The Gibson EB Bass is a 4 string bass guitar that comes a contoured double cutaway body with coil-tapping humbuckers.
Some might notice that the body and design is reminiscent of Fender’s Jazz Bass, but it does have Gibson’s unique brand of aesthetics and tonal character.
According to Gibson, the new EB Bass combines tradition with innovation – featuring a classic looking body shape and a glued-in neck that is contrasted by two new coil-tapping humbucker pickups that provide low frequency power and versatility.
The body of the EB bass is made of solid ash, cut in a shape that Gibson says is derived from the SG shape. However it is fairly obvious that it looks more like a Fender Stratocaster or Jazz bass than a Gibson SG. To Gibson’s credit, they did not just straight out copy the shape like other manufacturers do, rather they gave it an asymmetrical look that is unique to the EB Bass series.
A solid maple neck is glued-in to the body, featuring a rounded profile that measures .8″ at the first fret and .9″ at the 12th. The neck is topped by a 34″ scale length rosewood fretboard that carries 20 medium jumbo frets. Thanks to the modified double cutaway design, reaching the upper frets will not be a problem. The headstock of the EB Bass follows the conventional Gibson shape, equipped with 20:1 ratio Grover tuners and with a modern PLEK cut corian nut.
Bearing the important task of capturing the sound of this instrument are newly designed humbucking pickups, courtesy of Gibson luthier Jim DeCola. The pickups blend genuine Alnico V rod magnets with proprietary winding methods and other materials for a more focused tonality. It applies the same push/pull coil tap technology that many of the newer Gibson products utilize. By pulling the independent volume control of each pickup, you are given access to a frequency tuned coil-tap for a fatter single coil tone and improved output balance. Gibson claims that these bass pickups are designed to handle thundering lows to gutsy single coil tones and everything in between. Tone shaping and blending of the pickups are provided by the independent volume knobs, and the master tone knob.
To ensure intonation and sustain, Gibson equipped the EB Bass with a Babicz full contact bass bridge. Aesthetics are preserved and matched by the bass guitar’s swept-back red tortoise pickguard.
The Gibson EB Bass is currently available in four finishes, including Satin Fireburst, Natural Satin, Satin Cream and Satin Ebony. It has an MSRP of $1,999 and comes with a Gibson hardshell case. You can visit Gibson, for more information.
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