 | Download Example 1 Gentle use of vibrato for subtle effect |
| Download Example 2 Beating up the Super-Vee to try to take it out of tune. No dice! |
| Download Example 3 Various whammy FX and dive bombs on chords |
| All clips recorded with a Fender MIM Strat, Altiverb on Allaire room reverb, Digidesign Eleven and T-Racks 3 Mastering Suite. Amps: Ex.1 - Blackface Clean w/2x12, Ex.2 - Marshall JCM 800 w/4x12, Ex. 3 - Dual Rectifier w/4x12 | |
What It Is
The Super-Vee consists of two main parts: locking nut and bridge assembly. The nut is designed to drop in place with a single drop of glue into the nut slot of the guitar. While this does involve removing the original nut from the guitar, that’s the only modification you’ll need to do. It is made of nickel-plated stainless steel and is reminiscent of the design of classic ‘50s cars with the stylishly engraved “V.” While most locking nuts clamp down from the top, the Super- Vee clamps strings from the sides and doesn’t push them sharp when locked. To me this is worth the price alone, as it’s always a pain having to go back to the fine tuners to compensate for the raised pitch when locking up the nut. The nut is also designed to work on either a 7.25” or 9.5” neck radius (12” and custom radii can also be ordered), so there is no worry of having funky string heights when switching over from the stock nut.
The bridge is a thing of beauty as well. Using patented Blade technology, the bridge is frictionlessly bonded to the anchor plate. Because of this, the manufacturer claims that it will never wear out (something that happens with knife-edge systems). Another bonus is that the fine tuners have extra range, which allows for drop-D tuning without unlocking the nut. When it arrived, it was set up for drop D, and I was amazed how it went up to E with just a quick turn of the fine tuner, and had travel to spare. Nice! Each saddle can be adjusted for height and intonation, and the clamping area has a steel slug that clamps the string over a large area, which totally eliminates slipping of the string as well as breakage. Once again, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clamped the high E string on the guitar and it slipped right out of the bridge. This is maddening and inconvenient, so I’m glad somebody finally addressed this long-standing issue. The sustain block is anodized aluminum, which came as a result of testing many materials for the best tone and weight. Finally, the bar is made to screw in and can be set by an adjustment screw in the back of the unit to stay in place or swing freely.
So Are Vee Going to Play, or Vat?
The Super-Vee came pre-installed on a Fender MIM Strat and was already in tune when I pulled it out of the gig bag. Right away the vibrato felt familiar but smoother and more controlled than a normal Strat vibrato. I noticed that it sounded very close acoustically to my ’08 American Standard and didn’t lack sustain or articulation. Because it was set up with three springs, it was solid but still easy enough to maneuver while maintaining a controlled feel. There was no friction; the unit was totally silent yet unyielding to any tuning issues. I spent a great deal of time abusing it to see how much it could take. Whether it was divebombs that dropped the bar all the way down to touch the body, or pulling it up as far as it could go (about a 1/2 step, due to the floating setup), I never could get it to go out of tune. You can get very aggressive with the Super-Vee and feel confident that it will stay in tune.
That said, it isn’t all about over-the-top wanking. In fact, the Super-Vee is quite capable of subtle nuances that range from Surf-style dipping to coaxing out elegant hand-style vibrato. When I first screwed the bar in, I noticed that it was set up around the place where my picking hand likes to be. While that was great for quick access, I wanted to have it hanging loose so it was out of the way. Going to the back of the unit and loosening the nylon screw let the bar fall into a loose, swinging position which was great, but you could feel it wiggle inside the vibrato. It wasn’t bad, but it would’ve been nice if it were tighter. Although the slotted nylon screw ensures there isn’t any direct metal-onmetal friction, I found that it was made of pretty soft material that might strip over time. It’s a small price to pay for the convenience, though, and I applaud the innovation.
The Final Mojo
The folks at Super-Vee are obviously very dedicated to their product. The website is beautifully laid out with helpful videos, great photos, and an FAQ to answer the most common questions. And they do offer factory installation with a 3-day turnaround. With the fine craftsmanship, great looks and solid performance, anyone looking to take their Strat to a new level will seriously enjoy the Super-Vee.
Buy if...
you want an elegant, no-mods replacement for your Strat vibrato with fearless divebomb capability.
Skip if...
you're old-school, and the stock Strat vibrato is all you'll ever need.
Rating...
MSRP $229 - Super-Vee - super-vee.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
