Eberle/Musima

[B. Graham]

I can post some pics shortly.

The endpin in the ply Eberle I bought was more like a Cello endpin. It had a short notched shaft, and a really small plug. Not a big deal. Not sure if taper is exactly right, but I've got an Onyx pin in there now and I like a lot. Also, put on the aircraft cable.

I'm game from stripping and refinishing, but I'm not sure of the best way to do it. Anyone shed some light on the do's and don'ts?

[toman]

I think you could scrape it off, or I suppose you could use a chemical stripper, then scrape the bare wood. That might leave some leftover color, though... Sanding it off would produce a lot of nasty dust and kill a lot of abrasives... Seems to me like scraping would be the best option.

[Jake deVilliers]

That's how I prefer to do it Toman. A scraper is controllabe, re-sharpenable and leaves no harmful residues. Sand afterwards and then finish.

Its plywood, so be very careful you don't go through the thin veneer of surface wood!

[TheSuzie]

Just play the thing in some smokey basements and some barns with a bunch of snuff spittin good ol folks and then spill on a bit of beer and white lightning, mix with sweat and that bass will look great. Nothing like a touch of natural patina. I bet it will come in time.

Peace,
S

[B. Graham]

Originally Posted by TheSuzie

Just play the thing in some smokey basements and some barns with a bunch of snuff spittin good ol folks and then spill on a bit of beer and white lightning, mix with sweat and that bass will look great.

That would do it.

[B. Graham]

Originally Posted by toman

I think you could scrape it off, or I suppose you could use a chemical stripper, then scrape the bare wood. That might leave some leftover color, though... Sanding it off would produce a lot of nasty dust and kill a lot of abrasives... Seems to me like scraping would be the best option.

I'm pretty sure this is sprayed on lacquer. Still go the scraping route?

[Jake deVilliers]

Absolutely!

The trouble with chemicals is that they may not know when to stop; you will.

[philip sirois]

There are those on the forum that use the orange-type stripper with good result. Jake- I don't know if you've seen theses basses but that would be a LOT of scraping to get it clean. The scraper would be good for cleanup after stripping, though.
I think a little leftover color from the stripper wouldn't be so bad if you were going with a dark varnish, as long as there was some uniformity.

phil

[Jake deVilliers]

Thanks for the tip Philip. I haven't used the citrus-based strippers.

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by toman

Bassonline seems to have them in laminated, hybrid and carved models, starting and under 1k. If this is in fact the same bass, I highly reccomend people snap these up... No doubt you'll spend as much or more to set it up properly than it costs, but it should last forever and always be a good, dependable instrument. Heck, at that price I'd buy a couple, and then experiment with stripping that nasty finish off and putting a proper varnish on. Or at the least some simple oil or something... Anybody want to buy my bass so I can get a couple of these?

Looks are meaningless when you get the sound you want.

I bought a fully carved one from Ideal some months ago and am quite happy with it. I took it to Kolstein's in Freeport NY for a setup, new strings and to have the endpin and tail wire replaced, cost less than 1/4 of what I paid for the bass. The bass sounded good when I bought and even better after I got it back from Kolstein. A great bargain for a little less than 2.5K(bass plus setup).

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

...I bought a fully carved one from Ideal some months ago and am quite happy with it. I took it to Kolstein's... A great bargain for a little less than 2.5K(bass plus setup).

Wow! Sounds like one of the deals of the century. Enjoy.

Have you had any opportunity to compare it's sound to other entry-level carved models discussed around here?

[greene]

Yes indeed these are exactly the same basses

"Originally Posted by toman
Bassonline seems to have them in laminated, hybrid and carved models, starting and under 1k. If this is in fact the same bass, I highly reccomend people snap these up... No doubt you'll spend as much or more to set it up properly than it costs, but it should last forever and always be a good, dependable instrument. Heck, at that price I'd buy a couple, and then experiment with stripping that nasty finish off and putting a proper varnish on. Or at the least some simple oil or something... Anybody want to buy my bass so I can get a couple of these? "

[LeslieD]

I'm a bit late to jump in on this thread...but: I think stripping the yammy-pumpkin-colored bass is a great idea! (If only so you do it first, and then show us photos of the results!) Did you try it yet?

Also, I hated my Eberle end pin (very cello-like and kind of bendy) and had it swapped out for a nicer (but pricey) one. I also got a lovely new bridge with wood wheels for adjusting the height (never had that option before).

