The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: dexter on August 24, 2009, 04:03:27 AM
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Hi everyone , you will have to forgive me boasting , but i cant help it ... i finally pulled it off ,and got to buy the bass of my dreams, a first year of production 1961 EB3 , serial number 288**
One of only 132 that were produced that year ! Never thought i'd manage it , but i DID , so you could say i'm feeling pretty lucky and one happy guy ;D This bass plays better than anything i've played before, sounds totally awesome , has an incredible fast neck
I bought it off Ebay a couple of months ago , it had been refinished , but the color was totally wrong ! it was a pinky /cherry color , but i pushed the button anyway ,as you just dont see them that often. I sold off a Fender Jazz bass i had owned for 25 years to fund the purchase, which i don't miss or regret at all.I hadn't played it in a few years since getting turned on to the early EB basses a few years ago.
Anyway , i got the EB at a fair price , had it shipped back to Australia , and a fantastic nitro refinish job , done here in Adelaide , Australia , by a great bass builder /repairer , Brian West , Fretco Guitars , ..... with the original case which is in in great nick too , couple of sets of brand new half round Daddario's and i still had change left over from the sale of the Jazz Bass. happy happy me ;D
I had saw one go on the bay a few months prior , same vintage, and it went for almost 5 grand U.S. I got mine at a real deal , i'm telling ya ,only thing missing is the wooden thumb /finger rest thing , so I will be keeping my eye out for one on the bay. I also need the round plastic thing with pickup position markers , so if anyone 's got one they don't need , i'd happily buy it off ya.
I can't see any holes in this bass where a mute was once before , so i don't believe that this bass was ever fitted wth one. i'm not putting one on anyway , i love the look of this bass the way it is!
anyway , heres some pics of her , alongside my modified 63 EBO ,for comparison , so you can see what a great job Brian did of the Nitro refinish. This bass is a real head turner , and on the first gig i took it out on , i had at least half a dozen comments on how great it was. Pretty happy with this bass , thats for sure !
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/hamish/jamesbasspics012.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/hamish/jamesbasspics014.jpg) (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/hamish/jamesbasspics015.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/hamish/jamesbasspics013.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/hamish/jamesbasspics006.jpg)
dexter
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Very nicely done, a worthy rescue! :toast:
So do you use the different varitone sounds much?
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Thanks Uwe, nice to have favorable comments from yourself , the king of Gibson basses .
I mainly use the pickups blended together in differing amounts of volume , but also find i can get a great 'soloing ' tone , by using just the rear pickup itself ,it gives a very defined cutting tone. Of course the front p/u on its own sounds like mud , but by blending , the variety of sounds one can get is very versatile ,
dexter
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Wow a black pickup EB-3. You do not see those very often. Very nice.
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Congratulations, Dex! West did a really great job!!! Beautiful!
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lookin' good, and congrats on the deal!
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Nice bass and excellent restoration. :thumbsup:
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Nice save.
Somebody get this man a finger rest!
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Both are beautiful basses and your luthier is quite talented too. Congratulations :toast:
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Beautiful basses, both of them! Congratulations on getting the bass of your dreams. It's a great feeling, isn't it?
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Stunning ! I love early EB3s
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Very... very... nice... :mrgreen: with envy...
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Beautiful indeed, and really a great refinishing job. Congrats.
Is there a screw hole for the hand rest like on that EB-0? Also, I'm interesting to hear about the diference in tone between those 2.
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mmmmm tasty.i bet thats loads of fun to play!well done.
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Those basses are so fundamentally cool, it hurts!
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Congrats Dex, I've been meaning to get down to one of your shows but life keeps getting in the way :-\
Brians job look like his usual standard. I cant rate him highly enough. He is the only guy I let touch any of my vintage stuff. Nothin' like having a bass player for a Luthier either :)
Well done mate. 8)
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Very nice! I always love basses built the year of my birth. Does the small humbucker have a PAF sticker on back of it?
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What a beauty!
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Thanks guys for all your positive comments on my basses, i really do feel a lucky guy scoring the 61 EB3. It did come with the nickel plated hand rest , but since i was planning on not installing it , i had the luthier fill the hole , no big deal , i can always put it on if i wanted.
If anyone does have a thumb rest they don't use , i 'd be interested in buying one., likewise with the varitone selector black plastic thing.
The EBO does most of my gigs , and it sounds fantastic with the rear pickup which I often use in single coil mode , mixed in with e front p/u. Very full and warm sound , with just enough mids to make it cut through .
However , if i wanna get the sound i love , the 'ANDY FRASER ' sound , the 61 GETS THAT SOUND EXACTLY. Through an Ampeg head and and 4 ten ampeg box , is a sound i just love .
