The Last Bass Outpost

Terr  ,    you are crazy to sell this bass man !    , I don't know what your collection of basses and guitars is like , but that Gibson EB One in such great condition , given the rareness of basses like it ,     this would be one of the last i'd let go , ... especially if your gonna let it it go at a loss    .....    sell your others first!.
Having said all that , i can see the reason to sell it if your backs really up against the wall, because if i was the owner , it would not be  a playing bass , i would be too scared to take something like this to a gig .    imo  , its a collectors piece , , not a players bass.
thats just my point of view , its your bass and you'll do what you want with it , ....... good luck with the outcome... whatever it is !

..... i would love to own it !,  cant afford  !  , and could never see myself playing such a beautiful bass on a gig !

congrats to the lucky bastard who can afford it,   

dexter

UWE, Thanks for that detailed description between the EB ONE and ad early EB3, this is very helpful ,and should give me an idea what to expect when i finally pick one up.
I can't say that ive actually ever seen one of these basses for sale ''down under''    .... might be waiting some time ....
i just know i love the look, vibe ,and sound of this bass , especially a couple of tracks , with Felix P. ,..... ''Long Red ''    '' Nantucket Slieghride''   , great sound!

thanks again Uwe,

dexter

thanks for the info  UWE       I fIgured 50'S eb ONE wieghed a significant amount more,.....it looks bigger for a start , and if its as thick as some of those 70s EB 3 Basses,it would be noticable.
hhhhhmmmm , i might have to get used to that wieght factor , as i definately want one ,     but the lightness factor of those early Gibsons is a real attraction for me .
i know for sure tho, i could definatley not go back to playing a 9 pound,  full-scale Fender jazz bass .... ,


TERR,  as for having a bass built , i suppose i could have one made ,  but i would much prefer to have the REAL DEAL, although the prospect of owning one of only 500 or so made is daunting.
of course if someone could pull it off , to play ,and sound like an original 50's , 'd be lining up with everyone else with my money.!


dexter

Quote from: uwe on September 16, 2009, 04:43:38 AM
"UWE,   Do you know the respective wieghts of each bass
?....

how would they compare to an early , 61 -63 ish Gibson EB3 , heavier or lighter ?

i just realized i don't know the wieght of the basses i play!

Because the EB ONE  has such a thicker body , and looks bigger ,  i'm just assuming it would be heavier ,

i could be completeley wrong , !
would you mind doing a little checking ?"

It's definitely heavier, not hugely though but noticeably so. That is in fact why Bruce switched to it for the reunion, he thought an EB-3 "felt like a toy" after years of playing Warwicks who are neither light nor small basses. In fact, Bruce's preferred Warwick bass, his signature Thumb, has a very thick and compact body too, maybe that is why the EB-1 felt like home to him. In any case, the EB-1 is the much more substantial instrument feelwise.

IMO , way too much money for this badly abused specimen ,  especially considering it does not even have the original 50' s pick up.

if it did though, i would have seriously considered it .....

dexter   


http://cgi.ebay.com/1956-GIBSON-EB-1-ELECTRIC-BASS-W-OHSC-FELIX-EB1-VIOLIN_W0QQitemZ190333717999QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2c50c60def&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

UWE,   Do you know the respective wieghts of each bass
?....

how would they compare to an early , 61 -63 ish Gibson EB3 , heavier or lighter ?

i just realized i don't know the wieght of the basses i play!

Because the EB ONE  has such a thicker body , and looks bigger ,  i'm just assuming it would be heavier ,

i could be completeley wrong , !
would you mind doing a little checking ?
thanks
much appreciated
dexter 

Quote from: uwe on August 31, 2009, 05:18:39 AM
Mine isn't as Terr-ific (hey, it was "only" 5,000 bucks at the time!), but Herr Pappalardi had it refinned in a nice cherry, allegedly it's a 53 (but sans serial number which never existed or was sanded off over time you can't tell for sure):




That pic was before the Schaller mount. Pappalardi wasn't obsessive about keeping it original either: The tone knob is notched and works different in the first half of the turn than in the second. In the first half it cuts the mids and emulates a mudbuckish sound with the singlecoil (though sans the mudbucker's archaic might), bit like the filter on EB-2s, in the second half it cuts what treble there is. I heard from the seller (Mark Discordia, a Pappalardi- and Nintendo/Super Mario-nut, with a Mountain website at the time) that that was a speciality of Pappalardi on all his EB-1s. Mark (who had an uncle work at Gibson in the fifties and had some background knowledge from there too) at one point must have bought three or four EB basses from the Pappalardi estate (after the "gun accident"): a 69 RI, a 55 (Pappalardi's main playing bass which he also had in Woodstock with him, and which now graces the Toronto Hardrock Café, I've seen it there behind glass, you have to pass it when you go to the loo, Mark sold it for 20,000 US bucks to them he said) and the cherry refin 1953 (?) that is now mine. There might have been another one, I'm not sure.

