1960s Teisco EB-200 Electric Bass Guitar
Update 2020: I've just restrung this with fresh 95w-40w short scale-style roundwound strings, made a new video, and updated my description here and there.
My buddy Phil found me another EB-200! How about that? This one has the later-style (4-post) pickups rather than the blade-looking pickups and a nice sunburst finish. The black-painted aluminum pickguards are looking good, too.
I love the woody, thumpy, lively sound of these old Teisco basses. Their pickups are a bit microphonic so you hear more of the body of the instrument through them. I don't have an issue with feedback due to that, though, but you can definitely hear the wood. Their on/off pickup selectors are also wired so that when both pickups are on they're in series and that particular position on this particular model of bass is one of my favorite short-scale bass sounds. It's full-on, fat, wide, and yet at the same time very '60s. If you like fuzz, too, it'll also give you a good boom going into a fuzz box.
Currently it's wearing a set of new D'Addario nickel roundwounds in 95w-40w -- the gauges that these old short scale basses love. I'd had it strung with flatwounds before and while it was nice with them, the roundwounds definitely give it a more aggressive, up-front sound and a slinkier feel.
My buddy Phil found me another EB-200! How about that? This one has the later-style (4-post) pickups rather than the blade-looking pickups and a nice sunburst finish. The black-painted aluminum pickguards are looking good, too.
I love the woody, thumpy, lively sound of these old Teisco basses. Their pickups are a bit microphonic so you hear more of the body of the instrument through them. I don't have an issue with feedback due to that, though, but you can definitely hear the wood. Their on/off pickup selectors are also wired so that when both pickups are on they're in series and that particular position on this particular model of bass is one of my favorite short-scale bass sounds. It's full-on, fat, wide, and yet at the same time very '60s. If you like fuzz, too, it'll also give you a good boom going into a fuzz box.
Currently it's wearing a set of new D'Addario nickel roundwounds in 95w-40w -- the gauges that these old short scale basses love. I'd had it strung with flatwounds before and while it was nice with them, the roundwounds definitely give it a more aggressive, up-front sound and a slinkier feel.
Repairs included: a board plane and refret with medium fretwire, cleaning, a replacement height adjuster for the saddle, removal of a post at the bridge that allowed mounting of a coverplate (and got in the way), and setup.
Setup notes: action is 3/32" low and hair-below 3/32" high at the 12th fret. The neck is straight but the truss rod adjustment is nearly maxed-out. Update here: the neck has not budged in the last 6 months and is quite happy.
Scale length: 30"
Nut width: 1 11/16"
String spacing at nut: 1 3/8"
String spacing at bridge: 2 1/8"
Body length: 20 3/4"
Lower bout width: 13 1/2"
Waist width: 9 1/4"
Upper bout width: 11 1/4"
Side depth at endpin: 1 3/8"
Body wood: mahogany-like
Neck wood: mahogany-like
Fretboard: rosewood, plastic nut
Bridge: adjustable, single-saddle bent
Neck feel: medium C-shape, ~12" board radius
Condition notes: it's all-original and in good shape save a missing bridge cover and replaced neck bolts. There's minor wear and tear throughout with scratching on the front and back.
Comments
What string gauges did you use to achieve that tuning?
Awesome work!
Joe