| Author | Message | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 376 Registered: 11-2005 |
 This thing showed up this morning...the prototype wooden crate Mica mentioned in the thread about shipping. I missed Mary's call to confirm my shipping address by about 30 seconds on Tuesday, and since I've got shows Friday and Saturday, we decided to test this box and overnight the Dragonfly. I had to use a drill motor with a screwdriver bit to open it...Test Successful, guys! Unfortunately, by camera battery is dead now, but I did manage to get a couple of shots before it died.  Behold! The very first inlaid logo with a Black Tahitian M.O.P. cloud! This is the only one worth a dang. I'll try some more when I find my charger. It sounds amazing! The neck pickup is the be-all-end-all Authoritative Voice of "This is God! Are You Paying Attention?" It's so meaty yet articulate, and when I go down low it sounds like there's all kinds of bass boost happening but without any mud. Must be the ebony! Blend the bridge in and it sounds like two basses playing in unison! Master volume is a must have, since the two together are much louder than either soloed. The bridge pickup is great, too. So far I've been able to find a great punchy jazz bass tone as well as an almost Star Trek: The Movie V'Ger sound. All my experimenting so far has been with the F1X set flat and the filter channels on the SF2 off. It sounds soooo good just by itself! I must admit I was a little nervous about what it was going to sound like. I've never ordered a custom instrument before, and have always been kind of picky about how an instrument sounds. I played close to 20 Moduluses (Moduli?) before deciding on the one I've had for the past 12 years. The Alembic had some bretty big shoes to fill, and initial imprssions indicate that it's busting the seams out of them. It even sounds good with the filters and the CVQ knobs all the way up, which is good in case I get confused by all the knobs. I can always fall back to that! The wood is absolutely gorgeous. There's even a little pinstripe between the vermillion accent lam and the mahogany that I had never noticed in the FTC. Looks like walnut??? Very tasty little surprise detail. I's not all that heavy, surprisingly, and it balances perfectly for me. It's a bit of a strech playing it seated, but standing it's no problem at all. Oh, and the Dragonfly inlay!! The FTC pictures do not do it justice! On the down side, it is still adjusting to the system shock of California-to-flight-to-muggy Georgia Spring. The neck was totally flat when it got here, I've loosened the rods a bit but now am just letting it adjust itself for a while. I'm about to pass out anyway since I barely slept last night. Which also explains why I sound like a raving lunatic right now. Alembic definitely makes the best Kool-Aid. Mica, Susan, Ron, Mary, James, Jason, Val and everyone else at Alembic, THANK YOU SO MUCH for making this dream a reality for me. You guys are the best! YeeHAH!! (Message edited by crgaston on May 10, 2007) | ||
| chuck
Intermediate Member Username: chuck Post Number: 125 Registered: 3-2005 |
COOL BOX. | ||
| jahnahisti
Member Username: jahnahisti Post Number: 73 Registered: 9-2005 |
COOL CLOUD! | ||
| mele_aloha
Intermediate Member Username: mele_aloha Post Number: 115 Registered: 1-2007 |
Awesome crgston, You don't sound like a raving lunatic, you sound great and normal! I can't begin to even imagine the smell when you open the case. But I would love to be in your shoes and I can't wait but it looks like I will be for a while. I'll go back and look at your other pics until you get batteries. Congrats s'''oooo much!!!!! Aloha, Paul | ||
| tbrannon
Advanced Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 396 Registered: 11-2004 |
Charles, The word "congratulations" just isn't sufficient at times like this. You gotta get some pictures for us- I've followed your build thread closer than any of the others- I NEED resolution! Enjoy it bro! Toby | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 377 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, guys! Paul, you're right about the smell. It's probably bad for brain cells, but it sure is nice! Here's some more details... Back of the neck where the ebony gets all chocolatey...  The secret pinstripe...  I asked for no maple in the headstock lams. They're walnut and either mahogany or vermillion...  There will be more to come over the next few days. My bass stand is in our trailer right now and I've got to learn a Bon Jovi song (I play in an alternative country band, for crying out loud!) for a private party tomorrow, so... Toby, check your yahoo email. (Message edited by crgaston on May 10, 2007) | ||
