| Author | Message | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 14 Registered: 6-2007 |
Please can someone set the record correctly? Was the shape of the Alembic which Stanley Clarke plays, shaped and designed according to Stanley Clarke from the 70's, or was this shape and design already established before he chosen the Alembic brand? I believe Stanley Clarke is The "Jimi Hendrix" of the bass (and that's as high I could award him for his contribution to bass wizards) but correct me if I am wrong, the Fender Stratocaster is not called "the Jimi Hendrix style" because the design was established before Jimi found strats. So, was the shape of the Alembic which Stanley plays, created with Stanley's influence of the 70's or not? | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 820 Registered: 6-2002 |
If I understand the question correctly, the body shape that you are referring to was around before Clarke played Alembic. I have basses earlier in production that have that body style, and from what I understand, Clarke was not introduced to Alembic until 1973/1974. I think it is referred as the Stanley Clarke body style because he was what put Alembic on the map as far as Alembic basses go. He brought them from what was mostly an unknown company into the spotlight. I wonder if Stanley would have been noticed as much without that signature sound too?!? Whoever came up with that initial body style, (I think it was Susan Wickersham) I love it! Michael | ||
| grateful
Advanced Member Username: grateful Post Number: 220 Registered: 12-2004 |
Only unknown to non-deadheads! | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 15 Registered: 6-2007 |
I too own the an Alembic from the 70's era and it was never references as the "Stanley Clarke" bass. No doubt, Stanley did put Alemebic on the map but he was very young then, and a black man of his time, had very little influence in design area of a lilly white owned company in Marin County (or very close). I am not making this into a white/black issue (please don't go there...) I was just trying to have a educated historic perspective on the bass design and who influenced the body of the said Series I that Stanley loves so very dear. Man, the body is beautiful and round like a beautiful woman. When I look at a PJazz in comparision, it looks un-uniformed and somewhat "De-formed". Stanely would have made it with, or without Alembic. I believe Alembic got more educated on by Stanley's experience over the years as an expert consultant for the company. But as far as the body goes, Alembic was first to "siduce" Stanley and others including myself, with such a booty of a bass. Now, I really know why they call it the bottom. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2542 Registered: 7-2004 |
Hal: I really don't think it was a black/white thing. Rather, I believe it was a space/time continuum thing. Alembic was invented and designed a few years before Alembic heard of Stanley or Stanley heard of Alembic. As good as Stanley is, he just wasn't good enough to travel back in time and tell Alembic how to design the bass. Nothing racial going on. Only physics. Bill, tgo | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 853 Registered: 11-2004 |
I'm not pretending to be a historian here, but I seem to remember hearing that SC got his first Alembic in very late 1971 (please correct me if that is wrong). As far as putting Alembic on the map, I think it depends on what part of the map a person comes from. I heard about them via the SC route. Many others first heard through the Dead connection. Others report that their first exposure was through Mark King. There are several other early Alembic players that could be added to the list too. Rich | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1710 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, per the histories, the Stanley Clarke Signature bass wasn't introduced until 1986. From that point forward, I could see anything in that shape referred to as the "Stanley" body style by the general public. It is officially referred to as the "Small Standard" body style, even if you're looking at the quote generator for a Stanley Clarke Signature bass today. As a side note, I have to say that I find Hal's post regarding race offensive, particularly in the characterization of Alembic. | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 821 Registered: 6-2002 |
I think Stanley got his first Alembic in 1973. It was lost when the equipment truck got stolen! He then replaced it the next year with what is known now as his "brown bass". I know I sound like a Stanley fan, but I am not really. I am just an Alembic nut. | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 822 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hal, I just peeked into your profile. You have one pretty bass there! What is the scale length on that one? By the placement of the 5 pin connector, it looks as though it could be a long scale. No? Michael | ||
