Gibson EB-0 Lo Z Christmas project

[Granny Gremlin]

It would be an advantage if you live in a high RFI area.  In my old studio (as well as in my old apartment), guitars/basses and their cables made excellent antennas, usually picking up the local jazz station, but once I got some ACDC from the Classic Rock station (had fun with that via the pedalboard).  

[BlendedCat]

At last, my first Lo Z project. Mentioned before in Lo Z threads, this is a straight one pickup EB-0 project, and
the ´core´is a nice 1967 body bought naked on ebay recently. It is really a combined project, it all started when I bought
a set of Lo Z pups (4) listed as ´gibson bass recording pickups not working´. It turned out to be guitar (les paul) pickups, but two of them were in perfect working order! The ´strongest´of them read 15dc ohms, but had a broken ear. The other working unit had some epoxy smear underneath. The other two looked perfect, but had open coils. Researched a bit, and found them all to be ex-gibson employee stuff- but the previous owner thought they were all broken and sold them cheap.
It will be fun to install NOS pickups, I´ll be the first to wear the black plastic..

After getting really comfy with EB0/3 basses from the 60´s, I noticed some difficulties playing my Fender P fretless.
This would be a good excuse to buy yet another project, but space is becoming a problem. So i will combine the two projects, I can always refret if I don´t like my LoZ fretless.

Well, the body arrived, and it was not as good looking as it seemed to be on ebay, but it was cheap. On the other hand, unbroken headstock and solid neck/body joint. It was sanded down at some point and clearcoated, seems to be floor laquer painted on with a too big brush. Same with the fretboard, it had a thick smear of laquer, painted over a well used and incredibly dirty piece of rosewood! The frets almost fell of the instrument.

I top mounted the pup on my ´67 EB-3, and spent an evening looking for the sweet spot. My sweet spot, that is,
and it ended up somewhere between the neck pup and the handrest.

So I needed to fill the mudbucker/neck wire routing, and all screwholes. I´m going for my first polaris white gibson, and
for the first time I´m going to follow all necessary steps to get a decent finish..

Here it is:

]

Too Cool!! Great minds think alike. I loved the Triumph Recording bass but it was just too heavy for me so I decided to build one on a completely ruined EBO Slot head body I picked up on ebay.  Here is the result.

[BlendedCat]

Sorry that the pics didnt post.  Here are a couple.  Please post your finished bass, I would love to see how it turns out.

[amptech]

No posting on this project for a while, but it´s on.
I´m painting it white as we speak; but the headstock took me over two weeks alone, really set back the whole project!
Although the head was seemingly just stripped and laquered, sanding it  down and painting it black just wasn´t that easy.
I went through 4 different paints, they all coocked. The fifth stuck, though. (the strongest castle ) So now all steps of prepping is done ( washcoat, filler, sanding sealer and black + clearcoats on the head ) and I paint the neck and body separately. I lacquered/clearcoated the fingerboard ends first, then masked them and did the priming/colouring of the neck. Later today I´m clearcoating the whole neck, then I´ll leave it for about three weeks before masking it and do the body.

I´ll post a pick of the neck when dry. 

By the way, really neat white EB-3 up there!

[amptech]

Sorry that the pics didnt post.  Here are a couple.  Please post your finished bass, I would love to see how it turns out.

Ermm.. What´s with the neck? Neck extension??

[Basvarken]

I like the concept. But the pickguard design needs some fine tuning.

[dadagoboi]

I like the concept. But the pickguard design needs some fine tuning.

I like that a lot Blended! Maybe tighten the pickguard around the bridge and pickup...here's a bad example.

[Granny Gremlin]

I love it, Blended.  LoZ stuff always look so damn good in white.

[BlendedCat]

Those Cataldo basses are sweet.   I love the G8R in Seafoam Green but this EBO takes the first prize,  That is probably the Thunderbucker they mention on the website in the neck position but I wonder what they are using for the bridge pick up?

I am going to change out the control panel.  I openly admit that design is not my strong point so I may post a few ideas for comment before I get the router out.

Amptech.  I am looking forward to the next round of Pics. Is it going to be a set neck?