One note about the Eberle though (and I forgot until now), the older basses (1970s era) had some serious glue-ing problems. The whole neck popped off of mine (after 26 years) and it was obvious that it hadn't been glued properly to begin with. Other glue issues were pretty minor, but definitely noticeable if you looked closely (mostly cosmetic).

[B. Graham]

I haven't gone down the road to strip it yet. I still think it would be fun. If I had two of these, I'd start right away. Since I don't, I don't want to deal with the downtime right now.

The Onyx pin is still well liked, and I hope to try performing my first bridge fitting on it soon.

On another note, Micromesh sure can polish up a fingerboard. That stuff is cool!

[martinc]

I bought one of Steve's Eberle's last spring and am very happy with it. I replaced the sound post with a good European spruce one, changed the bridge and added the a/c cable. It has taken a few months to open up and has become an excellent sounding plywood.
For strings..... Spirocore Weichs are a good place to start. I replaced the G first with a Dominant and now a Super Silver...and a Spirocore medium E for the Weich E. Huge improvement. Solid sounding, lots of volume, easy to play pizz. The bass seems to like the tension with its present strings because it sure responds better than before.
I will likely replace the end pin assembly soon when I find someone who has the proper tapered reamer and that will be it.
I used some very fine 1000 and 1500 auto finishing sandpaper to remove the gloss and it looks a lot better. I too like a dark brown finish on a bass but I have learned to live with the un-glossy Eberle orange/brown. It doesn't bother me at all now. I also scraped the finish off the back of the neck and rubbed in lots of tung oil. Feels great.
I have had two Kays (1952 Swingmaster, 1949 C-1) and still have a wonderful sounding 1936 King. The Eberle now has a far bigger sound with more bottom end than either of the Kays and is very close to the King which has a better grade of maple for the neck.
Heckuva good buy in my opinion.

[B. Graham]

I agree. Great buy. Just needs a little bit of a nudge and it's a really solid bass.

I've got Velvet Compas SUIT 180's on it now, tuned orch rather than solo. A little low tension for me, but I'm not sure of that until I get the string height up there a little bit. I used to play Dominant's, and I may check those on this bass to see if it likes higher tension strings or not.

I stripped the back of my neck as well.

I've not been able to afford taking it in for a real going-over and set-up, but for now it's working. I'm guessing it will only get better down the road.

Enjoy.

[Gringus]

I am new to this forum and this is actually my first post, but I couldn´t resist since I am a proud owner of a plywood Eberle (actually mine is called Musima). I bought it new in Germany in 1995.

In my (novice) opinion it is good value for money, since it sounds quite good once you have changed the bridge and fitted it with proper strings and a new endpin. Like the others I hate the glossy, orange finish (I might actually have a go at it with some finishing sandpaper, thanks for the tip martinc) and I also removed the varnish from the back of the neck.

Mine is currently fitted with a Realist and sounds great in my AER Basscube with or without the preamp (Sadowsky). The only problem I'm having is that without the amp it isn´t loud enough.

I'm considering replacing it with an Upton Hybrid, any comments on that??

[B. Graham]

If I could have afforded an Upton when I bought the Eberle, I wouldn't have bought the Eberle, regardless of the great deal that it was/is. The Upton's look great, and I'm sure the quality and service match the look of the bass, and far exceed the price.

[martinc]

Originally Posted by Gringus

I am new to this forum and this is actually my first post, but I couldn´t resist since I am a proud owner of a plywood Eberle (actually mine is called Musima). I bought it new in Germany in 1995.

In my (novice) opinion it is good value for money, since it sounds quite good once you have changed the bridge and fitted it with proper strings and a new endpin. Like the others I hate the glossy, orange finish (I might actually have a go at it with some finishing sandpaper, thanks for the tip martinc) and I also removed the varnish from the back of the neck.

Mine is currently fitted with a Realist and sounds great in my AER Basscube with or without the preamp (Sadowsky). The only problem I'm having is that without the amp it isn´t loud enough.

I'm considering replacing it with an Upton Hybrid, any comments on that??

gringus: Get the Eberle checked out. Sound post position etc. What strings are you using? Tailpiece? Mine is has a big sound.
Check with Nick Lloyd, the bass maker/repair guy who is on this forum. He has an Eberle too. Maybe he can suggest something.
Heck I sold my old King because I thought my Eberle had a bigger sound. It will produce if you do the right things to it.