So , my next bass on my wish list that i wanna try to score , ... an 50's EB1, could be waiting a while on this one , they seem to be getting fewer on the ebay , and the prices are going up .... something to aim for ! ...never played one , but they sure look like killer basses ! ;D
dexter
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Congrats man, very nice!
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OldmanC , ..... so the bass of your dreams is which one ?
still got it?
wanna post some pictures of it ?
i know a lot of you guys like the T-Birds,........ am i right guessing its one of them
I've still yet to play one , so don't know what i'm missing out on :mrgreen:
but i know the feeling of those early gibson basses is a hard feeling to beat !
dexter
Beautiful basses, both of them! Congratulations on getting the bass of your dreams. It's a great feeling, isn't it?
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Dexter, it involves Thunderbirds, but my dream was basically to have one of every Thunderbird, old and new. At one point I had all but one (a pre '66 Thunderbird IV). I've had to sell most of them over the last few years, but having owned and played so many great Gibson basses was a dream come true just the same. Uwe has a few of my prized specimens now, where I know they are well cared for pieces of his incredible collection, and I still have a few birds and various other Gibsons, which I am happy to own.
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You always have a call option on "Whitey" (or "Yellowy"), that 86 Japan export TB II, Herr Carlston! I'm honored to have it as a foster child here.
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You always have a call option on "Whitey" (or "Yellowy"), that 86 Japan export TB II, Herr Carlston! I'm honored to have it as a foster child here.
Ze Fraulein is quite envious of that particular bass ;)
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You stick to your Lull(b)abies!
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You stick to your Lull(b)abies!
It's just LUST Herr Moderator ;)
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If there's one bass I want back, it's that one, Uwe. Hopefully, someday while I'm still spry enough to wrap my fingers around its beautiful neck.
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You're the only person I'd ever (re)sell it too. Of course only after signing a 20 page lawyer-drafted declaration that will prevent you from (re)selling it to anyone but me!
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OK , sounds like OldmanC sure regrets selling this bass , i hope i never find myself in that position where i have to sell a bass i dearly love , and come to regret it ! sad >:( ......
ok , can iether you or Uwe post a picture of this great infamous bass , i figure its gotta be something spectacular to look at , if not to play too ?
thanks , dexter
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Thanks Bret , it would be good if you pop down to the gig sometime , be nice to meet ya ! were often at the sem 4 or bachus once a month .
Brian sure does do great work ! , and is one of the nicest guys you could meet to top it off , .....didn't know he was a bass player , .....there ya go !
dexter
Congrats Dex, I've been meaning to get down to one of your shows but life keeps getting in the way :-\
Brians job look like his usual standard. I cant rate him highly enough. He is the only guy I let touch any of my vintage stuff. Nothin' like having a bass player for a Luthier either :)
Well done mate. 8)
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You wish is my command, Master:
Live in action during my Brit Pop daze:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/024.jpg)
Hanging on the wall besides a GoW Zebrabird:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/DCP_2192.jpg)
George has even better pics of it. With me, it has full Geneva Convention treatment and is entitled to one American Red Cross parcel every Christmas.
(http://longstreet.typepad.com/thesciencebookstore/images/2008/09/27/1ebay_sept_27prisoner_of_war688.jpg)
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uwe, is it coincidence or by design there's a gibson box with a fragile sticker behind those birds?
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Uwe,
You're so cruel with the pics :-\
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You're the only person I'd ever (re)sell it too. Of course only after signing a 20 page lawyer-drafted declaration that will prevent you from (re)selling it to anyone but me!
HA HA! I'd happily sign that document. ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/gcarlston/Basses/86_Thunderbird_IIfull.jpg)
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Is that a leftover 70s sidewinder pickup they used? What a strange and beautiful bird! Was this one on Ebay around 2002-ish? I seem to recall watching an auction for one like that... That would have been around the time I started playing again, and indulging in my EB lust and general fascination with all things mahogany 8)
And speaking of EB lust- those are gorgeous basses dexter! Great job on the EB-3 rehab!
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I remember that bass on ebay! I wanted it SO BAD! just didn't have the $$$ :-[
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2003. I remember it didn't get much bidding and most of the questions were wary of its provenance. I shot off an email to Gibson and they replied within a day with the now familiar story that there was a special order done in 1985 and this one was most likely ordered after those went out (it's an '86 serial number). Got it cheap that time around. I won't get off so easy if I'm ever able to send for her in the Fatherland... She's in good hands though, so I'll bide my time.
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uwe, is it coincidence or by design there's a gibson box with a fragile sticker behind those birds?
Coincidence, as currently that same wall is decorated with Rippers, G-3s and Grabbers!