My new bass - first pix Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Alembic Club » Owning an Alembic » Fun Stories » Archive through November 12, 2004 » My new bass - first pix « Previous Next »

Author Message
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 555
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 7:51 pm:   Edit Post

I received my bass last Friday (the 13th - just to show you nothing is all bad!). It is wonderful. My wife got home with the digicam this evening and these are the first few shots I took. Some are a bit overexposed (making the red highlights look slightly more orange than in person), but I couldn't resist posting them. I also included pix of my current rig, since it's all been aquired within the past 6-8 months (still a work in progress). Well, here goes...













I'm going to work on getting better pix made over the weekend.
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 343
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 3:48 am:   Edit Post

Very nice, Bill. Lots of luck and enjoy it in good health.

That's quite an amp rig you have there as well!

Cheers,

Kevin
dadabass2001
Advanced Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 212
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 5:16 am:   Edit Post

Alright Bill,
That ought to shake the foundations REAL GOOOD!
:-)
Mike
gare
Junior
Username: gare

Post Number: 21
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 7:05 am:   Edit Post

Congrats Bill..beautiful instrument..and nice ampage.
Please let us know how the new body shape feels and balances.
Gary
lowlife
Intermediate Member
Username: lowlife

Post Number: 121
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 7:13 am:   Edit Post

Beautiful! I love the omega and the point; great combination.
With that rig you gotta be rocking the house.
I also would like to know who the body shape feels.

Ellery (Lowlife)
nick_bassman
Junior
Username: nick_bassman

Post Number: 36
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 7:27 am:   Edit Post

Beautiful bass .... all the curves in the right places !!

Enjoy.
paulcissa
Junior
Username: paulcissa

Post Number: 18
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 11:32 am:   Edit Post

Beautiful bass, Bill. Congrats and best of luck with it. The pre/amp/cabinet arrangement is way cool. I suspect you have no issues cutting the mix with it. I can only imagine what your "big room" setup must look like. ;-)

-Chris
kevin_k
Member
Username: kevin_k

Post Number: 81
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 11:39 am:   Edit Post

Very nice!
bucky
Intermediate Member
Username: bucky

Post Number: 111
Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 12:09 pm:   Edit Post

Truly BEAUTIFUL work of art, bassman. . . thanks for sharing it with us!

rraymond
Member
Username: rraymond

Post Number: 96
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 1:54 pm:   Edit Post

Awesome bass, awesome rig, congrats!
hollis
Advanced Member
Username: hollis

Post Number: 312
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 2:33 pm:   Edit Post

ditto!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 558
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 3:10 pm:   Edit Post

Thanks everybody. I'll post some better pictures that show more of the detail in the next few days. I let these get on a little on the downsized side.

The bass is wonderful. Every time I pick it up, I notice some detail I had missed - there's a lot to look at! Still playing with the sound for hours on end. That's going to take time, as I'm acclimating to the bass, the SF-2 and the new cabs, especially the ELF 18.

The most interesting thing I've noticed is that the ELF produces so much bass that I've gradually backed off the bass setting to 2 or 3 (which is just about flat) on the preamp to give myself room to play with the bass on the SF. Then I balance up the the conventional cabs by boosting the low frequencies at the Equalizer.

Needless to say - more fun than a car full of monkeys!

Bill
malthumb
Advanced Member
Username: malthumb

Post Number: 272
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 4:29 pm:   Edit Post

You probably pray for rainy days so that you can stay inside and jam.

Now that you have that bass and that rig, where can you go from there?
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 364
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 5:28 pm:   Edit Post

You can always order another Alembic, LOL!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 559
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 6:23 pm:   Edit Post

I am thinking (longer term) about another Alembic, but something different from this one. Definitely 5 string and probably with ebony laminates. Maybe a maple or other lighter-colored topwood. Simpler and less ornate/traditional-looking. Who knows?

But now...I have a ton of practicing to do. I'm looking into studying with a teacher I've heard great things about. Looking for people to jam. And I've got my brand new, beauty to take with me!
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 367
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 5:54 am:   Edit Post

Bill: BKBASS Barry might be able to give you some pointers on the Series Elecs./Bag End 18"/SF-2 combo. He has a bunch of wicked high-end amp rigs utilizing all that stuff and series bass(es)and does a lot of recording with all of it. Drop him a line and maybe he can point you in the right direction. He's gonna school me so I can understand how to use my filter(s) and my Eden heads contolss to my best advantage.
kevin_k
Member
Username: kevin_k

Post Number: 82
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 7:35 am:   Edit Post

Bill,

I too use a BagEnd 18, but not the ELF. I also keep the bass on my F1X at around 2-3. Even then there is still alot of bass. I find that I keep my mid around 5 and treble around 4. I also back off on the High Frequency by -2. If I set the high frequency above +2, I get some "hissing" which I don't like to hear. I biamp so I set the crossover at the lowest frequency and send only the loest signals to the 18. I try to keep the F1X the same and do adjustment from the bass. I try to keep the varibles under control.

How about the rest of your F1X, what are your dials set at? It sure is nice to get other peoples feed back.