| dannobasso
Senior Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 607 Registered: 3-2004 |
My reaction to the third post was "wow". This company and this board is so far from that thought process. | ||
| dfung60
Advanced Member Username: dfung60 Post Number: 260 Registered: 5-2002 |
It may just be random memory, but back in the 70's when I first learned about Alembic, you regularly saw that long scale basses had the "point" body, medium scale basses had the omega body, and short scale basses had the symmetrical body that Stanley became associated with. These were all Series basses, but they didn't call them that yet, because they were the only instruments Alembic built (Distillate came next, but must have been at the end of the 70s). Before Stanley Clarke started playing Alembic, he was playing a Gibson EB-3. So, if there was really any correlation of which body a particular scale bass would have in "standard" configuration, then he would have had that small body first. Today, Alembic is all about options and customization, and that's always been a part of their story, but there did seem to be a very strong correlation of shape and scale in the past (and plenty of other things to do variations on). That might be at least partly functional - a long scale neck on the small symmetric body would have a very serious balance problem, although even short scale players complain about it even now. As today, I think Alembic is extremely open to trying different things that you think you'd like, but unlike some "order takers" out there, Susan and the Alembic folks don't have any problem telling you that you're asking for something that won't work. My mind is boggled that Stanley would have played a Gibson EB. From a construction and playability standpoint, those old Gibsons are very nice, but tonally, it's hard to imagine what "Lopsy Lu" sounds like coming out of that big neck pickup! Stanley is a very tall, thin guy with huge hands which even dwarf an upright bass, so it's interesting to me that he chose the short-scale bass when he went electric. David Fung | ||
| hieronymous
Intermediate Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 164 Registered: 1-2005 |
I actually like the weird muffled distorted sound of Stanley Clarke's bass on Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy! After seeing the YouTube clip of one of the songs for that album where Stanley is playing a Rickenbacker 4000, I began wondering if maybe that's what he recorded the album with. He also played a jazz around that time - you can see it in the album photos for Where Have I Known You Before. Actually, the EB-2 kind of makes sense - it's similar to the Guild Starfire, which as we know was an important instrument in the early years of Alembic! | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Intermediate Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 170 Registered: 10-2006 |
In the mid- to late 70s I read a Guitar Player cover story on Stanley (this was before Bass Player came along). He recalled playing the EB3 at a gig, and someone from Alembic (I disremember who - probably Ron or Rick Turner)came up to him after or on break and said, basically, "hey, your chops are great, but your sound ain't - try this" and handed him an Alembic. The rest, as they say, is history - paraphrasing again (hey, it's been 30 years & a lot of - um - fun, you know? Exact quotes are a bit out of the question) he said it was the first time what his ears heard was what he heard in his head. Same story mentioned that he was first-chair bass for the Philadelphia Orchestra when he was 17 - can you say versatile? Peter | ||
| hieronymous
Intermediate Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 166 Registered: 1-2005 |
It's actually not totally clear what kind of Gibson he played - my understanding was always that it was the hollow-body EB-2, but he also owned EB-0s and EB-3s (the SG shaped ones). There was a whole (LONG!) thread over at the dudepit. Sorry to obsess over this, but I'm one of those weirdos that loves Gibson basses! Oh and here's the amazing YouTube video with the Rickenbacker 4000. And I realize that I've kind of gone off-topic, but I thought the Gibson EB-2/Guild Starfire Bass connection was interesting, though not particularly relevant. | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 896 Registered: 6-2002 |
Until I started looking for an alembic bass I never even knew about the other body shapes. All I knew was the "SC" body shape as I'd only ever seen him and alphonso johnson using an alembic. Never heard of the Dead back then so didn't know their connection. So for me Stanley was the connection between me and alembic and the first alembic I had, just had to be the SC Model. Didn't know about the series.. just knew I wanted an alembic of that shape. So alembic was only the company that make Stanley Clarkes basses. Now I know more. Jazzyvee | ||
| glocke
Advanced Member Username: glocke Post Number: 224 Registered: 9-2002 |
