Epiphone EB0 - Teardown and installing a bridge pickup
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- čas přidán 21. 11. 2020
- I finally got the bass of my dreams and it's dreadful. The actual truth is that I had one of these years and years ago but didn't know how easy it was to fix the multiple issues, I sold it and regretted it ever since as I now know how to make it good. so here goes.
- Hudba
Amazing that Gibson designed a short scale bass and still managed to make it neck-heavy.
it's the strap button
@@pbague Putting the top button on the horn like Tony Iommi fixes it
@@aniquinstark4347 a fact that makes it even more stupid that every non-reissue/vintage inspired Gibson and Epiphone SG DOESN'T have that mod stock from the factory. And In my opinion, the same goes for the top mounted output jack, since it's generally in the way and may cause cracks in the top
Have a USA short scale bass in the bench right now and its not a bit neck heavy.
@@richardturk7162 Then something has changed, because this bass was notorious not just for neck dive but for wanting to flip over on the strap, because the heel strap button was below the centreline of the guitar's mass.
I don't doubt your hands-on experience, but may I ask: 1) this is the SG Standard bass? Gibson make another 30.5" double-cut bass, the Les Paul Junior Tribute DC Bass, which I believe doesn't have the same problems; 2) are the tuners stock, or have they been replaced with, e.g., Hipshot Ultralites, which are much lighter than the Grover Cloverleafs; 3) is the top strap button still on the neck heel, or has it been moved to the upper horn? These are the most common mods to address neck dive.
If the answers are the bass is a stock SG Standard bass, then clearly something else has changed in the weight distribution.
I'm 61yrs old the headstock and tuners are beautiful
I have an Epiphone eb-3 and I love it, needed a massive set up but its one of the best ive played
is it short or long scale?
But the EB-3 is long scale...Why doesn't Epiphone make a short scale EB-3?
@@michaelfuria4257 they did. As a special run! But they're haaaaaaard to find.
I like mine quite a bit as well.
just got one, they're great
"made by people who care, designed by people who don't"
😄
The reason the epiphone thunderbird had a large headstock compared to the gibson is because it is modelled after the 60s thunderbirds which had a larger headstock and tuners. Epiphone does also make the more modern design also. The one you saw was just a 60s special one.
Good to hear on keeping the bridge if it's properly set, I think it looks sexy and adds to the SG body.
Controversial opinion. But I love the ep0 sound. And considering they cost £100 used in the UK and look punk AF its deffinatly the bass for me. But I'm a drummer what do I know haha
Nice work. I like the single mudbucker tone though.
Great video. I just can't see myself chiseling through a mahogany body. Eventually if I ever run into a plywood or a beater eb0, I will do the bridge pickup mod. Thank you for posting!!
An exceptionally interesting and informative video thanks.
Your skills and knowledge are impressive.
Your style and humour are brilliant.
I love these basses. More specifically I love these basses with flats and the highest action possible.
I'm considering trying it with heavier guage strings, it might feel a bit less flappy and stay in tune better, but flats may have the same effect yes.
Thanks for the video. You're a braver and more skilled man than I am!
Great channel I Iiked what you did with the cheap 6 string fretless too.🤘
Amazing work as always
Superb vid. I did the same mod to my 67 EB0 back in 71~72 and gigged it in the mid/late 70s. I used the proper Gibson pickup by the bridge, in fact all Gibson parts used in the mod as I had been working for the Canadian Gibson distributor in the way back when. Sadly, the bass was stolen in 81.
Three years ago I would be yelling at half these comments "what do you expect for $400?! tone woods? roasted necks? quality build?..then Sire came along...
the EB-0 is a clasic model with classic sound and has been used a lot for classic recordings, just roll the tone all the way down to zero
Many people would argue that it already has zero tone😉
@@fanbladeinstruments it has been used in reagge and clasic rock a lot. The way you use it is by turning the tone all the way down.
