Eberle Double basses

Lombax · #1 12-18-2010, 07:01 PM

I have the opportunity to purchase an Eberle 3/4 bass. I am told it was made by Musima Company and he purchased it in 1999. Can anyone tell me what these are worth? Are they good basses? I know it is German but hows the quality? What should I reasonably spend if in good condition? Thanks

shadygrove · #2 12-18-2010, 07:57 PM

Eberle basses were imported by Ideal Music in NYC. The founder accumulated a warehouse full of instruments and his son has been clearing them out at bargain prices for the last few years at www.bassesonline.com. The bargain price, around $950 + shipping for a ply, has somewhat held the price down for resales although I've seen a ply Eberle for sale at Hammond Ashley for about 2k with bag, pickup etc...

I have an Eberle ply and it works well for what I need... mainly unamped fiddle backup and bluegrass and occasionally with a pickup for folk rock or backing large vocal groups. Solid bass overall except for the end pin which is flimsy though still working fine after three years use (it was built in '92 and purchased from Ideal in '08). If something were to happen to mine, I'd easily spend $1200 for another one if in good condition and maybe more if it was set up well. I liked the tone and feel of the neck better than anything else I found under $1500. Keep in mind what I need out of a bass is mainly a strong fundamental and feedback resistance. If you are planning to play a lot with the bow, your needs will be different.

Lombax · #3 12-19-2010, 07:28 AM

Well he said he bought it from a dealer in Conneticut and paid $3,000. I am wondering if there are different levels of quality or if hes just giving me a sales pitch. Its a private party selling it.

Matt Ides · #4 12-19-2010, 08:22 AM

Do keep in mind that the basses coming out of Ideal had a very basic set-up. I bought one years ago and remember spending another $700 for set-up.

Is the bass your looking at laminate, hybrid, carved bass?

LeslieD · #5 12-19-2010, 09:34 AM

I've got two Eberles. I picked up my first one (new) in about 1978 (a plywood laminate) and used it over the years for a great variety of groups and music styles. It's still very good for bluegrass and folk music when I need a punchy sound. I picked up a "back up" Eberle in the TB classifieds in November of 2009. It's a hybrid built in about 1990 and I'm the third owner. I like it much better than my original plywood model, but I still only use it for bluegrass and folky stuff. It might work okay for some classical music (better than the ply of course), but I haven't used it much for that. I paid $1200 for the hybrid and got a pretty great deal.

Overall both of my Eberles have been very dependable. They aren't particularly pretty though. I think there are probably quite a few Eberles around the Connecticut and NY area, and at $3000 you're likely looking at the fully carved Eberle. Last I saw I think the carved basses were going for $1795 --quite a bit less than 3k. I'm not sure if they have any left: http://www.bassesonline.com/eberlebass.html

Lombax · #6 12-19-2010, 09:59 AM

Its a plywood laminate and he's asking $650. The pics show it clean and its set up for bluegrass wich I play. What do you think?

LeslieD · #7 12-19-2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lombax

Its a plywood laminate and he's asking $650. The pics show it clean and its set up for bluegrass wich I play. What do you think?

it's never a good idea to buy a bass without seeing it and playing it in person first. That said, a friend of mine bought an early 1980s Eberle for $600 without seeing/playing it first. He was lucky and it only needed about $20 worth of work on the bridge at a Central PA luthier. His bass was the nicer plywood model that Eberle offered, with nice flaming on the back (veneer of course). He has had no regrets about getting his bass and has played it a lot in the last 2 years (all bluegrass).

Eberles do have some neck issues (the necks aren't glued well). When my plywood Eberle's neck separated from the body of the bass, a bit of the top veneer was damaged but otherwise it was a pretty easy fix (by a professional).

Definitely check out this Eberle before buying. You really might like the punchy sound for bluegrass. My bandmates always liked my Eberles. Good luck!

Anonymatt · #8 12-21-2010, 07:59 PM

A few weeks ago, I paid $1000 in NYC for a plywood Eberle.

It's pretty cool. Seems loud. Pretty even tone all over.

I got to look at mine before I decided to buy it. $650 sounds pretty good if there's nothing particularly wrong with it.

