White Cloud

That is a bass that sits comfortably at the top of the food chain. Congratulations!

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1384814714' post='2281180'] I suspect they'll last much, much longer than wooden necks if they're well made. [/quote] Really? I am a fan of Graphite - but don't see why wood wouldn't last as long as a composite if cared for.

I'm afraid this seems to be typical with Alembic. Try the Alembic club forum for advice..very friendly and helpful.

Everybody has their own take on this, but in my world the component parts of a musical instrument should fit together properly.

Personally this annoys me...a lot. Fender take the biscuit with this - it is slack build quality consistency and there is no need for it at any price. Brands like Yamaha and Ibanez, even at an extremely low price point, would never tolerate this......

Any music shop that puts instruments on show, for sale, without even the most basic of preparation is cheating the customer out of a vital part of the service they should be providing for the potential customer. Its basics folks.

Personally I agree with the OP. If I pick up a bass in a shop and it plays like crap I am not buying it ............

Really disappointed to hear this as I seriously liked the look of the Electra in sunburst as a cheap gigging warhorse.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1384606796' post='2278617'] I float all the time - I never rest on the pickup. [/quote] Me too.

It's an Ibanez...that is a guarantee that it will be extremely well designed, well made, feel great, sound right and be value for money. What else matters?

Zappa was a modern day genius; innovative, experimental, fearless and ground breaking. That is what music is actually all about. Been a fan for 35 years and have ALWAYS been hugely impressed by the complexity of the music.

Looks extremely promising!

Look forward to seeing the end product. Great bass!

I have owned two Ricks (at different times) and absolutely loved everything about them...they both sounded fantastic. I wouldn't have dreamt of swapping either for a P or J ...horses for courses.

[quote name='RoRi' timestamp='1384017653' post='2271991'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbQdXBSxpw[/media] [/quote] Love this...I remember watching it when it was originally aired.

Jimmy Moon in Glasgow will make you one no problem. Superb luthier...and fast.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1383949727' post='2271294'] +1... agree with the sentiment but I think Jaco's breakthrough year was '76 and this is '78. Masques is a favourite of mine too... [/quote] My mistake, but consider this...it makes Percy's playing all the more impressive. A fretless player that can sound so unlike Jaco in the slip stream of his blaze of glory.is quite a feat.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1383969921' post='2271444'] She's fine. But what is she doing that everyone else in a decent cover band isn't doing? Answer: Looking good doing it. [/quote] Pardon me, but I like to think that I look good doing it too! I enjoyed it - it was well worth sharing...ignore the naysayers.

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1383942176' post='2271181'] Percy is the main reason I play bass. I got to Brand X via Genesis (Brand X was Phil Collins' entertainment during Genesis down-time) and I was so blown away by Percy's playing I decided there and then I was going to learn to play bass. That was maybe 1980. I had a Wal by 1983. White Cloud is spot on: the Masques album is brilliant, and it's peppered with the most innovative, unique, and sublime fretless playing. It's required listening I'd say for anybody who wants to play fretless. P [/quote] Sir...I like the cut of your jib!

Sorry to hear about this. This can potentially happen to any bass with a wooden neck. Same happened to my very expensive Jaydee back in the day. Unfortunately you have been extremely unlucky. For what it's worth I also owned a Lakland skyline that developed a very nasty neck crack.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1383921027' post='2270845'] Without wishing to change your mind on opting for a wooden neck , my two pence worth would be that , yes, a graphite neck sounds different, not least of all because of the hard and extremely reflective graphite fingerboard, but whereas that can sound slightly harsh and hypercritical in terms of technique when you are playing on your own , that perceived harshness all but dissappears when you are playing in a band context , and instead translates into some welcome extra cut in the mix. Fretless basses sound much more muted than fretted ones where a big part of the tone comes from a steel string being in contact with a steel fret. Once you remove the steel fret the tone and envelope of the same note is very, very different . The extended upper frequencies that a graphite neck can provide can to some extent be seen as a positive substitute for the change of tone made by removing the frets. It's a similar trade-off on fretless basses that have an epoxy coating on the fingerboard. You lose some woody warmth , but gain a lot of sustain , clarity and top end . It also has to be said ,that woody warmth can very easily become an over-softness on a fretless bass , hence why so many fretless players boost their midrange frequencies to make themselves more clearly heard . As with fretted basses , I would recommend players who buy a graphite necked bass embrace the tone for what it is rather than try and compare it to a bass with a conventional wooden neck . Graphite is a terriffic sound in its' own right , and a great option if you want your bass to be clearly audible . [/quote] I would say that this is sound advice.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1383911637' post='2270673'] I know a lot has to do with electronics, but listen to Michael Manring and Steve Lawson, then listen to Pino or whoever, you can hear a difference in the sound, I don't have a carbon fibre/graphite necked fretless but I do have a fretted, and it does have a sound of its own. [/quote] I agree. I played carbon fibre necks throughout the 80's and they do sound distinctly different from wooden ones. Regarding the OP's original question...it is hard to define whether they are "better" or not as it is entirely subjective. The advantages are a stable, stiff neck that wont move...but adding one will change the sound of the instrument.