The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: amptech on February 11, 2013, 01:06:52 PM
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Oh, I just started a new project - EB-6.
Not buying, of course - too expensive and too hard to find.
Anybody here with some EB-6 (SG shape) experience?
I´ve read old threads, remember Uwe had one hanging around?
I´m basically building one for stage use - not collecting - just won an auction, a very worn EB-0 without parts (naked).
I guess I have the usual EB-6 questions;
- Are the pickups regular guitar PUP´s? Didn´t gibson call them ´full range pickups`?
- Just how big is the headstock?
- Is the bridge positioning / scale the same as on EB-3?
- I´ve heard the body is slightly thicker - wide, depth, thicker what?
Grateful for any comments, except the ´ are you really gonna use it ´ ones :)
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Uwe still has his a-hanging a-round
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBcKVECSPkc
- plus the predecessor hollowbody model! (To be honest: I don't play them often, it takes at least an evening/rehearsal to fully adjust to them. And I can never decide whether I should tune them E/A/D/G/H/E guitar style or E/A/D/G/C/F!)
Headstock is 7 1/2" inches, outer edge to nut (i.e. without the Gibson moustache mound counted in), as opposed to 6 3/16" on a regular EB of the era.
The pups are guitar PAFs.
Body has the same thickness and look as EB-0s and -3s of the era.
Scale is the same too, bridge positioning as well, number of frets dito, bridge is different though (pic stolen from Jules' Fly Guitar site).
(http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/part34a.jpg)
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Oh, thanks - great info and quick reply..
To be honest, this will probably be a huge project, as it will be quite modified.
I do like the vibrato six string fender - thing, but cannot attach myself to fender like I do with gibsons.
It might sound strange, but most of my heroes are guitarists. This project is inspired by the
Allan Holdsworth era of soft machine. Allan played SG´s a lot back then, and he owned two or three
white SG customs, early ones with vibrato. So this EB-6 will turn out polaris white with ebony, block inlay fretboard
and gold hardware - aaaand , Bigsby vibrato. I hope. The fact that soft machine´s bass player uses a white fender six
makes me feel somewhat comfy with this project, crazy or not.
Is that a six string flatwound set i see on that bridge? I´m looking forward to meeting people whom which I can talk
to about short scale six string basses.... Imagine they are nice people...
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I've played both, and had the opportunity to buy several. After owning a Fender Bass VI, I couldn't bring myself to pay over $1k, but less than $2k, for one, which is what they all seemed to be going for. I preferred the ES to the SG body as it hung on me better. They all came with flats - no roundwound 6 strings until years later. So, building one out of a junked EB-0 sounds like fun. I have thought of it myself in the past, since so many have cracked headstocks. Might as well make it longer.
The old bridge isn't really different than the 4 string either - just notched differently. Same size. Nice and crowded.
POST PICS!
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I'll post pics as soon as it arrives, takes some time to ship from nashville to good 'ol Norway, where I live.
This EB-0 looked very worn, finish looked like an air gun target - but no headstock crack.
I'll reinforce it with ebony, or maybe enlarge the whole headstock if i can't cram 6 hipshot ultralites into it.
But that's for my luthier to work out.. but the white finish will cover it up.
By the way, does anybody know the RAL code for the sixties polaris white?
Is it a universal colour name, or gibson only?
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I've got plans for a similar project in the future and a good bridge for a 6 stringer would be the Schaller roller bridge for 6 string guitar. The saddles adjust laterally to allow for differing sting spacings. Really nice bridge, I've used one on 3 or 4 projects and love them.
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Great, the schaller was allready on my list - nice to hear what other mean about parts.
And, I'm somewhat surprised not being able to see many of these EB-0/6 projects elsewhere
on the net. These instruments are so stangely modified, at least they were before, so why not a 6 :)
If it is not already a 'show me your modified EB-0 - thread' it's about time.
I must admit this is the best forum for bass I've seen- although I'm not using the internet too much.
I've met a lot of negativity elsewhere, even on questions that you would think appealed to dedicated
people with instrument interest. So keep up the good work, and thanks for a great meeting place for gibby-nerds!
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If you work with semblances of the original bridge on your project, remember you will need a 6 string bass set with guitar size small ballends! Bass size ballends will be too big, not allow the bridge to be lowered enough and gnaw into the surface of the bass.
I've been there. :-\
"And, I'm somewhat surprised not being able to see many of these EB-0/6 projects elsewhere."
