George Benson's 1960 Gibson EB-6 Bass
Musician
George Benson
(American, born 1943)
Maker
Gibson
(American, founded 1902)
Date1960
ClassificationsMusic
DescriptionGeorge Benson's 1960 Gibson EB-6 Thinline Hollowbody bass guitar, serial number A33611, in Sunburst finish. The EB-6 has one humbucking bass pickup and two tone control knobs (one volume and one tone) with a bass/baritone switch. In its original hardshell case.This bass was owned by noted jazz guitarist and songwriter George Benson. Between 1960-1961, Gibson manufactured less than 70 EB-6 bass guitars in this semi-hollow body style, modeled after Gibson’s popular ES-355 guitar, making it one of the rarest guitar models ever produced. The EB-6 uses the same tuning as a guitar, but set an octave lower.
George Benson (b. 1943) is an American jazz musician who was a child prodigy before embarking on a solo career, releasing 36 studio albums. Benson’s 1976 album Breezin’ was certified triple-platinum and reached Number 1 on the Billboard album chart. He also earned a 1977 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his work on the album. Benson won 10 Grammys across his career, including Record of the Year for "This Masquerade" (also in 1977).
