Epiphone EB-3 SG Bass

[P_bass_1983]

Any good? I fancy a new toy but don't wanna break the bank and always liked the look of SG basses. It won't be my main bass, far from it but I'm thinking it will add some variety to my collection which is dominated by Precision basses. Seen them going for around £150, is it worth it or will I be disappointed? Cheers

[Jigster]

I had one for a while way back - lots of neck dive, but a decent tone I remember and not a bad finish

[NoirBass]

Yeah, I have a limited run short scale version, as above it sounds great but, is best played sitting down due to the neck dive.

[jezzaboy]

I had one a while back and thought it was terrible. Sounds like mud (which might be the sound you are looking for) and as said above, it`s neck heavy. The tuners were garbage as well.

The only bass I owned that was worse was an Epiphone EBO.

I don`t hate Epi`s by the way. I love the way a T/bird sounds, I just dont get on with the shape.

[bonzodog]

Agree with all the above. I owned one for a week before returning it to shop. Great fun to play at first but serious neck dive and flat sound.

[BluRay]

I had one for a while - it was a fantastic looking bass, and nice enough to play. The neck dive wasn't an issue once a wide strap was fitted. But I found the neck a bit slim for my liking and the tone wasn't for me, so sadly it had to go.

[EliasMooseblaster]

I still own one, and love it, but as you've probably guessed from the previous replies, they're a bit of an acquired taste. Yes, the neck dive is undeniable, though personally I found my own playing technique stopped this ever being a real problem. The sound is very bass heavy, due to the enormous neck-position humbucker, and the bridge pickup is possibly a little underpowered by comparison. If you can, try one in a shop first - if you like the sound, they are nice basses to play.

I'd definitely favour the long-scale EB-3 over the short-scale EB-0, mind - the longer scale length goes some way to counteracting the "boom" of the neck pickup.

Edit: if you wanted to hear one in isolation through a very modestly-priced amp - https://youtu.be/KjMdpetGMLw

Edited April 27, 2016 by EliasMooseblaster

[P_bass_1983]

Brilliant thanks for all your replies guys, I think I will try one out before committing to buying one. But it does sound like I won't be able to get my usual bright tone so it may not be for me.

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='P_bass_1983' timestamp='1461796530' post='3037804']
Brilliant thanks for all your replies guys, I think I will try one out before committing to buying one. But it does sound like I won't be able to get my usual bright tone so it may not be for me.
[/quote]

I wouldn't entirely rule out a bright tone - if you back off the low end on the amp it can be surprisingly articulate (it sounded great through a vintage Fender Bassman...) and I believe the bass sound on The Who's [i]Substitute [/i]is an Epi EB-3 (though the pickup design and winding has probably changed a fair bit since 1966...). It'll never provide the same particular 'bark' that a good Precision has, but it's definitely worth trying if you like the idea of something different!

[BigRedX]

One thing to remember is that the Epiphone version of the EB3 is 34" scale whereas the standard Gibson version was 30.5" scale. This means that the position of the neck pickup in relation to the string length is different on each. Of course you also have to take into account that the Gibson versions had several different positions for the pickups depend on the year the bass was made in. Also the Epiphone doesn't have the varitone circuit of the original.

Like all Epiphone basses this doesn't really have much in common with the Gibson it was derived from other than the basic shape of the body.