Here's my Pappasomething and 69 RI side by side.




And to confuse everyone a bit: My 69 is much lighter than my 53, the wood on it sounds a lot more porous when doing the recommended "knock test". In comparison, the 53 sounds thick and dense, almost as if it were a chunk of maple (it isn't).

 Your right Terr ,
i been busy wiping away the drool and slobber off the keys , last few days ! 
Man ! they are some beautiful basses you guys have got, i'm so envious 
Terr, yours really is something special, i doubt if you could find another bass of this vintage in such good condition ,  more of a keeper than a player really ,
whilst your Pappalardi is absolutely gorgeous UWE
....I just love the cherry finish on it , looks real cool.
  ... well , you guys have just got me on the look out for one these , ......one day i'll get my hands on one ! 

dexter

Quote from: Rhythm N. Bliss on September 06, 2009, 02:55:20 AM
Surprised Dex didn't respond to our photos.
Maybe he drooled all over his keyboard & it doesn't work now. haha
[/quote

Great !  ,  another Gibson EB 3 admirer, ... 

how's about seeing some nice pictures of you bass ?  ... if you don't mind   

dexter

Quote from: dc10bass on September 04, 2009, 07:31:02 PM
Group.

I have a 1962 EB-3 that I would like to use the closest set of strings like the one's Jack used.

Those who play EB basses, what is your opinion on strings for getting closest to that Cream sound?

Thank you for your input!

while i can not dispute anything about what has been written about amps etc ,above ,   you have to ask what recorded tone are you referring to. If are trying to get the sound of those old Cream records from the 60's  your best bet would be to find some strings that were like standard Gibson  bass strings   ( Flatwounds ), thats probably what he used back then .
Look here to see what strings he uses  NOW ...SIT Medium Gauge Roundwound  ( http://www.jackbruce.com/2008/Gear/gear.htm ) I doubt if he would use them on his EB3 ,.... i don't think he uses theses basses any more . Just that old red bass from the fifties,    plus those Warwick basses.
on my two EB basses , i have currently Daddario half round, soft,short scale 45-100 ,these i find sound great not too bright , feel
much   like flatwounds ,and tension is great too.
i have tried others but like these currently ,   the  T Infelds felt very good too , but were much duller .

whether they sound like Jack Bruce or not , this is what suits my basses at the moment.
dexter

UWE  ,am i right in assuming then , . . .  that it seems that only you , (and Terry ) on this board are the lucky owners of one of these basses ...!!          man !  ,  and a Pappalardi owned one to boot !   ........ do you gig with it Uwe ?   i wanna see yours big time UWE....pictures please  !

any other guys got at least 70's models ?

you gotta post some pictures please , so us other wanna be / wanna haves , can drool and fantasize ! ...please !
it seems like a few guys here used to own them ,  why did you get rid of em 
...actually i can see why , when all those nice shiney sprarkling basses with the fancy pups and switches were coming out in the 80's , those old things would have seemed like some prehistoric monsters ,
different story now ,  seems RETRO is back in a big way .....
well ,it is for me anyway ! 

dexter

Quote from: uwe on August 28, 2009, 12:52:31 PM
I am guilty of mounting the Schaller - ugly as it is - in tribute to JB even though the orignal bar bridge intonated alright. Of course now - Vorsprung durch Technik! - intonation ist perfekt and, mind you, this little bass has fine upper register access ...  To my defense: My fifties model was refinned to (a wonderful) cherry by allegedly Herr Pappalardi himself (he didn't do it, but asked Gibson) so I thought, what the hell, why not some JB influence as well? Unforgiveable, I know.

And yes, the neck of the fifties version is chunkier, I never noticed that consciously, but now that I gripped both necks in short sequence ...   

 HI Guys does anyone have much info on Jack Bruce's EB One Bass . i have seen  various pictures ,such as this , and it looks to me like its a modified 50's bass .  original pickup, different machine heads , refinished. can  anyone shed more light on it ? .
Also , anyone can tell me if there  is any u-tube vids where you can see /hear him on this bass ? ,  thanks
i wanna get me one , but it looks like if going after a 50's its gonna be big bucks , even broken , repaired and beat up ones , are expensive .
Or  , i could  get a 60's re-issue and mod it like Jacks , and put an original 50's p/u in it . It seems that the p/u's are the real only difference between the two.  and i believe that sound factor is a MAJOR  difference  The trouble is finding one ,  i've never seen one come up on ebay ,
.... any one out there got one they might consider selling?  , .... i 'll pay good money for one , so if you do have one you'd consider selling  , drop me a priv. msge




thanks ,  dexter

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

Quote from: Freuds_Cat on August 24, 2009, 04:54:03 PM
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.  

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

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 
but i know the feeling of those early gibson basses is a hard feeling to beat !

dexter

Quote from: OldManC on August 24, 2009, 10:13:24 AM
Beautiful basses, both of them! Congratulations on getting the bass of your dreams. It's a great feeling, isn't it?

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 !  

dexter

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