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1969 Gibson EB-3

Gibson bass guitars | EB3 main page | 1969 Gibson EB-3

• Solid mahogany body • one piece set mahogany neck • rosewood fingerboard • 30 1/2 inch scale • two humbucking pickups

A Gibson EB3 bass from the peak year of their production, built at Gibson's main plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA; one of the last basses produced whilst Gibson was still under the ownership of CMI.

The 1960s EB3 was very popular with the British bands of the time. Jack Bruce, bass player with Cream had a very distinctive style which was closely associated with the short scale EB3s he played. The sixties instrument was characterised by its one piece mahogany body and neck, and comparatively small body (only slightly larger than a same-period SG guitar) and of course its sound. Peak production was from 1969-1971; around about 2000 guitars shipped each of those years. It was a still popular instrument in the early seventies (examine a 1972 model here) but sales fell rapidly during 1973-4.

The instrument pictured is quite typical for its vintage; large neck humbucker and bridge humbucker, two point bridge with mute and bridge cover and Kluson 538 'elephant ear' tuners. Typical 1969 neck joint, and type 2 cutaway*. Weight 3.7kg.

1969 Gibson EB3 bass, Cherry finish

Gibson had been using the tune-o-matic two-point bridge on all EB basses for a year or so; early examples still had the more centrally located hand rest, but they were quickly replaced by the chrome bridge cover, as shown here. The late 60s EB basses had thinner necks than the early 60s basses; this one is 1 1/2" at the nut, compared to 1 3/4" of some of the earliest EB3s.

1969 Gibson EB3 body detail
The components and their positions give a clear indication that this is a late 1960s bass. The most obvious sign is the two point bridge with bridge cover, but also the close-spaced controls and the taller narrower cover to the EB humbucker. Note the wooden thumbrest over the scratchplate. These had been fitted to EB3 basses since their inception, but this was the final year - by the time of the remodelling in late 1969 to the slotted headstock EB basses, this was gone (see a slotted headstock EB3.)
1969 Gibson EB3
Reverse body detail - showing heel and control access cavity.
1969 Gibson EB3 humbucker pickup with nickel cover
Gibson EB humbucker pickup. The cover is chrome-plated, as opposed to the nickel of the mid sixties basses. This version of this classic pickup is still very primitively mounted for the time, but just the next year, Gibson would upgrade the EB bass series and include a surround for this pickup, allowing height adjustment. Have a look at a 1971 Gibson EB3 here.
1969 Gibson EB3
There is a volume and tone control for each pickup; the two controls on the left for the neck pickup, and the two on the right for the bridge. The varitone control acts as a pickup selector, aswell as applying the choke in position 1. The settings are:
Position 1: neck pickup with tone choke
Position 2: bridge pickup only
Position 3: both pickups
Position 4: neck pickup. Listen to some soundclips of this bass here.
1969 Gibson EB3
The hardware shown here is typical for any EB3 bass produced from about 1968-1971: EB mini-humbucker pickup and tune-o-matic two-point bridge with mute and cover.

The bridge pickup on an EB3 is very different tonally to the neck pickup - many players find the neck a little too boomy, and the bridge a little too thin, preferring a blend of both pickups.
1969 Gibson EB3
EB mini-humbucker pickup and tune-o-matic two-point bridge, but this time without the cover. One problem with this Gibson bridge is that any strings with significant silk windings tend to have intonation problems caused by the silk extending over the saddles. This can be a real problem, and is best solved by buying short scale strings with no silk at the ball end (I like Labella Deep talkin'). Cutting back the silk does work to some extent, but is by no means the best solution.
1969 Gibson EB3
The heel (neck-body joint) of 1969 solid body EB basses is quite distinctive; it is rounded, and sits flush with the body itself. Earlier and later EBs were noticeably different - see the EB bass heel page for some different Gibson bass heel designs.
1969 Gibson EB3
Serial number on the back of the headstock, above Kluson 538 tuning keys
1969 Gibson EB3
The 1969 EB3 had an inlaid Gibson logo with centered crown inlay. This headstock has been refinished, slightly imperfectly - the crown inlay is a block of pearl with details edges painted in black. Compare this to a 1969 EBO to see how it should look. Note that the Gibson logo at this period has no dot over the letter i.
1969 Gibson EB3
This image clearly shows the one-piece neck of this bass, and solid headstock. Sixties EBs were never built with a volute - an extra thickness of wood behind the weak neck/headstock joint area, though these became standard from 1972. Compare with a later period EB3 here.