| 57basstra
Senior Member Username: 57basstra Post Number: 617 Registered: 4-2005 |
Bon Jovi is now considered alternative country. Roll over Ernest Tubb. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2362 Registered: 7-2004 |
Charles: Congrats! It must feel great. I love the neck recipe. May you make beautiful music together for many years to come. Bill, tgo | ||
| oujeebass
Member Username: oujeebass Post Number: 100 Registered: 10-2002 |
Better stay behind the chicken wire with that one,but rest assured you have arrived. | ||
| 2400wattman
Advanced Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 350 Registered: 11-2005 |
Charles..... who says you can't go home?......... Oh yes, great detail pics. Hopefully I'll get to see it in person one day. | ||
| bassjigga
Intermediate Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 197 Registered: 8-2005 |
Beautiful. Keep the pics comin! | ||
| tbrannon
Advanced Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 397 Registered: 11-2004 |
Charles, Absolutely gorgeous- I'll bet it plays even better than it looks. Got the email, thanks for that. Toby | ||
| mauibassplayer
Junior Username: mauibassplayer Post Number: 21 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hey, that is one beautiful looking bass. I can't wait to see the rest of it. I am sooooo jealous. Maybe one day I too can join the ranks of a custom alembic. Anyways, congrats!!! and Aloha. | ||
| to_81_0190
Member Username: to_81_0190 Post Number: 54 Registered: 5-2006 |
Hi Charles, I've been looking at your FTC thread. It's one of the most beautiful bass which I have ever seen. Please upload many pics of this beauty on Showcase! Toshiaki | ||
| mele_aloha
Intermediate Member Username: mele_aloha Post Number: 116 Registered: 1-2007 |
ooohhhhhh mmmmaaaaannnnn, nniiiicccceee!!!! | ||
| bassjigga
Intermediate Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 200 Registered: 8-2005 |
I love the black pearls too. Post some pics of those inlays please! | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 378 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks for the love, everyone! Dragonfly had it's first gig tonight and it went really well. Despite being a boomy room, the bass was very focused, and getting a sound was a piece of cake. It blends really well with the other instruments in our band. I'm looking forward to playing some more in some of the rooms I'm used to. Before the show...  LED's!  The 7th and 19th are amber to give me another visual reference point as to where I am. I get confused sometimes...8-)...and these really help. David, capturing the black pearl inlays is easier said than done, at least with my limited photography skills...these are the best two out of about 30 attempts!   Hey Adam, If y'all are still doing Rhythm & Brews in Chattanooga on the 1st I'll make every effort to be there! Charles (Message edited by crgaston on May 11, 2007) | ||
| bassjigga
Advanced Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 201 Registered: 8-2005 |
Thanks for the pics Charles. I love the black pearls. If my custom in progress wasn't fretless it would definitely have them. | ||
| rraymond
Advanced Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 226 Registered: 6-2002 |
Gorgeous bass, Charles. Like everybody else here, I watched this one in the Factory To Customer thread, heck, I just went back and looked at it a moment ago! Enjoy, Reid | ||
| mele_aloha
Intermediate Member Username: mele_aloha Post Number: 125 Registered: 1-2007 |
WOW somemore!!!! Hey Charles, were the different colored led's an extra charge? That is a great idea! I already have the most expensive ones so I wonder if I can get them to do that on mine! What a beauty though, thanks for telling us the sounds in the rooms, etc. That really boosts my hope somemore as I wait for my bass to be built. Those kind of comments really help us out while we are having our basses built right now! You know how it is. Thanks, P | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 379 Registered: 11-2005 |
Paul, it was no extra charge. Green red and amber are no problem, but I don't think they can mix blue with anything because of the voltage requirements. I could be confused on this, so you may want to ask Mica or Jason. | ||
