El Degas EB-3/SG Bass

[greganderson]

Hello! First post on this great forum. I just picked up this bass today and have to say I am very impressed with it. I have no pics as yet, but it is just like this one:

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a27/js ... degas1.jpg

The bass is in almost mint condition, is very well made, and, as MIJ copies go, looks incredibly like a real Gibson EB-3. I am guessing it was made at either the Fujigen or Matsumoku factory, perhaps the former, since it most resembles the standard Ibanez copies.

I just have a quick question I would like to ask anyone who might be familiar with this bass (Charles? I think you have one).

While I was expecting that the chicken head switch would be a simple pickup selector, it turns out to be something a bit different, I think: actually a kind of varitone, i.e., more like the switch on the original Gibson. I am no expert at all in these matters, but looking "under the hood", I saw 2 capacitors (?) attached to the switch, which seems to indicate tonal rather than simple pickup options. And both pickups can work together or solo in all 3 settings: setting 1 is relatively "woofy", with the range of a Gibson mudbucker, 3 is relatively bright, and 2 is somewhere in between. I am guessing that one of the settings is "clean," while the other two are tonally modified. Either way, this bass can deliver a huge range of sounds as a result. My question is: was this varitone switch standard on these instruments, or is mine some kind of modification by a previous owner?

Thanks!

[charles]

The three-position (if I recall correctly) chicken head is original, and is some sort of varitone or treble cut/boost(? )kind of thing. I am terrible at electronics so I'm no help at looking under the hood and identifying what the function of the switch is.