Am I the only one that doesnt get into the whole stanley/bass virtuoso thing ? When RTF or Stanley (or Geddy Lee for that matter) comes up in a conversation, and I mention that Im not really into those guys, I get looked at like I have three heads and five arms...Those guys are great, and while I appreciate and respect what they do, its just something that doesnt really turn me on musically... Am I the only one? | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 16 Registered: 6-2007 |
That was great information people. I learned a lot from you guys. As someone who didn't miss the musical age of 70's jazz fusion era, Stanley Clarke was considered a rising star. His licks were not only fast, but it has direction and impact to his drives and statements. Listen to "Rock, Pebbles, and Sand album." Man, there's a solo he did with the Alembic that started real smooth and with a very long harmonic rhyme just before he strums and dominate a directional cord. Man when I hear that song on that album, I just want to get out my car, house, etc., and salute Stanley for his serious contribution to music. Yes, he could take a double bass and make me feel the same way, and he did that too. Alembic is only a hammer (a tool) and just because you own the best, don't mean you could play the best. Stanley could take a "Sears Catalog Bass" from the 60's and “wake my ass up” because his "bass language" I am so attuned, would still be understood. However, with the Alembic Bass, his message was much cleaner. I heard Stanley play on a Fender Jazz, and it is very apparent, the design seemed flawed for the things I seen Stanley do in comparison to Alembic "Small body". Even rolling down the frets without running up against the attached neck is a massive advantage with the Alembic. "Smooth is everything". Then during the 80's his music got refined and solo's became the expected. Like Moses Staff, the Alembic Omega body became fused to Stanley like it was part of his soul. I am not sure why he put all his art in the Alembic during electric moments. It could be perceived to be a limit to some people. I am not one of those folks (Let me just say this now...) but perhaps, he might feel that it is his true signature sound at this late in the game. I would love to hear Stan and "Joe Satro-o-so" play in concert. Damn I love Joe Satriani's music. Ibanez, Sony and other mega companies love this guy too. That's another story... The Alembic Small Body was available before being called "The Stanley Clarke" bass. Lastly, Stanley is the Bass Prophet and the Alembic Bass is "The 10 commandments" he throws down to his people musically! | ||
| olieoliver
Senior Member Username: olieoliver Post Number: 1479 Registered: 2-2006 |
How does a young new on the scene musician afford Alembics? Get paid by the competition.  PS. This is TIC guys, I have no idea of the circumstances behind this ad. Olie | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 17 Registered: 6-2007 |
LOL!!!! That is a great ad! Look like a Sear's Ad. Stanely was not even able to look into the camera on that shot. LOL!!! Krammer... (My dramatic pause). | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 18 Registered: 6-2007 |
That picture was from Stanley’s "I want to play for you" daze. To me, that was the Album that liberated bass players a round the world. It awakens people like: Percy, Jaco, Jeff, Burney, Alfonse, and Marcus. If you don't know these bass players, you better go ask somebody... (As they say in the hood...) Stanley started the bass solo era and Kramer was a hell of a bass, but... (Dramatic pause... fill in the blanks people.) Ok, I'll tell you... Kramer was a "Fender Copy" ok, I said it. However, Kramer (if my memory serves me) a new line of basses which had aluminum necks. I call it a “disco bass” because players were always playing disco music with them. I remember Funk-star "Rusty" (From Sly-Stone) having one, and was playing the hell out of it too. I remember his, looked "almost" omega-like. But one thing unique about Kramer basses were their aluminum neck mix with wood. This made the bass very light, and strong and the action was good too. However, the one thing I loved about them the most, was the thin-neck. I believe this was why the action was so good and were the “preferred basses” for people who wanted to funk and groove. This was an advantage, if you were dancing on stage with your bass, I don't think there would be any question, Alembic basses wouldn't be the choice product. I never even seen anyone try to dance with an Alembic. (That would be very funny to watch...) However, I was not suprised of the showmanship of folks could dance with a kramer because those basses are so light. That foot the bills in my book. hee hee... and the disco bass award goes to KRAMER! Disco bass... LOL!!!!! That picture of Stanley, got me falling out of my seat in laughing... Thank you for this great humor high school moment. I remember people having the Afro with the "part" in the middle... That was a cool ass look too... Check out Stanley on the " want to play for you..." That was the GQ-Disco 70's era. | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 19 Registered: 6-2007 |
