| Author | Message | ||
| 0vid
Junior Username: 0vid Post Number: 22 Registered: 4-2003 |
OK an Epic is not a Series II, but could some one comment on sonic differences beteween the 'closer ranges'? Say between `Epics and Essences' 'Essences and Rogues'etc... Are these really that different? | ||
| zn_bassman
Member Username: zn_bassman Post Number: 93 Registered: 4-2005 |
My short answer, having owned (and recently sold) an Epic for 12 years and owning a Rogue for close to a year (and having played an Elan and Series 1 in the distant past): common to nearly all Alembics are punch, sustain, a powerful and cutting attack, and a very clean and piano-like tone. Different woods and electronics can take the tone in other directions, but that piano tone and punch form the underlying foundation. The only way to depart from that basic sound concept is to dramatically alter the wood cocktail (reduce or eliminate the maple content, etc.). Also, by closing the filter(s) down, you get a much deeper and bassier tone which cuts out much from the piano-like and trebly aspects. By panning, boosting/cutting and tweaking the filter(s), you can get a myriad of subtle mixes. I far prefer the neck profile and slimmer waistline of my '97 Rogue to that my old Epic (a '94 model), as well as the much wider tonal pallete (from deep and bassy to trebly and punchy), sustain and presence gained from the filter/Q and neck-through construction. By leaving the boost switches on neutral, I essentially get an Essence with a larger body. The boost switches are fantastic, and I use them in various ways on a regular basis - so there is a clear difference between the capabilities of the Essence and the Rogue. It's possible that a good rig will compensate for the lack of boosts if you use an Essence - but I'm not 100% sure. My personal bottom line is to go with a neck-through model, preferably with at least Rogue/Europa elecs. If you're interested in getting one, I know how you can do so at a decent price - not yet for public knowledge per se, so email me off-list. Disclaimer: I don't mean to knock the Essence at all - I actually intend to get one down the road - I'm just trying to note the clear difference one gets with the Rogue/Europa boosts. And the Epic has a much better sound, in my opinion, than anything I've heard in its class - but it does have its limitations. |
