jazzyvee

All maple bodied, black Alembic europa

Here is my contribution to the black bass thread.
Through neck Alembic Europa with signature electronics, all maple body with maple and purpleheart neck.

[attachment=130593:blackEuropa.jpg]

Jazzyvee

I don't have the tab but I do have the Level 42 World Machine Song book and can scan the pages of that song for you. It's not tab but score, and as I've never tried to play it I have no idea how close it to the original song but if it's any help let me know.
Although it may be as accurate as this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PJ-Zgx9PlMU#t=149s

Jazzyvee

Here is a clip of Chuck Rainey Explaining the technique to Tetsuo Sakurai,
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZC_jSyUmjQ"]https://www.youtube....h?v=gZC_jSyUmjQ[/url]

and a more extended piece using the one finger technique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TAFWwqeHko
Jazzyvee

Has the price bumped any lower ?

Jazzyvee

[quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1361618458' post='1988295']
Hi Jazzyvee - thanks for the lovely comments...no plans I must say! I've tried to get hold of this bass' fretless sister - the response from its owner was unsurprisingly negative (but friendly nonetheless!) 'Saw some clips of you playing with Ken Boothe (unless I'm going nuts) - always loved his voice and a great gig.
[/quote]

Hi Lozbass, no that wasn't me playing on that gig. I was in the crowd. In actual fact he had a gig that same evening in the city and tickets weren't selling that well so he didn't play many tracks in the park. So I think it was really a teaser set to get more people interested in his main gig. But still it was good to see one of the old masters and still has that great voice.

Back to your bass, I'd love a short scale Series Alembic but realistically I think I will have to put that on hold as virtually all the paid gigs I do these days require a 5 string bass. But saying that, if the right bass came along who know's. But I think that is a few years off.

Jazzyvee

Check out the Vertu Album it features [color=#333333][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3] Vertu (Lenny White, Stanley Clarke, Rachel Z, Richie Kotzen & Karen Briggs)[/size][/font][/color]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtILUCsK0bQ

His last two albums Toys of Men and Stanley Clarke band have shown a return to his fusion roots and also more of his acoustic bass stuff on record.

That album has some heavy Jazz Rock Fusion.

I agree with others, any of the return to forever stuff is worth checking out. Some of the lighter more and more fun side of his musical personality can be found on East RIver Drive, Silk Fuse One, SMV and any of the clarke duke project albums. Also check out some of the Animal Logic stuff which is more pop with Stuart Copeland and Deborah Holland. That had finished by the time I discovered those tracks.
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Logic_(band"]http://en.wikipedia....mal_Logic_(band[/url])

If you want to check out some of his double bass work, you can't go wrong with the Griffith Park Collection Album Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White Joe Henderson & Freddie Hubbard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR1VMHUABZ8

I'm a big Stanley Clarke Fan myself which is what got me into the sound of Alembic.

Jazzyvee

Here is one on you tube so you can hear for yourself a little of how the fernandes alembic copy sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3r_s-zTjrA

How long did have yours before it got replaced? I have had mine almost 10 years so unlikely they would replace it now for a newer model.

Jazzyvee

I got some information about my mesa boogie amp from a guy who makes/repairs and modifies valve amps and apparently the old mesa boogie amp I have is one of the earlier ones, ( it has two inputs whilst the new ones have one input and a switch for active/passive basses. Anyway the problem apparently is in the send and return circuit and he advised me to check this by bypassing the internal switches by plugging a short patch cable between the send and return jacks. I did that and bingo, got a full clean signal again. So this means I will need to open the back and clean the contacts on the jacks or just keep the patch cable. I never use effects so that wont be a problem.

Jazzyvee

I have just encountered a problem with my mesa boogie head.
I did a gig with it on Friday and it was fine no problems. Today i was just starting my practice session and initially the volume was fine, then all of a sudden it dropped to about 50% volume, started crackling and giving a distorted sound then a few seconds later it was back up to normal sound.

I wondered if it was due to battery going flat so tried another bass that has fresh batteries in and the same thing happened after a few seconds of playing.

Any ideas?

Jazzyvee

[quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1321189428' post='1436205']
Was re-stringing this yesterday (managed to get an hour to myself) and got a couple of shots - Alembic know where to get some nice timbers
[/quote]

Bump...
This bass is truly delicious, is it coming up for sale anytime soon? :-)
Jazzyvee

About 3 years ago I stripped my blue Stratocaster back to natural finish. I went to See John Diggins from Jaydee custom guitars and he advised me to use Nitromors. It took a few coatings to get through the Fender finish but once it got started it was successful as you can see by the photo's.

