Gibson EB Electric Bass, 5-String (with Case)

No longer available at zZounds
With active Alnico humbucking pickups and three knobs for complete tonal control, you're going to sound exactly how you want every time you play.

What's special about this item?

Feature: What it does:
Ash body Strong, snappy responsive tone
Maple neck Bright tone, full sustain and strength
Rosewood fretboard Open, warm tone and smooth playing feel
Grover tuners Fantastic stability and reliability

Gibson's EB bass has been a trusted favorite of rock, blues and pop players since the early '60s, so it's only natural that this legendary Gibson four-string should form the foundation of a remarkably versatile five-string. The Five-String EB Bass from Gibson USA morphs the original EB's SG-inspired body into a rounder offset-double-cutaway design crafted from premium tonewood, yielding supreme playing comfort coupled with greatly enhanced resonance and sustain.

Add a pair of EB Bass pickups with push-pull coil taps and a rock-solid Babicz(TM) Full Contact(R) bridge, and the Five-String EB Bass is ready to lay down the rumble or purr with sweetness--and anything in between. It looks great, too, in genuine nitrocellulose lacquer, with a unique tortoiseshell pickguard.

Body and Neck

The Five-String EB Bass's massive foundation lies in its solid Grade-A ash body and glued-in maple neck. Ash has long been respected for its open, resonant tone, and lends itself perfectly to a rich, versatile-voiced bass. A glued-in solid Grade-A maple neck adds punch and clarity, while adding superb playability with its rounded profile that measures 0.800" at the 1st fret and 0.900" at the 12th. Its unbound genuine rosewood fingerboard follows the full 34" scale length, and carries 20 medium jumbo frets, all easily reached by the playing hand thanks to the Five-String EB Bass's offset double-cutaway styling. Up at the other end, a five-string take on the traditional Gibson headstock is backed read more by a subtle volute for added strength.

Pickups and Electronics

The Five-String EB Bass's broad sonic range and gut-thumping power comes from an incredible pair of EB Bass pickups designed by pickup specialist Jim DeCola. These units blend genuine Alnico V rod magnets with proprietary winding methods and other materials for an impressively versatile performance, taking you from thundering rumble to silky purr on demand. Blended as desired via independent volume controls and a master tone control, they're wound for warmth and clarity in the neck position, and a hotter, punchier tone in the bridge position for maximum rumble--or blend infinitely at will to create your own sonic brew. And just pop up the push-pull switch on either pickup's volume control for brighter, tighter single-coil sounds.

Hardware and Plastics

A sophisticated, highly engineered Babicz(TM) Full Contact(R) bass bridge feeds these incredible pickups with the optimum clarity and sustain, while being easily adjustable for perfect intonation--completing a Five-String EB Bass that looks and feels entirely "classic," yet offers a versatile contemporary performance that every modern bassist will appreciate. Quality Grover(TM) sealed-gear tuners provide optimum tuning efficiency. The Five-String EB Bass carries a stylish plastic tortoise pickguard, a traditional bell truss-rod cover, and black Top-Hat knobs with silver Volume and Tone inserts.
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- Body: Swamp Ash
- Neck: Maple
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- EB Bass pickups in the neck and bridge positions
- Hardware: Chrome Grover keys and Babicz full contact bridge for increased sustain

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-444-2766

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (4 ratings)
Submitted April 13, 2014 by Neil McEvoy in Malden, MA

"Great Bass from Gibson"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I haven't owned a Gibson bass since years ago when I owned an EB-3. I perform using an upright bass, acoustic-electric and an Epiphone EB-0, but the EB-0 was too short a scale for my tastes. Then the EB 5-String on ZZOUNDS.COM caught my eye. I'd previously played a 5-string upright and really enjoyed the low B. So I took a shot and ordered. Shipping was almost instantaneous. The bass was well-packed in its hard-shell case. On first playing I couldn't get over the playability of the bass. Action was terrific out of the box, although I did make some adjustments after swapping out the stock strings for some flat-wound strings. The bass is well-constructed - and beautiful. Despite its size, it's also lightweight. It's nice to see Gibson quality hasn't abated over the years. This is one choice ax and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Musical Background:

Professional musician. Upright bass, electric bass, electric and acoustic guitar.

Musical Style:

Bluegrass, Americana, Pop, Classic Rock.
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