4000

Those were my thoughts exactly.😉

I did it. Physically it wasn’t an issue other than getting used to damping the B, it was more a mental readjustment. I then went from 6 to 5 then back to 4 again. In the end I found I just preferred playing 4s; I preferred the sound of mine to any of the 5s and 6s I had/tried.

Some interesting stuff about Entwistle’s basses here: http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bass7585.html Normally it’s only the Series basses that run in stereo, but as with everything else Alembic, there are doubtless exceptions. John’s Alembic tone is just stellar, one of my absolute favourite tones.

Er, shouldn’t that be Bromberg? 😉

Lissie: I was at this gig and it was unbelievable. This never fails to bring tears to my eyes, soppy sod that I am.

No probs. I love Alembics and used to spend forever on their site. Since I had to sell mine - and now can’t stretch to another - it’s been a bit too painful to be honest! Congrats on the bass, it’s a corker!

That’s a Balance K (named after the customer it was designed by/for, I believe) with an Omega cutout. Lovely shape. Although I really wanted a Triple Omega when I got my custom, ultimately the shape was it’s downfall as it became uncomfortable to play standing due to the weight, but was uncomfortable to play seated because of the shape, so I had to get rid. If I’d got a Balance K I’d still have it. This was my Triple O:

Loz definitely had some Series Basses if it was his. Series basses have the dummy humcanceller in between the pickups (although to confuse matters my Triple O wasn’t a Series but had a dummy between the pickup purely for cosmetic purposes). There are 2, or arguably 3 if you include the Brown Bass, Stanley signature models, but above that you also have the Series I and II basses which are what Stanley actually uses (ironically Stanley doesn’t use the Signature models, any more than Mark King used his). The SC Standard has twin humbuckers and 4 knobs, with thin walnut stringers in the neck and typically walnut or maple front facings. The Deluxe has Twin purpleheart neck laminates and typically has maple or rosewood facings front & back , IIRC. The Series steps it up again, with what are actually single coils (in covers that look like humbuckers), hence the middle humcanceller. They have more sophisticated eq and typically more expensive woods and more neck laminates, plus Series II have LEDs and even more comprehensive electronics, although everything is an option on every model at Alembic. The Brown Bass is a specific model roughly based on Stanley’s early ‘brown’ Alembic. It’s mahogany and walnut or myrtle, IIRC, with twin humbuckers. They’re typically relatively light. FWIW the Stanley Clarke, although there are actual Signatures (Standard, Deluxe, Brown Bass) is really only a body shape, the Small Standard (as opposed to the Standard, which is the big body shape). So if you play a Small Standard body shape (like Stanley does), it may or may not be a Stanley Signature, if that makes sense. And Alembic being totally custom, you’ll often see one-offs which combine features. http://www.alembic.com/prod/basses.html FWIW I think they build the best basses in the world, but YMMV.

The only way you’d know is to try some. Whilst other other people’s opinions can be helpful, they’re not you, and you might find something that’s a make or break that is the opposite for them. Like I said before, I haven’t really liked any of the Foderas I’ve played, yet others rave about them. There is no “truth” as it’s all subjective.

You might get a 4003sW at 8lbs. Typically though, as mentioned elsewhere, a relatively lightweight 4001 or 4003 would be 8.5lbs, maybe a bit more. Rule of thumb is between 8.5 and 10lbs, with the majority of 4001 basses around 9 or so. From the figures Ive seen and from playing them a typical 4003 is on average a few ounces heavier. You won’t find many over 10lb though.

Ah, I think he may have had a cocobolo Series II as well, IIRC. It’ll have been that one. Don’t think he had a Deluxe, his were the real deal (Deluxe being below Series I & II). The Series basses often weigh a ton. They had a Zebrawood Series II SC in the Bass Gallery a while back; I went to lift it off the stand at a slightly uncomfortable distance, and didn’t really put much into the lift, not expecting much resistance. It literally didn’t budge. 😂When I moved closer to lift it properly it weighed an absolute ton. How anyone could have comfortably worn it I have no idea.

Oh, it definitely needs gigging!

The only Brown Bass I played was pretty light, maybe 8lbs or so. Weighed way less than my Stanley Clarke Deluxe, which I had at the same time and which was probably more like 10. Was it definitely a Brown Bass, not an SC Standard, Deluxe or Series? Thinking about it, was it one of Loz’s? I know he had a buckeye SC Series but I think he did have a Brown Bass too.

Er....ok.

