Though Paul Reed Smith’s name is most often associated with electric guitars, the basses PRS has built since the mid-’80s have been widely praised for their designs and playability. In 2003, Paul Reed Smith, Joe Knaggs, and Gary Grainger began collaborating on a signature 5-string for Grainger. The resulting instrument caught the eyes and ears of many bassists, but for a decade it was only offered as a pricey PRS Private Stock instrument. But now the ideas spawned by that think tank are available via two instruments in PRS’s Core series, the 4-string Grainger 4 and the five-string Grainger 5, reviewed here.
Bird Watching
It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of the Grainger bass. The mahogany body of our tester features the 10-top flame-maple option, enhanced with a warm, autumn-sky finish. The body shape shares the aesthetic of such PRS guitar models as the 513 and 305, but it has a deeper cutaway on the treble side for easy access to the upper fretboard.
The maple neck has a smooth satin finish and a custom shape based on Grainger’s specifications. The browns of the rosewood fretboard complement the body colors nicely, but players who prefer a brighter look and tone can order the bass with a maple ’board. Flying across the 24-fret landscape are bird inlays, a PRS trademark.
Paul Reed Smith explained during a 2013 NAMM show demo that their bass pickup and preamp systems are the result of input from bassists, sound engineers, and other audio specialists. The Grainger’s two GG pickups feature a dual-blade design, with contours that follow the radius of the fretboard. This shape aims to deliver a fat, clear tone with a balanced string attack.
but it ruled on an R&B/funk gig.
The 18-volt preamp appears conventional at first, with controls for neck volume, bridge volume, bass, mids, and treble. However, the two volume knobs are also push/pull pots that engage active EQ in their downward positions. With both pots pulled up, the Grainger is in passive mode. If a player wants to solo one pickups, all they have to do is pull up the corresponding volume knob. (The only caveat: Popping a knob up disables the active EQ along with the other pickup, putting you in passive mode.) The cool thing is, there’s no volume difference between active and passive modes. This lets bassists immediately change their tonal character within a song. For traditional pickup blending in passive or active mode, both pots must be up or down.
Home on the Grainge
After marveling at the curves and colors of the test bass, I strapped it on. The medium-light Grainger felt balanced and comfortable. I was able to speed around the neck thanks to the flawless satin finish and comfortable neck profile. For some players, the string spacing at the lower frets may initially feel a bit narrow, but I found that it relieved left-hand stress while inspiring adventurous runs and string-skipping lines.
It’s always cool when you pluck a bass’s strings and perceive instant, unhindered vibration, and that’s definitely the case here. Whether playing vibrato-laden upper-register fills or full, focused 5th-string notes, I could feel PRS’s craftsmanship at work.
Ratings
Pros:
Beautiful looks. Comfortable design. Solid sit-in-the-mix tones. Impressive 5th-string performance.
Cons:
Sounds and styling could be too modern for some players.
Tones:
Playability/Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$2,929
PRS Grainger 5
prsguitars.com
Next, I tested the Grainger 5 with several studio rigs: an Epifani AL112 combo and a Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2 pushing a Glockenklang Quattro 410 cabinet. I checked out the primary tones of both pickups in passive mode. The neck pickup sounded smooth and deep with a slight growl—not so much a P-bass sound as that of a rich baritone voice. Soloing the bridge pickup delivered the expected bark, but the notes were slightly fatter and edgier than what you might get from a soloed bridge pickup on a J-style bass.
The Grainger is not a clone aiming to replicate an existing instrument. You have to hand it to Paul Reed Smith for creating an original bass voice: a somewhat scooped sound with warm, slightly punchy lows and crystalline highs.
On the Stage with Gary
Like most great performers, the bass shined when it hit the stage. Whether plugged into the Epifani combo or an Epifani UL 501 head with a Glockenkang cab, the bass found its place in the band’s sonic spectrum. I set the Grainger to active mode with both pickups engaged and the preamp flat for a rock covers show. The brightness added a nice edge and accents cut through the mix. The firm lows established a solid foundation. Each note was punchy, with pants-shaking power.
The Grainger 5 sounded right with rock, but it ruled on an R&B/funk gig. Sticking with the flexibility of active mode, I boosted the bass and treble EQ for thick slaps and bright pops. And like a sonic boom, the 5th-string notes spread over the stage and dance floor with chest-pounding precision, perfect for ballad climaxes.
The Verdict
It’s rare to find a U.S.-made instrument that provides this much quality for under $3,000. The aesthetics are striking, but this axe is much more than just a pretty face. The Grainger 5 delivers with rock-solid construction, excellent playability, a dynamic voice, and a versatile preamp that permits lightning-quick tone shaping. Live or in the studio, this bass excels at most modern music applications.
Watch the Review Demo:
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
