what is this bass? Gib SG & Guild Polara shape with a classical guitar type headstock?

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valevale Frets: 1052
saw this line up at the time & they were phenomenal. major psychedelics & the bass was punching hard & sweet (a sound-desk genius i know did their sound that evening & he really got their best).

i was more preoccupied with the guitarists pedalboard at the time, but the bass struck me as cool too.

it has the classic Gib/Epi SG & Guild Polara body shape but the headstock is closer to a double bass set with stings going through two parralel slots & tuners on their sides. maybe that's the secret of its boom?

anyway, none of the already mentioned candidates google-up with that headstock. known or  custom?


hofner hussie & hayman harpie. what she said...
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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    Gibson EB3 ?
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    EB3L (L for long scale. i.e. 34" rather than the usual 30.) One of the Norlin era aberrations.
    Be seeing you.
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  • valevale Frets: 1052
    thanks for the ID, peeps. I googled gibson SG EB basses but this didnt pop up. seems it was very short run with this headstock.

    is there any merit tonewise in having the headstock laid out this way (classical guitar/violin/double bass style)?

    i like the look a lot. & maybe not a nightmare to mod a standard 2x2 headstock to something like this.

    http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/1971-EB3L-6.jpg

    http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/1971-EB3L-10.jpg
    hofner hussie & hayman harpie. what she said...
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959
    EB3L (L for long scale. i.e. 34" rather than the usual 30.) One of the Norlin era aberrations.
    Aberrations? They're one of the best basses Gibson has ever made in any era.

    vale said:

    is there any merit tonewise in having the headstock laid out this way (classical guitar/violin/double bass style)?
    I doubt there's much tone advantage, but it does make the headstock slightly lighter which will help with the balance.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    ICBM said:
    They're one of the best basses Gibson has ever made in any era.
    That's not saying much, is it? 
    Be seeing you.
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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    Set mahogany neck is apparently a good thing for the unique tone ;)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959
    ICBM said:
    They're one of the best basses Gibson has ever made in any era.
    That's not saying much, is it? 
    Only that the EB-2, EB-3 and Thunderbird are some of the best basses ever made by anyone...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    edited June 2018
    ICBM said:

    I doubt there's much tone advantage, but it does make the headstock slightly lighter which will help with the balance.
    They're prone to neck dive so maybe the combination of less headstock wood and the smaller side mounted tuners was an attempt to cure that. I was taken with the idea of one for a while but the few examples that showed up often had repairs to the headstock so it must have impacted the strength.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    ICBM said:
    the EB-2, EB-3 and Thunderbird are some of the best basses ever made by anyone.
    We are going to have to agree to disagree. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959
    Funkfingers said:

    We are going to have to agree to disagree. 
    Well, you are allowed to be wrong :).

    The Thunderbird in particular would definitely be in any top ten of classic basses - probably at no.4 after the Precision, Jazz and 4001, and not much further down even if you include actives, probably only the Stingray would beat it (and the 4001) even then...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    ICBM said:
    Funkfingers said:

    We are going to have to agree to disagree. 
    Well, you are allowed to be wrong :).

    The Thunderbird in particular would definitely be in any top ten of classic basses - probably at no.4 after the Precision, Jazz and 4001, and not much further down even if you include actives, probably only the Stingray would beat it (and the 4001) even then...
    Thunderbirds? Yeah. I’d say top 6.

    EB Series? Guffaw. You’re a card sometimes.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959

    EB Series? Guffaw. You’re a card sometimes.
    Jack Bruce.
    Andy Fraser.

    That's all :).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    ICBM said:

    EB Series? Guffaw. You’re a card sometimes.
    Jack Bruce.
    Andy Fraser.

    That's all :).
    Either of those would make a Westfield sound epic.
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    Don't EB-2's come out for the video and then get put back in case where they live? Had an EB-0 years ago, my first decent bass but it wasn't very ...flexible. And those nylon bridge saddles were a bitch to find replacements for.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    edited June 2018
    ICBM said:
    you are allowed to be wrong :)
    One day, I shall have to try that. :-p

    JezWynd said:
    Don't EB-2's come out for the video and then get put back in case where they live?

    Be seeing you.
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    **Saville alert at end**

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