New Vintage EB3 copy

[Chris P.]

Vintage will launch an EB-3 copy. Vintage is cheap but they use nice Wilkinson hardware. I tried some P's which were better than expected.

This EB-3 copy, is set neck, short scale and cherry and looks quite nice on the small pic I got.

Differences:

- 3 controls. I think VVT
- Fender type bridge, which doesn't look bad. It makes the whole bass a bit sleeker in design.

[Chris P.]

https://www.debassist.nl/nieuws/artikel/3-21545/namm-beursnieuws-deel-6-vintage

A link in Dutch with pics.

The bridge humbucker is guitar size and not mini-humbucker size.

[Granny Gremlin]

Bridge and control layout fail.  Too bad, otherwise they were so close - I could even forgive the full size bridge bucker ( don't think I didn't noticed how they pushed that further away from the bridge - you know I like that.... means there is enough room to switch to a 3 point if one really wanted).

[Chris P.]

A fail or trying to be a bit different, maybe because of legal reasons. The SG Reissue Bass is VVT too!

[Basvarken]

I still kinda like this one.
The one that I tried wasn't even half bad.

[Chris P.]

That was a bolt-on neck if I remember correctly? I think that Vintage could be nice, because set and short. If necessary with other pickups, but they might be decent.

[Granny Gremlin]

A fail or trying to be a bit different, maybe because of legal reasons. The SG Reissue Bass is VVT too!

Fail I say!  FAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiL!

Yeah I know the reissue was VVT.  It looks cleaner but still. I could get over it I suppose.   I can't, however,  forgive the bridge; not just wrong but litterally the flimsiest thing they could find even by P Bass standards - even the Stagg did better there.

[Pilgrim]

I don't see what's "fail" about it.

It's not a Gibson, doesn't claim to be a Gibson. They're entitled to create their own take on the instrument and let those who aren't hung up on exact copies of Gibsons enjoy them.  With the 30" scale that bass ought to balance well and the dual pickups should give it versatility - regardless of whether they're 1/2" different in location from the original.

Just as some folks here assail TB for Gibson/Ric complainers, there is a tendency here to lament anything which isn't an exact copy of a Gibson down to the metallurgy of the screws holding on the pickguard. That bent metal bridge has graced millions of basses, and it is (IMO) one of the most simple, elegant and effective designs ever conceived. No, it's not Gibson - but the bass isn't either.

[Basvarken]

+1

[Granny Gremlin]

You guys really aren't very good at telling when a guy is having a larf are youze (but seriously that bridge is bullshit, no matter what bass it's on).

[Dave W]

Too bad about the bridge but the rest looks okay. It souldn't neckdive like the long scale Epi EB-3, and it won't take a great deal of effort to sound better than an Epi EB-0.

Vintage makes SG-style VSV6 and VS6V (vibrola) guitars, so the model name is no surprise. The bodies of their Gibson style models look very close, I wonder if Gibson will take legal action.

Trev Wilkinson may have some kind of ownership stake in Vintage. A brief history of Vintage guitars

I tried one of the Stagg EB copies, it wasn't bad looking but it had very little fundamental, no doubt from the pickup that close to the bridge.

[amptech]

What?? No bar bridge??? 

[westen44]

It sure got my interest at first.  But when I hear the term "Flimsy bridge" or "too bad about the bridge" it gives me some cause for concern.  To top it off, I sent an email to a friend who I didn't even know had some direct experience with Vintage.  He also used the exact words "flimsy bridge."  Such a shame.  EB-3 basses are among my favorites.  I'd rather not say anything negative even about copies if I didn't feel it was necessary.  Too bad about Epiphone, too, whose EB-3 is so far from the original and not even a short scale. 

[Basvarken]

Well, that "flimsy" bridge never prevented 7ender bass guitars from becoming a huge success... 

[Dave W]

The bridge is functional, it just looks out of place on an EB-3 copy.