I'm genuinely curious as to why you didn't just try to get an EB-3 which already comes with a bridge pickup. I enjoyed the video, it was cool to see you do the work, but I can't abide by the mudbucker slander. I love that thick thump and am slowly gathering up versions of the various mudbucker equipped basses.
The EB3 is long scale which makes it suffer from severe neck dive, and they're even harder to find in New Zealand than the EB0. And if it already has a bridge pickup then I wouldn't have much of a video to show.
The mudbucker sound is distinctive and depending on your amp can have precisely the right tone to ground a band for a very specific style. Versatile it is not. I play in a covers band and I need to be able to cover a wide range of stuff and as much as I personally love the SG style, the tones just arn't there for most of what I need.
Super nice, awesome job
Cover the area your are "routing" with a good quality masking tape to prevent all of the new chips around the pickup cavity. The bezel might hide the chips but it's better to have a good clean job underneath it.
Had the same thing done to my Epi EBO. Very versatile!
I did the same mod on my EB0. I used a baby humbucker which I bought for $40. All I had to do is drill an angled hole into the control cavity to accomodate the wire. Then I put a 68k resistor in series between the mudbucker and the resto of the circuit
I have long planned to make this style. Strings through the body would solve the bridge issues. Small enclosed tuners for balance and a small single coil about a 1 1/2" from the neck. That mudbucker is the weakest link on EB basses.
Nice work sir
I’ve got one of the Epiphone Les Paul Special bass. It’s a hefty beast with a crap overly complicated bridge but it has the Ibanez style small tuners.
Thanks, very informative
A friend of mine drilled four or five strategically placed holes in the back of his EB-0 and glued in some 1/2" brass rod segments as a counterbalance. You can see the plugs under the re-finish, but it did the trick.
Had a friend who kept trying to give me a 1970 Gibson EB3. And I'm a guitar player, not a bassist. Odd thing was his son wanted to play bass. I finally talked him into letting his son have it.
Great watch!
Nice video of the Reverse Engineering Luthier thought process!!! 👍🏿
Thanks for taking the neck off that bass and filming everything. It's nice to know beforehand that the body is Mahagony veneered plywood! I always liked the look of the SG body want to put a 5 string bass neck on one of these Epiphone EBO basses, 35 inch scale if I can fit it.
Great video.
I have always loved the sound of these. I just don't really like short scale. I have been eyeing the EB-3
Makes me wish there was an EB-3L reissue out there, which was a 34.5 scale bass with a bridge pickup already installed
Hipshot replacement bridge uses only two bolts. It's a great upgrade.
In fact, it only uses 2 screws, but it leans on the center screw.
I am looking for one for my EB-0
@@DanielYance It's worth it, it adds more sustain and makes it play like, butter if you will. It may put the value up as well
On the subject of plywood. I’ve got an Aria Pro II SLB bass from the late 80s that has a ply body. It cost me £35 and I’ve installed a PJ set of EMGs. It doesn’t weigh a ton and I’ve learnt a ton about set up work from it.
Can you tell me exactly what PJ set of EMGs is?
@@ConorLawlor a Precision bass (P) pickup in the middle position and a Jazz bass (J) pickup in the bridge position hence PJ. EMG is the manufacturer
excellent job !
Thanks for your video, I did not know that it is made of plywood! Deal breaker for me!
Likewise, I wasn't too happy about it. The current batch is advertised as having a mahogany body, and my one is several years older so the specifications may have changed, but my one was a turd to start with and even my mods didn't help me love it. It's now gone on loan to a student and I don't miss it in the least. It's a real shame because I do genuinely love a good one, but the one I had was not a good one.
Good video. I'm about to make an EB bass from a blank SG body. I use a drill for pickup depth and a Dremel tool to shape it. I did buy a router but it's too big for me to see what I'm doing. I need a smaller one.
