kalenzaj -
I have a lot of basses (too many and then a bunch more, and more behind those too), and I still regret every one that I've sold along the way. My third bass was a mid-70's EB-3L, which is the long scale version of the EB-3 and which I bought new. I couldn't get one with the famous SG red finish, mine was a brown color that I believe was called walnut (the bass was mahogany). It was beautifully made and nice to play, but suffered from totally boomy and indistinct sound. I traded it off, and I've never seen another one since.
Many years later, I purchased a 1972 EB-3 short scale with the weirdest fret work I've ever seen. It was like regular frets that had the crowns filed down to less than 1/16 but still full width. Totally weird and (for me) unplayable. This wasn't a case of fretwear gone wild, the entire instrument including fingerboard was in good repair. For me this was nothing but buzzy city. I don't know if the previous owner played it this way intentionally or whether they just didn't want to refret. I did have it refretted and it's actually quite nice now, although not as memorable as the long scale.
I've never played the slotted headstock EB-3, which would have been the immediate predecessor of the my short scale bass.
And my second bass was a Rick 4001. I loved the way that looked and they were very popular around my area at the time (early 70s). But my bass had both rubbery neck and wimpy pickups. I kept it longer than the EB-3L, but have to admit I don't miss it as much. I've played other Ricks and when they're not rubbery necked, they can be pretty awesome.
David Fung
