Lunch Report-Wednesday June 1, 2011

Lunch- I will get something at Lunch. Maybe a sandwich at Potbelly. I like their grilled chicken and cheddar sub with a raspberry iced tea.

Today's bass project doesn't have updated pictures because my digital camera just went dead. I will see what I can put together from my photobucket account.
It is a Gibson EB-3 from approx. 1972. I say approximately, because most of the EB basses sold during the 70's were made in 1972. It is a short scale bass that was heavily and badly modified. Someone tried to make a 5 string at one time and then plugged the extra tuner hole in the headstock. The pickups were replaced with a Bartolini P bass Pickup and a SD Jazz bass bridge pickup. The bridge pickup in the picture is one that I installed temporarily because the Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup broke when I disassembled the bass.

Here is a picture of the bass:

Here is the headstock with mis matched tuners:


I have lots of work to do on it. replace pickups, refret the neck and find new tuners as well as patch up the extra wide bridge pickup route.

Today is a guitar break during bass project week:
G$L guitar questions:

Do you have any conversion stories of people changing brands of guitars after playing a G&L?

Do you all wonder why people like reliced guitars but not reliced amps? All of the boutique and reissue amps look brand new.
Why is that?

Do coated strings work on electric guitars? I just want to know as a bass player.

Other questions:

Do any of your guys have any yard buildings on your property?

I have a gazebo that is 24 years old. I just put a new cedar roof on it last year.

Here is an Autumn picture of it with a G&L SB2:


Have a great Wednesday.

bassman

Last edited by bassman on Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hey Bassman,

I wish i had the time and shop space to undertake such cool projects. It has to be pretty rewarding having instruments that you know inside and out. Re-frets, new truss rods... I am lucky to find the time to change strings! very jealous indeed

I have a nice pool house / change room in the backyard, but lately it seems to be more of a home for the areas wildlife! In the last year we have had racoons, skunks and squirrel's call it home. I spend more time trying to keep critters out than i care too.

Not sure what all the hoopla is with relic stuff is to begin with. I seem to do a pretty good job at relicing gear on my own. Especially amps. Maybe that would be a good side business - Send me your amp and in 6 months of gigging i guaranty it would come back to you looking 20 years old!

Scott

I don't believe in brands, just great guitars, so I don't really care what it says on a headstock, as long as it plays well and has a terrific sound. That being said, I did have an epiphany and changed to maple-necked Strat-style guitars, leading up to a G&L. I prefer the attack of a fender scale guitar with single coils to my previous Gibson humbucker sound, but there are things that I can do with one that I can't do with the other, and vice versa. So I play both. Would I buy another G&L? If the right one came along, sure, but I'm in no hurry.

I don't get the whole relic thing. Most player's guitars get worn and torn over the years despite the care we take of them. Paying somebody to create an instrument that looks like it was poorly maintained makes no sense to me. Faux finishing and aging were all the rage in home decorating ten years ago, but that trend has mercifully faded. Sadly, it's still around with guitarists. I wonder if it's the instrumental equivalent of a mullet: a fashion statement that died long ago in the general populace but which persists for guys who think they are the ultimate in cool because they still look like they did in high school.

We have a shed in the backyard, which we're using for storage. We were thinking of converting it into a studio but our place is small, so probably not.

A few weeks ago I saw an ad in Craigslist for a Blues Junior where it was described as one from the relic'ed line of amps; the picture shown looks like an old worn out amp. I don't know whether the relic description is for real, but I kind of think it is. So it seems they do make relic'ed amps.

I don't like them any better than I like relic'ed guitars, which is not at all.

Kit

Kit- You are probably right. I think I remember seeing those reliced Blues Juniors somewhere. I just don't think they caught on.
Just like some guitar companies can't sell a reliced guitar. like Danelectro, amps are preferred in new condition.

No conversion stories here, as I don't limit myself to a brand, sorry.

