Modded 1970 EB-1 on the Bay.

[Alanko]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970-Gibson-Violin-Bass-EB-1/202292983325?hash=item2f1999f61d:g:LPEAAOSwOJJauWVZ

There is a 1970 EB-1 with an added humbucker and control on UK Ebay at the moment. I'm not in the market and I'm not the seller. This might be of interest to people out there?

Google reckons the seller is after $2,094.14 if you convert straight across. Is this a bit steep for a 'reissue' EB-1 with non-reversible modifications? Or is this simply the 'Reverb' effect, and any old instrument is now worth $$$?

Interesting mods to this one. The execution of the control cavity extension, and the backplate, is quite tasteful! The matching speedknobs is a nice touch as well. Makes me wonder if somebody like John Birch or Dick Knight carried out the work? Not a lot of guys in the UK in the '70s doing anything like decent quality work, and this is above the 'kitchen table' quality of work that sometimes surfaces over here. In fact the recessed back plate is better than some of Birch's work as, from memory, he/they weren't up to recessing back plates back then. It looks like the cavity was extended using Forstner bits in a drill press, which is John Birch-style work.

Anyway, the mod might be ~30 years old, but I would be surprised if that anonymous black humbucker was the modder's first choice of pickup. The large chrome surround is about the same size as the neck mudbucker, so I'm wondering if the modder originally went for a double mud setup?

[Pilgrim]

Is that really the way the E-string was meant to be strung over the saddle???  Looks like it's just hooked over the side of the saddle.

[the mojo hobo]

It looks like that saddle is broken.

[Pilgrim]

You're right. It's not as wide as the others. That would explain it.  The seller neglected to mention that, although it's easy to spot.

[4stringer77]

Wether or not the mods were done well, I'd be surprised if the seller gets what they're asking. Even nice unmodded examples have been selling for less.

[Dave W]

I wouldn't pay that much for it because of the added pickup, but you never know. Asking prices are all over the place. Only one recently sold on eBay went for $4199. There's one now on eBay for $1650 but it has the serial number removed.  Five Reverb sales between 2015 and 2017 went for $1995 to $2450.

Yeah, broken saddle. Tuned to pitch, the string ought to stay centered on the saddle anyway, even without a groove.