Help with EBO combo - Nothing posted anywhere!?!

[eb2]

I had the one of my earliest conversations/lectures on how Gibson basses were horrendous many many years ago.  My double whammy was I had gone into the shop to see if they had any tapewound strings gathering dust, so I got that lecture first.  I was a kid, but I did own Rave Up.  I hated Supertramp.  It all worked out.  The guitar shop went out of biz.

The late Cesar Diaz told me "those old Gibson basses are fun, but quit fooling around with that shit. Get yourself an old Precision." 

Also - heresy alert - I still like DiMarzio Model One pups.  They cut some of the sack out of the Gibsons, but they do sound clearer and ok, and they don't put any extra holes in there.

[OldGuy]

Yep. I had the same experience with them long ago.

I have to admit my connection to the EB’s is ancient and sentimental.  I bought this in 1969 from a pawn shop in Chicago in almost new condition ($95) because I loved how it looked. Never learned to play (read: I tried but I sucked).  I still have it – no idea if it is worth anything.  When I decided to try to learn an instrument again 6 months ago I picked up a mex P bass on recommendation but a few months later I ran across an SG reissue and the rest as they say………………

Like you say the short scale basses are fun to play and the open mikes I sit in on and the band I play in don’t seem to have any issues as long as I keep time, outline the progression and show up!  ?

[OldGuy]

I remember calling Warmoth a long time asking them if they would build me a mahogany full scale bass neck. The guy belitttled me, saying that mahogany is bad choice for a neck wood & too brittle. Basically saying you mcan't make bass necks out of mahogany. I told them about Gibson doing it for years & he just blew me off. Guy was a total ass, was a "know it all" comic book guy. You meet the same types at our Hobby store.

I have posted the EB3 wiring diagram I am going to try out.  I have no idea of whether or not it will work but it might provide fodder to someone else’s efforts.  I was wondering if some of the “mud” came from the point Chromium made above i.e. the distortion that most speakers generate from subsonic out of their range affecting the entire tone.  Thought maybe attenuating them might be helpful.  I don’t know what the henry value of the inductor must be or that of the resistors and capacitor to set the appropriate harmonic cut point but I figure I will experiment.  I appreciate the feedback and sense of camaraderie from everyone.  Can’t wait to post the finished product a few months from now!

[OldGuy]

I just use an equalizer to cut frequencies at ~30Hz, rolling off anything in the ultra-low bass range (low-shelf EQ).  That was a little trick that someone else here had shared, and it made a huge difference in live sound of those basses.  I've been using SVT cabs, and it seemed like the 10" drivers struggle a bit trying to reproduce all the heavy lows from the mudbucker.  They seem to be able to render the more useful frequencies more effectively when the sub-lows are cut.

Take a peek at schematics for the L6-S, Howard Roberts, (and probably others) with regard to the variable inductor/capacitor filters.  Similar to what they did there, you could use a pot to govern the amount of filtered tone on an EB.  I've never experimented with that, and would enjoy hearing the results of it if you do!

That Triumph (recording) is probably my favorite short scale bass at this point.  They are heavy!  Mine's around 10.5 lbs,  but the weight distribution (all in the body) makes it hang nice while standing and doesn't make the strap gouge into my shoulder.  I can do a 4-hour gig with it and it doesn't bug me.  Bought that bass from a fellow in Texas who got it new in 1973, played it in a band for two years... band broke up, and bass when into the closet.  Its a real time capsule piece! (well, aside from a few dings I've managed to give it  ).  It can be trebly if you want it to be, but I've found that I can dial in everything from the EB-ish boom on up.  There's a really gusty middle-ground that I love and that's how I usually leave it set.

Sorry for the three quick posts - photoshop wouldnt let me shrink these pics enough to get them into one post.  Heres the Triumph.  I be curious to know which setting you find the most useful.  I would like to try it out again live but damn it is heavy!

[ramone57]

recently I've been favoring tone postion 1.  cuts throught nicely, quite clear.  iirc, Les called it the P bass setting.
yours is a very clean specimen, Old Guy, very nice!

[OldGuy]

recently I've been favoring tone postion 1.  cuts throught nicely, quite clear.  iirc, Les called it the P bass setting.
yours is a very clean specimen, Old Guy, very nice!

As is yours Ramone57.  I read an interview with Les Paul where he cited one of the positions was to mimic the P Base but nowhere was it stated what that position was.  This is the first time I have received a confirmation of that.  I assume it also included setting the bass to "in phase".

The one problem I have with the bass is that I am picking up a great deal of Clancking when I fret the strings.  I even went to nylon wraps to tone it down which it did but I don't like the sound of them as much.  I would love to go back to round wounds but the clanking even becomes more pronounced.  Have you had any issues like that?

[Basvarken]

Nope. Sounds like a loose ground connection somewhere.

[Barklessdog]

a tribute to EB-0 / 3s moddified
 Brings a tear to the eye- I would love this bass

Nicely Done

Watt creation

[uwe]

The carved one is nice. Carving is not fins, you know.

[Highlander]

But it could be desecration if it did not suit the article...

[OldGuy]

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and ideas.  I am going with the a mod very similar to what Barklessdog did using the pit bull as a second pickup (it just arrived).   Even going with white although i am matching the aged white of my 61 SG standard.  I am going to make a ebony fingerboard with the trapeziod inlays and a black ebony headpiece for the Slot head.   I also will be altering a Hipshot bridge so I can incorporate a string mute with it.  It is my desire to stay as true to the EB spirit as possible and not produce a desecration. A homage if you will.  The original was in horrific shape.

It is going to take a while to get it all finished.  I hope I am up for it!

Here is pic of the current status.   I hand carved the facets based upon those of my 61 SG standard.  I liked the faceted look more that the slab look of the original body.

Barklessdog:  May I ask where you got the black pickup ring for the Pit Bull?

[Barklessdog]

They are standard guitar Humbucker rings from Stew Mac. I did have to cut them down on the height a little, though.