I have a Ripper clone from the 70s that has modern Artec muddies. A lot of their issues come from the narrow coils and magnetic field. You can pull the pole screws (which are pretty ineffectual) and fit a 1/4” square steel rod in their place under the cover, all the way to the edges of the cover, to widen the field. Also, 4 mags instead of 2 and steel plates on the outside of those that extend all the way to the edge of the cover and BAM: even string volume and much louder.
Gday. Just came across your post. I also have the Ibanez copy from the 70's. Loved it but the pickups are now dead> Sourcing new pickups only reveals Artec. However,according to their documentation the neck pickup is somewhat different in dimensions to the original. Did you find this an issue - i.e. having to re-rout the cavity and re-align the screw holes?
Cheers
@@renegade1283 I did not but the mounting method of my Ventura is quite different than Gibson or Epi. Honestly, you might be better off getting your busted pups rewound. If mine had the originals when I got it that’s the route I woukd have taken.
great idea!
I bought a "mudbucker" from Ali Express because the purportedly authentic ones were stupid expensive and the rest were all the same make, so I figured I'd get one at the lowest price.
It arrived with the magnets misoriented and the finish leads of each coil soldered together.
I reported this to the vendor and they sent me another one. Same exact configuration.
I searched on Talk Bass and found a thread detailing how to correct the pickups (prying off the magnets and flipping them, soldering finish lead of one coil to the start of the other).
I've yet to put it in a bass, because I can't seem to bring myself to follow through on any projects, but I thought I might as well share that anecdote. Maybe it would be of interest, considering the context.
czcams.com/video/HbfQz_AjdFA/video.html
Good music👍
No wonder they call it a mudbucker a huge humbucker up in the neck.
I think this bass would be more balanced tone wise, with a mini humbucker or even a single coil in the neck where you got that natural low end.
And then near the bridge yes the mudbucker.
Great job with the transformation.
The hipshot bridge is the way to go. You say that it will have the same issue as the original, but the hipshot sits flat onto the body. The bridge saddles however, we're about as high as they could go, at least the way my EB-3 was made. That would cause a severe string angle and I would constantly break strings, but solved the problem by putting a piece of ebony my luthier had lying around and stuck it underneath which solved my issue. Bridge is rock solid
Ahh, cool, I've never actually seen one of the Hipshot bridges up close, I just assumed they were mounting into the same three holes, but if they're flush onto the body then that's a vast improvement. You've actually given me an idea that might be worth testing: the same ebony trick but underneath the standard 3 point bridge. It would make the setup basically immovable but with some care it could be quite an improvement? Can't see the harm in having a go, thanks.
For these basses you need a wider strap 4 inches or higher will work.
What about relocating the neck pickup toward the bridge area, like did geene simons on his eb-0 in the 70's?
Clever about the dead spots. Didn't really think about that relation between harmonic nodes and the dead points. Of course in regular play you'll be shifting the dead spots around. Never noticed this on my precision bass? BTW on the subject op pickups. Pole spacing OK but a guitar pickup might dominate because it is wound to 'sense' less ferromagnetic mass aka a guitar string. As the thicker bass string will generate a (slightly) higher voltage in the pickup just because the mass creates a bigger flux change in the magnet field of the pickup.
He should have used a proper bass minibucker. He's too cheap to do the job properly. His work is half ass*d. He should have bought a mahogany Epi, they're easy to find, but was too cheap to do that too and now he whines about it. I've never seen a plywood EB0.
I usually don't buy Epiphone, but it cost $1500 for a Gibson SG model. I own a Gibson Double cut Les Paul bass and really like it. It just does not have the mudbucker sound. I bought the Epiphone EB-0and it is OK. The pickup really does not have the mudbucker sound. I am not a big fan of the Dimarzio replacement pickup sound. It is sounds good, it just does not have that classic Gibson mudbucker sound.
