The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Grog on February 24, 2015, 06:43:18 PM
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At practice tonight, I played a Gibson EB 2014 5 string. I was quite impressed. I've never really played a 5 string, didn't really want to after all of these years of playing a "normal" bass, but it wasn't bad. I was most impressed by the pickups in the EB bass. All of the other pickups in all the recent models seem to be TB+ pickups, these were really ballsy, well balanced. It had push pull volume knobs to switch the pickups to single coil. The neck was a bit wide, but I didn't fumble around half as much as I would have anticipated I would. Anybody else try one??
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/gibson-eb-2014-5-string-electric-bass-guitar
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I have a 4-string and agree, the pickups and electronics are awesome. I absolutely love this bass.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/iamthebassman/gibsonbaby_zps87022613.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/iamthebassman/media/gibsonbaby_zps87022613.jpg.html)
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What came first... the chicken or the Eggmen...? :mrgreen:
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It is one Gibson (the fiver) that looks as if it would work for me
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I think I would be plenty happy with the 4 string also.......... (if I needed another bass!)
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I think I would be plenty happy with the 4 string also.......... (if I needed another bass!)
I had Uwe's 4-stringer here for a few months before shipping it. Really liked the sound, and the neck width wasn't a problem. Not a big fan of the styling but I wasn't in the market for one anyway.
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The neck on the 5 string is quite wide, but it was workable. The pickups produced such a deep sound, it didn't really seem like you needed the fifth string.
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They do have a deep sound but if you need to go below Low E you'll still need to drop D or use a 5-string.
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I know I'm in the minority here, but I have become quite attached to using a low B string over the years...to the point where I have no desire to go back to 4 string (other than when my hands hurt from playing my sixer)...
At first low B aided transposing down, as many times we can no longer hit the high notes as reliably (think Foreigner and Bon Jovi and Donna Summer)...
Now it is fully integrated into my playing...even notes readily available on a 4 string sound fatter when played on the B string. Different strokes.
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Here we are, 13 months later & it happened again............... I'd been eyeballing one of these for a while. I need it about as bad as most things I've bought lately. This one had been listed for about 30 days. I made him an offer & he accepted. I'll have to make arrangements to go pick it up early next week. Looks like I bought my last guitar again! I be bad!
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/00v0v_bhO0ctD7XSc_600x450_zps0wwbblmn.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/00v0v_bhO0ctD7XSc_600x450_zps0wwbblmn.jpg.html)
The price was right, I don't know how much I'll use it, should be fun. Also neurotically enough, it extends the EB-0,1,2,3,4 & 5 lineup.............. ???
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Never wait until you need it to buy it, even if it means selling your Leg Lamp in order to afford it.
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Quite a few guitars have come and gone, but I still have my leg lamp! If my wife thinks collecting guitars is bad, I could start collection leg lamps???? The worlds largest collection of Major Awards! ( It could be more normal than what I have collected LOL).
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It's a fine 5-string, and a passive one at that, with a strong, but not domineering B string. Due to the fleshier neck, it sounds a bit phatter than its 4-string sibling.
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My guitar playing (and collecting) partner-in-crime has the exact bass. I've played it a few times at practice and was quite impressed. I can't say that I am totally use to the five string, but it was easier to play than I visualized. My tuner vibrated off of my cabinet for the first time ever! The bass has big balls. Speaking of tuners, most of my tuners won't tune the low "B" string. My Boss TU-3 seems to be the only one in my arsenal. I have several Boss TU-12's, they don't seem to go down that low. I'm planning on picking it up tomorrow around supper time. It's about a two hour drive from here. I'd still like to try it's four string sibling.
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That's a fiver that even a hard-core four-stringer like me could love...a long time! :mrgreen:
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Official Leg Lamp photo............
