Grahambythesea

I could only find guitars on their site no basses!

With respect to the quality, I think you’re wrong. My recent EB5 purchase is a cracker, I can find nothing to fault it on in terms of quality and all recent reviews of the2013 & 2017 EBs are of the same opinion. The body designs may not be to everyone’s taste, that is after all entirely subjective but when it comes to finish and fittings they are very good. However their lack of consistency in producing a line is questionable. It must cost a fair bit to set up production of a guitar and then only to give it a 2 year run doesn’t make economic sense. The recent introduction of multitudinous colours of SGs also seems a bit pointless. If you buy an SG you probably want a cherry one or a walnut one. The root of the problem seems to be their bonkers acquisition strategies. They buy up a brand and fail to keep producing that which the brand is good at i.e.Tobias, they let Michael go and the brand all but disappears. I believe they did the same with Trace Elliot & Cakewalk to name a couple more. Add to this the unnecessary additives such as auto tuners which have to be a complete waste of time, who wants them, guitarists can usually tune a guitar, it’s fundamental! A change of ownership may be the making of them, if this can be achieved by the present company going under.! Hopefully a guitarist/ luthier could run the company and concentrate on what they are good at.

The blue one looks like a map of some exotic island set in a deep sea! Or is that my imagination running overboard. Nice though. The EUB looks remarkably similar to the basic Aria one.

I love the look of the body on these, but the headstock is so out of keeping. This bass inspired me to buy a Spector Spectorcore fretless with a similar pickup/piezo combination.

+1 for La Bella Low Tension Flats. The other advantage is that the gauges are similar to most round wounds so no filing out the nut if the guitar was designed for rounds.

Have you been drilling holes in them, or are they made of balsa wood?

Black is black! Glad you had some chrome on it .

When looking for a fretless 5 a little while ago, I read various reviews and then decided to take a chance on something that was from a reputable maker and had good reviews. I the. Found on line a bass at a very good price which I thought, if I have made a mistake , I can sell this on at at reasonable .price. I got a fretless Spector Spectorcore 5 string. Very well made in his own factory in Korea, comes with magnetic pickup and piezo, a bonus which I now really like. I find the string spaci g a little narrow but not a huge problem. Plus it's quite light, has an ebony board and has an wry nice looking maple cap to boot. May be a risk is worth taking?

The ESP seems a really sensible choice. I hadn't seen that model before. Really only usable amplified and probably no feed back problems. I use a Spectorcore with a Fishman bridge like that and it's fine. Acoustic sound without the drawbacks.

I suppose it had to be short scale, it's kind of weird to look like a 40's guitar when basses hadn't been invented (except the upright of course)! However it does look cool but I can't think when one would play it or for what style.

String spacing on the 5 is 19mm. Neck is really comfortable has slightly flat feel.

My advice would be don't waste your money. Acoustic bass guitars and pretty poor and only useable plugged in. The fifth string in particular is often inaudible. I had a Washburn with an enormous jumbo body and it was still useless. Sounded quite nice plugged in but then so do solid body guitars fitted with a piezo bridge like the Fishman and there is no chance of feedback with them.

It was a long time ago, he bought it mid 60's 2nd hand so I thought it was late 50's like the one below for sale on Reverb for £11000! I bet he wished he kept it, I think he sold it for £75.

That surely is the Gibson thing! The EB2/335 is as curvy as it's possible to be with the classic square shape headstock, similarly the EB0/SG save for the pointed horns......... Then there is all the Jazz guitars and the flat top jumbos, I rest my case!

I may be wrong with my memory but I seem to recall my brothers 50's made Precision with a tort pick guard had a metal (aluminium?) backing. Was this the secret of good looking tort guards?

I know that many members think that Gibson can't build basses, and having in the past owned a '66 EB2 which played like a dog I might have agreed, but the EB described here as a "monstrosity " is very well built. Take a look at the top of the neck with its volute and the amazing Babiscz bridge. Who ever designed this put some thought into it. You may not like the body shape (which isn't so different from Fender's Dimension) but it works. The slightly extended upper rear bout tucks under the arm perfectly and I suspect contributes to the excellent balance countering possible neck dive as its so light. May be critics should try out an instrument before slagging it?

Don't Lakland already make this combination which used to be called the Duck Dunn signature model?

I have a feeling that the Taylor is going to be Marmite for a lot of folks!

I've recently bought the 5 string 2013 EB and I really like its looks and it plays superbly, is feather weight and balances really well.

I think you'll find that the bridge is the Babiscz replacement for the 3 point bridge so keeps the look of the original but gives the adjustability the same as on you new EB.