So I'm at this housewarming party that's being thrown by a friend's parent's co-worker, and in the middle of the party the host decides to have an open jam in the middle of the yard. Turns out he collects instruments of all kinds so gear is taken care of.
Musicians are called for and since the host will be playing guitar (a REAL '57 Strat, to be exact :bigeyes: ) I volunteer for playing bass. I plugged into a Gallien-Kreuger head and a 4x10 cab and he gave me this bass to play. He said it was a Late 60's Gibson bass and that to get the best sound, "keep that little black button pushed in."
I've been doing some light research and it turns out it was a late 60's Gibson EB model bass. I don't know the exact number but there's a few of these on eBay and they're very similar. Basically a bass guitar that looks like a 335 with a big silver pickup and a few knobs... and this switch.
Anyways I plug into the GK head and play a few lines. Very nice-sounding instrument, nice and tubby and smooth but not woofy, and still retained definition. Then I hit that switch he told me to punch...
DAAAAAAAMMMMNNNN... the bass got WAY louder but the low end just seemed to explode. It was the warmest, deepest, fattest, smoothest, most luscious low end I've ever heard come out of an instrument. And it still never got woofy or lost clarity. I'm thinking that that switch was the "Baritone Switch" the ebay ads refer to. This was not an active bass, nor did it sound like any other active electronics on a bass I've heard before. It was much smoother and deeper.
Does anyone know how that thing works? And if so, how can I get a copy of the circuit to build it into another bass? My bassist is one of those players that likes deep, smooth, punchy tones. I asked her about this and she said she'd love to have a mod like this on her bass.
So anyone got any leads?
Musicians are called for and since the host will be playing guitar (a REAL '57 Strat, to be exact :bigeyes: ) I volunteer for playing bass. I plugged into a Gallien-Kreuger head and a 4x10 cab and he gave me this bass to play. He said it was a Late 60's Gibson bass and that to get the best sound, "keep that little black button pushed in."
I've been doing some light research and it turns out it was a late 60's Gibson EB model bass. I don't know the exact number but there's a few of these on eBay and they're very similar. Basically a bass guitar that looks like a 335 with a big silver pickup and a few knobs... and this switch.
Anyways I plug into the GK head and play a few lines. Very nice-sounding instrument, nice and tubby and smooth but not woofy, and still retained definition. Then I hit that switch he told me to punch...
DAAAAAAAMMMMNNNN... the bass got WAY louder but the low end just seemed to explode. It was the warmest, deepest, fattest, smoothest, most luscious low end I've ever heard come out of an instrument. And it still never got woofy or lost clarity. I'm thinking that that switch was the "Baritone Switch" the ebay ads refer to. This was not an active bass, nor did it sound like any other active electronics on a bass I've heard before. It was much smoother and deeper.
Does anyone know how that thing works? And if so, how can I get a copy of the circuit to build it into another bass? My bassist is one of those players that likes deep, smooth, punchy tones. I asked her about this and she said she'd love to have a mod like this on her bass.
So anyone got any leads?