Hi I know this video is old, but if you see this comment I wanted to ask how you chose the position for the pickup. I have an EB-0 and I was thinking of installing a bridge pickup, but I'm not sure where to put it. I notice some people put it really close to the bridge and others put it much closer to the neck. Is there a method to choosing the mounting location? Thanks.
nice video to watch
15:53 Made by people who care;designed by people who don’t.🎸Hilarious and true!
is it possible to change those shamrock tuning pegs? im not a fan of those.
Gibson style tuners would be next for the balancing act. 🎸👍
I had an old SG Gherson bass (italy) with 2 humbuckers and an old orange fbt bass lamp (changed the lamp bases) kinda similar to the sound here
I put ghs valve when I got this bass (with a wooden box)
a unique sound as if the strings were made of glass ♪♫
the sound never left me, they stole it all
now I try to reproduce this sound by buying the equivalent
amazing video of this endearing short bass guitar
on this kind of guitar you have to put flat or nylon (La Bella short?)
what is the bridge micro distance please ?
thank you ♥
do you have a wiring diagram for this ? im also planning to do this on my eb0
Is there a wiring diagram for how you teamed up the two pickups?
Awesome job. I too am surprised that the body is plywood. Love projects like this. I may have to get in touch with you. I have limited finances but am trying to get back into playing bass and may have to do a project like this to get the sound I am interested in. You did a great job.
wasn't the worst bass to me; i had a brown '65 like the one in this vid (neck p/u only, no bridge p/u.)
since i'm of a slim, smaller stature it felt great to play, same size as a normal guitar, and sounded awesome plugged into a cranked Ampeg SVT w/ 8x10 cab. mine was really nice to play.
A 1965 Gibson EB0 would be a vastly better instrument in every single aspect, the hot mess in the video couldn't hold a candle to one of those.
That's surprising that the pickup on the EB0 is on the 24th harmonic - that's one of the qualities that people say give Rickenbacker basses their unique tone. Is the scale length what makes the difference?
That question aside, I loved the video! It's really inspiring, I'll definitely take some notes for whenever I want to make modifications/on the workbench videos of my own!
Yes, well, the scale length, pickup type, and pickup position all contribute massively to the sound, the problm is that the Epiphone only has the one pickup, whereas Rickenbackers have two and the dead spot stops being a problem. Cheers.
I’m surprised you had a difficult time finding one. I thought those sold a dime a dozen online for $269. I just picked up an EB3 for $120. Slight twist in the neck, but tolerable with some tinkering.
Extremely neck heavy, but I thought the neck pickup sounded pretty good, just required upping the mid, treble and gain on the amp.
He had a hard time finding one made of plywood, then complained of the construction. Cheapskates like this guy shouldn't whine about quality.
@@robbee23 He didn't deliberately look for one made of plywood you moron, he just happened to get one that was.
My Epi T-bird doesn't neck dive noticeably but then again it has modern style tuners and a 3 inch wide strap 😅
when and where this EB-0 was made? Indonesia?
Btw I think it looks amazing sans pickguard. It makes it look higher quality for some reason.
I agree. For some reason I thought there'd be a cavity under there but when it came off I thought that it looked much better.
Much more life to the tone
Just a Question? I got one from a Pawn shop and the back flutes on the Bridge keep pulling out are they supposed to be glued in? it's a 2003 made in China.
Glued
Plywood body and bolt on neck. These are desirable qualities.
I did the same thing on an Epiphone EB-O a few years back. I only question why you didn’t drill the extra volume hole and add an additional tone control in the same location as the original Gibson model. There is plenty of room in the back control rout and it looks way more symmetrical. Other than that, nice job.
Simple answer: couldn't be arsed. I didn't particularly like the way it played, and didn't want to spend any more time rewiring it.
Couldn't you put a Guild Bisonic (or Novak) into that pickup route? They appear similar in size, could do some routing if needed, and the Bisonic is better sounding, never liked the muddy-bucker much.
