Got my Eberle Laminate Today!!!

mjcostel · #1 05-30-2008, 12:47 AM

Picked it up at FedEx longhaul this morning. Got it from Steve at Ideal. It was shipped in huge box with packing peanuts. Not a scratch or dent on it anywhere. I am ecstatic because for a while I was despairing of getting a quality bass setup and shipped for $1100. Picture attached.

Gearhead43 · #2 05-30-2008, 12:56 AM

I wasn't aware that the basses from Ideal were setup before shipping. Setup by whom?

Congrats on the bass, I'd love to have one of those, they seem like well-made basses.

mjcostel · #3 05-30-2008, 02:37 AM

Got mine through Ebay (Seller ID stevel34747w96) and terms indicated the DB would be setup by their luthier and included a new set of helicore hybrid strings. I'm a beginner on DB but the sound seems quite good to me. String spacing and height are good and I get no buzzing.

salcott · #4 05-30-2008, 10:15 AM

Looks a little big for ya.....

dchan · #5 05-30-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjcostel

Got mine through Ebay (Seller ID stevel34747w96) and terms indicated the DB would be setup by their luthier and included a new set of helicore hybrid strings. I'm a beginner on DB but the sound seems quite good to me. String spacing and height are good and I get no buzzing.

Ideal's setup work is somewhat playable, but not optimal. In the short and long term, your bass won't be as easy as play as you would like.

I suggest you ask your teacher to recommend a local luthier. Or you can find a local luthier here at Bob Gollihur's luthier directory:

http://www.gollihurmusic.com/luthiers.cfm

bkbirge · #6 05-30-2008, 11:07 AM

I love my Roma hybrid I got from him several months ago. Still haven't had the setup tweaked but they did a pretty good job before sending it, and I've got an adjustable bridge. Just need to contour the bridge a bit better. Plays with a nice thump.

shadygrove · #7 05-31-2008, 07:47 PM

Glad you're enjoying the new bass! I bought an Eberle laminate from Steve in January and am also happy with mine.
The setup was OK out of the box, but it did need some tweaking. I've been slowly filing down the nut to bring down the action on the E and A string, but for the price I think they are a good value and the sound cuts through well even at the old-time fiddler jams with a dozen or more acoustic instruments; fiddles, guitars, banjo etc...

Mine holds tune well through weather changes and seems very durable. Last week i had left it on its side at a jam and someone walked right into it and knocked it over onto the bridge. I didn't let on how distressing this was, but picked it up, gave it a quick inspection and started playing. I think the bridge is moved up a hair on the E side, but otherwise no sign of damage at all.

If I ever get serious about playing with a bow i'll probably move up to a hybrid someday, but on the other hand the laminate takes a lot of the worry out of playing outside and festivals and i like the tone for bluegrass and oldtime which is why i chose it over the hybrids I played before buying it. I also didn't find much other than lower end Englehardts that were decent under $1200. Some of them sounded OK too, but I like the fatter necks on the Eberle's better.

toman · #8 05-31-2008, 11:59 PM

Nice. I like those basses; I think they're probably about the best laminates out there. The one I had seemed to be indestructible, too! If I were to get one now though I'd HAVE to do something about that finish. It'd make me blind, I think!

Rayzorx · #9 06-15-2008, 02:08 AM

Congrats MJ!

I got a hybrid Eberle from Steve about a year and a half ago. I like the coloring of yours. Mine is more of the Yam color, but it grows on you after a while.

Judging from the picture, you may have wanted to get a 1/2 size model ;-)

I can't say enough good things about Steve and his Mom at Ideal. Super people, outstanding customer service, and really good instruments.