| Author | Message | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 25 Registered: 6-2007 |
Let's have some fun people. What would be the second best of a bass if Alembic was not available on the market? Man, I can't get your feed back. | ||
| pierreyves
Intermediate Member Username: pierreyves Post Number: 125 Registered: 11-2006 |
an Alembic !! No, before I buyed my news Alembic, I was very interested by Yamaha TRB 5 PII. (Message edited by mica on August 30, 2007) | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 26 Registered: 6-2007 |
Nice bass. I would probably get a Fender Jazz or (the old 70's) musicman stingray bass. | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 550 Registered: 11-2003 |
For me? With no Alembic? In order .... 1. Lakland 4-94. 2. Pedulla MVP. 3. Musicman Bongo (yes, Musicman Bongo). 4. Fender Jazz Bass (70's vintage, thank you). 5. Musicman Stingray (70's vintage, again). 6. Rickenbacker 4001. 7. Gibson Ripper (yes, a Gibson Ripper). 8. Gibson Thunderbird, preferably a '76. 9. Musicman Sabre (pre-Ernie Ball). 10. Fodera. If I could modify the Jazz Bass with a J-Retro preamp, a Badass II bridge, two Seymour Duncan stacked pickups, and better tuning machines, it would be number one on this list. Since it isn't, it's where it's at. Alan | ||
| fish
Member Username: fish Post Number: 61 Registered: 6-2006 |
I kind of like these...  | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 551 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hmm ... Rickenbackers ... I think you like them, but I could be wrong ... | ||
| 82daion
Member Username: 82daion Post Number: 86 Registered: 5-2005 |
Jerzy Drozd or Benavente. Or Zon or Status. So many choices... | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 1124 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm with Alan on the Lakland. Their quality is consistent. There are nice Jazz Basses out there, but the production of those has never been nearly as consistent as Lakland, or, say, Rickenbacker (at least in my experience). The Conklin 7-string I owned was very, very nice. Steinberger L2A is a consistently sweet and very even bass (that could really use Alembic guts). Oh, and don't leave Carvin off that list. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are a very well-conceived and well-executed bass guitar. Now, if we're talking about instruments that *inspire* like an Alembic does, then the Rick Turner Renaissance or some of the Warrior basses do it for me, big time, but for reasons I can't explain.. John | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1313 Registered: 10-2002 |
There's a very nice instrument maker over here called Chris May who makes Overwater Basses which are almost on a par with Alembic for quality. In fact, when i started out playing bass, I used to lust after an Overwater they had hanging in my local guitar store (which was coincidentally co-owned by chris). I've since met Chris a few times and have found him to be an extremely likeable guy who'd bend over backwards to help his customers (sound familiar?). Graeme | ||
| olieoliver
Senior Member Username: olieoliver Post Number: 1551 Registered: 2-2006 |
I like my Warwicks, Kubickis and of course my 77 Musicman Sabre Fretless is right up there. | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 416 Registered: 11-2005 |
Modulus. | ||
| bassjigga
Advanced Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 237 Registered: 8-2005 |
I like Zon. In fact I own 2. Vigier has some cool stuff too. | ||
| juggernaught
Member Username: juggernaught Post Number: 84 Registered: 3-2007 |
If there wasn't any Alembic, I wouldn't have a bass! I'd protest until there was one! | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 27 Registered: 6-2007 |
jugger... That was a very profound and direct statement. I agree with this statement because it is equally irrational as my question. We all know Alembic is the best (at least I know this) but what is second best? | ||
| aquaman
Junior Username: aquaman Post Number: 22 Registered: 9-2006 |
Vigiers are not a close second, but second to Alembic in my opinion. | ||
| jet_powers
Advanced Member Username: jet_powers Post Number: 344 Registered: 2-2003 |
Now I know why I can't find any good Ricks out there. Fish has them all!!! As far as second best, I really haven't a clue. I remember someone trying to sell me on Pedulla years ago and holding my ground, tempting though the offer was, and saying "No thanks, I'll save a little longer for the Alembic." I'm fairly certain I made the right decision. JP | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 410 Registered: 5-2002 |