| mele_aloha
Intermediate Member Username: mele_aloha Post Number: 129 Registered: 1-2007 |
Oh ya, you might be right, and in fact that rings a bell because I think I already asked as I have blue everything! Thanks | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1159 Registered: 10-2002 |
Paul. If they've fitted the fingerboard they won't be able to change your LEDs. graeme | ||
| mele_aloha
Intermediate Member Username: mele_aloha Post Number: 132 Registered: 1-2007 |
Ya Jacko, Thanks, they hadn't started as of Friday that I know. But He was right. I can't mix my blues with the other colors. So I'll just stick with blue led's. Thanks, Paul | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 381 Registered: 11-2005 |
Last Saturday we did a benefit show at a Shriner's hall in Atlanta. It was a huge room, about 75 yards long, with a great carpeted stage. Almost felt like we were playing in an office.  A few songs into the set I started getting queasy, until I figured out that the stage was moving just enough to upset my equilibrium. It was hollow, and quite boomy, so I had to cut a lot of my bottom end. There was still plenty, and I was getting a lot from the mains, which were at the front edge of the stage. Overall, I wasn't really ecstatic about the sound. I hate the sound of new strings, and these are still pretty new, so it was just too zingy for me, and if I rolled the filters down too much, it lost too much definition. the engineer loved it though. He said he ran it flat with some compression. Last night, we played in Carrollton, GA at the Off-Campus Bar & Grill. This is a great little town and a very cool bar. It's unusual in that the standard racial barriers don't seem to apply here. Everybody seems to intermingle freely, and they were all groving on both the country/rock we were playing and the hip-hop between sets.  I have been playing the heck out of the D-fly this week, so the strings are starting to settle down. Also, I reconfigured the Superfilter to stereo/daisychain mode, and ended up with a fantastic sound last night. It was simply huge, with tons of girth and definition with both fingers and pick. I am extremely pleased with it's performance last night. Here's a pic of my settings snapped after the show...  Left channel is set on bandpass, right is lowpass. | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 414 Registered: 11-2004 |
Charles, Eden, Bergantino (x2), F-1X, SF-2, QSC, Series II?!! Nirvana achieved. (Message edited by tbrannon on May 18, 2007) | ||
| the_8_string_king
Senior Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 609 Registered: 9-2005 |
Congrats again on a stunning beauty, and one of the coolest Alembics ever! This bass was especially inspiring to me because of several similar features mine will have -so I'm especially moved by it! | ||
| oujeebass
Intermediate Member Username: oujeebass Post Number: 102 Registered: 10-2002 |
I tell you this, if that doesn't take care of the pursuit of the perfect tone... Then their is no hope and no amount of money to cure that problem. | ||
| rraymond
Advanced Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 233 Registered: 6-2002 |
Glorioski! What a cool rig. I wouldn't want to lug it around, I'm definitely settling into middle age, but it must be the cat's pajamas sound-wise! In case you haven't heard it enough, the bass is amazingly cool, too! LOL | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 383 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hi Wade! Money can't buy you tone, but it can buy lighter, more reliable, and more versatile tone! Now if only I had a Lab Gruppen amp... :-) Seriously, though, I definitely prefer the sound of the older Crest amps with an iron transformer, but have no desire to carry one whatsoever. They're at least 25 pounds heavier than the QSC. Maybe if I get a house gig someday? Which leads me to... Reid, it's really not bad to lug around. The heaviest piece is the head, which is about 50 pounds, but relatively compact. Each of the cabinets range from 36-39 pounds. Mark, it seems like this forum has enabled an explosion in terms of variations of the custom instruments Alembic is building, with all of our collective ideas being merged and modified in ways that no one person would be able to accomplish alone. Mine was definitely influenced by the Raging Bass, Thunder and Lightning, and the Dire Wolf. How will ours be alike? Here's some more eye candy...  | ||