About as easy as anything else. 😉😁

Well I know exactly what the spacing on my current 3 basses is because I cut the saddles. 😉 2 at 16.5mm, one at 17mm because the bridge tolerances are ever so slightly different; 16.5 means the G chokes on part of the bridge. 2 x 1972 Rics, and one luthier-built copy that was built around the measurements from my main one. Thing is, I’ve owned something like 60 basses. I’ve played thousands. But there are very few I find truly comfortable and easy to play, so much so that from being someone who for many years would play every bass I clapped eyes on, I hardly ever bother now because I know most won’t suit, simply by a glance. Seriously, I can tell you whether it’s likely to be comfortable just by looking at it (I would’ve thought many people could say the same, but maybe I’m wrong). All of the ones I find comfortable have relatively narrow spacing and relatively parallel necks. It’s interesting that you bring up Sei because when I had my first built, a six, it was only the second six I’d played and I went with 16.5mm spacing because it was the narrowest option Martin suggested and was closest to my Rics. When I got my second, a 4, I based it on an early Warwick Dolphin I was playing at the time. Unfortunately I was playing that mainly fingerstyle as it didn’t suit my pick playing (spacing was too wide) and sold it before I finally got the Sei. When I got the Sei I’d already reverted back to my usual pick playing and it felt totally, totally wrong. I was never happy playing it and could never execute runs properly with my right hand, so in spite of the fact that it was a stunning bass, it didn’t last long. I did still have it when I got my custom Alembic, which had a much more narrow spacing (as the majority of Alembics have) that suited much better. The Alembic was night and day more comfortable to play and I could play faster and execute runs far more cleanly. For clarification, I play very little fingerstyle and play mainly with a pick in a style that requires as little movement as possible; think shred guitarist. I play sometimes from the wrist, but mainly actually just swivelling my picking fingers and thumb. So the right hand movement is generally very small, and that’s why a relatively narrow spacing suits. I could go narrower, but I learned to play on a certain make of bass with a very particular feel, and over time have narrowed down the specifics that suit best. And there aren’t really many (any?) 4 string basses that go narrower without going custom. Left hand isn’t as important because I can stretch out my fingers if necessary, although again, I prefer a relatively narrow spacing. Another thing that I’m very sensitive to is neck radius. I don't like a flat radius at all. Rather interestingly, I once thought (probably because I’d read it somewhere) that my preferred basses had a 12” radius, but whenever I played a bass with a 12” radius it didn’t feel as comfortable as my main basses. The higher the figure got, the more uncomfortable it felt. It was only relatively recently, when measuring for my “copy”, that I realised the radius on my basses was actually 7.25”. I had the copy built the same and it’s great. If I was ordering another custom everything would be based on the measurements of my main bass, and when I finally get another Sei, that’s what I’ll do. Obviously I can play most basses ok, but it’s not about whether you can get by, it’s about what actually suits best and is most comfortable. If you can’t tell by feel - or even by eye - what suits in terms of spacing, particularly right hand spacing, then I’d be inclined to think something about your technique means you’re not very sensitive to such things.

But for many people, assuming the spacing down the neck isn’t ridiculous one way or the other, it’s the spacing at the plucking/picking end that’s most important(of course there will be exceptions to this). And the fact that you may not pluck/pick right by the saddle doesn't mean that you can’t get a good idea whether a 19mm spacing or a 16.5mm spacing at the bridge end is better for you. No, you may not be plucking right by the saddle, but you’ll tend to be plucking in the same areas regardless of bass, so it simply extrapolates from the saddle-spacing figure you do have. Assuming that some people who like wide spacing at the bridge will find an extreme taper problematic doesn’t make sense either, as this basically describes a Jazz, and how popular are they? Your left hand is not moving in the same way or through the same planes as your right hand, so potentially different rules apply. I can tell you that a narrow spacing at the bridge is preferable for me because I know how I play. The spacing at the nut end is far less important, although I tend to prefer a relatively parallel spacing, FWIW.

This.

Cheers Alan. This begs another question, if it’s acrylic impregnated when you get it, is it still necessary to finish it? I only ask because when I finally get round to building something Id like to use buckeye. What’s impregnated wood like to work?

Two of my three 4 strings are 16.5mm, one is 17mm. I can play basses over that, but 16.5mm is my preference however many strings.

Depends how bad your back is. I had to sell my custom Alembic and Wal Pro which both came in around 10lbs. I simply couldn’t play them standing up, my legs went numb. I can do 9lbs though, but that’s my limit. Lighter the better for me, I have no interest in substantial for substantial’s sake.

Oh, the bass is gorgeous by the way! 😁

Stabilised buckeye Burl is where the wood is impregnated with resins by vacuum and pressure. It’s not the same process as taking a piece of wood and lacquering it. I believe some of Alan’s fingerboards use stabilised woods, hence my question. So what I meant was, does he use stabilised wood or does he use raw wood and then finish it? From Eude’s response it seems it’s the latter, which is also Martin Petersen’s approach (my second Sei had buckeye facings). Stabilised buckeye is used for knife handles and such.

I’m gonna have to dig out SA again. Haven’t listened to it in ages so it must be about time.