The Gibson EB-0 is a

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

that was introduced by

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

in 1959. When production ceased in 1979, a total of 20,844 instruments had been built.

History

The EB-0 was first marketed in 1959 in response to the declining sales of Gibson's EB-1. The body was styled after the design of the double-cutaway

Les Paul Junior The Gibson Les Paul Junior is a solid-body electric guitar introduced in 1954 as an affordable, entry-level Les Paul. It was first released with a single-cutaway body style; models with a double-cutaway body style were later introduced in 1958. T ...

, but retained the mahogany neck and body and 30.5" scale length of the

Gibson EB-1 The Gibson EB-1 is a bass guitar that Gibson introduced in 1953. It was their first bass guitar. History Gibson first marketed the EB-1 (initially calling it simply, the ''Electric Bass'') in 1953 in response to the success of the Fender Prec ...

. It was available in cherry red only. This version of the EB-0 remained in production until 1961, after which the body was redesigned to resemble the

Gibson SG The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961 as the Gibson Les Paul SG. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. The SG (where "SG" refers to Solid-Body Guitar) Standard is Gi ...

(like the contemporary EB-3). The design of the bass guitar changed several times during the 1960s. In 1962, the black plastic cover on the pickup was replaced by a metal one. Around 1964/5, nickel-plated hardware was replaced by chrome-plated. Around 1966/7 the neck was replaced with a thinner one; the unadjustable bar bridge was replaced by a fully adjustable one with a nylon saddle for each string. Under the bridge a lever-activated string mute system was also implemented, in contrast to Fender basses' glued on or screwed in foam mutes. This setup did not prove particularly popular, however, and was phased out in favor of Gibson's new "3-point bridge". The string guard was also removed; a bridge guard was introduced and the knobs were replaced with the witch-hat design. In 1969 and 1970, the headstock was replaced with a slotted one (similar to those on most classical guitars), with tuning keys mounted at ninety degrees downwards behind the head. Between 1962 and 1965, Gibson produced a more expensive version called the ''Gibson EB-0F'', which while superficially near identical, bar a longer pickguard also featured a built-in Fuzz box. This variety sold very poorly and remains fairly obscure. The EB-0 generally came with one pickup, a large humbucker placed up close to the neck. This pickup, particularly in this configuration is known for its distinctive tone, especially its large, booming low end, owing to its unique design and exceptionally high output. This pickup, colloquially known as the "Mudbucker" for its "muddy" tone, and by Gibson itself as a "Sidewinder", as the pickup is wound from left to right side. Several aftermarket alternatives for mudbuckers have been available, some in smaller sizes.

Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...

, bassist of Mr. Big, famously installed an EB-0 pickup in his

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instru ...

. In 1972, the EB-0 saw another, less dramatic revision. It received a larger body, a maple neck, and its pickup was moved further from the base of the neck. Despite these revisions, sales dropped significantly in the subsequent years and production was gradually phased out. The last EB-0 was made in 1979.

Epiphone Epiphone is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over his f ...

currently produces an EB-0 which is similar to the late '60s version of the Gibson EB-0, but with a '70s-style three-point bridge and a bolt-on neck. This version, along with the Epiphone EB-3, was discontinued in early 2020 as a part of a major reimagining of the Epiphone brand and lineup.

Variants

The EB-0 fathered two variations. * EB-0F - This was an EB-0 with a built-in passive fuzz. They were produced in limited quantities between 1962 and 1965. * EB-0L - This was a long-scale (34") version of the EB-0. It was produced between 1970 and 1977.

Notable EB-0 players

* Dennis Dunaway of

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

played a spray-painted metallic green EB-0 named "The Frog". *

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

and Firehose plays a heavily modified ’65 Gibson EB-0. *

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

of Dio, Elf,

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

and

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

played a red 1961 EB-0 bass, which he used to record on several albums by Elf in the early 1970's.

In fiction

The 1961 EB-0 appears in the fifth episode of the anime series '' FLCL'', as the

signature weapon A signature weapon (or trademark weapon or weapon of choice) is one commonly identified with a certain group or, in the case of literature, epic poems, comics, and film, where it is a popular ''trope,'' for both heroes and villains to be associat ...

of the space pirate Atomsk.

References

{{Gibson Guitar Corporation EB-0