Sadowsky, MTD USA, or Roscoe | ||
| howierd
Member Username: howierd Post Number: 68 Registered: 8-2004 |
I have only played my 77 series I for the past 29 years. I use it everywhere I play. I rehearse at home every day and at band rehearsal Tue. and Thur. eve, and gig at least two or three times a month. I want a 5 string but it will have be a series I. I couldn't play anything else. Howierd | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1758 Registered: 3-2004 |
I was a big Zon fan before I went exclusive playing Alembic, so Joe would get my vote. A corollary question is what other basses would even exist if Alembic didn't. | ||
| pierreyves
Intermediate Member Username: pierreyves Post Number: 127 Registered: 11-2006 |
You know Mayones basses from Poland ? I tried it last year in a swiss shop: light, great sound, easy to play, nice woods, very nice finition, correct price (about 3000$): Mayones basses. (Message edited by pierre-yves on August 31, 2007) | ||
| edmouk
Junior Username: edmouk Post Number: 19 Registered: 7-2007 |
I have 2 Status (Series 2 and Empathy) and one Musicman Stingray which are excellent. They sound different from my Alembic Series I but they are great for both finger & slap playing (and my old back aprreciate too !). | ||
| darkstar01
Member Username: darkstar01 Post Number: 76 Registered: 6-2005 |
i like my '06 wilfer 7/8 and my 19th century czech flatback.... but i do miss ol' dark star :/ a | ||
| dannobasso
Senior Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 626 Registered: 3-2004 |
I have a Stambaugh med. 4 but it has signature parts so that doesn't really count. My Ripper and Tbird have their place but not for any length of time. Hamer 12 is great fun but not as comfortable for a long period of time. I'm really impressed with the Dean Brian Bromberg 5. Well made,very easy on the hands and great electronics. But nothing really grabs me as much as my Alembics. Spend enough time with another product and its flaws present themselves. Hence my having basses available for sale all the time. Plus I have to pay down my latest Santa Rosa puppies. Though I do like the looks of the Lakland 5's (in black of course). | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 28 Registered: 6-2007 |
So far, I heard the Musicman Stingray multiple times (4 times) to be exact. It looks like The Stingray bass is second... Oh my lord, I am not going to lie, Stingray "is a bad mutha -shut your mouth..." of second choice so far people. However, it also gives us a perspective on basses I never had a chance to play. This post is very informative and as an Alembic player at heart, nothing has held my attention longer than my 1976 (before star wars and disco) series I. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2601 Registered: 7-2004 |
My favorite non-Alembic bass is my Billy Bass. You press the button and it moves and sings "Take Me To The River"! Bill, tgo | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1316 Registered: 10-2002 |
Guitarists and bass players - two species separated by a common language ;-) graeme | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2603 Registered: 7-2004 |
Like an Alembic, it also needs batteries. But it's MUCH lighter and fits in the overhead bin on every airplane! Bill, tgo  | ||
| hifiguy
Intermediate Member Username: hifiguy Post Number: 110 Registered: 10-2006 |
I'm with Alan, and would opt for hot-rodding my Tokai-made Vintage Series Jazz in the way he described. It's still the best playing Jazz I've ever found, and I've owned half a dozen. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 5472 Registered: 5-2002 |
I keep clicking on the button, but I don't hear anything. | ||
| fc_spoiler
Senior Member Username: fc_spoiler Post Number: 625 Registered: 5-2006 |
Click here and look at 4:20  On topic: I would most likely wind up with a Tama when Alembic wouldn't be around... | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 30 Registered: 6-2007 |
This post was very informative in the beginning, but people got "rhetorical" toward the end. Thanks for the honest discussion, for those who participted with substance. Alembic is a wonderful brand, but in order for them to keep pushing quality, the competition must be (like in the mirror) objects are closer than they appear. | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 2197 Registered: 9-2003 |
