1964 Gibson EB-0 bass + Original Selmer Case
Very clean, un-faded, all original example in excellent to near mint condition.
*Gallery below. Click on thumbnails to view in full screen*
First introduced in 1959 with a body styled after the Les Paul Junior, the EB-0 was restyled in 1961 along with the rest of the Gibson solid body line into the familiar SG shape that these basses are widely known for.
There were subsequent minor changes over the following years including the original black bakelite pick up cover being replaced with a nickel plated metal cover in 1962, and then being replaced with a chrome plated cover in 1964/65 along with the rest of the hardware.
1964 was a transition year for the EB-0 with several subtle changes taking place throughout the year. This example features nickel plated hardware with an original chrome plated pick up cover, along with the earlier high positioned crown inlay on the headstock and a 50’s style truss rod cover. These features appear to be prevalent on original 64 EB-0’s and EB-3’s in the serial number range 176xxx to 199xxx. Though there are no doubt some exceptions.
The condition of this EB-0 is exceptional for a 56 year old instrument and has had one owner since the mid 60’s, who purchased it from his bandmate Terry Marshall at Marshall’s in Hanwell in 1964 or 65. This was where Jim and Terry Marshall would famously build the first Marshall amps – the JTM prefix on early Marshall’s stands for Jim and Terry Marshall. According to Terry Marshall this particular bass was originally used by the bassist in the Barron Knights who toured with both The Beatles and The Stones around this time, though it’s not confirmed whether this bass was used on any of those shows.
The high output sidewinder humbucker pick-up delivers the classic deep, fat, thumpy bass tone that EB-0’s and their bigger sibling the EB-3 are known for. Super lightweight and with a comfortable chunky C profile short scale 30.5 inch neck, this is a bass that can be played for hours.
All original electronics with no broken solder joints, original hardware, original frets that have plenty of life left in them, no breaks or repairs and the original un-faded cherry finish make this a great example. There are a few minor dings and small scratches (mainly on the back) which are the only things that prevent this from being described as near mint condition.
Famous EB-0 and EB-3 players include Jack Bruce, Andy Frazer, Trevor Bolder, and Jim Lea amongst others. There is a very good argument that every bassist should have an EB-0 in their arsenal and for good reason.
Clean, unmodified examples like this don’t come up very often. Comes with its original Selmer hard case.