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/IMG_1965_zpsexp4sub8.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/IMG_1965_zpsexp4sub8.jpg.html)
After returning from Rochester picking it up last night, we decided to try a couple tunes with it. I plugged it into the 2-15" Markbass setup and preceded to test out it's balls. After the second song we saw a big flash in the overhead light, the bulb was fried. That thing really puts out the low end! I'll have to tone it back a bit :o
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Sounds like a winner. Just be careful of that fragile lamp. 8)
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It always has and always will look like a Dali-esque Fender that has been out in the sun too long, but it's fine-sounding. Beauty's only skin-deep and since the main subject seems to be wimmin's legs ...
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511EsYVDQeL.jpg)
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Cherie Currie? :puke:
Uwe, if you're not familiar with the Leg Lamp story, watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzht2_41caU
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Ok, danke, didn't know this, but it's very similar to a comedy snippet from German TV.
As for Cherie, don't knock the ole gal, Dave, she was trashy with impeccable style! Don't ruin my teenage fantasies or I'll say nasty things, no, not about Gwyneth ... about ... (alluding to the title, not the performer!) ... ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=namFjcOgHSE
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Sounds like a winner. Just be careful of that fragile lamp. 8)
The Leg Lamp its' self may be "Fragile", but it is fully equipped with a vibration proof LED bulb for it's upper light. (I don't know how to changes the Leg Illuminator bulb yet).
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Ok, danke, didn't know this, but it's very similar to a comedy snippet from German TV.
As for Cherie, don't knock the ole gal, Dave, she was trashy with impeccable style! Don't ruin my teenage fantasies or I'll say nasty things, no, not about Gwyneth ... about ... (alluding to the title, not the performer!) ... ;)
It's not a skit, it's a famous scene from the Jean Shepherd (http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2008/12/the_man_who_told_a_christmas_story.html) movie A Christmas Story.
Say what you will about Valerie, doesn't bother me.
Last year I met a donut bumper who professes her love for Ms. Currie. Maybe I could arrange an introduction for the two of you. ;D
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Dave, but you're not supposed to say "donut bumper" anymore, clam munchers might take offense!
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Dave, but you're not supposed to say "donut bumper" anymore, clam munchers might take offense!
Not to mention bagel bouncers. Whatever, she was one intense, scary broad.
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The LBO: "PC, we invented it!"
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My dad was a PC at one time... ended up regarded as the real-life Dixon...
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You know, I really want one of these EBs... but it just dawned on me how much it resembles the horrendously awful bass that I first learned on, a Montaya with a warped neck and permanently rolled-off tone that I got for $50, much like this one:
(http://www.classicvintageusedguitars.com/i/Montaya_Vintage_1970s_Electric_Bass_Guitar_1.JPG)
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:o Indeed, twins separated at birth!!!
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Actually, it looks stereotypical for 60's Japanese clones.
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:o Indeed, twins separated at birth!!!
Like Suzi Quatro and Rick Derringer.
Like Napoleon Dynamite and Taylor Swift.
Like Sarah Jessica Parker and Mr. Ed.
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Pee-Wee Herman and Alan Cumming?
(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/4929140480/hC0C87879/)
Miley Cyrus and Max Headroom?
(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/6687504896/h410E99E8/)
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After gassing for just shy of a year, I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a the 4 string brother of the five string. I like the pickups & the bridge. These basses are still a bargain for what they are. If it were to get damaged or stolen, you wouldn't be out as much as if it were one of your vintage basses. We'll see what the next couple days brings. I would like a fire burst bass, like the five string, but not enough to pay much extra for it.............................. I like the 2014 a bit better than the 2013.
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You won't be disappointed if the look doesn't bother you.
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What changed between 2013 and 2014?
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No idea.
But look what happened in Sweden.
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[What changed between 2013 and 2014?]
They had Tortoise Shell looking pickguards & the output jack is in the pickguard. In 2014, the output jack was moved to the lower bout..............
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You won't be disappointed if the look doesn't bother you.
