When the Kalamazoo factory decided to cease production of the Les Paul in the 1960s, a newly designed guitar came that influenced the bass designs of the Kalamazoo. The SG succeeded the Les Paul when it went out of the picture temporarily. As it was a golden period of manufacturing, the SG bass is considered as the historic electric bass. The EB SG became one of the most distinctive and attractive bass guitars in the music industry. It caught the eye of people when the rock players like Jack Bruce, Bill Wyman, and John Entwistle used SG style basses to create rock history.
Epiphone now presents the EB-3, an excellent recreation of the vintage with all the feel, tone, and features of the original without the vintage problems and price tag. The EB-3 is a short scale bass that has a unique look combined with a distinctive rock tone that still impresses people today. This new bass of Epiphone has the character and essence of the original, and the first sight seeks to capture the visuals just like the previous one. However, just after having a look at its economical price tag, you will certainly begin to question its quality. Nevertheless, the Epiphone EB-3 will surely remove this misconception you might develop. Read on if you are up for a shock!
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Epiphone EB-3 Review
Build and Construction
The Epiphone EB-3 is a robust bass guitar, but with a lightweight of 3.9 kilos, it is not considered as a heavy beast. It is a four-string bass guitar with a solid body that gives you the perfect tone and playability. Although there might be some headstock dive because of its dimensions and design, this issue is rectified when wore with a strap. The red cherry stain makes the grain of mahogany prominent, and the three-ply black scratchplate maintains the vintage vibe of the bass. Although the body edges are beveled, the depth of the body is still significant. It has no sharp fret ends as the finishing is of high standards.
This bass guitar has a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets that includes the trapezoid inlays. It is featured with the double-cutaway body, however, the lower cutaway slightly restricts the access to the upper frets. With 18mm string spacing, this bass is an easy-to-play instrument. There is a heavy-duty bridge on the body along with a pair of pickups, an NYT bass mini-humbucker and a sidewinder bridge pickup that offers you a range of tones and maximum sustain. The three-position pickup selector, vintage-styled tone and volume controls, and an elephant ear machine heads are the hardware placed on the retro vibe electric bass. All of them are of good quality; the controls are responsive and the tuners are smooth in turning, with the quick release feature of the bridge is considered as a bonus.
The EB-3 sports a long scale neck that allows frequencies to fully develop and provide you a rock-solid punch. The mahogany body gives you an exceptional sustain and a strong bass sound. The combination of a long-scale neck, SG style body, and dual humbucking pickups make this bass suitable for different music styles. The Epiphone EB-3 is absolutely a complete value of money.
Sound Quality
The fretting and hand positioning might require some time of the bassist to get used to it, but once the player feels comfortable, this bass is very playable and sounds very well. The neck and mahogany timber provide good harmonic response across the guitar. The tone of this bass is nowhere near polite, but you can still have variances in the tone using the tonal options that will open up interesting sounds for you. No matter if you prefer to play with a pick or fingerstyle, this bass will provide you great tones that will add class into your music.
The bridge pickup gives a clanging treble whereas the bridge humbucker does not work well on its own. However, once you add this pickup into the mixer, the pickups will start complementing each other. The EB-3 has a 34” scale that gives it a clear and defined voice that works well for rock bass players. The all-round tone and outstanding sustain are commendable. With each pickup having its own volume control, there is no real need for a pickup selector. Both the pickups on with tone controls open and volume up, this bass will give you a fat, rock, and thundering tone that will light the people’s faces in no time. Just plug in this guitar and get the expected ballsy tone in its maximum glory.
Pros & Cons Of Epiphone EB-3:
Pros
- A well-shaped vintage body with a lightweight.
- Everything about this bass is vintage except the economical price tag.
- It plays great in terms of harmonics and sounds with no problems at all.
Cons
- Available in just two colors.
- It might be difficult to handle for some people.
Final Words
Now that you have enough information about the qualities and features of the Epiphone EB-3, it is inevitable to consider this bass a complete steal as it is offered at such an affordable price with the features of a vintage SG bass. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this guitar and for amateurs and professionals who want something that meets their demands in every way, the EB-3 is the bass they want.
Some people think that it is easier to play a four-string guitar but a bass guitar is something more difficult than it looks. It might be difficult to identify it in a song but removing the bass will tell you the need for a bass guitar in a song. Thus, purchasing an instrument that too a bass guitar that has so much importance in music can be a difficult task. However, the Epiphone EB-3 makes it easier for you. For any new player or a pro, you cannot find anything better than this bass at this price. By the surprising caliber and proficiency of the EB-3 delivered at such a low price, it is surely one of the best basses in town. So get up, and put your hands on the Epiphone EB-3 now!