Even Ronald McDonald had a "FRO" in-them-dazes. Universal Peace, Love and Share! | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1261 Registered: 12-2002 |
http://www.stanleyclarke.com/board/thread.php?id=349 | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 369 Registered: 10-2003 |
Glocke, each to their own. I love Stan, I love Geddy, most of the players I love are quite busy (as are most of the bands, jazz, rock, prog, whatever)but if they don't do it for you, that's your choice. I know plenty of bassists don't go the "busy" route, and prefer much more simple players. Different strokes and all that. | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 945 Registered: 7-2003 |
I saw Stanley with RTF pre-Alembic and post Alembic. Till that time, the only Alembics I'd seen were #1 (Casady) and Lesh's Osage. I had been told those basses were built by a company called Alembic, but knew nothing else about the company or its products. The first time I saw the small standard body in Stanley's hands ('73 or '74), I knew intuitively that it was an Alembic. Something about the abreviated curve of the horns and the stylized body size and shape had an obvious connection for me with the design of the Standard body, omega cuts, etc. Shortly after, I saw a picture that identified Stanley's bass and discovered I had been dead on in my guess. The look of those and the Standard body instruments was unique and distinctive in a way you did not encounter in those days. Those memories were where my need to own Alembics began. | ||
| terryc
Advanced Member Username: terryc Post Number: 266 Registered: 11-2004 |
Now for the UK input(if not already)When I started listening to music whenI was 12/13 years old it was the British rock scene, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Yes etc then one day there was this band on TV, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and I could hear this strange intensified music with no lyrics, this guitar player in white playing like there was no tomorrow with absolute ease, this was my introduction to jazz fusion. I wasn't even playing guitar at the time but was interested. About a year or too later I see RTF on The Old Grey Whistle Test and here is this black guy playing a bass to which I didn't even recognise, it's not a fender, Gibson..what is it?? And that began my love of Alembics, you see in the UK in the 70's there was no way any music store would have one of those, no one knew who or what they did. It wasn't until the 80's to 90's that eventually they really came available over here..Mark King had three made with the Laser LED's fitted..I believe his were the first to have those LED's fitted. Now with the internet opening everything globally we all know about Alembics. As far As Stan's brown bass, there is a great shot of it on the album 'If This Bass Could Only Talk' wood worn where he rests his thumb, screws missing etc. It was Stan's album 'School Days' which did it for me..bass solos..they are for the old jazzers on uprights.not electric bass players, play past the 12 fret are you kidding?? Then Jaco took it further, did he ever own an Alembic, some say he wasn't too keen on all the controls but boy he could make that Fender sing, and now we have many bass players who are fantastic technicians and players both amateur(look on youtube) and professional. Some say 70's music was full of self indulgence, unfortunately UK punk reared is huge ugly head(it was all crap..I don't care what anyone says it was.. full stop) but the 70's pushed the boat out even further as the 60's did by removing the moor ropes, Jaco, Stan, Chick Corea, McLaughlin and all those great jazz fusion musicians who said to the rock bands 'We can fill auditoriums too' Anyway I have gone on too long but this thread is very interesting to read | ||
| smuprof
Member Username: smuprof Post Number: 87 Registered: 12-2003 |
Hey Guys - Let me offer a couple of points of clarification. I collect books on basses and amplifiers (I probably have about 30, which ain't easy if you start looking for bass books)  One of them has the article mentioned above (Guitar Player, May, 1980), and here is the history according to Stanley himself: . . . a Kent hollowbody bass . . . one of their $29 specials, and I didn't even have the case . . . I had a homemade tube amp built by a friend . . . I also had a smal cabinet with no back and a single 15" speaker. And did it distort. Well, I used it until I got a Gibson EB-2, a hollow-body in 11th or 12th grade. It was the worst bass they ever made, but it worked for me and I loved the feeling of it. In 1971 I was with the Joe Henderson Quartet . . . I knew Chick Corea . . . and had this idea of putting a band together (Return to Forever) . . . I was