I like the look of the 2013/2014, the new one..............not so much!
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I don't have a problem with the looks of either version. Neither would ever be my favorite shape, but I don't want all my instruments to look alike.
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I have a 2013
I've grown to like the look, and above that, it's the best sounding and most versatile bass I've ever owned.
Very happy customer...It does old-style soul, rock, 70's funk and 80's rock...and the neck seems very stable.
It's all good.
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After years of dealing with cracked control plates on Les Paul Triumph basses & Les Paul Recordings, I lean towards guitars that don't have the output jack in it's pickguard when possible. That's my only reason for preferring the 2014 over the 2013. I made two offers on a Fire burst bass, both were automatically rejected. After waking up at 4:00 I decided to make a final offer, it was accepted. It was $100.00 more than I wanted to pay, but exactly what I wanted.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%201_zpsjtcxsumx.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%201_zpsjtcxsumx.jpg.html)
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%202_zpslghlawzq.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%202_zpslghlawzq.jpg.html)
This was my second choice...........
http://www.ebay.com/itm/292036857344?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It will join it's five string brother when it arrives.........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/IMG_1965_zpsexp4sub8.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/IMG_1965_zpsexp4sub8.jpg.html)
Putting them side by side, the four string looks more like Tobacco Sunburst than Fire Burst like it was advertised.
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The only burst I saw in person was a 2013 4-string at Lavonne's. It looked just like your 5er.
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The 2013 on eBay now, looks more like a Fire Burst to me. The several 2014s that I had been watching look more like the one I ordered.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%204_zpsjlkwo7gr.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%204_zpsjlkwo7gr.jpg.html)
This red one was starting to grow on me. I was planning on bidding on it before I upped my offer on the "Fire Burst" bass.........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%203_zps3rn3jxhi.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%203_zps3rn3jxhi.jpg.html)
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The Tobacco Burst is real nice.
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I like them both! I'd rock either one, and I really like the red.
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I do like the DeCola pickups with the split coils and the Babicz bridge combination. I'm thinking Gibson can do some more with these 2.
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I have now made inquiries with my dealer re the new one. The Force awakens ...
(https://images5.static-thomann.de/pics/bdb/398172/11745505_800.jpg)
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Going for the 5 or the 4................. or both????
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This red one was starting to grow on me. I was planning on bidding on it before I upped my offer on the "Fire Burst" bass.........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%203_zps3rn3jxhi.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%203_zps3rn3jxhi.jpg.html)
Not really a fan of these basses, but that red one looks sweet. The small machines make the headstock look a bit understated...needs some big old clover leaf ones on it.
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Going for the 5 or the 4................. or both????
I thought the 5er though I'm alway a bit lost with the low B - the fascination of going deeper than a low E has always eluded me. In my experience, a B string is something that pleases drummers mostly, but then they are all kinda of simple folk with simple pleasures. I might get a 4er sometime in the future when they are deleted - can't be long!
Swamp ash body - tsk, tsk, tsk, how un-Gibson can you get?
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Once you start using the low "B", it's hard to do without it. It gets integrated into your mental patterns.
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I do like the low "B", but I don't like the wide neck enough to use it as a main bass. I'm looking forward to giving the four banger a test drive. It's well on its way from Texas. The FedEx Tracking shows it coming next Wednesday, must be on the slow train...........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%204String%202_zpslghlawzq.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%204String%202_zpslghlawzq.jpg.html)
After checking the original Gibson web page on the bass I have coming, it might very well be Fire Burst.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%20Fire%20Burst_zpsyqasg7n1.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%20Fire%20Burst_zpsyqasg7n1.jpg.html)
The Vintage Sunburst looks even less like mine.............
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB%20Vintage%20Sunburst_zpstfwgtbni.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB%20Vintage%20Sunburst_zpstfwgtbni.jpg.html)
They must have had a different Fire Burst for the five string than they did for the four string in 2014..........