Be aware that the sound difference between the H/E or C/F strings and E/A/D/G will be radical. The low ones will sound like a bass and the high ones like a guitar and no amount of EQing will change that. Not to dishearten you, just so you know what you will be getting. Good luck!
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If you work with semblances of the original bridge on your project, remember you will need a 6 string bass set with guitar size small ballends! Bass size ballends will be too big, not allow the bridge to be lowered enough and gnaw into the surface of the bass.
What do you use, then? What about the various string sets still made for the Fender Bass VI or the special sets being made by LaBella for the Schecter Hellcat VI?
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I spent quite some time looking, dear Dave! Fender 6 strings have thick ball ends (no one told me!) and they also have the manliest gauge: 025, 035, 045, 055, 075 and 095 (the gauges aren't an issue, the ballends are!). Unusable on the original EB-6 bar bridges, but if you used a Schaller six string roller bridge you might do fine even though I would imagine the thicker ballends sticking out from the guitar ballend size cavities. But beauty is only fin-deep as they say.
Small ballenders:
I have a couple of D'Addario XL155 Jerry Jones guitar/bass with small ballends string sets which I haven't used on any of my two EB-6s yet: 024, 034, 044, 056, 072 and 084.
And you can order from GHS a slightly thicker custom set for Fender VI with small ballends: DY26, DY36, DY46, DY56, DY74 and DY90. I have those with good results on both my EB-6s.
Then there is an Ernie Ball 6 String Baritone Slinky set: 13, 18, 30, 44, 56 and 72. I haven't used that yet, it's probably too thin for bass tuning, though you could always tune an EB-6 as a baritone (better for chording too), but if you used the 18 as your E/F and worked yourself down from there plus obtained an 82-85 small ballend string from EB as an extra for the low E, then it might just work.
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http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=7482.0
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I spent quite some time looking, dear Dave! Fender 6 strings have thick ball ends (no one told me!) and they also have the manliest gauge: 025, 035, 045, 055, 075 and 095 (the gauges aren't an issue, the ballends are!). Unusable on the original EB-6 bar bridges, but if you used a Schaller six string roller bridge you might do fine even though I would imagine the thicker ballends sticking out from the guitar ballend size cavities. But beauty is only fin-deep as they say.
Small ballenders:
I have a couple of D'Addario XL155 Jerry Jones guitar/bass with small ballends string sets which I haven't used on any of my two EB-6s yet: 024, 034, 044, 056, 072 and 084.
And you can order from GHS a slightly thicker custom set for Fender VI with small ballends: DY26, DY36, DY46, DY56, DY74 and DY90. I have those with good results on both my EB-6s.
Then there is an Ernie Ball 6 String Baritone Slinky set: 13, 18, 30, 44, 56 and 72. I haven't used that yet, it's probably too thin for bass tuning, though you could always tune an EB-6 as a baritone (better for chording too), but if you used the 18 as your E/F and worked yourself down from there plus obtained an 82-85 small ballend string from EB as an extra for the low E, then it might just work.
But there's also the LaBella sets for the Schecter Hellcat, pointed out by new member kenstee who runs a Hellcat group on Facebook. Flats, nickel and stainless wound 026-095 - and they're inexpensive. http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=hellcat+VI+strings&x=8&y=10
I don't know the ball sizes or why they are special for the Hellcat (he did say they won't fit the Pawnshop Fender VI). In any case, LaBella will make just about anything special order, you just have to wait for it.
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The DA and LaBella Bass VI sets all have the smaller guitar type ball ends. Don't know about other brands.
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But there's also the LaBella sets for the Schecter Hellcat, pointed out by new member kenstee who runs a Hellcat group on Facebook. Flats, nickel and stainless wound 026-095 - and they're inexpensive. http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=hellcat+VI+strings&x=8&y=10
I don't know the ball sizes or why they are special for the Hellcat (he did say they won't fit the Pawnshop Fender VI). In any case, LaBella will make just about anything special order, you just have to wait for it.
The La Bella's for the Hellcat have small ball ends but are too short for a Fender VI I think due to the long Tremolo/tailpiece system. Same with the Eastwood Sidejack. They're also too short for VIs that string through the body. They didn't fit the Burns Barracuda I owned. i haven't tried them on my Lakland, which is string through and came with GHS CS Fender VI rounds, but imagine similar short comings. I have an unused set if anyone needs some.
