| Author | Message | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2661 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, I picked up an Excel 5 on Wednesday at the not-so-local Guitar Center for a real nice price. Wow, the poor baby was abused. I just spent about three hours pulling the strings, polishing brass, and clearing an incredible amount of gunk from the fretboard. When I picked the thing up, you couldn't tell that it had side dots. A bunch of cleaning, a little wax and some oil plus a new set of strings (and battery) and the thing is presentable. At this point, it's just missing three screws from the back plate to be good to go. There are little nicks here and there and one large gouge on the top just above the neck joint. Why do people do that to guitars? I'm told the prior owner traded it against a vintage Kramer. The thing plays great, but I'm not sure I love the tone for what I do. We'll see when I get it into the band context on Monday. -bob | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1032 Registered: 6-2002 |
I love the Excel. Any chance of your posting a picture? | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11275 Registered: 5-2002 |
Whether it works for what you're doing, thank you for rescuing it and cleaning it up. | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2163 Registered: 11-2004 |
Person who did that to an Alembic should be hung, drawn & quartered LOL | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3805 Registered: 6-2002 |
Assuming it wasn't deliberately abused, it just shows that someone had made good use of it for it's intended purpuse. At tool for making a lot of music. Maybe those of us with ultra pristine instruments, me included in that, are not getting the most of ours. I certainly wouldn't want to abuse my instruments but if they got some mojo from playing, that's not a bad thing is it? Nowadays people pay a fortune for so called road worn instruments that may look worse than the description by Bob but still sound good. Personally I'd love to get the amount of gigs you'd need to get that kind of wear. But I'd still take care of my alembics so that it didn't get into bad shape. I like the pristine look so I'd take a leaf out of JJ's book and get the bass refinished when it gets tired looking. It will be interesting to hear how you get on with the bass regardless of it's condition and I guess if it's not your cup of tea then at least you have it in a better condition and should get your money back if you decide to sell it on. Jazzyvee (Message edited by jazzyvee on January 13, 2014) | ||
| xlrogue6
Advanced Member Username: xlrogue6 Post Number: 282 Registered: 8-2002 |
Those are 2-56 screws you're missing. If there's a hardware supplier that caters to machine shops in your area they might have them. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1033 Registered: 6-2002 |
Besides its looks, I totally fell in love with its tone: big, powerful and brutal. It's everything I dream for a Bass to sound like. I love the simple electronics: Bass, Treble and Volume. Simple, no fancy inlays, no flash, just one serious heavyweight KO of a tone. You play an Excel and you say, "This is a Bass". Of all my Basses (including my other Alembics), nothing moves me like the Excel. I never tried an Excel that I didn't end up taking home with me. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2663 Registered: 3-2004 |
Jazzy, there's a difference between "roadworn" and "covered in gunk". I agree that it probably got that way by being regularly and aggressively played over a long time but without ever a wipe down. The strings on it appeared to be XLs that sounded deader than any flats I have ever tried. They had probably been on there for years and that may be the last time the bass got a wipe down. Played it tonight at a rehearsal and it got positive tonal reviews. It was a little slower-playing than my Zon Sonus, and the small and dimmed position dots made it a bit of a mental challenge since we play in a mostly darkened room. I took a couple body pics and will post one shortly. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2664 Registered: 3-2004 |
 | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2665 Registered: 3-2004 |
Kent, thanks for the tip on the screws. I'll see if I can find them locally. If not, I can probably send Mica a few bucks for postage and she'd send me some. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1034 Registered: 6-2002 |
NICE PIC!!! Congratulations and I wish you many years of enjoyment. It's worth hanging on to considering how rare they are and what a new one costs. And of course IT IS the greatest Bass in the World. Best regards, Rami | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3808 Registered: 6-2002 |
Looks like it was well worth the effort to clean it up. So you got positive tonal reviews I guess from the band, but what is your view on it's tone? Jazzyvee | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1035 Registered: 6-2002 |
Is it really possible that an Excel 5 has a starting price of $7200.00? I wonder if the dealers would sell it at that price or if it's simply an MSRP. Like I said, you should probably hang on to yours, because replacing it won't be cheap! | ||
| gtrguy
Senior Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 676 Registered: 9-2004 |
That looks nice! I thought about buying it myself and now I wish I had. Dave | ||
| lidon2001
Senior Member Username: lidon2001 Post Number: 528 Registered: 4-2005 |
Love that top. If you email me your address Bob I can send you 3 cover screws. I have some extra from Alembic. T | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2666 Registered: 3-2004 |
Rami, that's MSRP. I'm not sure what dealers are doing these days, maybe up to 25% off that number. Also, I don't know if the standard Excel is a one pickup or two. The single pickup version might be a little less. All Alembic bass have increased in cost significantly over the past 15 years or so. My view on the tone? It doesn't have the top end sparkle I am used to from my SC models, but it is very powerful. Even if I bring up the treble, it doesn't quite do the sparkly growl thing I like. I have always been a huge fan of the ebony board, or even the maple board on an old Jazz bass. I am not in a position to swap pieces, but I think I would like the tone more if the board were ebony. In any case, I still need to dial it in, break in the strings a bit more, and tweak amp settings until I find the right batch for this beast before I come to a conclusion. I have been using a GB Streamliner head, but I also have a shuttle. This bass may pair with the Shuttle better. More experiments. As of right now, it seems like a great bass for classic fingerstyle play for a guy that likes to sit in the mix rather than dominate it. Before I came across this bass, I had decided that I wanted to try to find an Orion 5. This was close enough, and a must-buy at the price. I think I would still trade for an Orion or Essence 5 in good shape if I came across one. Tom - if I can't find them locally I'll email you, thanks! -bob | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 3079 Registered: 6-2002 |
To get some top end sparkle, swap the Fatboy for an AXY. You want to keep the grunt, keep the Fatboy. It's a conundrum ... | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1036 Registered: 6-2002 |
That's definitely the standard Excel configuration: one Fatboy with Bass, Treble & Volume. I wouldn't change anything about it - it wouldn't be an Excel anymore. Maybe the string choice would give you more sparkle? Anyway, you have to find what suits you best. Rami | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2667 Registered: 3-2004 |
I had an orange set of DR Neons that I wanted to put on, but I couldn't find them. I ended up putting on Black Beauties in 45-125. I'm messing with it and seem to like the tone very much with about 33% of the available boost on both controls. Of course, that's through the Baby Blue II I have in the living room. What it sounds like through the recording and gigging gear remains to be seen. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 1037 Registered: 6-2002 |
As an Excel-aholic, it may seem a little self serving to note that I own that 2 pickup fretless Vermillion top pictured on the Excel page. Excels make up the majority of my Alembic collection. I love this thread! It's so aptly named! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1337 Registered: 1-2005 |
I was going to ask what kind of strings you had on there - was going to guess either Black Beauties or some kind of nylons. After reading your description of your ideal tone, I figured they must be roundwounds. I've never particularly been moved by the Excel but that one looks great! I never knew that there was an Alembic model that didn't come standard with ebony fretboard - now I do! | ||
| hifiguy
Senior Member Username: hifiguy Post Number: 404 Registered: 10-2006 |
You earned lots of karma points for your reclamation of that lovely instrument. That is a sweet bass. http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m107pfQhfu1rr4c8xo1_400.gif | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2673 Registered: 3-2004 |
Temporarily sad. I went to use it at a gig tonight and had to put it away. I got crazy and untamable hum. It may not entirely be the bass, but I'll have to troubleshoot later. My Zon have bad hum when I shifted balance to one pickup as well. Could be the room in some fashion since I had no issues at rehearsal with the same amp. |
