This 1964 Gibson EB0 bass started life in the Kalamazoo factory over half a century ago its fair to say that in that time its had its fair share of bad luck, had been stripped for parts, a friend of mine bought it and asked me if I could restore it, it had been stripped of paint, and looked like it had been soaked, Probably after the fire which had damaged the fretboard and removed the dots, the jack hole was broken out, and there were 4 screw holes around it where a square jack socket had been, then to add insult to injury, the courier broke the neck out of the socket, my first consideration was if it was worth buying the bridge and making a nut to see if it would still play given the visible trauma to the neck.

 

 

After steaming out and cleaning the broken neck pieces left in the neck socket it was time to rebuild the neck, which on close inspection appears to be flat and unwarped.

The body is now giving up some of its secrets after cleaning the cavities it reveals that it was originally cherry red, and at some point became Pelham Blue. Before being sanded back, thankfully no one tried to make it an EB3 by adding electrics.

 

The fretboard has had a lucky escape and looks worse than it actually is, a light sand brings the rosewood back it only has a micro thin coating of soot, the quality of rosewood used by Gibson in the sixties has really proved its worth, matching the mother of pearl dots however proves a much harder task.

 

 

The Headstock has an amateurish repaint which has turned matt black. The masking is visable in the photo, the mother of pearl Gibson logo is sitting proud and appears to have lost some filler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above the bridge pin is earthed with copper wire and seated into the body, a donor has been found for the missing parts, and the wood repairs around the jack socket are less visible. A piece of Brazilian mahogany with a similar size grain pattern was used to make a plug for the broken out jack hole, and a new hole re cut.

 

Below right the headstock has been sympathetically restored retaining its aged look and patina and a Bone nut made.

 

 

 

Now just for the electrics and paintwork, the donor is a 1964 EB0/3 conversion which had lost its headstock.

 

The cover plate has been hand made from rosewood. The finish is nitrocellulose in vintage cherry to match Gibson’s original colour, the grain has been filled with black grain filler, and the wood stained cherry red with crimson guitars colour stain.

 

 

Mudbucker pickup and electrics done, scratch plate holes are filled scratch plate is placed on, finish has a slight grain through effect when viewed  up close, which although glossy gives it an aged appearance.

 

Look after her. She has had a hard life, she now looks and sounds great, a testament to Gibson’s quality in materials and craftsmanship.