Personally, I'd eschew the "parts bass" manufacturers and have my own built. Warmoth supplies alot of the hi-dollar parts bass guys...you can mix/match whatever you'd like from them, or spec your own. You can either put it together and set it up yourself, or have a luthier/guitar repairperson do it for you. While Warmoth isn't necessarily cheap, you can get a nice axe for considerably less than you'd pay for a "name" brand "custom shop" job. Just my $0.02. Cheers, Kevin http://www.warmoth.com/ | ||
| chuck
Intermediate Member Username: chuck Post Number: 200 Registered: 3-2005 |
Someone else makes a Bass? Chuck | ||
| the_mule
Senior Member Username: the_mule Post Number: 682 Registered: 1-2004 |
I confidently dare to say, even in these surroundings, that my Benavente equals my Alembic in every comparable way. Luckily they both have many unique features, so it's perfectly justifiable to have & keep them both... Wilfred | ||
| rockbassist
Intermediate Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 107 Registered: 8-2005 |
I like my 1978 Fender Jazz and my 1976 Precision but my Alembic is by far my favorite. If Alembic didn't exist I would look at Lakland, Pedulla, Modulus, Warwick Thumb Neck Through, and I recently saw a Zon that I really liked. | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 526 Registered: 11-2004 |
I've never played one, but Wal basses just looked like they should be killer. | ||
| 5stringho
Intermediate Member Username: 5stringho Post Number: 126 Registered: 11-2006 |
I adore my 1986 Transition StingRay 4, and gig mostly with my 2000 Swamp Ash StingRay 5. They are just proven workhorses. I also use a great Warrior Signature Soldier 5, a very well-made, handbuilt bass that sounds wonderful and plays almost TOO easy. And, when I use a 4 string, I generally reach for my Simmons Echo. It's a neck thru, very similiar in quality to Alembic. A very nice Bass. BCooool, Mike (the 'Ho...) | ||
| brent
Junior Username: brent Post Number: 24 Registered: 10-2005 |
I really like F basses. They make a very solid bass. The electronics are great and it plays incredibly easy. I have an AC5 being shipped to my house now, actually. Should be a pretty amazing bass.. Brent | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1221 Registered: 9-2002 |
Well, after I cornered the market on BB5000's, try as I might, I can't warm up to the TRB's, they just look funny and the electronics on the several I tried just didn't float my boat. If I just HAD to have a Fender (God Strike Me Dead), I'd find a mint Roscoe Beck Five, since those idiots discontinued them. Or I'd go with KMH to Warmoth and spec my own (more likely). For a 'store-bought' bass, I WILL have a TUNE Bass Maniac Five one day. The original, smallish, hot-rod bass from the 80's, and my one unquestioned yield to buying a bolt-neck axe. The TUNE could be had for far less $$$$, but I will find another used Alembic Five one day. J o e y | ||
| the_8_string_king
Senior Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 756 Registered: 9-2005 |
Yeah, I picked up a Roscoe Beck 5-string once, and it was actually pretty impressive -great tone and feel. Hey Joey, I've often wondered what the "Big Red Bass" looks like, and even looked for it in showcase. I couldn't seem to find it, maybe I just overlooked it. I'd like to see it, could you post a link if I missed it... or post a picture or two? Thanks, Mark | ||
| eligilam
Member Username: eligilam Post Number: 58 Registered: 2-2006 |
Fish, you're my new hero. In my guit-army, the general is the Alembic and the ground troops are Rickenbackers. Will | ||
| southpaw
Intermediate Member Username: southpaw Post Number: 187 Registered: 12-2004 |
Fender Jazz bass. | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 829 Registered: 6-2002 |
To me Alembic is what inspired me to play bass from the begining. If Alembic never existed, I would not be playing bass today. That is a fact. Would all of these other boutique bass makers be around today if it were not for Alembic? I have never owned a Fender or any other bass of that type. All my instruments are Alembics, or made by people who once worked for Alembic; Hyak, BecVar, Turner, etc..... I did own a Rick early on, but sold it right away! Michael | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1774 Registered: 3-2004 |
