Renaissance Period of Modern Music

Pawn Shop Finesse, Aged Guitars & The Epiphone EB-1

One of my absolute favourite things ever, possibly my favourite aside from frozen yogurt, are those brilliantly vintage guitars you find in a pawn shop or charity shop. They’re a rare sight, because good deals are nabbed quick by the lucky, but they are always such a nice inconspicuous sight.

Should you be one of the lucky ones, the best thing to do is ask the owner if you can play it or plug it in to something first. They’re likely not going to be music store assistants, so they may not be familiar with the norms of your standard music shop. Should they show reluctance, be patient and show you are keen on buying it even if you are still undecided.
It is always best to try things out in the shop first before you buy it, as it will give you a good insight to what it’s worth, and if it’s worth what the store is asking. Check for any damage in the electronics; Do the pickups buzz? Does the tone or volume potentiometer crackle when you move it? And check for any issues with the frets.
Even if they do have slight issues, hope is far from lost. Most decent guitar shops either do repairs or know a luthier who does. The simple job of re-doing old electronics should cost no more than €50. Re-fretting would not be too far off that, and if it was a case where both needed to be done, most places would happily do a deal.

But trust me, any necessary internal restoration costs are totally worth it.

Aged '58 Gibson EB-3

The trend of pawn shop guitars is beginning to become a trend in a lot of new bands. Some are beginning to realise the true aesthetic that a guitar has at later stages in their life, once they have effectively fermented in their own right.

Bassist Robert Levon Been of California Alternative rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle club Is famed for using a line of Epiphone Rivoli Basses, the first of which came from a pawn shop.

"I got my first one because it was all I could afford. I couldn’t afford to go to Guitar Center! I found this pawn shop in San Francisco, and it was the only bass on the wall apart from modern plastic things. It was $800, and had loads of scars all over it. I complained to the guy that it was scratched and a bit messed up. He didn’t know basses at all, and I was “complaining” about the things I really loved about it! I knocked him down to 400 bucks." (R Levon Been, 2013)

Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

The use of such a bass definitely adds to the overall sound of Black Rebel Motorcycle club and the heavily overdriven hollow body bass is instantly recognisable due to how unique it is.  This is important in standing out.
Some find it pretentious to admit to a desire to stand out, but personally I’ve never been interested in doing everything by the book anyway.

There is definitely character to a naturally road worn guitar. If anyone ever asked me what’s the coolest guitar I’ve ever seen, one I want to own more than anything or If i could choose from any guitar in the world, and only ever own one guitar ever again....
Well, those questions are easy.
Willie Nelson’s guitar.

Willie Nelson's 1969 Martin N-20

Since 1969, Willie has used one guitar and one guitar only and this certainly shows on its worn and aged body. It is instantly recognisable; a 1969 Martin N-20 worn and scratched and with a second gaping hole between the saddle and acoustic sound hole and multiple signatures.
This, as an instrument, is everything I feel an instrument should be. It is an extension of the storyteller himself. It tells his story and carries all the wrinkles and scars of road life and music life as the man himself does.

Both also, sound brilliant after all their combined years despite the natural aging.

From Willie Nelson's Band of Brothers album

Apart from the road worn side of things, one thing other vintage guitar hunters seem to overlook which I find particularly appealing are the stock room rejects and the Art deco of the 1950s, which was a unique aesthetic that simply never really kicked off.

Fender Bass VI, a 1961 design that was shelved in 1975

A fine example of this is the not so well known Epiphone EB-1 which have been popping up now and again, catching my eye of late. Appearance wise, they quite closely resemble the idea of the Höfner 500/1 except are completely solid, a more garish shape and finished in a dark mahogany colour with oddly painted on f holes.

It’s unusual rectilinear and edged shape, use of symmetry and non-curvilinear violin body heavily reflects post first world war French art. It’s obvious the designer in question was going for something raw, and I must commend him for that.

Gibson EB-1 produced circa 1953

The EB-1 started life as a Gibson product in 1953 and was manufactured mainly as a competitor to the Fender Precision bass which was proving incredibly popular among bass players. Gibson chose to give bass players the option of playing it traditionally in upright position or in the off centred bass guitar position, and included a retractable end pin to accompany the EB-1, as well as a fretless version of the bass. This unfortunately proved unsuccessful for Gibson and the EB-1 was discontinued in 1958.
The EB-1 was then replaced by the EB-3, its somewhat cheekier devil-horned younger brother, which copied the body shape of the double cutaway Les Paul (Now called SG) and proved popular among those who preferred short scale basses.
Gibson attempted to reissue the EB-1 twice; in 1968 and 1999, the former having a slightly different design, removing the nonexistent f hole, and the latter having a bolt on neck.

The EB-1 in it's hard case with the retractable end pin

Despite its unpopularity among players however, the EB-1 is prized among collectors for its historical value. It is not uncommon for original EB-1s to fetch prices of over $4000 (almost €3150). This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest really. Vintage rejects are popping up all over the place these days, with the Fender bass V and bass VI, Orfeus violin bass, Univox Lectra, guitars made by Kay, Tiesco, and Höfner.

JB Hutto Montgomery Airline & Kay Hollowbody
used by Jack White of The White Stripes

It’s a direction a lot of musicians are starting to turn to for fresh ideas, myself included.

In reality what we’re facing is the renaissance period of modern music.