Gibson EB-3-L Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1975)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 8370
Prices subject to change without notice.
Gibson EB-3-L Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1975), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 396840, Walnut finish, mahogany body, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is an extremely well-preserved and good playing example of the mid-70s Gibson EB-3L bass -- the much rarer long-scale version of Gibson's classic EB series. This is an original 1975 model; the pots date to the last week of 1974. The model was gradually being replaced by newer basses at this point, and only 48 walnut finish examples shipped out in '75, the last year of more-than-single digit shipments.
Besides the long-scale neck, this bass has a number of features changed from '60s examples, but the same basic layout. The two humbucking pickups are controlled by a 4-way selector, giving a much wider range of tone than the much more common EB-0. The large "Mudbucker" is mounted in a center body position, which combined with the long 34" scale neck gives a somewhat clearer response then the original '60s placement at the base of the fingerboard. The bridge is the fully adjustable 3-piont tune-o-Matic introduced around this time, with the old-style '60s chrome cover above it.
The tuners are large heavy-geared Schallers that Gibson adopted at this time, which along with the maple neck and longer headstock give a more massive feel. The neck is the wider 1 11/16" style most players prefer to the very thin 1 5/8 nut used from 1966-71. The body carving is fairly blocky but has more contouring than some earlier '70s examples, and the neck joint is more solid and streamlined than earlier models.
While falling out of favor in the later '70s and '80s, the original versions of this easy-to-play and very distinctive-sounding bass were used by a number of (mostly English) rock bassists in the 1960s and '70s, including Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Pete Quaife with the Kinks, Chris White with the Zombies, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman in the early '70s, Tom Evans of Badfinger, Glenn Cornick of Jethro Tull, Trevor Bolder with the Spiders from Mars, Jim Lea of Slade, and many others.
The EB-3's distinctive growl is one of the most recognizable of all electric bass tones on record. This mid-'70s long-scale model has less pure bass response but a more versatile tone than earlier EB-3s, and can go from deep butter to midrangey raunch art the flick of a switch.
Overall length is 44 3/8 in. (112.7 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Not much to say about this one except it's all original but for later Straplok buttons with only the most minor wear. Nice straight neck, hardly any fret wear -- set up with flatwounds, as it looks to have been for a long time. Plays and sounds as it should. As '70s EBs go, this is easily the best one we have had. Includes the Gibson-marked shaped HSC; the somewhat flimsier basic version, but still quite serviceable. Excellent + Condition.
This is an extremely well-preserved and good playing example of the mid-70s Gibson EB-3L bass -- the much rarer long-scale version of Gibson's classic EB series. This is an original 1975 model; the pots date to the last week of 1974. The model was gradually being replaced by newer basses at this point, and only 48 walnut finish examples shipped out in '75, the last year of more-than-single digit shipments.
Besides the long-scale neck, this bass has a number of features changed from '60s examples, but the same basic layout. The two humbucking pickups are controlled by a 4-way selector, giving a much wider range of tone than the much more common EB-0. The large "Mudbucker" is mounted in a center body position, which combined with the long 34" scale neck gives a somewhat clearer response then the original '60s placement at the base of the fingerboard. The bridge is the fully adjustable 3-piont tune-o-Matic introduced around this time, with the old-style '60s chrome cover above it.
The tuners are large heavy-geared Schallers that Gibson adopted at this time, which along with the maple neck and longer headstock give a more massive feel. The neck is the wider 1 11/16" style most players prefer to the very thin 1 5/8 nut used from 1966-71. The body carving is fairly blocky but has more contouring than some earlier '70s examples, and the neck joint is more solid and streamlined than earlier models.
While falling out of favor in the later '70s and '80s, the original versions of this easy-to-play and very distinctive-sounding bass were used by a number of (mostly English) rock bassists in the 1960s and '70s, including Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Pete Quaife with the Kinks, Chris White with the Zombies, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman in the early '70s, Tom Evans of Badfinger, Glenn Cornick of Jethro Tull, Trevor Bolder with the Spiders from Mars, Jim Lea of Slade, and many others.
The EB-3's distinctive growl is one of the most recognizable of all electric bass tones on record. This mid-'70s long-scale model has less pure bass response but a more versatile tone than earlier EB-3s, and can go from deep butter to midrangey raunch art the flick of a switch.
Overall length is 44 3/8 in. (112.7 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Not much to say about this one except it's all original but for later Straplok buttons with only the most minor wear. Nice straight neck, hardly any fret wear -- set up with flatwounds, as it looks to have been for a long time. Plays and sounds as it should. As '70s EBs go, this is easily the best one we have had. Includes the Gibson-marked shaped HSC; the somewhat flimsier basic version, but still quite serviceable. Excellent + Condition.