[luckylarry]

Well well well...

After combing eBay for the past few weeks, waiting and praying for a good deal on a slot-head EB-3, I got impatient tonight and bought a new SG Reissue Bass from Guitar Center, figuring I can always return it within 30 days if I'm not satisfied. I have a few questions for anyone who's had a chance to compare the two, and also some questions specific to the EB-3 and short-scale basses in general.

I'm a guitar player first and foremost, and the amp at home that I'm currently playing through is an old 25 watt Vega with 6L6s and a 15" inch speaker, similar to the 60's-era Valco amps. I mention this because now that I have the bass at home I'm really starting to worry about the lack of low end, though I'm not sure how much this has to do with the amp. The low notes are basically inaudible set at 1/4 volume, while at the same time the notes on the D and G string are about three times as loud. Anyone out there had this experience? Also, If any of you more experience players could address the issue of "satisfying, deep lows" that some say can only come from a full-scale bass, I'd be grateful, as well as which (real) bass amps will work best to compensate for any low-end loss the short-scales may suffer.

I'm also wondering if anyone out there knows the difference, if any, between the neck on this reissue SG bass and the neck on a circa-1970 slot-head EB-3. I mention the slot-head because it's the only true EB-3 I've played, and while I fell in love within minutes, the neck did feel a little too thin across the fretboard (though maybe chunker in thickness?) if memory serves me right. Also, any observations on the differences between these modern pickups versus the old ones would be really appreciated, as would thoughts/recommendations on the best strings for this bass, be they round-wound or flat (keep in mind that the thing I hate most on a bass is a floppy low E string)...

For those of you who haven't tried the SG Reissue, I can report that I really like it so far, and can only imagine how it will play if I decide to keep it and have it set up properly. I tried an Epiphone EB-0 they had at the same store, and in all honestly it felt like a joke...but what do you want for $200? I can't understand the hopeful attitudes of people who think that the Gibson name on the headstock is the only reason the cost is bumped up another $1000, though I would gladly play the Epiphone instead if it were so! Everything about this SG reissue feels like good quality to me, and that adds up to a very musical vibe, versus feeling like I'm just puttering around on a toy with the Epiphone. Then again, I can also be a curmudgeon about old versus new, with a general belief that "they just don't make things the way they used to", so it makes me all the merrier to report on what feels like a finely-made instrument.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me on this forum so far. If any of you are ever interested in talking guitars, the Telecaster Guitar Forum (tdpri.com) is full of great people, and definitely not limited to discussion of Telecasters!

Hope y'all are having a great weekend...

--- Joe

[55]

I never played a Gibson EB-3 or SG reissue but recently got a Epiphone EB-0, and I kind of have the same problem with you. I lowered the pickup on the treble side by tightening the screws on that side, which seemed to balance the sound of the strings but I just put on new superlight roundwounds and I guess both because they are new and the strings are light gauge they sound very metallic (factory strings sounded pretty similar too). I use a processor with amp modelling and there are very deep sounding settings which sounded quite good and mellow on my long scale, but with this one there is always a treble side on the sound that does not go away. I never played a short scale bass before this one so I thought it would sound deeper since the tension was less, but it seems to be just the opposite. My guess is that getting flatwound strings with heavier gauge will make it sound more less bright, which I'll be trying soon.

[luckylarry]

Hi 55,

I don't want to depress you, but the metallic sound (and feeling) you mention was one of the factors that turned me immediately away from the Epiphone, and made me finally decide to bite the bullet and get the Gibson. I wish I could say exactly what caused that specific problem (pots? pickups? saddle/nut issues?), but I think in my experience it seems all the cut-cost factors in most cheap guitars add up to something that doesn't have "soul". (Though this not always the case "back in the day", as many blues players and others can testify!) Surely someone else will chime in after I say that and disagree, but in my experience this has been the case. With the Gibson SG bass you can feel and hear the wood, whereas with the Epiphone I felt like the strings may as well have been mounted on cardboard, and were also really loose for some reason which added to the clangy sound and feel. (The issue I'm having with my bass is one of balance, not metallic sounds...)

All that said, and for what it's worth, I watched the video you have posted in another link and thought the first portion didn't sound bad. It got pretty harsh for me when the distortion kicked in later (hard to tell how much of this is the recording), but I'm no big fan of distorted bass to begin with.

If I were you and feeling dissatisfied with the Epiphone, I'd look into an original EB-0 on eBay, which can be had for somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 with minor modifications/cosmetic flaws/repairs. Just be careful! Always ask and ask again to be sure the neck is straight and the truss rod fully functioning.

