jazzyvee

These Gibson Fatboy Leather straps look great quality. I checked one out at PMT Yesterday. However for a heavy bass I'd like one a bit wider. http://store.gibson.com/fatboy/

Let Aston Barrett throw some words of his experience into the conversation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9erbL9j3v5M#t=55s

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1334422546' post='1616072'] Have to say if that buckeye EVH in the For Sale section was a pound or two lighter I'd be working out how to get it... [/quote] I bet if you changed the sustain block for an aluminium one that would reduce the weight significantly. I recall a conversation on this subject on the Alemic Forum. On the downside though, there would probably be some a change in the tone and sustain and the balance may change to being neck heavy and could you imagine the cost of Alembic providing you with a replacement block...??!!. I've not made my mind up about buckeye burl. I can see why people love the dramatic patterns in the grain but my brain can't rest when I look at it. For example on first glance this one looks quite evil. [url="http://www.righteouswoods.net/Graphics/Clients_and_%20works/Alembic_5String_BuckeyeBck.jpg"]http://www.righteous..._BuckeyeBck.jpg[/url] Stanley was using a series I bass in Buckeye burl on the last REF tour and was enthusiastic about the tone of it so it must have some interesting sonic properties it adds to the mix as well as the visual drama. Jazzyvee

Here are a couple of video's from my practice session when I was learning a couple tracks by Return to Forever and Marcus Miller for a gig last summer. As it happened the RTF track was dropped from the set list about a week before the gig but anyway it was good practice to learn it. Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy by Return to Forever [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flb7aBVvYxE[/media] Blast by Marcus Miller [b]http://youtu.be/vC74ry1wom4[/b]

[quote name='Huwberry' timestamp='1332778075' post='1592987'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N11kMO5nuI[/media] [/quote] Funkyyyyyyyy.!!!!

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1334269634' post='1613744'] Like several others on here I'm a devoted player of Alembics, having bought my first (an epic) new in 1995 for £1200ish. Since then I've added a fretless rogue and a Signature. If I had the money I wouldn't think twice about dropping it on a series 2. One of the things that impresses me most about them is the fact that everything apart from the machine heads is handmade at their workshop. Of my three, the latter two were custom built to my exact requirements. I was able to talk to the craftsmen (and the MD of the company) whenever I wanted to discuss the builds / choose laminates / string spacing etc. Granted they cost a lot more than any other basses I've played but - and this is where the 'haters' get bogged down - I absolutely love playing them - to my hands they are perfect and I can get any tone I need from them. Another important consideration - I'm lucky to have a very understanding other half who has allowed me to splash out once in a while. Others maybe aren't so fortunate. The owner of this bass - [url="http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_romanconq.html"]http://www.alembic.c..._romanconq.html[/url] paid somewhere in the region of $20,000 in 2004. Sadly for him he didn't tell his wife and once she found out the cost it ended up for sale. p.s. I'll be visiting the workshop in September - a dream come true. [/quote] Hi there Jacko, as a fellow member of the Alembic web site forum, the cost aspect has raised its head a number of times as you know, especially at the times of price increase. I just think it's something that will always be debated. Like you I just love them and they give me the ability to get the sounds I enjoy and require for the music I play. I've almost dropped the money on a Series custom order a couple of times in the past but couldn't persuade myself to take that final step. So for me there is an upper limit. But as long as there are used bargains to be had, finding a good used series II first may be the first step in overcoming that hurdle... unless of course there is another price increase. . BTW I will be visiting the workshop next week.... :-)

I'm about half way through learning the version of Chick Corea's No Mystery that is on Stanley Clarkes Latest album. Jazzyvee

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1333980728' post='1609079'] FWIW, I love filter circuits too. My ACG is a real joy to play around with. Everyone should at least have a go of a filter circuit to see if they like them. [/quote] I rate the ACG filters too and have them in my Europa 5 bass which has given me a bit more control of the lower frequencies giving the bottom end a clear, powerful richness that sounds masterful for the reggae gigs I do. Jazzyvee

