4000

To be honest I'm not a fan of the band. As for SR, I'll take Rachel Riley thanks. Far more my type ;-)

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1380746433' post='2230087'] Luxury [/quote] :-) (I wish I could work out how to post emoticons on this bloody tablet. In my day you had to carve them into granite with a piece of wet sponge...)

Miserable? We lived for 3 months in a paper bag in a septic tank....:-)

Expectations. The death of everything.; -)

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1380739023' post='2229876'] Yeah I know, I had one of those Tired of Being Mr F*cking Nice moments [/quote] I have more of those with every passing day.; -)

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1380708289' post='2229180'] Hi guys The bass has been in "the book" for some time. It's going to be pretty special as the facings are from a chestnut tree that came down in my Mum and (late) Dad's garden in 2010. The wood has been resting at Paul's since then, was split in February this year, and finally cut down to body blanks last week. As I said, Mk I fretted, standard hardware. Might go for an ebony board though, and possibly a lighter body core wood. It'll be good to have a Wal back in the fold and legitimately call myself "Walbassist" again. Cheers all Gareth [/quote] Lovely wood. Did Paul get all the rest? That'd look great on a Sei.; -)

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1380569899' post='2227323'] Just when you thought you were a fairly competent player, along comes someone who just blows you away. I've just watched Francis Hylton live with Incognito. f***ing he'll! [/quote] I would've thought that "fairly competent" pretty much implies that there'll be a lot of people a lot better than you. ;-)

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1380636892' post='2228227'] But the fact is, and I'm sorry to say this and I hope I don't offend anyone, but every time I go to a bass bash or play someone's bass, or even buy a bass from someone on here, most of the time I am surprised by how badly they are set up, and how poorly they play, sometimes I am amazed at how little they seem to have been cared for. So, I find it hard to believe that the majority of people who order a custom bass have any idea what they want, other than some pretty bookmatched bullshit. [/quote] I favour easy-playing basses, but seeing as Jamerson's bass was supposedly virtually unplayable and an absolute tip that argument doesn't early hold much water, does it? And Macca's and Jaco's weren't much better. As for "some pretty bookmatched bullshit", seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to buy one to me. It's no secret you're not much of a fan of custom basses; I'm not much of a fan of Fender Jazzes, but that doesn't mean I get to decide the criteria for buying one.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1380617433' post='2227776'] A J also balances perfectly and has the golden proportions, a good Fender Jazz is a beautiful thing, a lovely design. Fenders are so customisable anyway, that's part of the joy of owning one. New PG, new pups, new body, hardware, a John East pre-amp, even a new neck if you bought blind, or foolishly. I think trying to reverse engineer a pickup is daft, how the hell are you supposed to guess what it will sound like in the bass? People THINK they know, but they don't really, it's all hit and miss. And very expensive. Seems to me a custom bass is simply a vanity indulgence for most people, their time and money would be better spent on learning how to set up their instruments, learn about sound and eq. I think half the problems they think they are addressing with a custom bass could be solved more simply if it's not just a vanity project. Probably should get some lessons on how to play the thing too [/quote] The only Jazzes I've ever played that balanced well were too heavy to be of any use to me, and as for golden proportions....let's just say that's a matter of personal taste. What's wrong with a vanity indulgence BTW? FWIW much of the reason I've gone custom in the past (and will in the future) is aesthetic, which is a perfectly valid reason, as is any really. And it could be argued that if sometime with enough aptitude puts in enough work on a Sue Ryder then what's the point of a Fender?

I agree that the old shapes had some issues; the Small Standard shape (SCs) tends to balance poorly and the Standard shape tends to be very heavy with the first fret being a fair old stretch for some, although I love the aesthetics of both. The Balance K is a lovely rationalisation and if I could ever afford another that's probably what I'd go for. In my opinion the best Alembics have an Art Nouveau quality that I really love, but which I appreciate is possibly too ornate for some.

[quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1380527053' post='2226430'] Brown Bass and chambers...hmm...I honestly don't know (I'll try to find out) but it would explain a lot. First, the BB is a relatively light bass. Second, I've only played the one that I have, but it's surprisingly resonant and loud when played without amplification - it has an 'organic' and woody tone with a prominent fundamental. My other Alembics sound fairly dead and uninspiring when played acoustically. Agree with Jazzyvee re: BB electronics (Anniversary) - very similar to Series I but a one position boost, hum cancelling pickups, and a good deal less expensive. 4000, ahh, yes rosewood was the default facing on SCs (I'd forgotten) -weird that I've played mainly cocobolo versions: indeed, the only non-cocobolo SC I've played is the buckeye. Nice to see these getting some discussion - my favourite basses by a very long way (despite the idiosyncrasies) [/quote] All the Brown Bass builds I've followed on the Alembic Club - I'm a member - have been chambered. The one I played was so much lighter than my SC, it was like wearing half the bass. Prior to ordering my custom Alembic (10 years ago now!) Susan Wickersham told me over the phone that all Signature basses used to be solid but no longer were. I specified chambered for my build, just in case. All Series basses are chambered and unless specified otherwise always have been, so far as I'm aware. Of course in keeping with Alembic's 'build anything' ethos I'm sure if you really wanted solid you could have it. If you want to find out about Alembics go to the Alembic Club and browse to your heart's content. The 'Factory to Customer' section is fab. It's a great site and the people over there are very helpful; Mica Wickersham chimes in often. Or you could always drop Mica an email.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1380474510' post='2225846'] The Brown bass is a Series bass and all standard/omega shaped Series basses are chambered to reduce weight. I'm not sure if other body shape variants (like the Entwhistle bass above) are. [/quote] I had my custom Triple Omega (essentially a Sig Deluxe with options) built chambered but it was still a good 11lbs or so.

