EssentialTension Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I had an antique ivory one when the first batch were released three or four years ago. No neck dive and it sounded huge with EB Cobalt flats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Membo Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 (edited) I have one from a few years ago. I tried several different types of flats and rounds and was not able to get a sound I liked. On a whim, I put some Rotosounds round wounds on it - which I haven't used in years. And I think I finally found the right strings for this bass. Edited June 25, 2021 by Membo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 12 minutes ago, Membo said: On a whim, I put some Rotosounds round wounds on it - which I haven't used in years. And I think I finally found the right strings for this bass. Yep. People often overlook this. I know I did. I'd all but written a bass off until I removed my 'favourite' strings and tried a random set. Not all basses like the same bits of wire. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 (edited) On 24/06/2021 at 11:13, stewblack said: GAS ignition stage 1 complete. Two pay days later and I finally did the tuner swap I was bleating on about. I managed to snag some second hand Hipshot licensed Ultralites for a decent price. I don't think they'll make much difference TBH. The stock tuners are pretty light to start with (not because they were designed to be light, they just are light) - the Ultralites are a whopping 9g lighter each. So I shaved 36g off the weight of the headstock - go me! I didn't think the bass was particularly neck heavy to start with and as you can imagine, 36g didn't make much difference to this bassist. If anything it made me think that if you went with something like Gotoh GB707s - they might actually be heavier than the stock tuners, so keep that in mind. I just checked - slightly heavier, but we're talking 1-2g per tuner so we're in negligible difference territory here. If you want to lose the most weight with a 1:1 physical swap then Gotoh GB350 Res-o-lite tuners will save you a further 10g per tuner. I decided against them because I'm wary of the plastic buttons. Full price Hipshot USA Ultralites (not the licensed ones) are 8g lighter than the licensed ones, so at 42g per tuner only slightly heavier than the Gotoh GB350 and no plastic button. But pricey - starting to get into silly territory vs. the original cost of the bass. What I can say is what a difference in feel and operation the Ultralites are vs. the stock tuners - no play, you turn them and they just go where you want them to in either direction. The whole reason I wanted to change them in the first place - very happy and confident that I'll be able to tune quickly between E/Eb/D during a set. I'm too tight to get a detuner - also, a tuner that costs a third of what the bass cost in the first place? No thanks Edited August 5, 2021 by neepheid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Are these all but the same tone as a Thunderbird (vintage pro), given that the pickups, bridge and tailpiece are the same? Are the pickups exactly the same and the same placement? Obviously different woods and weight etc, but are they very similar apart from looks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Maude said: Are these all but the same tone as a Thunderbird (vintage pro), given that the pickups, bridge and tailpiece are the same? Are the pickups exactly the same and the same placement? Obviously different woods and weight etc, but are they very similar apart from looks? I hope so! I ordered one a few weeks ago but it won't come until end November/early december (fingers crossed!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 What colour have you gone for? I've been gently gassing for one of these for a while. The almond ones are in stock, but I do like the green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 21 minutes ago, Maude said: What colour have you gone for? I've been gently gassing for one of these for a while. The almond ones are in stock, but I do like the green. PMT have a black one. I went for the green, it just looks gorgeous and so of its time. My brother bought one of these on saturday. Really nice and lovely 'worn' (not relic) finish. Epiphone 'Gold Glory' Jared James Nichols sig. Epiphone really are making great guitars, this is a combo Gibson never made. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 I've just started a topic on the quality of Peach Guitars photos. I'd never heard of them until searching for decent images of the Jack Casady colours. They've got proper photos of the basses rather than the nasty images most use. Wanderlust Green I'm really liking the almond, and it's in stock, and I can do nine months interest free. It's almost rude not to. 😁 Smoked Almond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Both very nice, but I'm glad I went for Green 🙂 Compared to T-bird I'd say Bridge pup is in the same place, neck pup noticeably closer to the neck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 For the first time in a few months I gave 'Shrek' (my Wanderlust Green) Embassy a play today and really enjoyed it. I've been so tied up in learning my new bands set which really requires a more fast/modern active bass that poor old Shrek has been idling in its gig bag. I forgot just how light weight it is and TBH how much I missed the old school tone with flats fitted. I was thinking about parting with it as I can't stand having basses sitting idle and not being used but I really enjoyed playing some Beatles and Kinks etc. I'll be on the look out for some replacement tuners as the stock ones are crap and keeping it just for revisiting some old 60's favourites. