Temperatures are warming, music festivals are on the rise, and summer is officially around the corner. Working bands will be hitting the road and taking to the sky, spreading their music across the world. But is their gear up for the task? Gear is the lifeblood for any band—without it, musicians cannot do their job and make a living. And while no piece of gear is completely “bullet-proof,” there are steps we can take to ensure our gear possesses the most important quality it can have on the road—reliability.
One band that recently got ready to tour is Wilco. These guys are notorious road dogs and are known to carry a vast array of gear on tour. In this article, we will look at front man Jeff Tweedy’s early-’60s brownface Fender Princeton 6G2-A and getting it ready for their tour.
This amp came to the shop in working order and sounding great, but needed a good cleaning and check over for reliability. At first glance, I noticed that this amp has mostly original components, with the exceptions of the filter capacitors and one of the cathode capacitors in the preamp. Had these capacitors not been replaced, from a reliability standpoint, consideration would have been seriously given toward replacing them. Electrolytic caps, generally speaking, have a life span of around 15 years. After this time, the electrolytic inside the cap can dry up and/or, as is often seen, the capacitor will begin to leak. You will usually see bulges and/or leaks from the positive end of the cap. In the case of this Princeton, only one capacitor in the preamp was original, so it was replaced with a high-quality capacitor of the same value. I always give the original components back to the client, especially in the case of a vintage amp. This way they have all the original parts—good to have for a possible future sale.
As I progressed further into the amp by checking the resistors, caps, wiring, solder joints, and cleaning/tightening the tube sockets—I considered the tubes. There is a 5Y3 rectifier, two 6V6 power tubes and two 12AX7 preamp tubes—all vintage. The preamp tubes, a vintage Bugle Boy and a vintage Tung-Sol, were left alone after testing output and carefully listening for microphonics and noise. These great sounding and reliable tubes have survived many years and should survive many more. The rectifier tube appeared to be in great shape and was left alone. However, the power tubes were replaced with some known reliable ones because power tubes tend to have a shorter life span than the other tubes in an amplifier. When reliability and the demands of touring are important, it’s always a good idea to replace them. It is also a good idea, as a tech, to give the owner of the amplifier an extra set of tubes of the same bias as the ones you are putting in. If the tubes fail on the road, the band can replace them on their own, without worrying about proper tube biasing. I also like to tape an extra fuse or two to the inside of the amp’s cabinet, just in case a fuse blows. These simple things can make an amp failure much easier and less expensive to manage when on the road.
It is important to take a close look at the wiring of an amp before it goes out on tour. Old wires can oxidize and become brittle with age. With the amp on and a signal going through it, it is a good idea to nudge the wires to look for signs of wear and listen for changes in output. Any crusty, worn, blackened, or fragile wires should be replaced with new wire. Also worth checking out is the AC power cable. This should be quality three-prong grounded cable. Touring musicians have more important things to worry about than the possibility of a great-sounding amplifier having the potential of causing them electric shock.
The last step with this Princeton is playing it. I inspect the speaker for unreasonable wear and then turn the amp up to listen to the speaker. Like changing summer to winter tires on a vehicle, a musician will occasionally want to save their vintage speaker from the abuse it may take on the road, and opt for a temporary speaker replacement. It’s also a good idea to burn the tubes in by running a signal through the amp and into a dummy load. This will push the tubes as if you were playing the amp loudly, but save your ears. Finally, I check the handle on the amp. Whoever will be transporting it from show to show will certainly appreciate a solid handle, which can be used without a second thought, about the possibility of it giving out.
Every tour is a little different, and the strain on the instruments changes. It’s important to remember the fine line between “road-ready” and simply sounding good, because both are simultaneously possible—credence should always be given to both. Some musicians are comfortable sacrificing some overall tone for higher reliability, while to others, tone is of utmost concern. In the end, I am confidant that the amps I work on will be solid and reliable enough to handle the rigors of many shows on the long, winding road.
Tim Schroeder is the President and chief engineer at Schroeder Audio Inc. of Chicago Illinois where he is responsible for new product design/construction as well as over seeing repair operations at Schroeder Guitar and Amplifier Repair. schroederaudioinc.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
