This is a 1973 Gibson SB-400 that I purchased from a guy in the parking lot outside of Jensen Music in Santa Barbara around 1980 for $150. I immediately realized that the neck was absolutely the largest baseball bat of a neck on any bass so it probably wouldn't be a bass that would get a lot of playing time. At the time I didn't have an EBO, so I thought I should get it and figure it out later. I remember thinking that this particular model wasn't so hot and the stock mahogany finish wasn't that interesting to
me .... so I decided then to have some fun with it.
My good friend Cecil Gaspar and I proceeded to locate a third pickup (with the Gibson logo in script on the pickup
cover) ... rather easily now that I think of it. We had a local Santa Barbara Silversmith make up a copy of the silver oval around the pickup and had it chromed. We re-wired it and put a switch where the old jack used to be. We then drilled a hole (ouch) for a new jack on the side of the bass. All the while we were shaving (what seemed like inches and inches of) wood off of the neck to make it a little more playable, (it's still huge!). Cecil went the extra mile and actually replaced the "Gibson" decal on the headstock with a pearl-like version and put that in. We also had a truss-rod cover inlaid with "SB Custom" on it. We then put about 30 coats of quality white lacquer on it (I remember it taking weeks to dry!), and then lots of clear coats.
And when it was all done, it still played and sounded like crap. I've rarely played this but was actually a little impressed with how much it cut through (with old Rotosound roundwounds) at
The Fox & Hounds the other night (compared to my Goya Panther with Fender
flats ... which plays and feels like butter). But I think she's still a beautiful-looking instrument and one that I've never seen before.
