Gibson 2014 EB4 Electric Bass (with Case)

With a comfortable ash body and Babicz bridge, the EB Bass redefines versatility! Blend the coil-tappable alnico humbuckers to access a huge range of tones.

Overall User Ratings (based on 7 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(7) (see rating details)
Submitted September 30, 2014 by William H in Birmingham, AL

"Gibson EB4 2014"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
First off let me begin by saying I've read a couple of negative reviews on this bass and for the life of me, I do not understand why unless they just got a bad one from the factory. Although this is rare, it does happen. But I do, however, see where some people may be surprised by the finish of this bass because it says it's a "gloss finish" and it's actually more of a satin finish on both the body and the neck. So if you're looking to fix your hair in the reflection of your next instrument, this is not the bass for you. The satin finish is right on par with the USA Fender P-Bass that sales for almost the same price, except with the Gibson you get two humbucker pickups with a very effective coil tapping system and a glued in neck instead of a bolt on neck. My Gibson 2014 EB4 plays and played great right out of the box. Intonation is almost perfect after tuning several times to stretch out the new strings after playing for two hours. No setup needed. I will agree that the frets on mine were a tad sharp when I got my bass but this is not a fret problem. It's a wood problem, especially on rosewood fret boards. Wood expands when moist and contracts when dry. Frets are made of metal and they don't change size to match the wood. I simply used a damp cloth to treat the neck a few times and then followed up with lemon oil to help keep the fingerboard from drying up again. Problem solved. Tone wise this bass sounds much better than any P-Bass, Jazz bass or Ibanez I've played at any price point. I will say that with everything on 10 and both pickups in full humbucker mode the sound has a bit more mid range than most basses and I would consider it more of a "rock" sound. To change that you can blend the pickups using the separate volumes, single tone control and split the coils on one or both pickups to find the sound you're looking for. In any configuration my bass has a very warm sound and tons of sustain that you can feel resonating thru the body and neck of the guitar. I also own an Ibanez SR bass with active pickups and although it is louder than the Gibson, it doesn't sound anywhere close to as good as the Gibson does in my opinion. Lastly, I have no idea why zZounds doesn't have a photo of the case that comes with this bass along with the other photos but it is really nice and well made. I'd guess around $200 would be the price for it separately but I haven't been able to find it separately anywhere online or in other local music stores. Trust me. You'll like the case too.

Musical Background:

Guitar & bass player for over 20 years. Ibanez SR bass, US Fender American Design Strat

Musical Style:

Rock, blues, country
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Submitted April 30, 2014 by Robert S in Antioch, CA

"The best bass i have ever owned!!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have owned tons of music equipment. Basses are my forte. I have been a musicman junky for years. I owned a stingray that was custom built and recently bought a musicman sub SLO. I was content with it. I felt like it would make a better back up though and wanted a musicman hh. ZZOUNDS and guitar center were not carrying the one that i wanted so i checked out the EB4. After doing tons of research i finally just broke and bought it. I got it the day after it was ordered and when i finally opened it up all i could say was WOW. I wasnt sure if i was going to like the neck...I sure did. Its nice and thin and feels really fast. The overall weight is incredibly light. i barely notice it at all, which is awesome because i really move around on stage. Although light it still feels really solid. The intonation was on point and all i needed to do out of the box was tune. The machine heads are smooth and precise. The bridge does allow for an amazing amount of sustain and i will be buying just the bridge for my other guitars and basses. The tones that i am able to get out of this bass are awesome. the ability to switch from double coil to single coil broadens the sound so much. I have yet to find anything about this bass i dont enjoy.

Musical Background:

Bass, cello, violin and guitar for 16 years

Musical Style:

Rock, Punk, Metal, Hardcore, Blues, and R&B.
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Submitted February 23, 2014 by Larry S in Louisville, KY

"Great bass, the second time."

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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I ordered this in fire burst. shipping was fast but it showed up with multiple finish flaws and the input jack didn't work. I blame that more on Gibson's QC than on ZZounds. The return was fairly painless and a new one arrived very fast. NO finish flaws on the second one and the electronics all worked although there was a screw missing from the pickguard. A minor fix for sure but to me that kind of carelessness is unacceptable from a company like Gibson. I don't view this as a budget instrument. For a thousand dollar, American made product I expect a whole lot more attention to detail. That being said, the sound and overall feel is fantastic. I love the neck and the pickups have real authority. The case is also very well made. I dont regret the purchase in any way but I also don't think it should have taken me two tries to get a good bass from an "icon" like Gibson.