A devoted Alembic lover here. I have alembic 4 and 5 string basses and the main reason I bought them was that I wanted a bass sound that was different to what I was hearing from other basses at gigs and on record. When I decided to branch out into bass playing I just wanted something that had a different sound to what I was hearing at that time and I just loved the distinctive sound I was hearing on Stanley Clarke's playing. I've found them to be very versatile sounding instruments and whilst they all have a "family" sound they all have their individual voice which still means I can still choose a bass for the sound required for a particular gig. All the ones I have use the filter circuits and really do take time to understand how they work as on the signature and series basses they operate individually on each pickup so the scope for sound sculpturing is massive and it takes a while to get confident enough to dial in tonal changes mid song quickly. But it is really worth the effort. At the time I bought my first which was a SC Deluxe I was primarily a guitar player. I tried it out at the Bass Centre and bought it there and then. I think they are amazing sounding instruments, (if you like that sound). As for the cost of them, there is no getting away from the fact that they are pretty steep in their new price although the used prices can be worth a look at. To ignore them or refute their quality based purely on cost is short sighted I think. A good bass is a good bass regardless of the cost. The cost may be the main determining factor as to whether you buy it or not but not whether its a good or great bass. Many things including basses are priced not on their value but on where they want to be situated in the marketplace. Alembic price their basses as they see fit and I guess they are still selling new ones to someone I guess if their market starts to shrink they can either drop the price or drop out. I know alembic have only recently started taking adverts out in selected music press. A few have commented here on not buying an alembic without hearing or playing it first. Pretty good advice since it's a very personal thing. However I've done that with alembic and not been disappointed but then familiarity breeds contempt for that advice. The main thing is play what you enjoy and want to buy. Jazzyvee

I have two of those acg filter sets in my Alembic bass and they sound great. I've kept he original Alembic guts in case I decide go back to standard.. Jazzyvee

is it this one? http://painandgrief.com/aaa/fcbasssite/htmfiles/90elan.htm

I have installed two of the ACG filters in my Alembic Europa bass instead of the standard Alembic setup and this gives me a high and low pass filters for each pickup. The sound shaping possibilities are enormous and the fact that it is able to focus on frequencies lower than the Alembic one did really gives some very clean powerful lows whilst still being able to keep the clarity of notes using the high pass filter or the bridge pickup LP filter. Amazing stuff and I'm really pleased with it. It's true you have to think very differently in terms of how you use the controls to get your tones and from my personal experience it takes quite a while to understand how to change to and from different tones quickly and in a consistent manner. You become a tweaker because even small changes in any of the controls give a significant change to the sound coming from the bass so you can make fine adjustments to hone in the sound you are seeking. I think they are great. Jazzyvee

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1324923416' post='1478519'] Question, somewhat related. Say you have a bass, and a good bass too- how do you decide to sell so you can afford a high end bass. Esp as a lot of this stuff is custom or rare. Surely the risk could be that you end up without the goodbass and something techniccally better but suits you less? [/quote][quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1324923416' post='1478519'] Question, somewhat related. Say you have a bass, and a good bass too- how do you decide to sell so you can afford a high end bass. Esp as a lot of this stuff is custom or rare. Surely the risk could be that you end up without the goodbass and something techniccally better but suits you less? [/quote] I had that scenario. I'm primarily a guitarist but fell onto being a bass player more by chance than desire so get more gigs playing bass these days really. But a few years ago I decided I wanted to get a decent bass for recording and to learn on so got a MM Sterling bass because the body was compact, the neck was slim at the nut and I liked the sound of it. I only ever used it at home and on my music course. Then after a while I started to feel that it only had one sound that I really thought was good and whenever I rolled off any of the top end or bottom end it just sounded lifeless. Then after about a year I decided to take big step and buy a short scale Alembic 4 string. The leap of faith was cushioned by the fact I loved the sound Stanley Clarke was getting from his so I felt confident that the bass would not give me a bad sound even though I knew I wasn't gonna sound like him using the signature model. I have to admit that when I first got it i felt the neck was too wide at the nut but as it has very little taper down to the body it felt more comfortable everywhere else and I loved the sound and the action was low. Eventually I got used to the neck and the different approach to tone control took a while to get used to. Soon after that I started gigging and loved the alembic sound so sold the Music Man. Ironically, in recent years I've done a lot of tracks on gigs where the bass parts were originally by Marcus Miller so now that Music man would have been perfect for that kind of Fendery sound. Fortunately for me the decision worked out perfectly but it is a risk and certainly the alembic tone is not everyones cup of tea and the controls are very sensitive and do take a while to really be able to dial in the sound you want consistently. I think for me, the fact I wasn't gigging, I was only playing bass at home, meant I had less pressure and no reputation to maintain as a bass player so I had less to loose by making a bad choice. The thing is, If you go down the custom build route you can always get the builder to match your existing neck profile and string spacing so you have at least a familiar feel to the bass. There is always gonna be some level of risk if you are moving into unfamiliar territory especially if it is a custom build that you can't physically interact with during construction. What bass are you thinking about then? Jazzyvee