[amptech]

Amptech.  I am looking forward to the next round of Pics. Is it going to be a set neck?

This is a normal 1967 set neck EB-0, I´m an electronics guy and by no means a luthier of any kind - this is just for pleasure!
The only woodwork I have done is the mahogany fillings and routing. The idea was to get myself a short scale EB bass (I just happened to have a Lo Z pup and the ´design´came by itself) as well as doing some training on finishing.

This is also the reason why it takes some time, Im lacking experience - but learning. Thought olympic white would be a good start, but every little piece of dust is soooo visible.  Right now I´m clear coating, after rubbing off yesterdays hair and dust.....

[amptech]

Ok, here´s the results of today´s clearcoating. Seems that the fifth layer was dust free and even. I´ll let it dry for three weeks now before masking it and do the body. then another three weeks before rubbing out and polishing.
The pics are not very exiting, but here it goes:

Did not manage to get that fretboard masking 100%straight, but good enough for a bass player

[BlendedCat]

That looks great.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I am not sure based upon the light, but are you finishing it in White or a more vintage white to mimic the fading that happens though the years?

[dadagoboi]

Those Cataldo basses are sweet.   I love the G8R in Seafoam Green but this EBO takes the first prize,  That is probably the Thunderbucker they mention on the website in the neck position but I wonder what they are using for the bridge pick up?

I am going to change out the control panel.  I openly admit that design is not my strong point so I may post a few ideas for comment before I get the router out.

Amptech.  I am looking forward to the next round of Pics. Is it going to be a set neck?

Thanks for the compliments! I'm Cataldo, that's my personal EBO I've owned since '65 or so.  That's the stock neck mudbucker, bridge pickup is from a '68 Tele bass installed in '74.

This is a normal 1967 set neck EB-0, I´m an electronics guy and by no means a luthier of any kind - this is just for pleasure!
The only woodwork I have done is the mahogany fillings and routing. The idea was to get myself a short scale EB bass (I just happened to have a Lo Z pup and the ´design´came by itself) as well as doing some training on finishing.

This is also the reason why it takes some time, Im lacking experience - but learning. Thought olympic white would be a good start, but every little piece of dust is soooo visible.  Right now I´m clear coating, after rubbing off yesterdays hair and dust.....

White IS the easiest color, try black if you really want to have fun.  Regarding the dust in clear, don't sweat it too much unless you can see color in it.  When you wet sand it they'll go away.  Hair is only slightly more a problem.   Looking Good!

[BlendedCat]

Well, there is still a regular ac signal we´re dealing with , and I´m going to have a very simple cct applied here.
There will be volume and tone, and a Lo to Hi Z transformer. It will be like the triumph bass, without all the controls. (The Triumph has both   hi and lo Z balanced / switched, hasn't it?)

FWIW the output jacks on all of my Triumph basses are unbalanced.  I would have to check to be certain but I think this is also true of the recording guitar I have.  They are 1/4 mono Jacks.  I have several complete Triumph harnesses around here.  If you would like any measurements or detail you have only to ask.  What Pot values do you intend using for the volume and tone respectively?  Will the transformer be post or pre tone stack?
'

Thanks for the compliments! I'm Cataldo, that's my personal EBO I've owned since '65 or so.  That's the stock neck mudbucker, bridge pickup is from a '68 Tele bass installed in '74.

Beautiful instruments dadagoboi.  If you're willing to be flexible about pickups I would like to talk to you about a 5 string come springtime.

(Granny, sometime would your PM me your exact set up for that Jamerson tone.  Unfortunately you would have to splain it to me  like I was a six year old. You guys are light years ahead of me in knowledge and experience.  I understand D.I. in theory but I have no experience with it)

[amptech]

That looks great.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I am not sure based upon the light, but are you finishing it in White or a more vintage white to mimic the fading that happens though the years?

That is the light, halogen spots and a 2004 digital camera

It is a straight polaris white with clear coats. No yellow added to the clear laquer either, it does look more yellow and dark on those photos.
I think I have to borrow a good cam to shoot the axe when done. Or, if the finish turns out shitty I´ll use the old camera and shoot it in dim lightening.  Shot in the dark!