Mike Watt Introduction

Mike Watt with a heavily customised Gibson EB3 (2004) - Photo courtesy of Peter Whitfield

By John Fertig, March 2007 Mike Watt is a punk rock legend, carving new musical ground with his band Minutemen that was cut tragically short in a car accident with the death of the guitarist and childhood friend D. Boon. Watt went on to form the band fIREHOSE that built it's own following. Post fIREHOSE, Watt has played and/or recorded with a long list of musicians including: Porno for Pyros, J Mascis and the Fog, Banyan, Rickie Lee Jones, Dave Grohl, Frank Black, Eddy Vedder and Thurston Moore. More recently he has put out solo records aswell as playing and recording with Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Kelly Clarkson, and his own bands Secondmen, Missingmen, and his longest running band (formed in 1986); a two-bass-only band Dos.
Mike talks to FlyGuitars about his music, his Gibson bass guitars, and their many modifications...

FlyGuitars Tell me about your approach to bass playing and music in general?

Mike Watt a lot of it comes from playing with D. Boon. When we were boys (I'm 49), we were used to arena rock in the 70's, and we were too far away to see the tuners. You could see in pictures they had four tuners. We knew they had four strings, but we did not know they were bigger, so I played a guitar with four strings, 'til I saw a real bass when I was 16. I started when I was 13. I really could not hear the bass on records except for Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Jamerson, R&B and Larry Graham - could hear the bass on that, just the way songs were written for the bass. You could hear Entwistle on the bass (laughs) and that Wheels Of Fire, that Cream, where they played Crossroads. In fact I saw pictures of Jack Bruce, I saw him playing with a Gibson EB-3. So at 16 I got a real bass. I did not know a Gibson/Fender. A lot of stuff was sold in record stores and it was hard to find Gibson & Fenders, there were no Guitar Centers back then. You had to go to Hollywood.

Punk came and that was a real mind blow for us. The club scene came back. You could stand right up there and see the bass and feel the bass. In those days the PA was used for singers, so they would have 8 SVTs with drummers, with no monitors. Punk comes and we find we should be writing songs.

Minutemen

Mike Watt in 1979 with his slotted headstock Gibson EB3 - playing with The Reactionaries (photo by Sedillo).

FlyGuitars Your first recorded band, Minutemen created their own type of music...

Mike Watt Hearing Punk Records from England like Wire, where they would have no song structure, making what they want. Music is what ever you want it to be. It was trippy too because there was a lot of women in those bands. Which the only female bass player I ever saw back then was Suzie Quatro.

With punk in the early 70's, everyone was on a level playing field, everyone was lame. The guitar was just textures with the bass driving it along. The bass was very prominent in those bands. With Minutemen we were putting our thoughts on how the band was going to be structured. He (D. Boon) would not play barre cords and played trebly. He would give me a lot of room, a three-way tie, kind of.

Building a whole from the parts, like a conversation, not just a support. Boon said we are going to have a conversation. Kinda like osmosis. We would not have to worry about trying to show each other up. Like John Coltrane, he kept practicing, so what I try to do is put myself in challenging situations.

Youtube Video Clips
Mike Watt playing with the Minutemen - click the images to view clips

Two videos by the Minutemen in which Mike uses an EB3L. Left - This Ain't No Picnic. Right - King of the Hill

Gibson bass guitars for sale

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Mike Watt??s 1969 Gibson Les Paul Bass

Cross Junction, Virginia, 226**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$6000

1969 Gibson Les Paul Bass: ESP Strat preamp with bypass mini-switch added. Badass bridge, headstock repaired. Mike Watt moved the output jack from the side to the front and added a big ol' washer to reinforce it you can see it in the picture. He also removed the side jack.
(bought from dirk vandenberg of guitar surfari. mike watts bass tech in San Pedro... more

1969 Gibson EB3 Bass Guitar- 100% Original with Original Case

Glastonbury, Connecticut, 060**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3700

One owner, bought new in 1969 from Quigly Music in Kansas City with original Gibson Case. One small strap rub on back with minor finish scratches on back as seen in photos.... more

1972 Gibson EB-3 Mahogany Maple neck Bass Guitar first year 1972 has Gibson logo

Kokomo, Indiana, 469**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$2500

The 1972 Gibson EB-3 The first Model Mahogany Bass Guitar is a vintage electric bass guitar that exudes classic style and timeless appeal. With a short scale body made of mahogany with a maple neck and a right-handed design, this 4-string bass guitar features a rosewood fretboard for a smooth and rich tone. This model, part of the Gibson series, comes with a hard case for added protection and easy transport. Whether you're a seasoned musician or a beginner looking to add a vintage touch to your ... more

Gibson EB-3 Mahogany 1970-75 Electric Bass Guitar Orig. Case Slotted Head 961211

El Segundo, California, 902**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$2500

Available for your consideration is this stunning Gibson EB-3 bass guitar. It has a scale length of 31 inches, and a serial number of 961211.
To the best of our knowledge, this is most likely a 72 to 75 production of the EB-3 in mahogany
It is missing the original pickup cover.