still using my EB-2 and an Acoustic 136 amp with one 15 in it. I eventually got a bigger amp - an Acoustic 140 with two dual 15" speaker cabinets. GP: By the time you did "Where Have I Known You Before", you were playing string bass only a small part of the time. (This was released 7/1974) SC: . . . and that's when I got turned onto the Alembic bass. I met Rick Turner when we were playing at the Boarding House in SF, and in a nice way he told me, "Look, you really play well, but your sound is atrocious" He told me to try the bass he had with him; I think it was one of the first alembic basses. So I tried it out and it was great. And I haven't changed since. . . . it was about $1,200, but by that time I was making a bit of money, so the burden wasn't too bad. It ws more culture shock, I think, because I was used to paying $400 for a bass. It had gold-plated hardware, a curly maple neck, great design, fancy pickups and a fancy cord. I didn't know what any of that meant, but it sounded the end! And that night on the gig, it was like a new bass player had been born. I could suddenly play anything I heard in my head. The problem with the Gibson bass was that I'd hear things and try to play them and my fingers would go along but the right sound wouldn't come out . . . Aside from the history details, that my friends, is a heck of an endorsement! (I'll create a second post for the Kramer comments). JFT | ||
| smuprof
Member Username: smuprof Post Number: 88 Registered: 12-2003 |
And a couple of thoughts on Kramers from a guy who still owns one . . . The concept was pretty advanced with the aluminum necks. They were bolt-ons, essentially a single piece of milled aluminum for the neck in the shape of a "T". From a physics standpoint, particularly given their mass, this made for an extremely stable neck relative to string pull. Sustain was awesome, even for a bolt-on HOWEVER aluminum is very sensitive to temperature changes, and it was and still is impossible to keep them in tune for more than a couple of songs without retuning. Kramer was started by some guys with ties to Travis Bean, a company whose basses had full aluminum necks with a fretboard. Kramer improved on this with the "T" design, creating wood inserts for the back so essentially most of what you had your hands on was wood and not aluminum. They made the fretboards out of "Ebanol" I believe the same thing bowling balls are made out of, and they had very little radius, and the combination made it easy to get very low action. The other complaint about Kramers was neck dive - it was horrible in almost every case - no matter what you do, a full scale metal neck is heavier than any other neck material, and it's going to pull down. I remember playing on one in Atlanta in 1980 and you literally were limited to how fast you could play by how fast you could move your left hand without dropping the neck! The one thing I would point out is the necks were not thin - the string spacing is narrow by today's standards, but the front to back is actually pretty thick - not a bad feeling, but definitely not thin. One last tidbit - I bought a flying V several years ago out of nostalgia, and it is the only Kramer design I've ever seen that actually balances! It's a short scale (30.5") bass, so the neck isn't overly long, and with the extended "wings" of the V, the neck joint is essentially the middle of the bass. I suppose the added mass of the other wing and the balance point make this work. You can still tell the neck is heavy, but you don't have to hold it up to play it It's a fun little bass to play (as long as you keep your tuner plugged in line) and always a hit when you're playing 80s music, but mostly it hangs on the wall of the music room for decoration . . . it's a far cry from my MK 5 string! JFT | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 52 Registered: 6-2007 |
smuprof, I enjoyed reading your post and I also remember reading "down beat" mag during the 80's as well, and it basically said the same thing. The Alembic small body was his bass of choice. I really believe the bass was born as a lead instrument after Jimi Hendrix died. I think bass developers fell into the problem of making basses for singers and guitar player which meant "the back of the bus" sort to speak for bass players. SC was going to use anything to breakout of this mold "by any mean necessary"; but lord and behold, there’s this company that give him a better AXE to cut with...and it was of nothing the world had seen too. Alembic has such a beautiful story for us all. Some days when I am driving, and I hear THE WHO or RTF I feel like stopping my car just to salute Alembic. It feels good to know something works and people do go the distance for x intersecting y at maximum value, quality and lasting performance. | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 53 Registered: 6-2007 |
