For this review keep in mind that I'm not really a bassist. I've played bass on and off over the years and have just started playing bass in a weekend punkish-rock band. What I'm looking for in a bass would be quite different from a real bassist would. I've been shopping for a bass and renting different ones at a local shop to get an idea of whats out there. I had both EB-3 models for about a month and half (a rosewood and a black version).

This is a copy of the Gibson classic "SG" style bass with that small thin body. How it compares to the original, I can't say. The red rosewood finish was nice and the black was, well, black. Nothing too dramatic. However I especially liked the neck -- round, long and narrow (1.65" at the nut) which makes it perfect for a pick player like me. There's not much difference in the width from the nut to the body. The action was set fairly low, which I like, and I felt it played quite well (well, good enough for me at least). Very reminiscent of the Hofner Beetle bass I played back in high school and kind of like my Epiphone Acoustic Bass. It's probably less favorable for a real bassist but since I have no real 'technique' to speak of, it's just fine. Unfortunately it's the neck that makes the bass almost un-playable. There is _SO_ much neck that if you ever take your hand off it, the neck quickly rotates toward the floor! Perhaps Gibson's original design had a heavier body with better overall balance, but the Epiphone's body is way too light. Of the two I used, the black version's body seemed to have a bit more weight, but still too unbalanced for me. The addition of a leather strap did help but it sure made your shoulders sore!

Its pickups were a bit noisy so perhaps they aren't humbuckers after all (the combination setting seemed the most susceptible to things like overhead lighting). It also took me a while to find a sound I liked. It seemed a bit "flappy" and undefined at first but by futzing around with the mix of the 2 pickups I finally got a sound that I'm quite fond of -- an aggressive bite with a nice boom. I think adding some 3rd party pickups could really open up the sound although at a cost. The electronics and pots felt pretty standard, not super but well within the price range of other like bases. Overall it had pretty good sustain.

Its intonation was kinda goofy and parts of it always seemed out of tune but that could probably be fixed with a good set up at a reputable guitar shop. I guess rentals can be pretty bad sometimes.

It seemed about the same weight as the Fender P and Jazz basses that I've rented and came with a square hard shell case. I think it's just the balance thing that is its biggest flaw. I won't be buying this bass, although I'm quite fond of some of it qualities. If you're not bothered by that balance issue perhaps you might want to look at it. It's fairly cheap so what the hey?! You could always tape some kind of weight to the body...

Construction	70%
Playability	70%
Appearance	50%
Sound	78%
Value	50%
Overall	65%