1. This ’65 Strat’s original Shoreline Gold finish had been preserved by the pickguard, and removing it reveals the brighter, bronze color. The surrounding warmer gold hue is a result of the body being exposed to air for 55 years. Incidentally, when ordered with this custom color, not all Fender models came with a matching color peghead. 2. At some point, a Floyd Rose tremolo system had been installed on this vintage Strat. This mod required removing a section of the Brazilian rosewood fretboard and maple neck to accommodate the locking nut hardware. 3. Two counterbored holes had been drilled through the neck at the headstock. 4. Two smaller screw holes were also drilled to hold the Floyd string-retainer bar. Notice how the rosewood fretboard is radiused on both its top and bottom surfaces.
Recently, my friends from solidbodyguitar.com gave me a call and said they had a really cool vintage guitar they were going to sell, but it was in need of some restoration before they put it up for sale. They wouldn’t say what it was, opting instead to surprise me when they dropped it off.
When the clients arrived at my shop to show me the guitar, we first began chatting about their ’62 SG Les Paul. I was in the process of restoring its relic’d white finish, getting it ready for market. It was as if they were saving the best for last, building up my anticipation and curiosity about the instrument they were delivering. When they finally got around to opening up the case, I was surprised and delighted to see a real and extremely rare 1965 Fender Stratocaster in Shoreline Gold.
The guitar arrived to us with the pickguard and electronics already removed. Abruptly my eyes were drawn towards the finish outline of the pickguard. Strikingly, there were two shades of finish. The pickguard preserved the original color underneath, while the rest of the body had developed this warm, gold look from the open-air environment. To me, the aged Shoreline Gold is a much more soothing and pleasing color to the eyes—less bronze and more gold. I’m sure glad Fender was spraying nitrocellulose finish back then, as it allowed this transformation to occur.
A quick aside: Shoreline Gold is a finish seen by few and the most misunderstood and incorrectly used term for referencing Fender gold colors. Shoreline Gold was introduced in 1959 and was discontinued by the end of 1965, and then replaced by Firemist Gold, which was not the same color at all.
As I checked out this cool Strat, it became immediately clear why it was brought to us. Ouch! Someone had decided to rock out and install a Floyd Rose locking nut and tremolo. My educated guess is that the procedure was done some time in the ’80s. I really like Floyds and we often do this modification, but for no amount of money will we do this modification to a vintage guitar. In our world, it would be considered malpractice and a good way to have a short-lived career in the repair business. It’s true that this 1965 Stratocaster is devalued because of its alterations, but let there be no mistake: This guitar is still a highly valued treasure!
When we received the Strat, its original vintage Fender bridge and tremolo system had been put back on the body. But because of the Floyd Rose installation, there were now two screw holes going through the maple neck and a slab of Brazilian rosewood had been removed from the fretboard to mount the hardware. My clients requested that I restore the fretboard and neck portion where the Floyd Rose nut had been positioned. They were pleased to hear that I had some smaller pieces of vintage maple and Brazilian rosewood in the shop that would work perfectly for this restoration. The issue of legal and illegal wood has been in the news recently, so my clients were relieved when I informed them that my reclaimed and salvaged Brazilian rosewood is properly validated and permitted by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
I’ve seen some Indian rosewood come very close to looking like Brazilian for patching purposes, but I really want to use the real deal for such a spectacular guitar. My approach will be to get the restored fretboard and nut to look era-correct and match the original cosmetics as closely as possible.
The two counterbored holes that run through the maple neck will not have an invisible repair, but they will be smooth to the touch and structurally sound. There are also two very small screw holes in the peghead where the steel string-retainer bar was positioned behind the Floyd Rose locking nut. These need minor restoration as well.
When the section of the neck was previously leveled to accommodate the Floyd Rose nut, not only was fretboard wood removed, but also maple underneath the rosewood. The slab of replacement maple will need a flat bottom and a 7.25" radius top—the surface I glue the Brazilian rosewood fretboard section to. After the fretboard wood is trimmed and fit, I’ll then slot it for a nut. Fender began using this style of veneer fretboard during August of 1962.
In next month’s column, we’ll be diving headfirst into this restoration. I’m certain to encounter challenges, and I’ll share those gory details with you, as well as techniques I use to get the job done. See you then.
John Brown is the
inventor of the Fretted/Less
bass. He owns and operates
Brown’s Guitar Factory,
a guitar manufacturing,
repair, and restoration facility
staffed by a team of talented
luthiers. His guitar-tool and accessory designs
are used by builders all over the world. Visit
brownsguitarfactory.com or email John at
info@brownsguitarfactory.com.
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