Check out "The Romantic Warrior" on the "Romantic Warrior" album with Return To Forever. Now check out the fact that his opening solo starts out with the bow and then he switches to finger style. Now think about how you would do those runs on electric, but hold it, wait, he's doing this on an upright! Not only that, he's only about 20 something in 1976! This is just one example of some of the awesome stuff this guy has done and continues to do WITHOUT an ALEMBIC! Now, give this guy his electric dream bass: THE ALEMEBIC, and watch what happens. A true player. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 395 Registered: 10-2003 |
Smuprof, I used to play one of those Kramer Vs on a regular basis, many years ago in a Manchester music shop (A1 music for those who remember). I always really liked it; nearly bought it a couple of times. | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 1138 Registered: 10-2003 |
Without a doubt, Stanley is killer on whatever instrument he's playing. His upright work is very easy on the ears, for sure. I wouldn't mind owning another Kramer aluminum-necked bass at some point. I think those are neat and can sound pretty good. John | ||
| somatic
Member Username: somatic Post Number: 59 Registered: 11-2003 |
hendrixclarke said But one thing unique about Kramer basses were their aluminum neck mix with wood. This made the bass very light, and strong and the action was good too. However, the one thing I loved about them the most, was the thin-neck. I believe this was why the action was so good and were the “preferred basses” for people who wanted to funk and groove. This was an advantage, if you were dancing on stage with your bass, I don't think there would be any question, Alembic basses wouldn't be the choice product. I never even seen anyone try to dance with an Alembic. My Kramer Stagemaster Imperal is the heaviest bass I've ever hefted, and the chunky neck dives like a soccer player trying to get a penalty. If I danced with it, and the neck slipped out of my hand, I'd have a broken knee. My S1 and SC Dlx are quite light in comparison. Great studio bass though and I love the feel of the aluminium neck. | ||
| elwoodblue
Intermediate Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 166 Registered: 6-2002 |
why does this make me cringe..anyone? | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 54 Registered: 6-2007 |
This bass (in the picture) is very light...  | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 55 Registered: 6-2007 |
Although the hansome guy in the picture is not me playing, but this picture will server as a perspective interms of the Kramer size. The Kramer even smaller than my S1 small body and lighter.  | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 56 Registered: 6-2007 |
Above, was the omega body tipe I was referencing as the "Disco-Dance" bass LOL!!!! It's all good people. Its great to smile, while typing these messages on a Sunday morning with fresh coffee brewed to perfection... In otherwords, don't take life so serious, I have too may gray hairs already | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 57 Registered: 6-2007 |
Too "many" gray hairs... | ||
| hendixclarke
Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 58 Registered: 6-2007 |
Also, lastly... The Kramer deplicted in both pictures are very light and necks are very thin fast. Sorry, I am not aware of the the other Kramer basses which were said to be heavy and a pain to play. But as for me, the Kramer I listed (too me) were enjoyable to play and it was one heck of a thumb popper and slapper bass. Like I said, it was great for dancing while playing (if you're into those level of entertainent...) In terms of comparing the quality and sounds to an Alembic???? Alembics are a "SMACK-DOWN, SIDE-DROP" on Kramer basses... DING DING! GAME OVER | ||
| somatic
Member Username: somatic Post Number: 60 Registered: 11-2003 |
Sorry, I am not aware of the the other Kramer basses which were said to be heavy and a pain to play. If you want to come for a visit, you can play mine, and I know of another nearby that's the same. It's heavy and it dives. Sorry if that doesn't jibe with your experience, but it is mine. And my bass is sitting in my rack on the opposite side of the room, now, not a memory. I have no way to host a pic at the moment, but here's one from the Vintage Kramer site. Mine is near identical. http://www.vintagekramer.com/Alum/stage-imperialb.jpg | ||
| smuprof
Member Username: smuprof Post Number: 89 Registered: 12-2003 |
Hey Bill - The Vs are fun to play, and all of the Kramer's I was familiar with had a nice tone with a ringing sustain. My first experience with them was picking between an Ibanez Musician and the Kramer with the small body pictured above in 1979. Loved the sound, loved the feel, worried about busting a kneecap like Somatic above. Finally went with the Ibanez, played it for years, sold it to buy an engagement ring. Really wish I had the bass back . . . (PS For those of you who know me, this was for a prior GF, NOT my darling wife of 22 years . . . ) JT |
