[zibino]

Hi everybody from Italy,
i'm working on a EB2 project and i'm looking for the neck pickup.I check everyday on ebay, but i always find EB0-EB3 pickups for sale; Do you guys know if these pickups are similar in sound and size to the one i'm looking for?
And where can i look on the web for this pickup and other original parts?
Thank you so muck in advance!
juri

[eb2]

They are the same pickup. Depending on the year made there are variations in the cover size. The pickup itself stays pretty much the same and they are interchangeable. The very late EB0/3 pickups that were height adjustable had an added plate to make that happen, but the unit is the same. What year was the EB2 you are working on made?

Ebay is the best source for original parts. Many Ebay sellers in the US are having problems with the Italian postal service, and some are refusing to sell to Italy. I have never had a problem. There are newer Asian copies that would work but many of them are not as powerful - some are. There is also the option of using a DiMarzio Model One as they do not require any routing to fit and you can always change it for a vintage one later. The sound of the DiMarzio is very different and less powerful - not bad - but different.

[jules]

Hi Juri,

you can measure the distance between the screw holes, just to make sure you are getting the right version, as this changed a little with each pickup cover. In fact if you tell us the distance we can probably point you out a correct one on ebay.

The pickup is one of the easier parts to find, and it does pay to be patient with these, as prices can vary considerably

[zibino]

My eb2 is from 1967, I have bought it on ebay few months ago. It's not in a really good shape right now, because the old owner (only God knows why...) made another hole for a precision style pickup near the bridge...Can you belive it?!
But that was also the reason I bought it: i'm LEFTHANDED and i always wanted to have an eb2. But I have always thought that was a crime to buy a 2000$ bass and then make it become lefty, making new holes for volumes, tones and jack input.This bass is already been murdered by the old owner, so i think it's a great chance to make it become a lefty eb2..
What do you think? Does it make sense? I'm sorry for my english, i know it isn't perfect...
I bought already the bridge, but the mute is missing,that's another hard piece to find..

[jules]

There was a time when old guitars were not really seen as collectable, just old. And that's when people started hacking them. I often hear stories of EB2s sitting in shops unsold at ridiculously low prices. It is a shame. But yes, with a little TLC you can make this a great bass again. That is a big hole - have you decided what to do about it? Keep some p-bass pickups in there? Fill it in? Maybe another Gibson humbucker?

In '67, the pickup is most likely the slightly narrower chrome cover
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/parts/pickup/#25

Although, this isn't too far from the older nickel version (and they always phased in hardware changes) so the old style is still a possibility
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/parts/pickup/#6

Do you have all the other parts: bridge, choke, wiring and switches?

[zibino]

yes, that's right!
i bought already this pickup from an eb3 bass, because i know that this hole is too big to be filled.But i'm waiting to talk with the guy who will work on it, he has a great lab in Cremona and he works on old violins as well, he's really good.I would love to keep just one pickup, as it was originally, but if it's not possible to cover that hole, i'll put the second pickup.
I have the bridge, the machine heads, cover truss rod, both the pickup's frames. I still miss the bridge mute and all the wirings and switches.There are 2 neck pickups on ebay in these days, i send you the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1960s-Gibso ... 286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/1960s-gibson-ebo-eb ... 286.c0.m14

they both look good, and as long as i look for them, the price is always around 200 $.What do you think?
Thank you jules for your help!!!

[eb2]

You want the first one. You see, the second one has the cover that is thicker on the edges - that is the later style. The pup is the same, but they made the later ones have a cover that sat higher on the top. The 60s ones were thinner, and as Jules points out the screw holes are different. It looks like the good one is a nickel plated cover which would be not exactly right for yours, but you can trade someone later. Can you measure the distance for the 4 screw holes where your original pickup cover would go?

You have a couple of options on the second pup. You can fill the P pickup hole, and refinish it a solid color. Or if your guy in Cremona is good, he may be able to cover it up so that it is hard to tell. I think the hole that someone put in is terrible, and in the wrong place for an EB-2D set up. But everything is fixable.

[jules]

Everything EB2 said is correct - but I think he meant second rather than first....

You want this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/1960s-gibson-ebo-eb ... 286.c0.m14

You can see - the older style has the screw holes squarely in the corners - the newer style has the screw holes nearer the top than the sides. I can see (I think) from the pic of your bass, that the screw holes are nearer the top (of the pickup cover) than sides.

Old style width between screws (center to center) 49mm approx
New style width between screws (center to center) 38mm approx

If your screws are 38mm apart (approx) you need the parts draw one at $199

That price is high - parts drawer can be trusted, but are always on the higher end price wise. These pickups are identical to the Kalamazoo KB bass ones, and they get parted out all the time. In fact you can pick up one of those for probably $400 - keep the pup and sell the rest.

If you don't want to wait, get that one - but I assure you, they WILL come up again and again...

[zibino]

Yes, you're right eb2, the terrible hole is not even in the right position for the EB-2D set...
Thank you guys,
i'll check the distance between the screw holes as soon as i come back home, right now i'm out of town for work.Your help is really preciuos for me, i keep you posted!!!