MelP Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I've got a Epi EB-0 and I love playing it due to the short scale but it is neck heavy. I'm not keen on the sound particularly. I'm looking to go for a new better bass but it must be short scale and must look good in a rock band, like the EB-0 does! Could go for Gibson EB-0 but some of these posts have put me off! Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin7 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [quote name='MelP' timestamp='1330605789' post='1560157'] I've got a Epi EB-0 and I love playing it due to the short scale but it is neck heavy. I'm not keen on the sound particularly. I'm looking to go for a new better bass but it must be short scale and must look good in a rock band, like the EB-0 does! Could go for Gibson EB-0 but some of these posts have put me off! Any suggestions? [/quote] If you want to stick with Epiphone and not pay the enormous amount of money Gibsons usually cost, you could try the Epiphone Allen Woody RumbleKat. It's short scale and--from what I've gathered--is a good bass at a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelP Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks for that tip - looks good. I don't particularly want to stay with Epiphone and I'm happy to pay something like £500 for the right one. Do Fender or Ibanez make any short scale basses? Just seen this on ebay, 15 miles from where I live - 1964 Gibson EB-0 with an extra pick up added. Would this be a good thing to bid for? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200719981800?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_500wt_1390"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200719981800?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_500wt_1390[/url] Thanks. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonCello Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I toyed a short while ago with getting a '63 EBO (my birth year) on the basis a P bass of the same vintage would set me back at least 5 grand while the EBO was £1,100? In the end I decided against it as I've heard EBO's can sound a bit 'woolly'. My latest GAS (courtesy of BGM) was a Krist Novoselic RD. I have however, got over that (and got another Fender)! Incidentally, I did play and Allen Woody and was mightily impressed with it, build quality, lovely wine colour, gold harware. A great shortie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [quote name='MelP' timestamp='1330607254' post='1560216'] Just seen this on ebay, 15 miles from where I live - 1964 Gibson EB-0 with an extra pick up added. Would this be a good thing to bid for? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200719981800?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_500wt_1390"]http://www.ebay.co.u...8#ht_500wt_1390[/url] [/quote] I'd want to see a photo of the back of the neck/headstock to check for any breaks and how good the repair (if there has been one) is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelP Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I'm going to look at it tomorrow so I'll take a look. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I've enjoyed most Gibson basses I've had the pleasure of playing. They have some unique characteristics, in almost all cases - some would call them flaws; some would call them features. In any case, they have certainly attempted to do things with their instruments that Fender, the masters of copy and paste, have not considered at any great length. Doesn't always mean they've worked, mind My main complaint at the minute is the (seemingly) extortionate prices on the new models. You can pick up a vintage RD Artist for cheaper than the new Novoselic model, and I don't think you need me to suggest which might be the more attractive purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin7 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) [quote name='MelP' timestamp='1330607254' post='1560216'] Thanks for that tip - looks good. I don't particularly want to stay with Epiphone and I'm happy to pay something like £500 for the right one. Do Fender or Ibanez make any short scale basses? Just seen this on ebay, 15 miles from where I live - 1964 Gibson EB-0 with an extra pick up added. Would this be a good thing to bid for? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200719981800?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_500wt_1390"]http://www.ebay.co.u...8#ht_500wt_1390[/url] Thanks. Paul. [/quote] Besides vintage EB-O and EB-3 basses which are short scale, Gibson also has the EB-2 and EB-1 which I think are both short scale but extremely expensive collector's items. I know of no famous bassist on earth who plays an EB-1 except Jack Bruce. Even that is on a limited basis. For newer Gibsons that are short scale, there are the SG and the Les Paul Junior DC (which is only a limited run.) There was also a limited run Thunderbird short scale which would be hard to find now. Out of all those choices, to me the most sensible choice for a band would be the SG. But that's just my opinion. Fender has the short scale Mustang. Ibanez has some short scales, but they mostly seem to be entry level basses. Edited March 1, 2012 by Austin7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSix Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 This may be useful: [url="http://shortscalebass.blogspot.com/"]http://shortscalebass.blogspot.com/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [quote name='MelP' timestamp='1330607254' post='1560216'] Thanks for that tip - looks good. I don't particularly want to stay with Epiphone and I'm happy to pay something like £500 for the right one. Do Fender or Ibanez make any short scale basses? Just seen this on ebay, 15 miles from where I live - 1964 Gibson EB-0 with an extra pick up added. Would this be a good thing to bid for? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200719981800?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_500wt_1390"]http://www.ebay.co.u...8#ht_500wt_1390[/url] Thanks. Paul. [/quote] Recently on eBay there's been an Orville (ie Gibson Japan) EB3, sold for about £400 incl shipping from Spain, and a Greco EB3 with a Dimarzio Model One in the neck position, sold for £213. Both seemed like good prices to me, so the stuff is out there. Search for "(EB3, EB0, SG) bass" on eBay and see what comes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilLordJuju Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote name='Austin7' timestamp='1330638459' post='1560962'] I know of no famous bassist on earth who plays an EB-1 except Jack Bruce[/quote] You know, the Hofner violin bass was (sort of) a copy of the first Gibson bass, the EB. John Lennon wanted Paul McCartney to buy the Gibson. But Paul bought the Hofner. How this thread would have been different had macca bought a Gibson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin7 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) ^ It would be my guess Paul chose the Hofner because it was cheaper, although I suppose other factors could have been involved. It's my understanding, though, that Hofners were pretty cheap at that time. Also, since he was in Germany anyway, that's were they could be bought the cheapest. Edited March 2, 2012 by Austin7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Bass 65 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='la bam' timestamp='1325207992' post='1481069'] Ive heard stories of them being neck heavy, EB3s even more so - even the epiphone versions are sub £150 brand new nowadays. Ive never known why, seem a bargain to me. I fancied a new epiphone EB3 but having had a neck heavy telecaster bass once it put me off. Shame though, cool looking basses. [/quote] Out of nostalgia I bought and EPI EB3, just about everything about it was bad, neck dive bridge working its way out of the body, the controls were to most extent ineffectual and the finish was poor. Although early makers of Bass guitars they were mainly jumping on the 'Beat Boom' bandwagon with the SG shape series nobody cared about short scale length way back as 99% of playing took place much lower down the neck, a belated attempt to reduce the muddynes was made when they moved the neck pickup away from the end on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Bass 65 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='Austin7' timestamp='1330722061' post='1562323'] ^ It would be my guess Paul chose the Hofner because it was cheaper, although I suppose other factors could have been involved. It's my understanding, though, that Hofners were pretty cheap at that time. Also, since he was in Germany anyway, that's were they could be bought the cheapest. [/quote] Hofners were generaly cheap starter guitars/basses the Violin bass was around £35 GBP around 55$ USD at the beginning of the 60s, in those days the problem was low wattage handling speakers, the best that you could get in the UK was the Goodmans Audiom 90 18" 50 watts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stag Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I played an Epi EB3 and really disliked it. Incredibly heavy with a nondescript sound, shame really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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