The 1969 EB-3 had series 1 circuitry

Sound Clips

The clips below demonstrate this bass in all four varitone positions, both with direct input and through a vintage B15 amp. The choked setting (varitone position 1) is perhaps a bit too strong when amplified - the intense vibrations can rattle apart old amps, and certainly cause undesirable vibrations when digging in. When DI'd, though, the depth and roundness of tone is captured beautifully. Other settings work really well when amped.

DI only

The clips below were played on this 1969 EB3, with fingers rather than a pick. Recorded directly into an M-audio mobile pre soundcard - no amplifier.

Varitone position 1 - neck pickup with tone choke



tone turned to 0 - for the full dub experience

Varitone position 2 - bridge pickup only


Varitone position 3 - both pickups


Varitone position 4 - neck pickup only


Ampeg B15

These clips were recorded using a Shure SM58 microphone in front of a 1964 Ampeg B15 amp, with neutral settings (volume, bass and treble all on 5/10).

Varitone position 1 - neck pickup with tone choke





Varitone position 2 - bridge pickup only


Varitone position 3 - both pickups


Varitone position 4 - neck pickup only


* Gibson EB basses had subtly different cutouts small changes in the bevels as opposed to the actual size of the horns - there is no obvious way to name these differences, and no reference to them in any Gibson literature, so they have been described here simply as types 1-5. For a comparative look at the variations, see the EB bass cutaway page

Gibson EB-3 bass guitars for sale

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Gibson Eb-3 Bass Guitar Made In The USA With Hard Shell Case

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Gibson EB3 Bass Vintage

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Edmonton, Kentucky, 421**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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For sale is a Gibson Slothead EB-3 1971 - Cherry Fretless Bass w / Original Gibson Case in Good Condition!
This bass is an absolute monster and sounds incredible! I don't know for sure (I kinda doubt it) that this would have come from the Gibson factory as fretless. However, whoever did the job has done it professionally and it looks great!
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GIBSON 1966 BASS CHROME PICKUP COVER LARGE HUMBUCKER EB-O EB-2 EB-3 EPI RIVOLI

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FREE USA SHIPPING!
There's nothing worse than not having a cover for that big Gibson bass humbucker. It's one butt-ugly pickup without it! This is correct for late 1965 thru 1970 EB-O, EB-2 and EB-3 models as well as 1969 & 1970 EB-1 basses. It will also fit Epiphone Rivoli basses. This version has the small-head mounting screws (4 are included but just not shown). Gibson changed the height and the position of this cover in 1970 and enlarged the mounting screw holes. It's in great shape ... more
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Gibson EB-3 Cherry Mod 1969 Electric Bass Guitar Original Case Slotted Head  Art

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"1973" Vintage Cherry "GIBSON EB-3" with OHSC Serial #056076 in Great Condition

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Very good example of an EB-3 with a slotted headstock (only made for a few years). Everything is original with no modifications. The body has a crack going all the way through by the control cavity, but it is stable with no movement. We are uncertain if the chipboard case is original -- there is no logo. Everything functions perfectly with no "dirty pot" noise on the switch or potentiometers. 7lbs , 14oz. 30 5" scale length. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns . ... more
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1971 GIBSON EB 3 SLOTTED HEADSTOCK BASS CASE - made in USA

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1971 GIBSON EB 3 SLOTTED HEADSTOCK BASS CASE - made in USA :
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1971 GIBSON EB 3 SLOTTED HEADSTOCK BASS CASE - made in USA

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The Blizzard of Oz Collection
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History
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Gibson EB-3 Bass Guitar 1967

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The Gibson EB-3 is a bass guitar introduced in 1961 and discontinued in 1979. It was produced at Gibson's plant in Kalamazoo, MI It features a slim SG-style body, a short 30 5" scale, and two pick up's (a large humbucking pickup in the neck position and a mini humbucker pickup in the bridge position). The electronics include a four-way rotary pickup selector switch (for Series 1 basses: neck pickup with midrange notch, bridge, bridge and neck with low end rolled off neck pickup, neck pickup with... more
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Vintage Gibson EB-3L
Long Scale 1973 model bass guitar with original hard case
All pictures supplied with the auction are of the actual item for sale, and indicate its condition
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