I also like the Peavey TL and Rudy Sarzo models. They seem to me to be very Alembic-like in build theory and would be a great bass with the right electronics. Of course, these are among the instruments that might not exist in a world without Alembic. | ||
| alembic_doctor
Advanced Member Username: alembic_doctor Post Number: 331 Registered: 8-2002 |
This thread saddens me. | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 40 Registered: 6-2007 |
The cold hard facts is, Alembic is a business and businesses can go out of business and many guitar businesses had bit the dust. Although this question was posted with tongue & cheek and mainly to discover other great companies out there, and with (of couse) an open mind. As a Alembic owner/player since 1983, I sold my first Series I during 1990 (a bad economic period for me) and kept my Ibanez roadster because it was my very first bass and I had it since 1979. The Alembic bass was a better bass, and it was worth more money which I needed at the time. On the other hand, the Ibanez was not worth $50 bucks but it was still a standard bass. For those people who said they wouldn't be playing a bass, if Alembic was not on the market, I am most sorry because this means you are somewhat a snob. Heck, look at all the true musicians who played other basses before switching to an Alembic. A future was still available for their bass techniques and they were still some great basses before they'd discovered Alembic basses. This same goes for electric guitars although, Fender Strats can't be beaten there by anything with six strings when it comes to the Leo Fender family. There's my take on the issue. Again, if Alembic never was... I would still be jamming. But for those people who can only play with Alembics, then I question your character as a true bass player. | ||
| juggernaught
Member Username: juggernaught Post Number: 85 Registered: 3-2007 |
Hey, don't get so serious ;) I'm sure any of us who said they wouldn't play anything else in that hypothetical situation *would* play something because we all love to play. But with Alembics in out hands, its fun to pretend that we wouldn't! | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 41 Registered: 6-2007 |
Yeah, I know... People are loyal to Alembic, and I understand why maybe more so, than the next person. But wait a minute... Bass hardware is only a small component compared to wanting to play. If a bass player can make an non-alembic sound good, they can make an Alembic sound even better. However, because Alembics are so damn beautiful, a listener would manly focus on the bass and less on the player anyway  When you see someone playing a "jacked-up bass" like the late Jaco Pastorius did, your focus is more on the sounds He really tamed that beastly ugly bass into an musical expression of something even Alembic can't replicate. If Jaco had played Alembic on the other hand, we would see a bass in his name right today. Because, he would most likely create sounds, we have not heard. Its the player who rules. | ||
| hendixclarke
Junior Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 42 Registered: 6-2007 |
The Alembic is the "Mac Daddy" of electric basses and will be long after we are gone. The loyal players are perhaps even stronger than Apple Computers. Hey, we are talking California, therefore many of the same fans, own Apple computers too. All n all, I just wanted to heat things up and take notes from you very special people. Who I know for a fact, are people of great means and tastes. So, don't bubble up... or take this the wrong way... My 1976 shorty, will stay with me until the end. I want an Alembic even in the after-life too as my first choice. Peace. | ||
| juggernaught
Member Username: juggernaught Post Number: 86 Registered: 3-2007 |
Going off-topic, but in my experience, awesome instruments are harder to play than not so awesome ones. An Alembic will really show where you're groovin, but will also make where you're sloppy all too obvious. I agree though that if you're playing right (at least on the inside), anything will sound fabulous. And even better on a high end. As far as I can tell, there really isn't any disadvantage to playing exclusively on a high end. I know that if I pick up a lower-end I'll be able to make it sound good no worries, but a high end I'm not used to would take me some time. Maybe the way to solve the bass vs player dilemma is to trash an Alembic up :D |