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 2 minutes ago, bigthumb said: For the first time in a few months I gave 'Shrek' (my Wanderlust Green) Embassy a play today and really enjoyed it. I've been so tied up in learning my new bands set which really requires a more fast/modern active bass that poor old Shrek has been idling in its gig bag. I forgot just how light weight it is and TBH how much I missed the old school tone with flats fitted. I was thinking about parting with it as I can't stand having basses sitting idle and not being used but I really enjoyed playing some Beatles and Kinks etc. I'll be on the look out for some replacement tuners as the stock ones are crap and keeping it just for revisiting some old 60's favourites. I can vouch for Hipshot (Licensed) Ultralites as a direct replacement for Embassy stock tuners. No fuss replacement - drop straight in and screw holes line up with the original holes. Way smoother and direct acting, much less play in the gears. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 2 hours ago, bigthumb said: I'll be on the look out for some replacement tuners as the stock ones are crap and keeping it just for revisiting some old 60's favourites. Do you think a set of vintage clover leaf tuners would suit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 25 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: Do you think a set of vintage clover leaf tuners would suit? Personally, yes but I'm sure someone mentioned that the smaller size of the headstock might make them look a bit out of place. But I might be mistaken... Photoshop anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 31 minutes ago, bigthumb said: Personally, yes but I'm sure someone mentioned that the smaller size of the headstock might make them look a bit out of place. But I might be mistaken... Photoshop anyone? Possibly, but the original Embassy Deluxe with a batwing headstock had them, so there's something of a precedent (not a big fan of grover-style). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 If I didn't say it before, I think full sized elephant ears would look bloody ridiculous on the small headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Is the Embassy headstock smaller than a Jack Casady or EBO? They both have elephant ears, but to be fair they do look a bit huge on them, so if the Embassy is smaller then it'll definitely look out of balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 9 hours ago, neepheid said: If I didn't say it before, I think full sized elephant ears would look bloody ridiculous on the small headstock. But is it small? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) Yes, it's smaller. Here are the deets: Jack Casady headstock Length (nut to tip) - 20.5cm Width (widest part after nut - narrowest point - widest point at top) - 8.3, 7.9, 9cm Tuner centres (E&G) - 4.3cm Tuner centres (A&D) - 4.5cm Tuner centres (E&A) - 8.4cm Embassy headstock Length (nut to tip) - 18.4cm Width (widest part after nut - narrowest point - widest point at top) - 8.3, 7, 7.8cm Tuner centres (E&G) - 4.2cm Tuner centres (A&D) - 3.3cm Tuner centres (E&A) - 6.1cm Not only is the Embassy headstock visually and demonstratably smaller, it lacks the same kick out at the top (in fact it's narrower at the top than the bottom, unlike the JC). The A&D tuners are super close together compared to the JC, and top to bottom they're much closer together. You factor in widening the posts and bushes and see how close together the A and D tuners will be. You could try to bore them off centre, but then you'll be risking getting awfully close to the edge of the headstock - also looking silly, not to mention possibly structurally unsound. You could get Ultralites with the thin posts and elephant ears, but that looks out of proportion also. In my opinion, you really can't win with this one - it's going to look off whichever way you try to put what was not designed to be there, there. A bit like oversized wheels on a small car. Edited October 6, 2021 by neepheid 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) Well I live with Grover style on two of my basses, I'll wait and see. There are other possibilities... Van Ghent: Edited October 6, 2021 by Stub Mandrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) Hey, it's your bass and you don't need me to tell you that you're free to do what you want with it. I'm merely pointing out the reasons why I wouldn't, won't and don't fit full size tuners to an Epiphone Embassy (the modern remake). I also think it's different for in line tuners vs. tuners either side. You've got double the "sticky-out" effect happening. I don't mind the look of elephant ears on the likes of a Thunderbird. But sticking them on a small 2+2 headstock - well, all I see is this: Edited October 6, 2021 by neepheid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 True enough, but Grovers always look cheap and nasty to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 21 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: True enough, but Grovers always look cheap and nasty to me. If only the stock tuners were Grovers - sheer luxury compared to the rather uninspiring units as supplied. Having mine off the bass I can see they have the name "Marvel" stamped into the underside of them. They're lightweight by manufacture, not by design, but probably part of the reason you can score one of these for £350 new - which I still think is ludicrously good value for money. All this Embassy talk has made me decide to take mine to band rehearsal tonight and probably play it at the gig on Saturday - my G&L L-1000 has been getting all the attention recently. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Interesting, the 'Gold Glory' has Grovers and a Seymour Duncan PUP, but then it costs £600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) Nicked this from that other site... Embassy with ultralites - looks ok to me, but each to his own... Edited October 8, 2021 by Bigwan 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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