You can read more about EB-3 production differences and models on FlyGuitars website.

This Beautiful and stunning EB-3 Gibson Bass guitar is in the original case and ... more

1978 Gibson EB-3 Bass - Walnut With Original Case

Merrimac, Massachusetts, 018**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$2200

Fantastic condition 1978 Gibson EB-3 in walnut finish. Besides two replaced rear cavity screws, the rest of the bass is in original conition, including the hard shell case. It is nicely set up and plays and sounds great. There are very few signs of play wear, dings, or scratches. In short, it's a rock and roll machine
The EB-3 features an SG shaped mahogany body, a 3 piece maple neck with volute, rosewood fingerboard, short 30 5" scale, and two pickups which include a large humbucker in the... more

Gibson EB-3 Bass Guitar 1967

Horncastle, LN9***, UNITED KINGDOM

£3010

The Gibson EB-3 is a bass guitar introduced in 1961 and discontinued in 1979. It was produced at Gibson's plant in Kalamazoo, MI It features a slim SG-style body, a short 30 5" scale, and two pick up's (a large humbucking pickup in the neck position and a mini humbucker pickup in the bridge position). The electronics include a four-way rotary pickup selector switch (for Series 1 basses: neck pickup with midrange notch, bridge, bridge and neck with low end rolled off neck pickup, neck pickup with... more

1962 Gibson EB-3 4 String Bass Guitar All Original With Gibson Case

Swindon, SN5***, UNITED KINGDOM

£4687

1962 Gibson EB-3 bass guitar
All original pick ups switch gear etc. A fantastic piece of guitar history and a great addition for any serious collector or just somebody who loves that classic sound.
Comes with vintage Gibson hard case although I do not think it is the original.
Age related marks but nothing serious considering it is 62 years old!... more

GIBSON Mudbucker Pickup COVER ONLY (EB0-EB3 Bass models)

Perugia, 06***, ITALY

€50

GIBSON
Mudbucker Pickup Chrome Cover for EB0 / EB2 / EB3 Bass
(COVER ONLY - NO PICKUP)
In vendita la cover (solo il coperchio in metallo cromato, NON l'intero pickup) di un pickup al manico del basso Gibson EB0 / EB2 / EB3 ed altri modelli.
Si tratta di un pezzo originale, proveniente dal mio EB3 e identico a quelli usati per un lungo periodo negli anni precedenti e seguenti ed esteticamente compatibile anche con i pickup montati sui bassi Epiphone e sugli attuali Gibson SG (ma ... more

1975 Gibson EB3 Bass guitar

Bath, BA2***, UNITED KINGDOM

£1129

1975 Gibson EB-3 bass guitar, made in USA; Body: walnut finished mahogany,
Some wear and dings but is all character rather than damage
Electrics: working;
Hardware is good
Case: Epiphone hard case;
Weight: 4 25kg
I??m selling at a loss now but everything must go!!!... more

1965 Gibson EB-3 Bass Guitar

Farnham, GU10***, UNITED KINGDOM

£3062

Available now is this 1965 Gibson EB3. One of only 339 shipped in that year, and one of even fewer that made it this side of the pond
The EB-3, widely known as the classic Cream bass, was used and made most famous by Jack Bruce from blues-rock pioneers 'Cream' around 1967 onwards. He had a few of them over that time period, but his main and most photographed instrument was a matching '65. The spacing between the control knobs was changed in 1965 to match the guitar line, so only a percentage... more

Epiphone Gibson SG EB3 Bass 2 pickup - Cherry

Northcote, Victoria, 3***, AUSTRALIA

AU $716

A classic - looks good, sounds good. This bass has a few scratches but otherwise is totally solid. Has been treated well. Plays well.
Pick up Northcote, Melbourne, includes original box.... more

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