I have an alembic bass and have no desire to have anything else. For me I like the tone, playability, sound quality and the enjoyment I get from playing it.. I can't say whether they are better than any other high end or other regular basses as I have not played many other basses and have not owned any and played them long enough to compare. I get any sound from it that I desire and need and that is what a bass is for. Whenever I gig I get more compliments regarding the sound of my bass than my playing of it. So for what I need in a bass this alembic does it for me. Who knows I could get a decent sound from a far cheaper bass but I doubt that I would get the variety of tonal possibilities from another bass. That said I woulh like an alembic series bass but thats financially out of my scope so instead i decided to change the electronics in my bass to some acg/east filter circuits which gave me a high and low pass filter for each pickup and that sounds phenomenal whilst still having an alembic tone. So I guess if bought another bass that had a great feel and playing experience I could get a high end sound using act/east setup which would be far cheaper.. Jazzyvee

I'd go for Lozbass's Stanley Clark style Series II Alembic. Jazzyvee

I've never been to one of these before so maybe you can enlighten me about what goes on or what is the purpose of the event. Is it a jam session or an opportunity for bass players to try each others gear? Buy sell stuff. What's it all about? Jazzyvee

Stanley Clarke seems to do this as a matter of course. He users a small fender combo. Check out his rig rundown and the discussion on this aspect of his rig happens around 2:33. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRe4_7wTec"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRe4_7wTec[/url] Jazzyvee

[quote name='tomlyne' post='1327127' date='Aug 4 2011, 03:11 PM']Hello, I would be interested to hear from anyone with an Alembic 5 string in Scotland who may be interested in selling or trading. I know there are basses in the south and I am just trying to find something a bit closer to Edinburgh. Thanks Tom Lyne[/quote] If you don't manage to find one that suits you, I can highly recommend you check out ACG/East Electronics. In fact I swapped out my Alembic electronics and replaced them with some of their filter circuits and it still sounds like an alembic. Both John East and Alan Cringran are members of the form. Here are two clips with the circuits in. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGjbcQHQAxY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGjbcQHQAxY[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC74ry1wom4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC74ry1wom4[/url] Jazzyvee

I share with you an exchange I had with Marcus on my Myspace page a while back. May 30, 2010 NotstrictlyJazz says I'm curious as to your view on basses. I know you are well known for using Fenders ( heavily customised) and Fodera basses. But I would like to know if you feel there is an upper limit above which you feel there is no benefit sonically to a bass guitar and that a buyer is merely paying increasing cost for things that do not make the bass a better instrument in terms of it sound, playability, versatility and its reliability as a musical instrument? All the best with your musical projects. Delano Marcus Miller says Hey Delano, I do think there's a point where you are paying for exotic materials that don't really improve the sound yes. Most of the high end basses are created to enable the bass to sound more clearly like an extended range guitar. If that's not your goal, you can save a lot of money by buying an old school bass. M

Ashdown amps and cabs are a big disappointment. I've been using them recently in the rehearsal studio's and they just sound lifeless and wooly. Trace Elliot stuff. It seems that whatever you plug into them comes out sounding the same. Whenever I've gigged and a trace elliot amp has been on the back line to use. I can never get my sound from them. Turning the controls on my bass doesn't seem to have much affect on the sound that comes out of the amp The sound only seems to chang markedly from the controls on the amp. Not for me at all. jazzyvee

Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy by Return to Forever. Jazzyvee