| Author | Message | ||
| rusty_the_scoob
Member Username: rusty_the_scoob Post Number: 57 Registered: 6-2008 |
I haven't posted here much lately, work and playing gigs have kept me busy. In between it all I've been working on this off and on for years, keeping it mostly to myself, and now it's finally done! I wanted a clone of Phil's custom modded and painted EB3: [img]http://i.imgur.com/j7nVOMz.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/SHRufku.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/GqQbWNo.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/PZPqxan.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/2nVnTCP.jpg[/img] Five and a half years ago I found a genuine 1969 EB0 on ebay. It's identical to an EB3 except they gave the EB3 an extra pickup and two or three extra knobs. (both basses share the exact body dimensions of an SG, they are tiny by bass standards!) The 1969 EB0 was the most common of the Gibson EB-series basses and this example was enough of a basket case that I didn't have to feel at all bad about modifying it to suit my needs instead of giving it a proper restoration back to its original condition. Whatever this bass's previous story is, it's lost to the world now. [img]http://i.imgur.com/V2yNLDN.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/sgjeBrO.jpg[/img] Logos completely destroyed on the headstock: [img]http://i.imgur.com/mRCAjhf.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/pkP7Xqe.jpg[/img] That was the first order of business for me. I sent it to Cliff at Shark Inlay and he did a fantastic job! After some debate we decided to do something a little more interesting than the stock "crown" logo in the center of the headstock, and I'm glad we did. Cliff's work is stunning! http://sharkinlay.com/headstocks.htm [img]http://i.imgur.com/ktND54p.jpg[/img] Then the bass was off to my dad, who did a full refinish and modified the bass to EB3 specs. He started with the back of the headstock, filled in the tuner mounting holes since we'd be using the same Gotoh GB7 tuners that Phil had added to his: [img]http://i.imgur.com/A0e7Jla.jpg[/img] And added a mahogany veneer and even restamped the original serial number into it! It was tough to read with how thoroughly the bass had been sanded, but a few rubbings revealed most of the digits clearly enough to indicate it's a legit 1969. [img]http://i.imgur.com/362BvAD.jpg[/img] Next came grain filling and an absolutely perfect (and stunning!) cherry finish. I believe he used supplies from guitar reranch but it's been a few years and he lives in MN compared to my Boston. [img]http://www.reranch.com/[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/CZLa4hg.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/3aBfzfP.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/GSC2vau.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/hph8OxV.jpg[/img] My mom has always been a great painter, so I knew she'd do a great job of recreating Bob Thomas's (most likely) original custom paint job. It came out even better than I expected! [img]http://i.imgur.com/nR5nY6t.jpg[/img] It really came alive when my dad added the clearcoat and built the pickguard from scratch. (you can't buy them anywhere it seems!) [img]http://i.imgur.com/WJBcyqj.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/LF0aRkr.jpg[/img] I tracked down a vintage bridge that was missing the incredibly narrow saddles, having been unable to find or build a suitable replacement. From there it needed a tailpiece, it was a horrible design when stock, nicknamed the "evertilt", since it would easily pitch forward under string tension. I had Jordan Giangreco (a fantastic keyboard player! Plays with The Breakfast and Viral Sound and Legion of Jerry and sometimes the Garcia Project and nails everything he does.) build some saddles for it and the tailpiece and it came out great! From there my friend Ben Sloan finished up the final assembly and setup, and wired it up passively. It's not quite the setup Phil had with emitter-followers added and all that custom stuff... maybe someday that can happen. For now I'm pretty happy with it as it sits. [img]http://i.imgur.com/xWpXDS1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/s7HH1ZF.jpg[/img] Next to an SG for comparison. I found a slightly roomy electric guitar case for it and it fits! [img]http://i.imgur.com/45AqF8C.jpg[/img] I left the truss rod cover off to match Phil's bass for now although it might look nicer if I added it. [img]http://i.imgur.com/pi8bVL2.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/fr9zgUa.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/ymBs6nU.jpg[/img] You can see all the pics at once here, just not in any particular order: http://imgur.com/a/ndszn | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11553 Registered: 5-2002 |
Very cool!! Love the paint! | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 1534 Registered: 6-2002 |
Philtastic !! Well done Rusty, | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1780 Registered: 10-2006 |
Nicely done! And even closer to Phil's than you think; according to Blair Jackson's Grateful Dead Gear, his started as an EB0 as well. Peter | ||
| hammer
Senior Member Username: hammer Post Number: 594 Registered: 9-2009 |
Very nice. Any idea as to what this transformation cost you (or an estimate of what it would cost if your parents were not so talented)? I ask because I've got an eb3 sitting around myself and have been considering a similar project for some time. | ||
| gtrguy
Senior Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 797 Registered: 9-2004 |
Way cool! I had a 67 Pelham green Melody Maker bass I sold a few months ago kinda like that. I love old instruments! Is it a short scale? | ||
| rusty_the_scoob
Member Username: rusty_the_scoob Post Number: 58 Registered: 6-2008 |
Yep, 30.5". Weird that I've spent a ton of time on my modded DeArmond Starfire with the same scale, but on this bass I overshoot the frets a lot. I read that Phil's started as an EB0 as well in the same book but I personally do not believe it, and here's why: If you look at the before vs. in-progress pics of mine, specifically http://i.imgur.com/V2yNLDN.jpg vs. http://i.imgur.com/3aBfzfP.jpg, we took great pains to add the three extra EB3 knob holes in exactly the right EB3 locations, overlaying the two images in photoshop and making templates from scratch. I suspect the proto-Alembic crew who modded Phil's would not have bothered with that, they would have just drilled the holes in any old places they felt like it. They definitely enlarged the bridge pickup routing though, which along with the 40 year time span might have caused the confusion. It certainly wouldn't be the only debatable fact in his otherwise excellent book. But of course I wasn't there (or even born!) so I have no firsthand proof of my theory. Hammer: I estimate my costs to have been $2200 including the $500 or so I spent on the bass itself. The value of my parents's labor is hard to quantify, maybe $500 for the refin (or you could start with a bass that wasn't stripped) and who knows for the custom paint, maybe find a willing Deadhead painter and work out a deal. | ||
| pace
Senior Member Username: pace Post Number: 1082 Registered: 4-2004 |
Awesome! I saw it mentioned over at rukind. You really went all out! I have a 67 EBO that the previous owner dropped a starfire double coil in.... Although, it's an improvement to the mudbucker, it's still not a bisonic. Prior to the Information Age, I wonder if he knew the difference. | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1781 Registered: 10-2006 |
Phil has said it had 1 p/up; look on pg 14 of GD Gear and you can see the 2 knobs. And what do you mean debatable? In a book that calls Alembic #25 a Doug Irwin creation, and captions a D-45 (or maybe 000; hard for me to tell on a 12-fret) as a D-18? (pg77) Couldn't be! Peter (who does still think it's excellent, as well) | ||
| tomhug
Intermediate Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 152 Registered: 7-2008 |
This is a great resuscitation story. And you wound up with a beautiful and distinctive instrument. Now, of course, we need SOUND CLIPS! This story made me :-) :-) :-) |