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The La Bella's for the Hellcat have small ball ends but are too short for a Fender VI I think due to the long Tremolo/tailpiece system. Same with the Eastwood Sidejack. They're also too short for VIs that string through the body. They didn't fit the Burns Barracuda I owned. i haven't tried them on my Lakland, which is string through and came with GHS CS Fender VI rounds, but imagine similar short comings. I have an unused set if anyone needs some.
Sounds like they might be perfect for a Gibson type with a short distance from the bridge bar to the anchor point.
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The La Bella's for the Hellcat have small ball ends but are too short for a Fender VI I think due to the long Tremolo/tailpiece system. Same with the Eastwood Sidejack. They're also too short for VIs that string through the body. They didn't fit the Burns Barracuda I owned. i haven't tried them on my Lakland, which is string through and came with GHS CS Fender VI rounds, but imagine similar short comings. I have an unused set if anyone needs some.
How about swapping a set of my D'Addarios (small ballends) or a set of my Fender Bass VI strings (big ballends), both unused, against your Labella set?
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Sure Uwe. I'll swap for the Fender VI strings. I'm not a fan of the thinner gauge D'addario's.
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Okie dokie! Send me your true identity and postal address to uwe.hornung@cliffordchance.com and we're all set. I have an opened set of Fender VI as well, I'll chuck that in too, you at least seem to have use for it.
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On their way, Wilhelm!
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Your's too Uwe. Thanks.
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I have to stop drinking belgian beer while shopping on ebay...
My EB-6 project body arrived yesterday, and it was in the shape as described in the ad - but i forgot
to study the gibson timeline - this is a thin neck model, and i can´t see 6 strings crammed into
this 38mm nut. Guess i just have to complete this as an EB-0 and sell it. Or keep it.
So. Uwe (if you are still following this experiment) : was there a standard 43mm nut on all sg EB-6 basses?
How big is yours?
I guess I´ll have to find a pre ´67 , is that right?
I´ve checked all my books now, and looked through the fly pages , and it appears that from ´61 to ´67 the 43mm
nuts were standard (although the new neck heel came in ´66 ??) and from ´67 onwards it was 38mm?
Is the timeline that simple, pre ´67 - big and post ´67 small?
I compared my nuts (!) today, finding my ´63 EB0F to be 44mm (it´s an old refin, probably 43mm..) with chunky neck and my ´new´ project EB0 is 38mm with the ´66 to ´68 heel and a neck thinner than i could imagine they could make them..
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Well its doable, original Bass VI has a 38" nut I think. I know your fingers will feel very crowded up there thru.
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My MIJ VI reissue had 6 strings crammed into an A-width neck. And it was a very comfortable neck to play. Had the OEM strings on it, then replaced them with LaBella flatwound VI set (big improvement).
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Both my EB-Sixes are the 43 mm version. Still crowded. Those instruments were never made to be played with fingers, but for guitarists who should double their guitar parts one ocatve lower as was popular at the time in a lot of instrumental music for that "click". That Bert Kaempfert sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnU_nMYb0C4
Nobody envisioned people to turn into bass Jimi Hendrixes with these things, they were basically recording instruments. Then Jack Bruce came ...
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Nobody envisioned people to turn into bass Jimi Hendrixes with these things, they were basically recording instruments. Then Jack Bruce came ...
... and played finger style even with a 1.5 in. nut width.
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That, I'm sure, has to do with his "claw technique", where one finger rests on one one string and plays that most of the time.
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That, I'm sure, has to do with his "claw technique", where one finger rests on one one string and plays that most of the time.
I ´claw´all the time. Suits me perfect :)
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Your's too Uwe. Thanks.
Ich bestätige hiermit den Empfang, William! I was never even aware a set like that existed from Labella, very nice, danke.
Are mine safe, ja?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzw1_2b-I7A
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This is the set I liked. Small ball ends, perfect fit. And sounds like Leo meant it to sound.
http://www.juststrings.com/lab-767-6f.html?cmp=nextopia&kw=lab-767-6f
(http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/juststrings_2250_913738778)
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For some reason, La Bellas hardly ever make it to Germany, maybe because Warwick is for once not their distributor.
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Ich bestätige hiermit den Empfang, William! I was never even aware a set like that existed from Labella, very nice, danke.
Are mine safe, ja?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzw1_2b-I7A
Your'e welcome Uwe. Glad they worked out. Yours have arrived safely as well. They were waiting for me when I arrived home yesterday. Thank you.