Musical Background:

5 years

Musical Style:

Rock, Meatal, Blues, Psychedelic...
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Submitted March 9, 2014 by Edward Schultz in Deerfield Beach, FL

"Gibson EB4"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Great sounding bass.Cosmetically it could have been better.Finish was sloppy and it came with Gotah tuners instead of Grover tuners as advertised.Neck is slimmer than most Gibson basses and played great right out of the box.

Musical Background:

playing bass for 46 years.I'm a semi- pro musician.I gig 3-4 times a month in a blues/jazz band.

Musical Style:

Blues - jazz- fusion some rock.
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Submitted February 15, 2014 by Edward Schultz in Deerfield Beach, FL

"EB4 2014"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I just got it 2 days ago.Fasy shipping. Really nice bass.Light weight and very comfortable to play.Tone is great as u can tap the pickups to operate as single coils.Close to a Jazz bass sound.Neck is slim and very comfortable.Set up was perfect right out of the box,Great craftsmanship.

Musical Background:

playing bass for 46 years.I'm a semi- pro musician.I gig 3-4 times a month in a blues/jazz band.

Musical Style:

Blues - rock - jazz- fusion
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Submitted February 20, 2014 by Shawn C in Atlanta, GA

"Gibson EB Bass Fit and Finish Nightmare"

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I cannot express how utterly disappointed I am with this product. I expected a no frills finish at this price point and can live with the ridiculous grooves in the wood but what I can't tolerate is the finish on the frets. Somebody signed your checklist card stating that the frets were in good playing condition. What a joke and that person is obviously a liar. That person should be fired. These things stick out over the fretboard and are so sharp they have actually cut my hand. I don't want to hear a bunch of nonsense about the guitar being shipped during a very cold winter and the neck shrinking. I had two other guitars sent at the same time, a Gretsch and an Epiphone and both of those guitars arrived, in the same conditions, with perfects frets. They both feel like silk compared to this hunk of garbage that you have put Gibson's name on. I have had it in the case with a humidifier for a month now trying to swell the fretboard to swallow the frets back in to no avail. This thing was set up horribly, signed for by your company and then sent to a loyal customer. I have been playing Gibson products for over 20 years. They also signed the checklist saying the intonation was on. Again, not even close. The Gretsch was perfect and the Epiphone P93 was very close. The "Gibson" was nowhere near being intonated even after I reset the neck relief which was comically bowed. It is almost impossible to get anywhere near acceptable string action height without massive buzzing and notes choking out. The action was so high when I received it I could place four quarters under the strings at the 12 fret and no amount of neck straightening or saddle lowering will allow me to get a decent action. It seems as though the angle of the neck in relation to the bridge is wrong. When I voiced my concerns to Zzounds I was told that "most people who buy these basses have to have them professionally set up and then they are playable." Really?? I thought you bought an American made Gibson so you wouldn't have to go through the additional costs of luthiers or installing better picksups or wiring. It's a Gibson! I could have bought a Squier had I wanted to go through all the headaches of making my instrument play up to standard. I had to buy a $50 fret edge leveling file just to be able to play the thing at all. Now the frets are at least even with the fretboard but they're still so sharp it's not really playable. I'm in the process of buying another file, a diamond file, to round the edges of the frets so this thing can be played. I'll have $100 invested in files without even addressing the action issues. I should have bought the Fender and it would have playable out of the box. I was excited about a new bass from Gibson, one that they designed solely as a bass, not a guitar copy. I love the tone and the versatility of being able to tap the coils and get different sounds but the fit and finish problems have left and extremely bad taste in my mouth towards Gibson. I had heard all of the horror stories lately of the problems Gibson is having with their finished products but I didn't believe them and bought this bass from my favorite guitar manufacturer. What a mistake. As a former Rickenbacker 4003 and American Fender Jazz bass owner I can say that this new EB isn't even close to the attention to detail that those builders put into their products. I can't see either one of those manufacturers allowing an American made product to leave their shop, with their proud logo on top, in the condition your bass arrived at my door. It's an utter disgrace and an embarrassment to the Gibson name. I plan to use the above email in the various forums to warn others of Gibson's shortcomings so additional, would be customers aren't duped into buying a Gibson for the name alone. This company has sunk a long way in a very short amount of time. Lost fan and customer,

Musical Background:

30 years, bass, guitar, drums, keys, harmonica, play professionally and record at home.

Musical Style:

Rock, blues, old school country, alternative
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Submitted March 6, 2014 by Dan W in Lansing, MI

"Awesome Gibson Bass"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Guitar has a wonderful tone, and is easy to play. No need for setup, played great out of the box. The hardest part about deciding, was which color to get. If I got it as at a locally, I would have had to take what they had. Fast shipping. I would not hesitate to order from Zzounds again.

Musical Background:

Learning to play.

Musical Style:

Rock and Roll.
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