What’s the replacement pickup?
IME, after owning a VIola for a decade and trying numerous EB-3s I find the bridge pickup so close to the bridge to be a total waste of a pickup. The EB-0 needs a pickup more towards MM/P position (or proportional if we're talking short scale). I've been thinking of doing that to my EB-0, but time will tell. So far real happy with the variety of tones I've got from my mudbucker since installing a parallel-single-series switch. This was pre-mod, the stock series tone, still can sound punk AF... czcams.com/video/vroCvfaNUlE/video.html
So… is the Gretsch short scale bass - out of the box - superior to this one? It would appear so?
The Junior Jet? I've not played one of them but all the reviews and sound tests I've seen suggest that it's infinitely superior in every way. Given the choice I'd probably take the Jet sight unseen as I know first hand how bad the Epiphones can be.
The Jets aren't so great. They're just ok.
I ended up getting the Gretsch short scale - and am happy with the choice. Build quality is good. I confess... the sound is a little "thin"... but you can tweak that with pedals/mixer etc. It's not very heavy, finish is nice, pickups are good and the short scale means the distance between the frets is less - for younger players. I did have a little fret-buzz out of the box... which my local dealer fixed - actually doing a full setup for me and put it through as "warranty work". Overall, I think I got great value.
my 2018 epi t bird does not have those big tuners.... seems like gibson is getting a little more shady lately. didnt know they could get much shadier LOL
Out of curiosity, what year is the bass? Plywood? I'm a little disappointed ...
It's an older one, don't have it on hand but I think from memory it was a 2006? 2003 perhaps. Certainly they've improved since then and the latest run is mahogany (or so they claim). Cheers.
How much would a good luthier charger for a job like this?
Probably $100 to $200
Looks like the body is plywood? 😳🥺
oh just a plywood, good thing i found your video before I pulled the trigger
Some EB-0s are plywood and others mahogany, it seems.
@@primtones You can tell the plywood eb0 by the color. The lighter flat looking are plywood, the darker showing more grain are Mahogany. I had about 5 of these through the years, I have yet to see a plywood eb0.
@@gilpi552 I see, the darker red looks better than the clown nose red. But the best SG look is brown IMO, so I'm thinking of stripping mine.
They aren't plywood. Mine is mahogany.
There is a mint one on eBay at the moment 1998 Guitar Shangril-La 26-03-2021
Change the tone control to a bass-cut with a .0022K cap....makes it far more usable.
Original Gibs had 33s , just thought I'd mention it 😉
My first bass was a Greco EBO clone with a bridge humbucker. Being a dumb kid, I sold it so buy a box of Magic: The Gathering cards...I miss that bass dearly.
We all make dumb mistakes. I sold a Warwick bass because my girlfriend wanted concert tickets to see Kenny Rodgers. Many years later and we're still together so I guess it paid off buy I do miss that old warhorse of a bass. The concert was ok too🤣
Plywood? Listed as being made of Mahogany. That's quite the deception there Epiphone.
I was about to buy a used black one to strip down to bare wood. Glad I saw this video.
My one is from the early 2000's and they were rubbish, I believe the more recent ones are proper mahogany although I've not seen one in person. You can always tell if it's plywood just by opening the control cavity and checking the timber for telltale layers.
Mine is mahogany. NOT plywood. This guy was just too cheap to buy a good one.
also removed the pickguard on mine, looks horrible with it
worst guitar I ever owned was a gibson SG, gaffa taped a bag of fishing weights to the strap to balance it and then only had to deal with it never being in tune
can i do this with a jazz bass pickup?
Adding a muddbucker to a pbass is fun. I don't think changing the bridge out on a jazz would make a great deal of difference or improvement 👍
Give it a go, or if you did mate, let me know how it turned out 😎
BTW just my thoughts
How does it compare to an EB3?