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Once you start using the low "B", it's hard to do without it. It gets integrated into your mental patterns.
That never happens with me. Whenever I spend some time with my 5ers and then revert to a 4er, my mind and my ears go: Now what should be wrong with that (high) D? But then my current band plays largely in keys such as A, G or E which do not cry out for a low B. I also find that if you have guitarists with standard tuning (no drop-D or anything like it), then a low D, C or B leaves a gap between your and the guitarists' frequencies.
The way I play, I need a high E on the G-string or even a double-ocatve 24-fret high G more often than "submerging" below an empty E-string low E. I heard way too much Glenn Hughes when I was young I guess. 5-string sounds in early 70ies hard rock that shaped my playing (Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover, Nick Simper, Jim Lea, Trevor Bolder, Alan Lancaster, Gary Thain, Martin Turner, Gene Simmons) were scarce. :mrgreen:
Maybe I should get the 4er after all. ??? I shouldn't kid myself, I won't turn into a 5-stringer in this life anymore and I've never ever played in a band that needed a low B sound.
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even though it's a 34 inch bass the "B" sounds wonderful
There one thing I have had to get used to, was the right hand spacing is "correct" to my feel, but the neck tapers to a fairly thin neck at the nut.
The spacing tapers from very wide at the bridge(perfect) to very narrow at the nut(gotta get used to it)
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For a company that only dabbles with 5-stringers at best, Gibson has never done one with a weak B string, if anything much to the contrary. The only Gibson 5er I have with a not so great 5-string is the SRCB, but then that was a Wayne Richard Charvel prototype and not a series model. But even there the B string isn't awful.
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Uwe, that's a good looking 2-color burst.
Gibson does seem to be using more varied woods, especially in the lower price ranges. Several of them have maple necks, and that economy Firebird Zero has a poplar body. There's a good looking swamp ash LP Studio now too.
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Oh man. I want that red one really bad now.
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Oh man. I want that red one really bad now.
It sold yesterday for the minimum bid of $700.00, free shipping.
This gold one was in the running also.............
https://reverb.com/item/4295289-2014-gibson-usa-eb-120th-anniversary-edition-bass-w-ohsc-hipshot-d-tuner
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I played my Gibson EB 4 stringer (the old model) on Saturday at the rehearsal, it was about time again. I find the bass non-descript in its looks that is why it doesn't get out more often. But that said, man it does sound great, whether in humbucker or in single coil mode, the single coil mode - and this is rare in my experience - offering no less power than the humbucker one, just more clarity, bite and harmonics. And the wood combination is just lively, non-Gibsonish or not.
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I'm looking forward to trying mine when it comes Wednesday. I paid $50.00 for shipping, but the seller must have sent it the cheapest that FedEx had to offer. It was in Champaign Illinois early this morning & is still creeping this way............. All of the 4 sting basses I was watching sold........... The 5 string basses don't seem to be selling well.
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Unjustly so if 5ers are your thing.
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You might think otherwise if you visit certain bass forums, but in the real world, 5ers just don't sell very well compared to 4s.
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So, me thinking I have too many basses and should sell a couple, I go looking at the classifieds on a large bass forum and see this 2014 EB 5 string for sale for a rather attractive price, I offered a little less and here it is:
(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/20161003_131754-jpg.961999/)
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Goldig!
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Nice!! That gold color really rocks................
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You might think otherwise if you visit certain bass forums, but in the real world, 5ers just don't sell very well compared to 4s.
Nobody likes uneven numbers.
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I have a 4-string and agree, the pickups and electronics are awesome. I absolutely love this bass.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/iamthebassman/gibsonbaby_zps87022613.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/iamthebassman/media/gibsonbaby_zps87022613.jpg.html)
(with a concerned voice) But the cute litte kid (and young Eggmen fan) is a rightie, left right? Nature has a way of compensating. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
I do like the tank poster!
