1964 Gibson EB-0 + Hard Shell Case

First introduced in 1959 with a body styled after the Les Paul Junior, the EB-0 was restyled in 1961 along with the rest of the Gibson solid body line into the familiar SG shape that these basses are widely known for.

There were subsequent subtle changes over the following years including the original black bakelite pick up cover being replaced with a nickel plated metal cover in 1962, and then being replaced with a chrome plated cover in 1964/65 along with the rest of the hardware.

1964 was a transition year for the EB-0, and for much of the Gibson line, with several subtle changes taking place throughout the year. This example features nickel plated hardware and pick up cover, along with the lower positioned crown inlay on the headstock and a 50’s style truss rod cover.

The condition of this EB-0 is excellent for a 58 year old instrument and is all original with the exception of two of the washers and one of the screws on the back of the tuners. This is relatively common sight on vintage Kluson bass tuners as often the screws would come loose and drop out if not tightened up properly.

The high output sidewinder humbucker pick-up delivers the classic deep, fat, thumpy bass tone that EB-0’s and their bigger sibling the EB-3 are known for. Nice and light at 7lb 4oz and with a comfortable chunky C profile short scale 30.5 inch neck, this is a bass that can be played for hours.

All original electronics with no broken solder joints, original hardware, original frets that have plenty of life left in them, no breaks or repairs and the original un-faded cherry finish make this a great example. There are a few minor dings and small scratches, along with some moderate player wear on the back of the neck which prevent this from being described as near mint condition.

This example also features an EB-3 wide bevel 5 ply pick guard rather than the less robust 2 ply guard that the majority of EB-0’s shipped with. This guard appears to be original to this bass and there’s no reason to suspect that it didn’t leave the factory this way. It was common practice at Gibson at the time to ship some instruments with parts off other similar models when supply of regular parts ran out, so this was more than likely the case here.

Famous EB-0 and EB-3 players include Jack Bruce, Andy Frazer, Trevor Bolder, and Jim Lea amongst others. There is a very good argument that every bassist should have an EB-0 in their arsenal and for good reason.

 Clean, unmodified examples like this don’t come up very often. Comes with a modern hard shell case.