I've been thinking about getting an EB-3..............You're killin' it for me.
Don't let him🙂 It's a wonderful experience once you dare try it out
. Can't see why tinkering with the electronics is unholy either, I'm sure T bird owners have a specific pickup they like. Or dare I say, even replace the bridge?
And as for P basses out of box; I recently sold my '74 ash boatanchor after realizing that any new squier P sounded and played better. I thought for years that it was just weight and playability that made me lose interest, until I installed the original pickups in a china P and they suddenly sounded good. On the other hand, any pre '72 EB' s I have had have been in the same ballpark tone wise. It does have a lot of character, but you easily fall in love with it. At least I did🙂. I don't need a lot of ponies either, the one I have sounds great!