Strange EB0

[mc2NY]

The sunburst doesn't look like any Gibson sunburst of that era.

Yeah, I thought that burst style looked like a later paintjob too.

But maybe the owner sent it to Fender

Would love to see te pot dates and a serial number. Would be funny if it turns out to be an old banjo tuner EBO that had a broken headstock and routed for a PJ and a Kahler...and someone put on the new tuners and plugged/capped it in maple and sprayed the burst to hide all the extra holes

THAT's why it's so pricey. All that custom work.

[Dave W]

I don't rule out that this might have been a one-off from a later time. LP Junior one-offs popped up again ans again - that shape has its fans. The maple top and back is weird though, but perhaps if you asked for it nicely enough ...

It's possible, of course, but highly unlikely that they would do one with thin top and back laminates -- they just didn't do that with Juniors and Specials -- and even more unlikely that they would deliberately use the narrow headstock meant for banjo tuners. Besides, the sunburst looks like a Fender three-color burst.

The body core and neck are probably the only original parts of this bass.

[Dave W]

...

Would love to see te pot dates and a serial number. Would be funny if it turns out to be an old banjo tuner EBO that had a broken headstock and routed for a PJ and a Kahler...and someone put on the new tuners and plugged/capped it in maple and sprayed the burst to hide all the extra holes

THAT's why it's so pricey. All that custom work.

Don't laugh, that might be exactly what happened!

[drbassman]

I agree on the pup cover being wrong. Having owned a 61 dated LP Jr shaped EB-0 with the clover tuners from the factory I feel pretty comfortable that the headstock being narrow like this would indicate it came with banjo pegs.  

So, is this a factory re-fin/re-work from a short while later?  Maybe.  Some ancient Doc Bass?  Maybe.  Fun?  Sure!

I just can't believe it is genuine. The wear marks look phoney to me.

[clankenstein]

it looks like a dog chewed it.

[amptech]

I still think it's tempting to suggest Gibson might have done this sunburst as a custom job.
I've been comparing it to the EB-3 (1963 sunburst) from the flyguitars site (borrowed a pic.)
and the colours are very similar. Even that checkering is the same, with that large pattern.

Of course, it does not prove anything, BUT the EB-3 is also possibly converted from an EB-0, by who? Gibson?
It sure is a rather professional routing job, and given the obviously old refin, could anyone buy Gibson bass mini-humbuckers
and also the GA-90 1C coil if they wanted to convert their EB-0's? Does not sound likely to me.

Of course, these days you can buy any part you like at any time if you got the dollars, and to learn
som 'quick checkering jobs' and ageing stuff is done rather easily on the internet too..
Maybe some punk's got a gibson sunburst shop in the basement, ageing cheap epi's??

[Dave W]

I don't think that sunburst EB-3 on flyguitars is a legit factory finish. It's a real Gibson EB-0 that was converted, it's a refin and there's zero evidence that the refin was done by Gibson. Routing templates have been around for decades now, no evidence that was done by Gibson.

Back to the EB-0 at Chicago Music Exchange, I have no reason to think it's not a real Gibson, it's just heavily modded and refinned.

[amptech]

I don't think that sunburst EB-3 on flyguitars is a legit factory finish. It's a real Gibson EB-0 that was converted, it's a refin and there's zero evidence that the refin was done by Gibson. Routing templates have been around for decades now, no evidence that was done by Gibson.

I know, but I was hoping someone here (older than me) would agree that getting these parts (coil w. gibson nr, switch w/ 1-4 plate, pickup w/ chrome ring, pickguard etc) would be difficult in the mid sixties if you had no contact with the factory?
I mean, even the yellow wire tubing?

I don´t mean to ´EB-3 this thread´, but was it at all possible to buy original parts from Gibson back then?

[Dave W]

I know, but I was hoping someone here (older than me) would agree that getting these parts (coil w. gibson nr, switch w/ 1-4 plate, pickup w/ chrome ring, pickguard etc) would be difficult in the mid sixties if you had no contact with the factory?
I mean, even the yellow wire tubing?

I don´t mean to ´EB-3 this thread´, but was it at all possible to buy original parts from Gibson back then?

Very difficult. But this could easily have been done 20 or more years later and still look old.

[Basvarken]

Why are guys so sure it is sandwiched with maple top and back?

The pic of the damaged side doesn't convince me.
Looks more like it was sprayed/painted this way. The line between the dark side and the lighter part is not sharp enough for a different wood.




If it were maple wouldn't they have made it transparant to show the grain?

[Dave W]

I didn't say it was a maple top and back. It was probably mahogany, done to conceal modifications.

In this view, you can see the line of the top lamination, and the small amount of bare wood showing on the rear edge also looks like a lamination.

[eb2]

Stranger still, what if that EB-3 and this EB-0 were the work of the same character?  It could be.  Someone with a sense of Gibby adventure!

[Dave W]

Stranger still, what if that EB-3 and this EB-0 were the work of the same character?  It could be.  Someone with a sense of Gibby adventure!

A sense of Gibby adventure and a 70s Fender sunburst pallette. 

[Basvarken]

I didn't say it was a maple top and back. It was probably mahogany, done to conceal modifications.

In this view, you can see the line of the top lamination, and the small amount of bare wood showing on the rear edge also looks like a lamination.

Guess I'm too stupid, but I just don't see it Dave...

[amptech]

Guess I'm too stupid, but I just don't see it Dave...
[/quote]

Nor can I... That ´line´you see, is it not just the grain?