I don’t recall ever studying how Jack Bruce received his sound. I believe he used LaBella flatwounds on his EB-3, however does anybody understand how he received his distinctive tone? I’ve been enjoying bass since I used to be 15 (I’m now 71), and am all the time amazed by his sound. Does anybody know what he performed (and performed via) on Wheels of Fireplace, Disraeli Gears, after which in West, Bruce & Laing? – Joe Dentice

I interviewed Jack (1943-2014) solely as soon as, in 1985, and since it targeted on enjoying with Clapton, we actually didn’t speak about gear. However, clues concerning his basses exist via images from the Cream years. I’ve by no means pinned down precisely when his EB-3s had been made, and it seems he had just a few. EB-3s made in ’61 had knobs extra spaced out than later fashions, Sooner or later, Jack put in white knobs, which look distinctive; there are images of him utilizing it within the West, Bruce & Laing period.

The query in my thoughts stays: “How did he set the controls?” In all footage I’ve discovered of him enjoying an EB-3, the Tone selector swap is ready at place 2 (out of 4). That was the massive deal, since that swap can have a wickedly profound impact on the tone due to its huge ol’ choke (inductor) just like the EB-2 had. Photos of the Quantity and Tone knobs don’t assist in any respect.

Like top EB-3 gamers, Jack eliminated that godawful mute and that annoying steel factor that went over the strings simply north of the treble pickup.
Strings? My wager could be flatwounds, which most bassists used again then. Which model, I couldn’t guess.

The late Buck Munger, who did artist relations for Sunn after which Gibson, informed me that he had Cream on the hook, able to be reeled in as endorser/customers of Sunn amps. On the final minute, Clapton and Bruce requested JBL audio system. Sunn didn’t do JBLs and wouldn’t budge from utilizing their very own audio system, so the deal by no means occurred. Each picture you see of Hendrix with the Expertise and The Who utilizing or posing with Sunn amps was resulting from Buck’s persistence.

In a number of methods, I believe it was the cranked Marshalls that did the heavy lifting for Jack’s tone; open up the EB-3 and run your hand throughout the knobs of the amp – that’s in all probability what was occurring. – Tom Mulhern

I benefit from the monetary evaluation provided by the month-to-month “VG Value Information” column and the annual e-book. I attended the Philly present in November, and left curious concerning the proportion drop in the course of the most-recent corrections within the collectible market. – Dennis Russo

The final main correction noticed the most-sought guitars (these in The Official Classic Guitar Value Information’s 42-Guitar Index) decline of 20 to 25 % from 2008 (last yr of the market’s largest-ever increase, pushed by the introduction of hedge-fund cash and Japanese patrons changing into extra aggressive) to 2011-’12, which started the “misplaced decade” spurred by the worldwide monetary disaster. That was adopted in 2021 by the consequences of the pandemic, throughout which the guitar noticed a serious bump in recognition and the classic market, particularly, affected by a money infusion thanks partly to “covid checks.” Probably the most profound impact was a leap in values of the most-collectible guitars, which on common elevated 91 % over the next 4 years. Now, in early 2026, we’re within the early levels of correction that up to now is down 5 % year-on-year. – Ram Tuli

This column addresses questions on guitar-related topics, starting from songs, albums, and musicians to the trivia of instrument builds, producers, and the collectible market. Questions could be despatched to [email protected] with “VG Q&A” within the topic line.

This text initially appeared in VG’s March 2026 concern. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.