1961

1961 EB3

One piece mahogany, 20 frets

Used on all set-necked solid-body basses until early 1966

One piece mahogany, wide spaced controls, large control cavity, type 1* cutaways

Cherry finish

Pearl inlaid crown logo situated above the headstock centre

Silver-painted black plastic covered neck humbucker. Silver-painted mounting rings on bridge pickup

Series 1 circuitry

Nickel type 1 bar bridge, mute, Kluson 538 machine heads and handrest. Wooden fingerrest. Front mounted jack.

1962

1962 full line catalogue

1963

1963 electrics catalogue

1963 EB3

From early to mid 1963, the neck humbucker now has a nickel cover

1964

From late '63/early '64 pearl crown logo centralised on the headstock

1965

1965 sunburst EB3
1963 pelham blue EB3

Chrome type 2 bar bridge, mute, Kluson 538 machine heads and handrest. Front mounted jack.

1966

1966 full line catalogue

Used throughout 1966-68 and possibly early in 1969

One piece mahogany, narrow spaced controls, small control cavity, type 1* cutaways

1967

At some point in 1967 the bar bridge was replaced by the 2 point bridge. Initially these kept the previously used handrest, however before long this was phased out in favour of a chrome bridge cover. The mute remained the same despite the different bridge. Machineheads were usually Kluson 538s, as before, though both Schaller M-4 and the Japanese closed gear tuners were used on ooccasion between 1967 and 1970. Front mounted jack.

1968

1969

1969 EB3

Three-piece necks introduced towards the end of 1969, still with 20 frets

This heel style (top) was used throughout much of 1969, being replaced by the next style (bottom) used briefly with the new three-piece necks, until the split headstock basses were introduced at the very end of the year

type 2* cutaways

Walnut finish introduced from the end of 1969

Some late 1969 headstocks have a glued-on pearl logo, but still with an inlaid crown

1970

1970 bass catalogue

Three piece mahogany, 19 frets

Typical split headstock neck jont

One piece mahogany, narrow spaced controls, small control cavity, type 2* changing to type 3* cutaways

Split headstock, glued-on pearl logo, though now without the dotted i

The neck humbucker now has a black plastic surround to mount it to the body, and four height adjustment screws through the pickup cover

Series 1 circuitry

From very late in 1969, the EB3 was redesigned to have a split headstock, which required Schaller M-4-C tuners. Other changes were a new pickguard with no fingerest, and a new scripted truss rod cover. Towards the end of split headstock production, underbridge mutes were phased out - often in favour of a piece of foam glued to the underside of the bridge cover

1971

1971 EB3
1971 EB3L

25 EB3s shipped in natural finish

1972

1972 bass catalogue

1972 EB3

Three piece maple, 21 frets

Post split-headstock seventies neck joint

One piece mahogany, narrow spaced controls, small control cavity, type 4*, quickly changing to changing to type 5* cutaways

Solid headstock, decal logo

The same pickups as 1970-71 EB3, however repositioned away from the neck, and with series 2 circuitry

In 1972 the EB3 was redesigned again; hardware changes consisted of an entirly new shape pickguard, entirely new Schaller M-4-S tuners and unscripted truss rod cover. The two point bridge (now with metal saddles) was still used into 1973

1973

10 instruments shipped in ebony finish, 24 in natural

At some point in 1973 the two point bridge was replaced by the three point bridge, and the older Schaller tuners were replaced with Schaller B-M tuners

1974

1975

1975 bass catalogue

1976

White finish available from 1976

At some point in the mid seventies the older Schaller tuners were replaced with Schaller B-M tuners

1977

1978

1978 full line catalogue

1978 white EB3

1979

* Gibson EB basses had subtly different cutouts small changes in the bevels as opposed to the actual size of the horns - there is no obvious way to name these differences, and no refernece to them in any Gibson literature, so they have been described here simply as types 1-5. For a comparative look at the variations, see the EB bass cutaway page