To begin with it looked like this.
[attachment=127003:StratAlembic.jpg]

and now looks like this.
[attachment=127004:IMG_0066.jpg]


Jazzyvee

Survival by Bob Marley & The Wailers
The Stanley Clarke Band Album



Jazzyvee

This is my band we play mainly jazz-funk
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delano-Mills-NotStrictlyJazz-Winelight/21358399106

Jazzyvee

I have secret desires for a Ritter bass and I hope I get a chance to try one out one day.
This one is a serious beauty but without an opportunity to play and hear it I wouldn't be willing to take a chance on it.

I hope you find a buyer.

Jazzyvee

I bought two from them last summer and they arrived in about 10 days I think and they are decent leather.
No problems at all.


Jazzyvee

[attachment=126593:images.jpeg]
I'm sure if you were rational about many things, you would not buy anything. Once you have one bass, I would argue that any other is a want and not a need so don't even consider trying to justify it. Clearly as you state you can afford to buy it and even if you never gig with it, you will undoubtedly enjoy owning it so just do it. A few years ago on a birthday ending in "0" I treated myself to a lovely guitar. It's only been on two gigs but it is just what I wanted.
Life is too short and with the interest rate in the bank being so dreadful what are you gonna lose?




Jazzyvee

I have 30.75 short scale and 34 inch 5 and 4 string basses and changing between them is no problem as i use them for specific songs. Changing between basses having different string spacing on a gig is more awkward.

Jazzyvee

I will definitely have to get a copy of that album.

Jazzyvee

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1357317019' post='1920954']
If you can write your name does that make you an author?
[/quote]
No it makes you a copyist

[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1357231608' post='1919507']
This reads quite impressive.

I don't mean to be controversial and start a whole sequence of this and that, but why did it tarnish in the first place in only 9 years to a degree where they (Alembic) were unhappy with it ?
Would someone who lives in the European area be fit to get the same level of attention under warranty I wonder.....


[/quote]
At the time my bass was made apparently they were using a different plater for their hardware and the plater cut corners on some of their orders and unfortunately mine was one of those. Needless to say they don't use that company any longer. I think European owners would get the same attention. However if I remember correctly the owner pays shipping out to the USA and Alembic pays shipping back for warranty work.

In 2012 I bought a used Alembic series bass from a seller in the USA and had it shipped to the Alembic workshop by the seller so that I could collect it. get a factory tour and get to their annual California meet. They are completely dedicated to delivering top quality in building their instruments from choice of raw materials through construction to setup and after sales service.
For the Series basses, Ron Wickersham, can spend many days in his lab on one bass tirelessly swapping and matching the pickups to an individual bass and calibrating the electronics and noise cancellation so that when the bass leaves the factory everything is as perfect as it can be for that bass. There are no third party builders for them and no labour workshop somewhere else making the lower priced models, they all are made by the craftsmen at the workshop.

My particular bass was made in 2003 and when the bass got to the factory, Alembic were not happy with the way the plating had tarnished in that period of time, so they made a complete new set of hardware, bridge, sustain block, tailpiece and adjustable nut for the bass and replated, all under warranty. All that and I wasn't even the original owner of the bass!!!. How many bass makers would give that level of service for a bass of that age. I doubt many would do that. I'm very impressed with them in every respect from sound to build quality. I'm not a fan of many of their body shapes but the one I have suits me.

Marcus, I hope you find the right one.

Jazzyvee

I am regularly disappointed with the sound, especially bass, at large venues and festivals. If the bass player is moving his fingers, I want to hear different notes being played not a dull indistinct sound flooded out by the bass drum which is what usually happens.


Jazzyvee

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1355576187' post='1900088']
Yes very true....yet on a different tack very few high profile players use them extensively these days. This may however be due in part to the fact that Alembic generally dont hand out freebies to big names.

More strength to Alembic. There are obviously plenty of players willing to pay the asking prices. For me personally I wouldnt dream of it...I'd rather have a Fodera and a Smith, etc etc for the same cash.
[/quote]

I would not be surprised if more high profile players do use them in the studio and use what they get given or paid to play on the road. But then I'm cynical. :-)