An All Original 1959 Gibson EB-2 Bass

1959 Gibson EB-2

One of the very first EB-2 basses with a humbucking pickup and the baritone switch. This is one of the lightest EB-2s that we have ever seen weighing just 6.50 lbs. Single-bound, 16 inch wide, just under 1 3/4 inches deep, thinline double cutaway laminated maple body. One-piece mahogany neck with a nice, fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a short scale length of 30 1/2 inches and a wonderful thick profile. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 20 original jumbo frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Two-on-a-side banjo-style tuners with cream plastic tulip-shaped buttons. One "mudbucker" humbucking pickup in the neck position with black plastic cover and the pole-pieces in the center. Five-layer black over white plastic pickguard. Two controls (one volume, one tone) on the lower treble bout plus a two-way, push button baritone switch. Combination bar bridge/stud tailpiece. The serial number "A 31883" is stamped in black on an oval orange label inside the bass f-hole together with the 'style' "EB-2" written in black ink. The factory order number (FON) "S 9621 15" is stamped in black inside the treble f-hole. This rare 1959 EB-2 is 100% original with some playing wear to the top just by the low E string between the pickup and the bridge assembly. There is some finish checking and some wear to the edges of the guitar and the headstock. There are also some small indentations and small areas of surface loss on the back of the neck, the largest (5/8 inch x 3/8 inch) being behind the seventh fret. The overall condition is a strong (8.75) excellent plus.This is one of the best sounding EB-2s that I have had over the years. Housed in the original Gibson five-latch, shaped brown hardshell case with purple plush lining (9.00).

**On the bottom of the case is an original tan and green cloth "Led Zeppelin Backstage Pass" for the March 27th, 1975 Inglewood "Concerts West  Jerry Weintraub"  LA show.

One of only 203 Sunburst EB-2s (there were also 60 in Natural) made in 1959, and one of the earliest examples to have the added pushbutton "baritone" switch and the large PAF Humbucking pickup with the pole-pieces in the center. 

The original price in 1958 was $267.50, and the case was $49.50. According to factory ledgers, the earliest EB-2s were registered on 27th June 1958 (serial numbers A 27809/810/811) and a Super 400 (A 27816) was registered on 1st July 1958.

"Gibson's second electric bass model established a pattern that would hold true for almost all of the company's basses from that date forward. The EB-2 of 1958 was a 'partner' to a similar guitar model -- in this case, the semi-hollow ES-335. The EB-2 was, in effect, an electric bass neck (complete with banjo-style tuners) glued onto the double-cutaway, 'thinline' body of the ES-335. The earliest model had a single-coil pickup with a black-plastic cover, but this was soon replaced by a large humbucker with a black-plastic cover. A pushbutton 'baritone' (i.e., bass-cut) control was added in 1959, and conventional right-angle tuners replaced the banjo tuners in 1960. The original EB-2 was dropped in 1961 and reintroduced, with a metal pickup cover, in 1964. A double-pickup version, the EB-2D, joined the line in 1966. Both models were discontinued in 1972. Although not commercially successful, Gibson's short-scale, semi-hollow basses -- and such similar models as the Epiphone Rivoli and Guild Starfire Bass -- were popular with many '60s rock bands because they were easy to play and offered different tonal possibilities than Fender basses" (Jim Roberts, American Basses, pp. 73-74).