MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

[That90'sGuy]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

What did you use to strip it?

Believe it or not 220 sandpaper and finished the cleaning with some Acetone. It's far from perfect, but still came out well given my inexperience.


But yes, count me in as an EBMM fan!

 

[Mincer]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I'd love for it to feel like my other Music Man with the gunstock oil/wax finish, but the neck right now isn't in bad shape at all. I am also not too secure in my paint-sanding experience.

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I eventually traded for one, in a flip-flop paint color called Cinnamon. Still absolutely love it. I did swap the pickups though- it is a very mid-heavy guitar.

*poke* Which pups did you swap to? Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not say in public...

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Is the stock neck just finished gloss, or is it asphalt too?

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Finished gloss.

 

[Mincer]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

*poke* Which pups did you swap to? Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not say in public...

Well, I tried a few. This particular guitar is very middy...like extremely. So my usual Alnico II Pro and Custom Custom sounded like mud. I switched out both pickups' magnets to A5, making them a Jazz and Custom 5. I like it a lot better now. I added a Fender S1 switch in the volume control to split both coils.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

This is my new SUB guitar, it just happens to be the US made EBMM bass:

The neck arrived with a fair amount of wear:

...so I fixed it by steaming out the dents, stripping it and re-finishing it with Linspeed and Tru Oil:

Nice work!! Im curious about steaming out dings.. In my pea brain, moisture is the enemy of wood

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Basically, you take a barely damp paper towel, apply it to the ding, then briefly apply an iron or other heat source. The steam swells the compressed wood in the ding, but not you're not putting in so much moisture that you cause issues.

It's not like you're pouring water on and saturating the wood.


Sent from my iPad using a bunch of electrons, copper, and probably some fiber optic cable

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Nice work!! Im curious about steaming out dings.. In my pea brain, moisture is the enemy of wood

Thanks for the kind words. I understand where you're coming from.... excessive moisture = swelling (warping).

Basically, you take a barely damp paper towel, apply it to the ding, then briefly apply an iron or other heat source. The steam swells the compressed wood in the ding, but not you're not putting in so much moisture that you cause issues.

It's not like you're pouring water on and saturating the wood.


Sent from my iPad using a bunch of electrons, copper, and probably some fiber optic cable

Exactly. Unless you're missing chunks out of the guitar neck, most dings/indentations are simply a matter of compressed wood. The solution is to apply a damp paper towel to it to get moisture embedded in the damaged area and briefly heating the spot with a soldering gun (with the paper towel in-between to prevent direct heat) actually causes the wood to re-align properly. I'm really particular about the feel of instruments and any wear on the back of a neck is a deal breaker. If it wasn't for the fact that the bass a) sounded fantastic b) looked great in a rare finish and c) was literally half the price of any other comparable USA EBMM bass, I wouldn't have gone through fixing it. Thankfully, it all came out perfect for a first time and is well worth the $500 I invested in it.









The SUB series was EBMM's way of bringing USA made instruments to the market for an affordable price while keeping the sound and the integrity of the originals. From my experience, they've succeeded. It's too bad it wasn't financially viable for them to continue supporting that structure, but I applaud them stopping production as opposed to cheapening the product to make the profit margins better. These are quality instruments and they're not difficult to see. This is coming from a guy who has owned a fair share of PRS, custom shop Gibson and Fender instruments and some boutique stuff like Don Grosh and Collings.

I originally discounted them because of their neck widths on their electrics, they always seemed to be thinner and I can't tolerate anything narrower than 1 11/16''. The basses feel right at home for me and there are a few things I really appreciate about them. I fell in love with their micro-tilt neck adjustment. I love that you can use darn near anything to adjust the neck without any fussing.... a nail, a screw (I used a small tweaker) and it moves smoothly even under full string tension. No more struggling to remember what kind of weird long, angled hex driver you need to compensate for climate changes (thanks for that one Martin and Collings). I love that they use thinner finishes than the competition so the wood really seems to breathe better (only downside is trying to find a used one not beat to hell because they're more prone to wear). The designs are slick, the contours make sense and the finer details like the fit/finish/fretwork are immaculate. They're clearly a company that understands smart design and gets the details correct. If I ever get a humbucker electric guitar again, it's likely to be the new Stingray.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Thanks for the tutorial!! I have a guitar or two Id like to try this on!

 

[B2D]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I've always wanted a white HH hardtail one... never could find one though!

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Well, I tried a few. This particular guitar is very middy...like extremely. So my usual Alnico II Pro and Custom Custom sounded like mud. I switched out both pickups' magnets to A5, making them a Jazz and Custom 5. I like it a lot better now. I added a Fender S1 switch in the volume control to split both coils.

Mine finally came in last night, and you were not kidding. I was not expecting that from poplar (though the rumored 250k pots may also play into it - will need to investigate). Mine's the blue, in single humbucker.

Currently oscillating between upgrading to a new pickguard and either 59n+59/C Hybrid or a full Parallel Axis set.

 

[Mincer]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I didn't expect it either. I switched to 500k pots and a C5/Jazz set, which is something I would never use, usually. It still has more mids than my alder Silhouette Special with an Alnico II Pro and Custom Custom, but I like it.

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

Anyone know what size tremolo bar fits in this thing?

 

[Mincer]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I don't know, but I think a standard MM trem bar fits. It doesn't screw in like a Fender.

 

[jtougas]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

I have (2) tremolo bars on order, and the 2 HB diamondplate pickguard.

Trying to decide which pups to go with - Parallel Axis set, '59 & 59/C Hybrid, or P-Rail set.

Decision, decisions...

 

[Mincer]

Re: MusicMan SUB 1 guitars!

My SUB1 is a mid-heavy, that only scooped sounding pickups would work. It still isn't quite like my Silhouette Special, but it is a great playing guitar. I am thinking of upping the pots to 1 meg to get more high end out of the pickups, though.