No clue on amps, I like my everything to only have dings I have had it earn in my time however. (and just to make Darwin cry, the red bass has at least 4-5 small dings, and the headstock met a ceiling once).

Coated strings are something I use on my electrics, but I don't like stuff like elixir, or poly coated strings. They feel like greased turds and are a bit dull. What I use is Ernie Ball coated strings, they are coated in a titanium alloy type thing. They feel like a normal string, sound great, but albeit do not last as long as the other coated brands (I get a month or 2 out of a set though, recently closer to 2). I don't like coated strings on bass even further as find stuff like elixir just sound AWFUL. Lately I use DR DDTs, good life to them, nice and tight, very slinky feeling, and give a good low B, at 34", with a .125 string (unprecedent in my experience).



That Gibby bass is a real piece of work, you going to refinish the body after you plug up the wholes? I think I remember seeing that before but good luck.

The EB-3 needs a lot of TLC. I always thought they were kinda cool, but they sure don't sound and play like a P-Bass. So many of those basses were hacked up and modified--it is almost rare to find one that's not been modded.

Never been able to influence anyone to switch to G&L, at least to my knowledge. I play them out a lot and if someone asks I always recommend them. But if a guy likes Fender, they seem to want to stay with Fender, even when they're complaining and modifying them.

I know a lot of guys don't like reliced guitars, and I am one that prefers the look of a new guitar. That said, the one thing I know is that if you want a "vintage spec" guitar, the Fender Custom Shop Relics are probably the best guitars Fender makes. Now, you do have the choice between the Relics and what they call "heavy Relics"; Closet Classics that are only slightly "aged"; and NOS versions that are like the guitar would be if it were brand new and unplayed. I've played some 1960 Strat versions that truly felt indistinguishable from my vintage 1960 Strat, which I think is very impressive.

I've had very little experience with the Gibson "Murphy aged" Historics, but they look awesome and are highly regarded. Probably the closest I could get to a real '59 Sunburst ($280,000) for a lot less (under $10,000).

Still, you have to remember--your new "aged" guitar isn't a '59 Sunburst or '57 Strat--it's a 2010, or whatever. I think it's best to stay grounded in reality.

Think at one point Fender was offering a version of one of their vintage tweed re-issues that was reliced with stains and wear on the tweed, but they are the only ones I've ever heard about relicing an amp.

Not used coated strings on my electric guitars, and probably would not buy them. I do use D'Addario EXPs on most of my acoustics, and I think I even have a couple of sets of Elixirs floating around that I've won as door prizes at Taylor clinics. I much prefer the EXPs, the Elixirs have higher tension, and I prefer the phosphor bronze alloy of the EXP over the brass alloy of the Elixirs that Taylor uses.

The biggest problem I have with string durability is the fret wear. When the string starts losing mass and the diameter of the string becomes inconsistent, it is time to change them. I rotate though my G&Ls--I'll play a couple and then when the strings need replacement, I'll put them way and pull out a another pair of guitars to restring and play for a while. I just have the impression that the coated strings on the electrics wouldn't be cost-effective for me.

Now, If I'm doing a set of gigs or a heavy practice week, I will still use the uncoated PB strings on the acoustic I'm using for that period. No point in blowing up a set of the expensive coated string for such intense use; but they are great when I might not play a guitar for a couple of months. I can come back to it and it will still sound fresh with the EXP strings.

We do have a little garden shed for mower and tool storage. And, we have a gazebo, too....that we NEVER use. LOL! Leslie has hot flashes and hates the heat. We've had a crappy spring, with only two days of temps over 70F. Our weekend is supposed to be 80F, and she's already whining and whimpering! I live in sweaters all-year round, and have to beg to get the thermostat above 68F.

Periods, menopause, hot flashes, makeup, high heels, pregnancy and PMS--boys, I gotta tell ya--I'm not MAN enough to be a woman!!!

