Recently heard a jazz band in a small club and the bassist was playing a Gibson EB-4l. His tone really caught my attention and he seemed to use that 3 way tone slider quite a bit. His amp was a mini Ampeg stack(!!) which really caught me off guard. So this bass has temepred my interest. I recall picking up one of these years and years ago but forget most things about it, especially already having a nice EB-0. Soo looking at the pickup and it's placement intrigued me and the fact that it is long scale presents some interesting variations. Is it neck heavy? How about approximate weights on these, neing mahogany ( and '70's where weight did not seem to be an issue). Is that slider switch just a variation of the chisckenhead 4 way selector switches on the EB 3's? Any reviews or comments are welcome. I did check out Jules' site for basic specs, but would rather hear from some frontline Gison owners here. Thanks.
I owned an EB-4L for around 8 years and during a large part of that timeframe it was my go-to classic rock cover band bass. I found that only one of the slider switch settings sounded any good, so I left it on that all the time. The pickup is nothing like a mudbucker, in many ways the EB-4L is Gibson's take on a P bass. It wasn't a light bass by any means, but it balanced well, and the neck was sublime. It even made my hair grow ....
(http://deayton.com/guitars/gibby1.jpg)
(http://deayton.com/guitars/eb4l.jpg)
This one has been on ebay for about 25 years:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-GIBSON-EB-4L-BASS-made-in-USA-LONG-SCALE-/121635789310?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c520ed9fe
but does not have the original pickup...
When I first got mine, I couldn't wait to pull the stock pickup out of it. Sounded thin, flat, boring. Hated it. I stuck a vintage Mudbucker in there and never looked back, although I've recently thought about trying one of the modern TB+ pickups with the Mudbucker look (the ones Gibson was using in the SG bass). I also recall that only one of the three positions on the switch was even remotely usable. Other than that, I do like it, but the neck is a bit wide & chunky for my taste. I prefer the slim neck of the Thunderbird. Also, mine does neck dive quite a bit, but it's a maple neck, so probably substantially heavier than the mahogany version. I think the EB-4 is worth owning if you find a good deal on one, but a lot of the times when I see them up for sale, the asking price is crazy high.
A number of years back, I had two EB-0's. I ended up trading one of them towards an EB-4L, just because I didn't have one & it was different than anything else I had. The pickup doesn't look anything like a mudbucker. I believe it was designed by Bill Lawrence.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB-4LPickup.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB-4LPickup.jpg.html)
It completed the EB-0,1,2,3&4 series.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/EB-01234-1.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/EB-01234-1.jpg.html)
The VG did an article on one a while back, mine ended up being the same bass.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1972GibsonEB-4L_zps07a6d20f.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1972GibsonEB-4L_zps07a6d20f.jpg.html)
http://www.vintageguitar.com/3406/gibson-eb-4l/
I ended up changing the knobs to the correct witch hat variation. Everything else is the same...........
It's a nuanced pup with lot of detail and comparatively little "own sound". In sound a bit like what is in a Les Paul Signature Bass (though not as snappy) or a Triumph/Recording (though not as technically elaborate). Horses for courses, anybody looking for TB Plus bark, Grabber pup raunch or mudbucker ooomph will be severely disappointed.
The neck! its a great fit for me, it makes everything else seem clumsy.
My GC had two of the dang things recently. Now one left. I had the pup but sold it a while back. Fun design.
I mentioned earlier that I had traded an EB-0 towards my EB-4L. I just found a photo. It had a real odd pattern to the mahogany body. A friend of mine has a similar EB-0 with curly mahogany. Odd??
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1966%20EBO_zpsy6uvzunk.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1966%20EBO_zpsy6uvzunk.jpg.html)
That's really unusual for mahogany. Part of a large burl? Hard to tell.
I can't help much as far as the pickup goes, but I can attest to the great feel of the neck and overall feel of these basses. I love them (as well as the EB-3L).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/gcarlston/Basses/2011_04060006.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/gcarlston/media/Basses/2011_04060006.jpg.html)
I have a EB4L. I could not stand the original pickup, when you bend a note the note disappears! Totally useless for me. I tricked mine out with EB3 pickups, V V T I love it wired like this.