Oh, went through a massive Joey DeMaio phase too, about 4 years in. He kind of pushed me further along the path I'd already taken, which was a similar one to him at the time.

I use my normal basses with either my Hartke Kickback 1x10 or just a Sansamp, depending on the gig. Seems to work OK.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1380412689' post='2225054'] I am guessing that was cocobolo faced then, as that wood (though my favourite looks-wise) weighs like an anchor! I was recently offered a Brown Bass from a US seller that weighed about 9 pounds but the issue was that - with import duty and shipping - it would have been sell-a-kidney expensive (about £4.5k) [/quote] Mine had rosewood facings, which were standard on the SCD. Bear in mind it was solid-bodied whereas the Brown Bass is hollow; I once played a BB and it felt far lighter. Also bear in mind the SC shape balances pretty poorly, which may be an issue if you have back or neck problems as I have; it was the only issue the bass had for me and I tended to play it sitting down to minimize the strain on my neck.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1380411841' post='2225048'] I thoroughly enjoyed my Alembic Spoiler - apart from the weight (c.11lb) which forced me to sell it. Fabulous basses with amazing build quality and a unique sound. I would love to get hold of a short scale Stanley Clark or (even better) Brown bass but they come up for sale so infrequently and for more bucks than I can muster (if anyone ever wants to sell one for less than £3k drop me a PM) [/quote] FWIW my SC Deluxe weighed about 11lbs too.

[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1356385833' post='1909891'] As I look around. . . .. Not many people constantly playing Rics, or Alembics may I tentatively suggest.....? Everyone's playing different stuff apart from Lemmy whose spine is probably hewn from a Ric 4003. I love the guy and his music, always have and always will. Motorhead are all that never changed in my schooldays. If Ric would do something about the awful topographical situation around the bridge pup and the U bend from hell it might tempt me back but until then I will admire how they look but despise how they play in my hands. Open Ric-heart surgery to adapt to a u-bend free version leaves a trough which is just a mess. See pic. Why not make the two pups the same as the neck pup and lose the drama. [/quote] And yet having been through all sorts of basses I still prefer my Rics 30-odd years on. FWIW I had 2 Alembics and they were the best-made basses I've ever had, and I've had Status, Sei, Wal, Jaydee etc. They were also far better made IMO than any other high end stuff I've tried (incFodera etc). I only sold the first to fund the second and only sold the second because of back problems. Ric, Alembic and Sei are by far my favourite basses and I've tried most stuff out there.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1380308581' post='2223714'] but nowadays it is not bass players but composers. [/quote] Big +1 to that. In terms of bass influences though, Lemmy circa Hawkwind, Phil Lynott and Frank Marino were the first (although I suspect McCartney, Ray Brown & NHOP were subliminal pre-playing influences) - I wanted to play bass with the speed and fluidity Frank Marino played guitar and actively fought against the whole staccato, ghost-noted thing - and a little later I'd say Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover, Geezer Butler, Geddy Lee, Mike Rutherford, JJB, Leigh "Leroy" Gorman, Stanley Clarke, John McVie, Rutger Gunnarsson, then later still Chris Squire, the Ox, Stuart Zender and probably others.... I'll add that although I think Jameson is a wonderful player I was never interested in Motown.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1380359835' post='2224190'] Interesting observation. I remember seeing Rory Gallagher for the first time, in about 1973. As an impressionable teenager I was genuinely stunned that he was playing such a beaten-up guitar (sunburst Strat). I'd never seen anything like it before. [/quote] I remember thinking it was the most beautiful guitar I'd ever seen. Thought a similar thing when I first saw Jaco's Jazz. Character.

Played a gig last year on an outdoor bandstand which ended up being like playing on the front of a trawler in a storm at sea. We were [i]drenched[/i]. I was using a very expensive bass at the time, but as others have suggested, I was more worried about dying than my bass!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1379971898' post='2219061'] I'll keep KT on my 'to do' list as it were [/quote] Indeed. Ahem.

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1379883309' post='2217892'] Following a chat to my best friend and long suffering sounding post, I got all retrospective and cast my mind back to the years before basschat and (formerly bassworld) when I gigged,week in and week out with just one bass in my arsenal, an orange Maison four stringer like the one below [url="http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/markmojo1962/media/maisonbass_zpscb5661c0.jpg.html"][/url] I played it through a Custom Sound Series 700 Graphic Bass combo which was basically this head [url="http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/markmojo1962/media/series700head_zpsa11a20b5.jpg.html"][/url] ....built into this cab [url="http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/markmojo1962/media/custom_sound_cab_zps603ef462.jpg.html"][/url] I gigged this setup for more than ten years and was as happy as a pig in the proverbial. I even got compliments on my bass tone on occasion. Since discovering this community, I've had more amps, cabs and basses than you could shake a stick at and yet I still come away from a rehearsal or a gig thinking something's not quite right and I need to change something. This site should carry a health warning for all newcomers "Joining Basschat can seriously affect your bank balance" The bliss of ignorance [/quote] That Custom Sound combo was my first 'proper' rig (my very first was a terrible JHS guitar combo). I used it at my first ever gig, with both the bass control and graphic bottom end full up, using flatwounds. The row of people sat in front of me said they could feel the wind blowing past them.

[quote name='Cyrene' timestamp='1379950643' post='2218622'] Arctic Monkeys, AM. A succession of rudimentary riffs tied together by half-arsed lyrics and disparate song structures. [/quote] I can't stand them at the best of times.