I don't have a ton of experience with the EB3 but I can tell you that it's neck-dive central. Having the bridge pickup already installed is great and I believe the tone selector switch is quite useful, I've heard of people re-wiring them to put the pickups out of phase and strip out all the thuddy mud, I may try that on mine just for a laugh. On the whole, it's a nice idea to have one that's full scale but it's just not a balanced instrument.
@@fanbladeinstruments Geoff isn't the thudding mud the whole point?
Just got an early 1970s EB0 Japan copy. Lots wrong with it, going to fix it up. Just got a replacement pickup...might mod it....
This is all your fault 😂
The large headstock is Epiphones trademark, has nothing to do with making the Gibson look better.
They have many other headstock designs they could use, the large one with the big heavy tuners is still a terrible design choice regardless of the reason.
Yup, a bridge pickup makes this bass versatile. Otherwise it is a one trick pony.
Has anybody had the issue of 3 point bridges bowing upwards in the middle and cracking?
Yes, I have seen that on a cheap aliexpress 3 point bridge, the casting was so poorly made that it cracked in the centre and pulled forward. It didn't completely seperate but it was not a happy unit. Not recommended.
@@fanbladeinstruments Interesting. The original bridge on some old Japanese-made Hondo ii professional basses from around 1980 had that happen. I have one of those instruments. We’ll see how the new bridge stands the test of time, It’s been good for a year so far.
Having a NEEK HEAVY guitar is scary
Why didn't you just get an EB-3?
Ahh yes, the EB3, all of the plywood with twice the neck dive. No thanks, I have enough borderline unplayable basses as it is🤣
@@fanbladeinstruments The Gibson EB-3 is short scale. It's literally the same bass except with the pickup configuration you just spent hours modifying this EB-0 to have.
Got a match??
Take one musicman sterling and one musicman stingray. Call me in the morning.
Mmmm... sparkling treble... I don't have a Stingray, definately something to add to the collection asap.
I hate that damn mudbucker. I just can't get into it.
"Dangerous er er"
Put mini tuners on it.
I got this bass as a lend from a friend when i first start playing bass, probably the worst sounding, worst playing, heaviest most just pure shite got me by and it was free so i cant really complain, but id never pick one up again.
really hard to clean unless your willing to strip it aswell
Turn down the bass on your amp a small bit and try plucking high up on the neck. There's decent tone, you just need to dig a little to find it. I can't get that woody, almost upright bass sound with my Fender PJ.
I hate EB0 basses. A friend got one for free. Like you said, they sound like garbage. No tone, no clarity. Woof, woof, woof. I have no idea why they would put the pickup that far up, riding the neck. I think that's a huge part of the problem.
Yes, that and the short scale makes them feel floppy and weird. Full disclosure: after finishing this video I took that bass to a gig and it lasted 2 songs. Went out of tune during the first one, tuned it, it went out of tune during the second one, I reached for my Jazz bass. Haven't touched it since and it's currently on loan to a young kid to learn on. It'll be fine for him until he's saved enough to get an Ibanez or something better.
@@fanbladeinstruments I love your style and approach. Actually, I saw one of these in a shop today and was considering trying/buying... I now have much more info to go on [or grounds to reconsider etc...].
Thanks a lot.
Makes the neck socket weak too
I have a original Gibson eb-1 with a Mudbucker worst sounding Bass I ever played. No High end @ all , Plays like a dream sounds Like shhiiiit, Help. pls.
sounds like you actually wanted an EB3 not an EBO
I was interested in the short scale aspect mostly. What I actually wanted was a Fender Jaguar bass but I didn't know it at the time🤣
i really love these basses but yes they do suck to play and sound yuck.. i have always wanted a more modern, tighter n meaner version of this bass..
@3:43 because Gibsons sucks ... and btw EB0 is not the worst bass ever the thunderbird is!
Criteria for buying in order of priority: sounds good, plays nicely and lastly looks good. So it looks good (sort of). FAIL.