Anyway, I hope my opinion isn't too depressing for you. There may be ways around the issue you are having with the Epiphone, but I'd also warn against putting too much additional money and effort into the bass, since I've done this myself (and regretted it when I added up all the little costs) with other guitars. Keep up the playing! It's great to see that you really love the EB-0 model...if this one doesn't work for you I'm sure another model will.

Take care,

--- Joe

[Gibsonbassdude15]

I Personally preffer the vintage EB3 compared to the reissue, im aware that im just a 15 year old who isnt that experienced but what i do know is that the vintage eb3 has volume and tone for each pickup and a 4 way switch while the gibson reissue has volume for each pickup, one tone knob and no 4 way switch(similar if not identical to the fender jazz bass) so i believe that the vintage eb3 is a bit better, but if your happy with your choice with the reissue, thats great.

[55]

Well I always wanted a SG bass, and not having many choices and the cost led me to Epiphone EB-0, and I read a lot of horrible reviews before buying with people saying don't buy this but I still went ahead and ordered it, so nothing will make me not like my EB-0 :D But despite all the flaws, I'll keep it and use as my main bass, just love the looks. In the video I used a pick and a middle-bright tone with a little reverb and delay, and it really sounds great that way(though the recording quality isn't very good), but when I switch to a warmer tone with a lot of bass, no matter how much I turn down the treble there is always that faint steel sound with the bass sound, for which I'm blaming the strings at the moment. But the processor (amp modelings and eq) really helps, since the tone control does little difference.

By the way, how is the physical balance with the SG Reissue, does it neck-dive like the Epiphone? I had to try 4-5 straps in the store until I could find something that would hold it up at a reasonable level.

[doom]

Originally Posted by Gibsonbassdude15

I Personally preffer the vintage EB3 compared to the reissue, im aware that im just a 15 year old who isnt that experienced but what i do know is that the vintage eb3 has volume and tone for each pickup and a 4 way switch while the gibson reissue has volume for each pickup, one tone knob and no 4 way switch(similar if not identical to the fender jazz bass) so i believe that the vintage eb3 is a bit better, but if your happy with your choice with the reissue, thats great.

If you want Mudbucker subwoofing lows then go with the EB-3. If you want a bit more modern or should I say "normal" sounding bass then buy the SG Reissue. The 4 position switch makes no sense on the SG since its main purpose is switching on the tone choke and the mudbucker on the SG does'nt need it because it behaves just about like the TB Plus pups in the LP basses. When the tone choke is on you get a mids only sound from the mudbucker of the EB-3. The bridge pup alone is weak and trebly but works when run in series with the choked mudbucker (position 3). On the SG reissue the bridge pup actually can work on its own since it is located further to the neck.

I have a pre slothead era '69 EB-3 so I can't say for sure about the neck. My EB-3 has 1 1/2" nut and feels a bit thicker than the SG Reissue which OTOH has a 1 5/8 nut width.

[luckylarry]

Thanks for the help, Doom! Can you tell me what a TB pickup is? I keep reading that name in association with the SG Bass, but can't figure out what it means...ThunderBird?

[doom]

Correct. TB Plus pickup is the name of the modern '87 and forward Thunderbird pickup. The pickups in the modern LP basses are supposedly the same pickup in different housing. Like you said, SG Reissue pups share the same name but I'm not sure how they managed the pole pieces since the TB pups have dual blade magnets. There was a set og SG pups on Ebay recently but there was no pic of the top of the pickup without the cover. The back pic showed that sizewise it looks like the same coils as in the Thunderbirds. When I swap strings on mine next time I might take the neck pickup apart for a better look.

[Dave W]

Hi Joe, I just answered you over at the TDPRI, but I'll add something here.

I haven't seen the SG Reissue neck pickup innards, but I doubt it's identical to the Thunderbird pickups. Possibly similar in construction to them (typical dual coil humbucker) instead of the sidewinder coils of the old ones. It sure doesn't sound anything like T-bird pickups to me.

I also doubt the Les Paul pickups are identical to the T-birds. My guess is that Gibson just uses the name for a general style.

[luckylarry]

Thanks for the thoughts, folks! After playing the SG Reissue for a few days now, I've decided there's no substitute for the real thing...gonna return it and hold out for an old EB-3. I have to wonder how different things would be if Gibson and other companies didn't try to play it "safe" with their reissues...with demand for all things retro being what it is, why second guess the players by making this SG Reissue something new in the disguise of something old? Ah, I could go on forever with this sort of rant, but what I really want is that old classic EB-3 sound, and this bass, though nice, sadly isn't gonna cut it...

Thanks again!

--- Joe