Gibson ‘71 EB-0L Restoration

This bass sat in a barn for years (maybe decades), and it was clearly played hard before that. I loved the original finish, but it couldn't be saved. It was flaking off with a touch and sharp enough to cut you. On top of that, the headstock had been broken and repaired at least twice, so it needed a lot of structural work that had to be covered up anyway.

I refinished it in an antique Pelham Blue with a relic treatment. It came with an early-generation DiMarzio in place of the original mudbucker, and the worn black-and-rust finish on it clashed with the new blue, so I stripped it back to a more original look.

The pickguard, tuners and bridge were all shot. The old bridge was cracked and bent under barely any string tension. It now has locking Schaller tuners, a new pickguard that matches perfectly, and a Hipshot replacement bridge that's incredible.

The cherry on top: the truss rod was sheared. Luckily I was able to save the original rod and get it working again. The original headstock overlay made it too. It was glued on top rather than inlaid, which made that possible.

This one was a fun project for my own collection, and it turned out great.