Jack Bruce and his EB ONE

dexter · August 28, 2009, 06:42:17 AM

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

Dave W · August 28, 2009, 07:50:12 AM

I don't think the reissues came out until 1970, although I've seen some with claims of dates as early as 1967. They do come up on eBay, just not often. There's one up there now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380153016405&_rdc=1 . It won't be cheap, I won't be surprised if it brings $2000. And even if you get one at a reasonable price you might have to wait a long time to find a 50s pickup.

Jack calls his bass a "refitted EB-1." Not sure of the details, I believe it's a 50s EB.

gweimer · August 28, 2009, 07:50:40 AM

I believe it's one of Felix Pappalardi's old basses that Jack had reworked. You can find the occasional EB-1 on Ebay. They've been selling in the $2700-3400 range recently. You can also look for the Epi reissue. I've had a couple of those.

Saf · August 28, 2009, 07:59:35 AM

just sold my epi eb-1...

uwe · August 28, 2009, 08:16:37 AM

It's a fifties model with the Schaller monster bridge (some routing necessary to get it as low as Jack has it), original pickup and - I think - Schaller regular tuners. I don't know whether it was Pappalardi pre-owned, but I read that Jack got it when he was touring with Ringo Starr. He first tried to go back to his old EB-3 but found that to feel too insubtantial in his hands today. He then gave an EB-1 a try and when touring with Ringo liked the way it echoed Paul's Höfner look (never mind how the EB came first). He plays the EB on the whole RAH reunion footage, only sometimes changing for his Warwick Thumb (his mock-SG look signature model from Warwick is relegated to being in a stand throughout the concert, Jack didn't think it developed enough at this point to actually use it, he did not like the sound of the pups).

Rhythm N. Bliss · August 28, 2009, 08:45:54 AM

I might be willing to sell my '53 but it's so cherry I gotta get at least 10k for her.

uwe · August 28, 2009, 09:04:27 AM

And as regards the wooden construction, there is no dif between the 50ies originals and the late sixties/seventies reissues, except for the slightly wider headstock of the later models to accomodate the regukar tuners. The difference between the pup is however night and day. Rule of thumb: You can get the 50ies singlecoil to sound mudbucker akin by dialing down treble, but have fun getting that late sixties mega-mudbucker (same one as in the EB Slotheads of the time) to sound like a fifties single coil! Won't work.

gweimer · August 28, 2009, 09:07:02 AM

Mine was a lot like what Jack Bruce did.

eb2 · August 28, 2009, 12:16:26 PM

Having played many examples of both, and owned a 56, I prefer the 50s basses. The necks have an entirely different profile when compared to the ri basses, much chunkier and wider. The 50s single coil mudbucker is a better sounding and more versatile pup, that being my view at least. And the 50s basses had that massive chunk of nickel for the bridge, which is an altogether different animal to the miserable Evertilt.

I think what Jack Bruce did to his would only be condonable for a severely whupped and/or broken bass. The Schaller just isn't that desireable and needs mucho cobbing to go on, and the Schaller tuners while wonderful from the factory on a 70s Gibson are hideous and avoidable for a 50s bass. I (happily) dumped mine because someone stuck those tuners on it, and was pleased with the whopping $600 I got for it. I should have kept the pickguard or something. But for a celeb project, these would be fun. I hope more people get into them and maybe I can dump my other 460 bridges.

uwe · 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 ...

copacetic · August 29, 2009, 12:51:04 AM

My personal preference hands down is the 50's (original) version. I think it was 58 or 59 when the secound version plastic (godfather of mudbucker) pickup was introduced. I think the original pickup is the contender and I personally love them. You can definitly hear the unique characteristics on the RAH cd and on the recent Robin Trower cd (Bruce on bass). The 50's versions were also lighter by at least a pound and a half. I often wonder what exactly were the unique characteristics of the '53-'58 pickups because really Gibson got it right the very 1st time (not the secound or the third) next was the Les Paul Sig pups next the TB+.(o.k. I'm ready for the onslaught) Now that I said it there it lies. Back to the next EB-1 in '69...not right at all in all aspects from where I stand. To add insul to injury they all weighed in at 10+ lbs with a mudbucker! In the last 2-3 years I have not seen a decent playing/condition 50's Gibson Electric bass (violin shape with banjo tuners) and either the 1st or 2nd version pups for less than $6,500.
2 interesting points also: all the original 50's versions I've played (about 20 of them and owned 2 of them) were never neck heavy. The other point: All Hofner violin shaped basses are essentially Ho's!/cheap knockoffs!(but great in their own way nonetheless)

ilan · August 29, 2009, 07:21:30 AM

Quote from: copacetic on August 29, 2009, 12:51:04 AM
All Hofner violin shaped basses are essentially Ho's!/cheap knockoffs!

Which is why it's funny that the Epi version is shaped like a Hofner and not like a Gibson EB1. So the Epi is a copy of a knockoff.

godofthunder · August 29, 2009, 08:58:44 AM

Quote from: dexter on August 28, 2009, 06:42:17 AM
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

That would be a realativley easy bass to build. You might be better off trying to find a local Luthier to build one.

Dave W · August 29, 2009, 10:14:10 AM

Quote from: copacetic on August 29, 2009, 12:51:04 AM
My personal preference hands down is the 50's (original) version. I think it was 58 or 59 when the secound version plastic (godfather of mudbucker) pickup was introduced. I think the original pickup is the contender and I personally love them. You can definitly hear the unique characteristics on the RAH cd and on the recent Robin Trower cd (Bruce on bass). The 50's versions were also lighter by at least a pound and a half. I often wonder what exactly were the unique characteristics of the '53-'58 pickups because really Gibson got it right the very 1st time (not the secound or the third) next was the Les Paul Sig pups next the TB+.(o.k. I'm ready for the onslaught) Now that I said it there it lies. Back to the next EB-1 in '69...not right at all in all aspects from where I stand. To add insul to injury they all weighed in at 10+ lbs with a mudbucker! In the last 2-3 years I have not seen a decent playing/condition 50's Gibson Electric bass (violin shape with banjo tuners) and either the 1st or 2nd version pups for less than $6,500.
2 interesting points also: all the original 50's versions I've played (about 20 of them and owned 2 of them) were never neck heavy. The other point: All Hofner violin shaped basses are essentially Ho's!/cheap knockoffs!(but great in their own way nonetheless)

The original 53-58 single coil version is the same sidewinder design, same size, same 25,000 turns of AWG42 wire. But the difference is more than just 25,000 turns on one coil as opposed to 12,500 each on two. The original has the polepiece screws at one end directing the field all the way through the coil to a big magnet at the other end. The mudbucker has the polepiece screws in the middle directing the field through two shorter coils with a smaller magnet at each end.

I've played very few originals, but my impression is that they have more high end than the mudbuckers. Of course that's relatively speaking, neither has much going on the upper octaves.

I've played several of the reissues, though it's been almost 10 years. I don't remember any of them being unusually heavy.

eb2 · August 30, 2009, 11:52:45 PM

Speaking of the weight thing, that reminds me of the old thread we had on these things ages ago - the mahogany Gibson used for them in the 50s was different. Very different, from my perspective. I advocate the old knock test if you have one - like say Uwe - next to a later EB0. The 50s bass will have a sharper fuller tone when you knock on it with your knuckle. I recall there was a general idea that Gibson was using a nice grade of Cuban mahogany, that by its nature is different. But overall it was also older and seasoned in a way they can't duplicate unless they start ripping down old dining room tables or something.