If you’re even marginally into guitar gear, you won’t have any trouble envisioning the vast conceptual chasm that opened before us when we decided to do a series of stories on guitar makeovers for this issue. Even for players interested in the same style of music, there are a zillion different cool mods you could do to a zillion different types of guitars. Factor in all the genre and subgenre possibilities, and it gets even messier. If we tried to please, say, the hordes of blues and blues-rock players in our audience, which “canvas” should we start with—a Les Paul? A Strat? A Tele? Or one of the many boutique variants that blend elements of all three? You get the idea. It was a bit daunting.
That said, we’ve got plenty of makeover ideas for our own gear, not to mention lots of gear-crazy friends. So we were confident we’d find some cool stories. We just knew we had to choose things that were unique enough that even guitar-tweaking junkies who’ve seen it all would at the very least think, “That’s not for me, but y’know what—that’s still damn cool!”
To that end, we thought Ben Friedman’s story of getting a call from his art-collector friend about an autograph-scribbled ’80s Paul Reed Smith for sale on an antique auctioneer’s website (“Blasphemy or Alchemy?” p. 56) would appeal to more traditional players because of its quasi classicist bent. But the company’s reputation with up-and-coming players in heavier genres, as well as the story’s interesting historical considerations, should also render it interesting to hard-rock or metal fans, or anyone else who’s struggled over whether to mod an old piece of gear. Thanks for sharing your adventure, Ben!
I didn’t originally intend to put myself into any of the makeover stories—you get quite enough of me on this page every month as it is. But it just so happened that I was scoping out a Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Custom to upgrade at the very time that someone else on the PG staff suggested the makeover theme. Knowing we needed a project that fell in the middle of the makeover-intensity scale, I eventually figured, “Hey, I’m having Bill [Hook, author of “Surf-Twang Tweak-a- Rama,” p. 66] do stuff you don’t see everyday, so why not?”
Think Yuri Landman’s beat-to-hell guitar on the cover of this issue is freaky? You ain’t seen nothin’. Even the four totally whack instruments above aren’t the most out-there designs from his restless, fearless mind. Brings new meaning to the term “experimental,” doesn’t it?
My whole project got a lot more intense than swapping pickups and modding the ashtray bridge to work with a Bigsby just when it was supposed to be done. One of my pickup choices just wasn’t sending my ears into fits of ecstasy like I wanted, so I decided late in the game to buy a completely different type that required getting a new pickguard to mount everything to. I want to publicly thank everyone who rolled with the punches to make it all come together lightning-fast in order to meet our deadline.
Wayne Richman at Tone- Guard pickguards was incredible. When I called him about buying one of his anodized-aluminum pickguards for a Tele Custom, but with a Jazzmaster-pickup neck route—a design for which he didn’t have a CAD file yet—he didn’t even blink. After seeing a pic of my guitar, he opened his Fender Tele Deluxe rendering file, called me up, and knew exactly which areas to have me measure. He tweaked his file’s measurements a bit, then marshaled his NASA-approved vendors to make sure something that normally takes weeks happened over a weekend. That’s some serious hustle! Curtis Novak got me his fantastic pickups in record time, too. Mr. Hook then busted a move on the guitar the same day I got the pickguard. And last, but definitely not least, senior art editor Meghan Molumby turned around and shot great pics on a dime. Thanks to all of you for kicking major ass!
We could’ve gone many different routes for the third, more extreme makeover story, but the provident timing—and extremely unique nature—of Yuri Landman and Bart Hopkin’s new book, Nice Noise, pretty much made “Flying Double Dutchman Crunch” a shoo-in. If you visit issuu.com/yurilandman and see some of the crazy stringed instruments Landman specializes in, you’ll quickly realize that the project he details for us is actually pretty tame relative to what he normally does. Yuri was a pleasure to work with and didn’t hesitate to help when I called out of the blue to recruit him for the task. Thanks, Yuri!
So what about you? I’m guessing you’re eager to share your own mods, your dream mods, and your opinions of the ones we settled on. And, actually, we do welcome your input. Hell, if the stuff so many of you tell us about via email and on Facebook is any indication of the wider Premier Guitar audience, you guys have some pretty damn ingenious and insightful ideas. So consider this your invitation. What are your most adventurous makeover stories? We’d love to hear them on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or via email.
Shawn Hammond
shawn@premierguitar.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