Bill

My conversion story is a long time friend and guitarist who was a die hard Strat player( actually ,he still is) who fell in love with my Legacy. He has used my Legacy for about the past six months and it is now his main axe . Why? Because of the better tremelo system and the PTB tone circuit. This guy owns a real 1964 Strat, which is a great guitar, but It doesn't do what the G&L does.

The EB-3 resurrection is a real stretch for me. I disdained those basses for years because of the difficulty in getting a great tone out of them, but now nostalgia has taken over and I just want to put this one back to stock specs because it feels very good for a bass of its type. I know that after all of the work that I put in to it , it will not be better than a G&L, but that is not really the point of the restoration. I want to see how good the EB-3 can be.

I was just checking out some Custom shop relics at GC and they are nice playing guitars but I don't think the heavily reliced Tele I picked up was worth the $3800 price tag.

Relic guitars are stupid. It must really hurt the painters feelings to have his work messed up by some dickhead in marketing. I hope relic amps don't catch on, it's hard enough to go out and play a quality guitar that isn't relic'd. The bass player in my band plays a Precision he's had since he got it new '79. It's got a lot of wear on it and people ask him who did the relic job. Sadly, the best guitar I've ever played was a Fender Custom Shop '60s tele heavy relic. $5600 .

Coated strings are unnecessary for me. My sweat seems to nurture strings. A friend of mine has sweat that will kill a set of strings in 10 minutes flat. He's the kind of guy that needs coated strings.


Love the projects, Bassman. I'd love to drink a mint julep in that gazebo in summer.

Bassman, Just back tonight from a day of filming for a Norwegian documentary on their public TV. No lunch, but I got to do a 300 mile trip on my Gold Wing..

Great Gibson project, That is a cool bass. I had a 62 EBO and wish I still had it.

My conversion story is what happened tonight. I traded my MM John Petrucci for a beautiful Custom Legacy. The guy was telling me how great the G&L is. I already knew that. He is the one who wasn't sure.

I am already a relic. Why would I want relic guitar?????????

I have only used coated strings on acoustic guitars and that is only so they don't corrode. I have no idea of the effect on the tone. My Bass strings last forever.

No Gazebo, but we have a beautiful deck and back yard. I do like Gazebos and think that they would be especially cool with guitars on the wall.

Keep it up Bassman.__ Darwin

Hi Bill. I'm just replying because I didn't want you to think I didn't love you.

I like your project a lot. I feel kind of sad for the instrument - much like I feel sad for a 19 year old streetwalker who has many too many years of stories to tell for someone who ought to be at a Freshman Mixer someplace somewhere better....

I actually played just a little bass in a short-lived band (probably my fault ;+) and it was a single-pickup Gibby from the '70s. Don't remember the model, but I do remember buying a nice case for it, then having it "borrowed" by the drummer who left his wife, joined the military, and absconded with said bass and (hundred dollar) case. So it's G&L basses for me now, yessir! I believe you are familiar with my '81 L1K and my first style SB-2.
Great set-up you did on the latter, btw.

Speaking of set-ups, I'm going to make a real effort to bring my old SC-2 by Saturday night to your gig so you can set it up for me. The intonation is so bad that it's fairly impossible to get in tune correctly. I thought it was the tuners, but I'm pretty certain now that my issue can be remedied with a good set up. Hope to see you again soon! - ed

btw, I like your gazebo.

PS: Blarg - Your use of the term "dickhead" was spot on! Have yourself and Iced Vovo!

The biggest problem I have with string durability is the fret wear. When the string starts losing mass and the diameter of the string becomes inconsistent, it is time to change them. I rotate though my G&Ls--I'll play a couple and then when the strings need replacement, I'll put them way and pull out a another pair of guitars to restring and play for a while. I just have the impression that the coated strings on the electrics wouldn't be cost-effective for me.

Bill

That sounds impressive Bill, I can say I have never had that occur with any strings, ever. Not saying it doesn't happen, but wow. I used Elixir strings in the past, and had them on for 6 mos or so (as they sound about the same, still feel like crap anyway), and never ran into anything approaching divots in the strings.