, but I think my friend got himself a fine and somewhat versatile tool for recording.

Not tons of tone/personality, but a solid good quality Gibson, I´d say. Not bad for a new bass design!

[Dave W]

I've only seen one in a shop here, although they seem to be plentiful enough at the online stores in the US.

Maybe Uwe can give us an update now that he's had this one about nine months.

[uwe]

Uwe can't really - he's been out of a job musicwise for quite some time (since late summer now) and is still looking for a band that needs a lead bassist.   And doesn't just cover. Yet does not only consist of 20 year-olds still trying to "make it big". Plus doesn't sing bad English lyrics. Nor does heavy metal, punk or grunge (that grunge audition was physically painful). Oh, and I don't like guitarists with drop-D tuning either. Riffs sound messy to me that way. If you play a riff, play it on the D and G string for Christ's Blackmore's sake. All good riffs were played on the D and G string: Smoke on the Water, Burn, Man on the Silver Mountain, Long Live Rock'n'Roll, All Night Long, Knocking on your Backdoor. I have an accustomed ear, you know.

But I'm not that difficult at all, really. I'm just looking for an amateur band with professional quality control whose own music sounds like a mix of Tin Machine and Be-Bop Deluxe with a touch of Blue Öyster Cult and early Police. That should be easy to find. Oh, and they must want to play my own stuff besides their own compositions too and be willing to write jointly.

Serious applicants only please send an email.

Coming back to the EB ... I played both the 4- and the 5-string in extensive rehearsals some time back. Was first disappointed, then they grew on me, you can do something with those sounds. Liked the 5-string a bit better for whatever reason, I don't like 5-strings much in general. The narrow magnetic field of the pups is a major letdown for me, I'm Ariel Bender. But if you don't bend, you won't even notice it all the way from Memphis. Or Nashville.

In essence, the EB lacks a bit, no, lacks a lot of an axe-factor and the headturner element for me. I'm vain enough to want to impress people with the look of a bass even if I haven't played a note yet. Explorer basses are great that way. The EB is - no two ways about it - not an Explorer bass. At all. As unsexy as Gibson IV and V. That is pretty unsexy. Not even ugly and proud of it.  

But I applaud that they attempted something different and were not content to masticate the same model over and over. And call it Rickenbacker 4003W or something.  

As I'm typing this, I'm listening to The Dictators' magnificent Steppin' Out. That wouldn't be a bad band to join either.

[Dave W]

I can totally see you replacing Andy Shernoff. 

The EB Bass is definitely not an Explorer, I'll grant you that. But I've never cared for the Explorer shape.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

But I'm not that difficult at all, really. I'm just looking for an amateur band with professional quality control whose own music sounds like a mix of Tin Machine and Be-Bop Deluxe with a touch of Blue Öyster Cult and early Police. That should be easy to find. Oh, and they must want to play my own stuff besides their own compositions too and be willing to write jointly.

I don't see anything wholly unreasonable there. Very few musicians know themselves or music well enough to be articulate enough to have a list like that. The fact that you do should be a plus to any true group of musicians even remotely likeminded. It ain't my cuppa tea, but that's what makes the world an interesting place. BTW, I'd figure that EB would be PERFECT for your list. Even though you'll never admit it, your Explorer days are behind you.

[Ampig]

I've bought the 5 string a while ago.  Been rehearsing with it for a few weeks now, and I must say I'm pretty impressed with this bass.  Nice punchy, smooth midrangey sound.  Don't know about the four string, but the neck on the fiver is flat, yet very wide. Eventhough you get kind of a flightdeckship-feel, it really plays very comfortably. 

I think that in this pricerange, this might be one of the best fivers out there at the moment.

[Highlander]

... But I'm not that difficult at all, really. I'm just looking for an amateur band with professional quality control whose own music sounds like a mix of Tin Machine and Be-Bop Deluxe with a touch of Blue Öyster Cult and early Police. That should be easy to find. Oh, and they must want to play my own stuff besides their own compositions too and be willing to write jointly...

Mein Gott...! a flock of blau-spotted schwein just flew over heading for London...!

Compromise is key or you'll have to enjoy playing with yourself...

(I'm with you there... the singer I worked with in '09 is still playing small pubs, waiting to be discovered, as Jackie calls it... I was not interested in working with someone who was just the great "I Am...!" )

[uwe]

Basically, I want something urban and slightly quirky, but at the same time it shouldn't be afraid to be dumb and primal sometimes for emotional impact. Does that make sense?

And Dave, I'd naturally talk Andy Shernoff into playing keyboards again (as he did on Manifest Destiny, where Steppin' Out is from, Mark "Animal" Mendoza, who later on joined Twisted Sister - no relation to the other Mark Mendoza who played with Whitesnake and ThinLlizzy -, played bass on that album, Andy tinkled the ivories).

[saltymonkey]

The Dictators, sans Shernoff, are actually playing tonight at Bowery Electric in NYC. I'm not in the city this week or would be there. Saw them a bunch. Always a good time.

http://thedictatorsnyc.com

[TBird1958]

Andy tinkled the ivories).

 Hey! No tinkling on the Ivories!

You may tickle them 

[Dave W]

Now that The Captain and Tennille are divorcing, maybe Uwe can team up with Toni. I can see them now: Der Hauptmann and Tennille (with Uwe dressed appropriately).

Meanwhile, The Captain ought to team up with Maggie MacNeal.

[TBird1958]

 I think it's Der Gruppenfuhrer Dave 

[Highlander]

Hauptmann Hornung, mit ze peaked cap, ze crispen lapel jacket und ze shiny Jackboots, ja...?