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So, me thinking I have too many basses and should sell a couple, I go looking at the classifieds on a large bass forum and see this 2014 EB 5 string for sale for a rather attractive price, I offered a little less and here it is:
(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/20161003_131754-jpg.961999/)
Nice score, John. A little nicer shade than Fender's aztec gold.
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Thanks Dave, but I am seriously considering filling the grain and giving it a proper glossy finish in a slightly darker shade. (Not until the weather warms up though.)
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Official Leg Lamp Photos................
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/2014%20EB%204%20String_zps90ojaymn.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/2014%20EB%204%20String_zps90ojaymn.jpg.html)
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/2014%20EB-45%20String_zpsrasrwr8q.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/2014%20EB-45%20String_zpsrasrwr8q.jpg.html)
I tried it a little, but it's still cold from a week of FedEx truck living. The back is a little more dinged up than the photos showed, but overall it's nice.
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That satin vintage burst or whatever it is looks great. Creams the sunburst - which Gibson hardly ever gets right - into the ground.
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I like the neck. I'm more of a short scale guy, but this thing works.................. The bass rattles my house so bad that I can't really get a feel to adjust it properly. Too much junk I guess. I'll try it at practice next Tuesday to really give it a workout.
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I'm concerned about how close the leg lamp is to the edge of the hearth!
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I'm concerned about how close the leg lamp is to the edge of the hearth!
I should probably store it in it's crate........... Protect it for generations to come!
The cardboard box it came in does look like a crate. I seem to recall a real wooden crate being an option.
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I should probably store it in it's crate........... Protect it for generations to come!
The cardboard box it came in does look like a crate. I seem to recall a real wooden crate being an option.
The wooden crate was standard on the Italian models.
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All very tasteful, that's what counts in the end.
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I gave the EB-4 String a good three hour workout yesterday. I was quite impressed. It had great tonal range. It might be my most versatile bass next to the Hobbit. It had a little neck dive, but nothing horrible. Surprisingly though, the pickups on the Hobbit were much hotter than the pickups on the EB. I might need to raise them a bit. I usually run the Hobbit on about three on the bass volume. I had to crank the EB up almost all of the way to achieve the same level of sound.
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I raised them on mine
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The EB-4 has a meek output - even in its loudest setting.
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The EB-4 has a meek output - even in its loudest setting.
That's why you buy the sticker that says "11" to put around your volume knob, right?
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The EB-4 has a meek output - even in its loudest setting.
Mine, a 2013, equals my Fralin-equipped LP Standard and the notoriously high output of my G&L L2500 in volume and the pickups are at factory height. It definitely has more output than almost all of my Fender Jazz Basses excepting my old Marcus Miller signature model that is VERY loud even without the preamp.
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When i had Uwe's 2013 here, the output didn't seem meek to me.
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I wouldn't describe output as meek, but when mine came, pickups were REALLY low...as in screwed down into the body...I replaced the foam and raised them up.
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Huh? I said the EB-4(L) - the 70ies shortlived excursion of Gibson in single-coilish sounding territitory that had its coffin nailed shut by the soon advancing Grabber - sounded meek. I meant this here:
(http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/GibsonEB4Lvariations.jpg)
The newish EBs (current and of recent years) aren't meek at all, not as roaring as TB-Plus pups, but then which passive pup is? And the force of the TB-Plus comes at a price, it is not the most transparent sounding bass pup on earth though I like its characteristic. The Jim DeCola pups are much more refined and focused in comparison, but not sterile at all. I don't believe you could get them any louder without sacrifing the balance of the frequencies and the sonic "tidiness".
The one drawback of the Jim DeColas is that you cannot get them as close to the strings as TB-Plus pups without - audible (ghost notes and such) - interference to the string movement and that they have - an unfortunate parallel to the EB-4L pup of yore - a narrower magnetic field. if you pull strings a lot (and out of the magnetic field), you'll get fade-outs.