Nobow · #9 01-19-2011, 05:25 PM

Can anyone tell me if the number stamped on the end of my fully carved Eberle, made in Germany bass, under the end pin bracket on the bottom is the manufacture date. It is stamped: 1 12 95. This looks like to me that it could be the date it was made. It has a number on the inside up at the neck block that reads: 17808. Would this be the serial number? I have read all of the post I could find about this bass on TB but could not find out for sure how to know the year it was made. Any help from someone that has one or knows, would be appreciated. Thanks,

shadygrove · #10 01-20-2011, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobow

Can anyone tell me if the number stamped on the end of my fully carved Eberle, made in Germany bass, under the end pin bracket on the bottom is the manufacture date. It is stamped: 1 12 95. This looks like to me that it could be the date it was made. It has a number on the inside up at the neck block that reads: 17808. Would this be the serial number? I have read all of the post I could find about this bass on TB but could not find out for sure how to know the year it was made. Any help from someone that has one or knows, would be appreciated. Thanks,

Yep. That's how it is on my Eberle ply. Date stamped by the end block and serial number on the neck block.

beobass · #11 01-23-2011, 02:07 PM

I had a hybrid model that I sold several years ago... frankly, if I could find it, I'd buy it back in a heartbeat!! It wasn't the loudest bass, but it did have a very warm and responsive tone.

gscroggin · #12 01-23-2011, 08:55 PM

Just adding a +1 for a very good experience with my Eberle / Musima.

A while back I bought a 1990's new old stock fully carved one from Steve Loeb in NYC. Just over $1500 shipped. I was lucky to have Steve fish out a darker stain one for me. Took it to Upton and sunk $600+ into it (adjustable UB bridge, new sound post, back lower bout seam fix). For just over 2K, I could not be happier, and it was a steal IMO. Certainly more bass than I will need for a long time.

Eric at Upton said once the market stablizes (re: Steve's stock is gone and they're all out in the wild for a bit), mine will likely be judged/re-assessed for what it is; a fully carved German made bass from quality woods somewhere in Europe (I've read czech/romania/slavic). It seemed like it pained Eric to say it, considering what I paid for it...though I'm sure he's not the only shop looking forward to the day Steve's inventory is gone

I highly recommend Upton for all things DB as well!

martinc · #13 01-24-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadygrove

I have an Eberle ply and it works well for what I need... mainly unamped fiddle backup and bluegrass and occasionally with a pickup for folk rock or backing large vocal groups. Solid bass overall except for the end pin which is flimsy though still working fine after three years use (it was built in '92 and purchased from Ideal in '08). If something were to happen to mine, I'd easily spend $1200 for another one if in good condition and maybe more if it was set up well. I liked the tone and feel of the neck better than anything else I found under $1500. Keep in mind what I need out of a bass is mainly a strong fundamental and feedback resistance. If you are planning to play a lot with the bow, your needs will be different.

shadygrove:

Ditto:
I bought my ply Eberle from Steve Loeb for 950 bucks about 4 years ago and have been very happy with it. I added a better (carbon fibre) end pin, a new bridge, soundpost and aircraft cable.
The only problem was the neck...the gluing is poor and there is no dovetail joint. I solved the problem by inserting three vertical dowels in the neck block and drilling holes in the heel to match. Then I added a short horizontal dowel in the neck heel through the neck heel button. Lined up the neck with the centre-line and strapped everything down for three days. Problem solved. The solid neck attachment has also improved the bass's response.
For the relatively small investment in the Eberle I think it would be a lifetime instrument for any bluegrasser, jazz, rockabilly or blues player. They are a well-made and solid-sounding instrument and have very playable necks. Even with the neck heel modification I had to do, I would buy another Eberle ply without hesitation.

Nobow · #14 01-24-2011, 02:23 PM

Thanks ShadyGrove for the info on the stamped date location. I am very pleased with my Eberle. It is also a new/old bass that had not been used when I got it. I had a professional set up done on it and it is sounding better each time I play it. I play bluegrass and it fits in real well. I also have a 1976 Englehardt ES-1 that I have had since new and even thought the '95 Eberle is not as deep and loud as the Engle is it still does a nice job. Good tone. I am using Spiros on the E&A and Golden Spiral D&G that I have had since 1998. I had only used them for a short while back then. They are working well on the combo. I may try something different later on the D&G. Maybe try the new Tynex or go back to the Evah's which I have used successfully on the Engle.
Thanks to everyone for the info on your Eberle. I feel better now knowing others have been satisfied with theirs.

NoBow