Epiphone EB-3 Bass Review
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
The Epiphone EB-3 bass is a long-scale version of the iconic Gibson EB-3, made famous by Jack Bruce – in the years he played with Graham Bond and Cream – and Andy Fraser from Free. There is of course one huge difference – the original Gibson was a short-scale instrument measuring 30″ between nut and bridge. However, at the turn of the seventies, Gibson did produce a 34″ scale version designated the EB-3L. That’s not to imply short-scale basses had fallen out of favour – Fender were still producing the Mustang and Musicmaster student basses – but Gibson wanted a slice of the action that the Fender Precision and Jazz basses were enjoying at the time.
The current Epiphone EB-3 therefore owes its origins to the Gibson EB-3L. The body is a good, weighty slab of mahogany finished in the classic Cherry Red with the wood-grain still visible. The glued-in neck is made from two pieces of mahogany, with the headstock spliced at what looks like a 14 degree angle. The colour is spot on, which is a very credible effort on Epiphone’s part to get the details right, particularly when you see the wallet-friendly price of this instrument. Pick-ups are a Sidewinder humbucker in the neck position and a Mini-humbucker at the bridge, the latter mounted on a black plastic surround. There is a fully adjustable bridge and some hefty looking machine heads which unfortunately don’t help the tendency of the instrument to be somewhat neck-heavy. There’s not much room on the lower bout for the two volume and two tone controls, three-way pick-up selector and output socket either, but with a bit of care, all the controls are easily accessible.
The Epiphone EB-3 is an extremely comfortable bass to play. The frets are well finished and the neck is easy to get around, with free access to the top of the fretboard. However, the best thing about this bass is the sound. The low-end thump from the front pick-up is unique in its sheer warmth and roundness. No other type of bass without this huge humbucker can emulate the bottom-end tone that can cause plaster to crack and people to start reporting a possible earthquake. If it’s super low-end you require from your bass, look no further. The bridge pick-up doesn’t do top-end either, so this is not an instrument for funksters, slappers or anyone expecting any pronounced treble. It’s perfect though for reggae, sixties pop, jazz (a credible alternative to a double bass) or rock and blues.
Also available in black, the Epiphone EB-3 bass is yet another example of just how strong the company are becoming in the market place with well made and extremely affordable instruments. It’s easily up to the quality of any bass that Gibson produced in the late sixties and seventies and for a Chinese made instrument at the price it is, that’s no insignificant claim.
Tags: eb-3 bass review, epiphone eb3 sg bass