Thanks,

Kevin
adriaan
Advanced Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 278
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 8:59 am:   Edit Post

Not sure how much of this is relevant for an F1X, but from the F2B product page: "While there is no absolutely flat position, the response is reasonably flat with the controls set at 2 - 10 - 2, with the bright switch off."
kevin_k
Member
Username: kevin_k

Post Number: 83
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 9:07 am:   Edit Post

It's the same as the F1X then.
jagerphan84
Member
Username: jagerphan84

Post Number: 79
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 9:52 am:   Edit Post

I'm certainly no expert as I have only had my rig in working order for a couple weeks now, but I'll throw in my $.02 anyway. I usually have the crossover set to a more moderate level because I have a 212/210 setup, and the 212 can certainly handle some of the mids along with the lows. On the F-1X, I usually have bass set at 4-5, mid at 5-6, and treble 3-6 depending on the sound I am going for and the environment. I rarely adjust the HF, but will occasionally feel the need for a little boost or cut depending on the room and the way the sound is carrying. I found that when running my home stereo through the F-1X and a pair of small Alembic cabs which I recently acquired, the HF needed a little boost to brighten up the sound. I can get all the brightness I need on bass by opening up the filter all the way; and then there's always the 210 cab's attenuable horn for more tweaking...

Adam
rklisme
Member
Username: rklisme

Post Number: 81
Registered: 5-2004
Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 5:19 pm:   Edit Post

Bill
Awesome bass and rig! I sure hope you are getting to enjoy it. It seems the Hurricane down south and the arrival of your bass happened around the same time. This could give new meaning to pushing some air! Have fun and better pics please.

Rory
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 564
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 8:07 pm:   Edit Post

Thanks for everyone's kind words. It's gonna take a few days till I can make time for more pictures. But believe me, I want to get them made as soon as I can get free to do so (I need new screensavers at home and work - I don't want anything but this bass to stare at).

Kevin: I Emailed Barry and didn't get a response. If you have another Email address, maybe you could share it with me via an Email?

Thanks again from a very happy fellow!

Bill
palembic
Senior Member
Username: palembic

Post Number: 1471
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 12:51 am:   Edit Post

Ohmawgod!
He has got it ...he has got it ....just when I take some days off he got it ...

Paul TBO
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 394
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 4:50 am:   Edit Post

Bill:

I call Barry on Monday and see what's up with his email. He may want you to use the work email or even have you give him a call. I'll advise as soon as I can.

Cheers
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 395
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 4:58 am:   Edit Post

Hey Bill...I just thought of something. I was re-reading your post and I caught that you got your bass on Friday the 13th. That's when I paid for mine. Superbass Steve wanted them to hold -off shipping so that it wouldn't be trapped with UPS sitting in some hot, humid place until the following week. To the Italians, 13 is a LUCKY number, hence Friday the 13th is a LUCKY day. It seems to have worked out for both you and me (my Mom is 100% Italian...my family name is Napolitano). I think 17 is the unlucky number for Italians. No triskadecaphobes allowed in Italia, LOL!
bkbass
Member
Username: bkbass

Post Number: 56
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 7:04 am:   Edit Post

Just reading this,thanks for the kind words throught out the various posts kevin.Bill,my work e-mail is the best place to reach me(bkravitz@panynj.gov)for now.It might be better if we speak by phone.So once I recieve your e-mail we can exchange #'s and arrange a time to speak with each other.I hope I can help.
flaxattack
Intermediate Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 120
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 7:52 am:   Edit Post

from the first balance k 5 string with the heart omega buyer to the first 4 string owner?- looks great. i just placed my order friday-
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 567
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 8:03 pm:   Edit Post

Kevin: I had no problem with Friday the 13th, because I've thought a great deal about my Dad (a lifelong musician, himself) in relation to this bass. It was only natural that I'd receive it that day, since Dad was born and died on Fridays the 13th! Wierd, huh? I thought it was neat (Twilight Zone theme, fade to black...)

Barry: Thanks. Look for my Email. I've been blundering around, but would love to here your thoughts and experiences.

Bill
kmh364
Advanced Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 399
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Monday, August 23, 2004 - 6:52 am:   Edit Post

Wow, that is weird! Remember: Jerry did the theme for the "New" Twilight Zone...LOL!

Barry should be able to help you out with the Series II blues.
jalevinemd
Member
Username: jalevinemd

Post Number: 82
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Monday, August 23, 2004 - 12:39 pm:   Edit Post

Bill,

I know I said it while the bass was being built, but I still can't get over what a beautiful piece of coco bolo that top is! I hope they have some more of it lying around, though between you and Val snarfing it all up...who knows. Can't wait to see some close ups.

Regards,

Jonathan
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 582
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 12:19 pm:   Edit Post

More pictures in Showcase: http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/12133.html?1093373800 .

Jonathan: Valentino was sent by the powers that be to find me a piece of wood. They told him, "you are looking for a board you'd like, Valentino". He did great. His taste and mine are VERY similar. You should ask him to search the coco bolo for you.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration