This is the best bass I have ever played bar none. However, I have succumbed to large arthritic lumps on the knuckles of my right hand and what is, according to the doc, tinnitus in my left ear. Horrible thumping sound that is made 1000% worse when playing. I need to get a better behaved bass with low output pickups.
It's a 1966 EBO and is in remarkable condition throughout. Most 60s Gibson EB basses are pretty hammered and most have changed parts and repairs which makes this one all the more remarkable. There are no repairs, cracks or areas of serious wear other than the area of buckle rash on the back.
The weight is 7.3lbs on a set of decent digital scales. Feels very well balanced on a strap or knee.
It is all original, including the case, bar a refret carried out by John Haire in Peterborough in 2018. John managed to retain the original nut so it was just the frets. John also checked the whole bass over. Serial number: 540078 One of the pots has the second digit of the date code obscured by solder but the first number is 6 and it is clearly original. You can clearly make out 66 on the second pot (see photos).
The bass plays extremely well with a low action. The truss rod is working fine. The bridge has the original mute and lever to raise/lower it and everything works perfectly. When the mute is engaged it sounds more like a double bass to my ears, quite a usable sound. The pots are perfect and work as they should. Tuners keep the bass 'in' all day and are smooth in operation.
Nut width is just over 43mm and scale length is 30.5" so a short scale. The neck is extremely comfortable to play and that is the benefit of a post '65 EBO.....the neck dimensions on the pre '65s were massive and just not nice to play.
The sound is HUGE and also surprisingly quite versatile. I tend to rest my thumb on the pickup if I want that really deep thumping bass sound that EBs are famous for but I also rest my thumb on the pickup cover (the chrome cover between the pickup and the bridge) the bass sounds more like a cross between a Precision and a Jazz. I should point out that although the pots date the bass to '66 the pickup is a '64 or '65. This info can be found on the fly guitars page, link below.
I am using a set of Status Graphite flatwounds on the bass (45-105) and they are a perfect match. However, I sometimes stick on a set of roundwounds and they sound equally good, just different. More mids and trebles and slightly less bottom end.
There is a fair bit of info here about EBOs:
http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/1966gibsonEB0.phpI will include a few photos below but apologise for the crap quality; I took them on a sunny day this summer. I will get some more taken this weekend. There are a load on my Imgur page here:
https://imgur.com/a/dGcebqLBecause of the condition, refret and original case I'm asking £1350 for this and can potentially ship it as I am pretty sure I have a shipping carton in the attic.
If interested I would strongly advise coming and trying the bass (I'm in Cambridgeshire). I have a Behringer BVT4500H head and a Peavey USA oversized 1x15 cab to try it through.
EDIT: Due to current restrictions it seems unwise for anyone to travel over to try the bass. However, I am happy to ship pretty much anywhere.
The amp and cab are also for sale if anyone is interested....both in superb condition.
I may be interested in a trade but preference is for a straight sale.
https://i.imgur.com/nfzJbvF.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/YjJcfC2.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/Vi7ojtP.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/mY8JdX6.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/TTejbQF.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/lQdSc8F.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/swoOVPv.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/zoHqz41.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/SIOm239.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/svf6IKQ.jpg
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Just sent PM Johnathon