The holidays are a busy time of year. Whether at work or home, the to-do list doesn’t seem to ever shorten, and the nostalgia of the year just passed will soon give way to the exciting possibilities of the new one. Here at PG we are gearing up for a biggest year yet, connecting with the largest and most engaged audience of guitarists in the world.
As you look forward to growing your business in 2019, I’m here to offer you my outlook on the best ways to spend your energy and dollars in the coming year: your 3-part Marketing New Year’s Resolution.
Say it with me...I WILL
Start (or increase) creating content
Creating content may feel unnatural to a lot of companies. It can seem like something that is unattainable or that has a high barrier of entry. I would encourage you to put aside your fears or doubts and just do it. Start. It doesn’t have to be on expensive equipment or have a high production value -- just get something out there and edit your methods as you go. Showing a human side to your business by highlighting your employees via a blog, giving a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your production process, or starting a weekly tips or how-to series is the best way to establish your brand as a place where knowledgeable PEOPLE work. Your customers want to know you. And when they know you, they can develop trust in you. Once you have a feel for simple content creation, you can move strategically in providing value to your customer that will compel them to choose your product over everything else. Gain their trust, provide them value (content), make the sale.
Take charge of advertising analytics
When you’re choosing a restaurant to eat at this weekend, stop and consider the factors behind your decision. Will it be crowded? Is the food any good? Did I get sick the last time I ate there? How long is the drive? Is it expensive relative to the quality? If you consider that many things about one meal, then where and how you spend your marketing dollars should have at least much data to back it up. In the digital age, we have more data than ever to help us make sound decisions. But, you have make the effort to acquire, analyze, and use it. Every place you spend your money should offer you analysis on the platform your ads will be displayed, why it could work for you, and the products that best fit your goals. And, most importantly, they should be helping you once your campaigns are complete to analyze the results. Was it worth the money relative to the value provided to you? Is there something that can be improved upon? What aspects showed promise and should be used in future efforts? Analyzing your ad spend is the key to increasing your ROI for future campaigns.
Set goals and a plan to get it done
This may seem like the most obvious of the three and it’s probably the most important. There is no shortage of where, how, and when to spend your advertising dollars on the internet and because of this, it can often feel like the process and procedure is the most important thing. What should I set my budget as for this Facebook boosted post? What keywords should I target on AdSense? How can I structure this giveaway to attract the most opt-in email addresses for my list? Before you ask yourself any of those questions, you need to ask yourself what you are trying to achieve. What you want to accomplish should dictate the plan by which you will achieve it. Acquiring email names, increasing brand awareness, launching a new product, or generating traffic and sales on your website all require different strategies and methods. Setting explicit goals and managing your expectations for results is the best way to do the right things again and to steer you away from making the same mistake twice. After all, you can’t hit a target if you don’t know where to aim.
On behalf of the entire staff of Premier Guitar, we wish you a joyous holiday season and continued success and growth in 2019. If you’re looking for help getting ideas for creating content, learning the ins-and-outs of advertising analytics, or defining your marketing goals and plans for 2019, PG’s Marketing Lab is here to help. Give me a call or sign up for a FREE 30 minute consultation below and let’s dig in.
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.
Enter here:
Pedalmania 2024 Week #3Eventide Ultratap Delay/Reverb Multi-Tap Effects Pedal Silver
UltraTap is a unique multi-tap delay effects pedal offering rhythmic delays, reverb and modulation. It's perfect for staccato leads, swelling chords, and other evolving effects — everything from reversed reverbs to the sound of ripping it up in the Grand Canyon! UltraTap features the ability to add as many virtual tape heads as desired along with the ability to expressively control head position and output level enabling new and unprecedented effects.
Xotic XW-2 Wah Pedal - Limited-edition Blue
The wah tone and EQ are dialed in to perfection making accessing the perfect wah sound easier than ever. With plug-and-play simplicity, you can achieve the finest wah sound that will truly elevate your creative ingenuity. The pedal features custom wound inductor, pot and circuit which not only captures the pure essence of vintage Clyde McCoy (as XW1 did), but also breathes an evolved essence (of wah) that goes beyond vintage. As with the XW-1, the pedal has a relay-based true bypass switch and adjustable rocker tension to optimize your rocker pedal to your liking.
Walrus Audio Sloer Stereo Ambient Reverb Effects Pedal Blue
The Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb builds on our popular Slö lineup but adds two additional reverb algorithms, stereo width control, two additional modulation wave shapes, and the ability to control the sample rate. Now you can create immersive, lush, modulated, sleepy, and ambient soundscapes with more width and depth than ever before.
J. Rockett Audio Designs Blue Note Select Boost/Overdrive Pedal
Transparent, organic, dynamic — J. Rockett’s Blue Note Select all but embodies these sought-after overdrive qualities, improving upon J. Rockett’s self-admitted “favorite circuit” with a fresh look and tone. Like previous Blue Note series pedals, it skillfully skirts the lines between dirty boost and overdrive to deliver the same lively feel of a hot tube amp. And just like a traditional amplifier, this pedal’s 4-knob setup — consisting of Volume, Gain, Tone, and Fat controls — provides a straightforward and intuitive tone-shaping experience. However, Sweetwater’s Blue Note aficionados find that this V2 variation’s most significant change is found in its harder-hitting low-end response, which impacts both standard mode and the screaming sound of Hot mode when you engage the middle switch. The Blue Note Select fits the bill for the guitarist who requires an uncompromisingly amp-like response from their gain pedal.
Neon Egg Planetarium 3
The Planetarium 3 is a stereo reverb and/or chorus, running into a delay with stereo modulation, running into a compressor with an external sidechain input. It lets you turn any sound into a sea of modulated ambience, then make it pump in time with the music (without the need for a computer or click track).
Maxon Od-9 Overdrive Effects Pedal
The Maxon OD-9 Overdrive Effects Pedal may look like your old favorite but that's where the similarity ends. Improved circuitry with a new chip yields the ultra-smooth dynamic overdrive guitarists crave. Drive and Level controls tweak the intensity and volume while the Hi-Boost/Hi-Cut tone controls adjust brightness. Features true bypass switching, a die-cast zinc case, and 3-year warranty. From subtle cries to shattering screams, the Maxon OD-9 delivers a huge range of tones.
Features
Improved circuitry with a new chip yields ultra-smooth dynamic overdrive
Drive and Level controls tweak the intensity and volume
Hi Boost/Hi Cut tone controls adjust brightness
True bypass switching
Die-cast zinc case
AC/DC operation (order optional Maxon AC210N adapter)
Product Specs
Input: 1/4" mono jack
Output: 1/4" mono jack
Power: 9V DC, 6 mA, center pin minus (not included)
Dimensions: (WxDxH) 74 mm x 124 mm x 54 mm
Weight: 580g