| the_8_string_king
Senior Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 614 Registered: 9-2005 |
Hey Charles! Our basses will be alike in that they're both Balance Ks with Coco Bolo tops and hollow Mahagony bodies with the Crown peghead; and mine will have a similar width to yours, even though it's a 6-string -due to the narrow string spacing. But the biggest similarity will be in our unusual custom necks. Even though they are both different, your neck very much reminds me of my own -because of the combination of Ebony, Purpleheart, Maple, and especially Mahagony in the neck. Like you? I was also influenced by "Thunder and Lightning" -especially with regards to the outer neck laminates being Mahagony. I wanted my neck to have several different woods in it; I knew I wanted the proven materials/woods of Ebony, Maple, and Purpleheart in my neck... because of my experience with "8 Strings of Power". But "Thunder and Lightning convinced me that I wanted to add Mahagony as well... and I also wanted Vermillion. Despite the differences in formula and ratios, your neck very much reminds me of my own... and the width of your body, with the Coco Bolo top also makes me think of my bass. Since the neck woods have the biggest effect on sound, and since Coco Bolo on a hollow Mahagony body is said to consistently produce an awesome sound, I'm figuring that our basses -with the wide outer Mahagony neck lams and the other woods in the neck- should have a similar sound. And -due to the awesome Coco Bolo they selected for me- I'm confident my bass will also be stunning in appearence -like yours!!!  | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 850 Registered: 6-2002 |
Nice bass rig set up and exactly the same as mine. However I notice the volume on the QSC is fully clockwise!!!! Is there some sonic benefit for having the gain fully open or are you living dangerously? Jazzyvee | ||
| olieoliver
Senior Member Username: olieoliver Post Number: 1342 Registered: 2-2006 |
I always run my Power amp full throttle. I guess I got into that habit back in the day when you'd run the pregain way up and the master gain low to over drive the amo and get distortion. And the opposite to get a cleaner sound. | ||
| kilowatt
Member Username: kilowatt Post Number: 66 Registered: 12-2004 |
Charles, Congrats on your new bass. It came out beautiful. I bet it sounds even better than it looks. I'll have to give your setting a try when I get a minute, as we have very similiar rigs. Hope all is well. Regards, Pete | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 386 Registered: 11-2005 |
Jazzy, exactly what Olie said. Pete, thanks for the inspiration from T&L, and if you try it, let me know what you think! | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 518 Registered: 11-2004 |
Charles, How's life with the dragonfly? I've come back to this thread a few times recently to admire the photos- have anymore? Toby | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 414 Registered: 11-2005 |
Toby, it's great! It just lays down the bottom with authority! I recently picked up a beat-up F2B for cheap just to try it out, and I never knew what I was missing. It's much "tubier" than the F1X, plus I can set the level and eq for each pickup separately. No more compromises between the two! I misplaced the charger for my camera for a while, so no new pics. Check your email, though. Hope you're still enjoying the Rogue. When will you be back in the states? Charles | ||
| pierreyves
Intermediate Member Username: pierreyves Post Number: 123 Registered: 11-2006 |
Very very nice .... What price you paid for ?= | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 519 Registered: 11-2004 |
Charles, I'm back in the states now- started teaching last week. The Rogue is in our shipping container somewhere halfway across the Pacific. I have to say that as much as I miss all our furniture, I miss the Rogue more. I've been going to the local shop 2-3 times/week just to play something, but all the basses (Fenders/Schecters/Warwick/Ibanez) just feel wrong. That plus I just picked up 2 Bag End S15D's and they're screaming to be played.... should be about 10 days until we get our gear. Brings new meaning to the term, "My ship has arrived" I'll be watching the email for some pics. Have you made your move Northward from the Dirty South? |
