| Author | Message | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 873 Registered: 2-2011 |
I found this Epic 5 string in a pawn shop & was wanting to see if you have any info on it. Thanks!   | ||
| groovelines
Senior Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 755 Registered: 4-2003 |
Rusty...what are you doing?  | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 874 Registered: 2-2011 |
Just checking Mike! My guitar player sent me a Craigslist ad for this bass, so I went after work & checked it out. I don't really want a 5 string, but if I can get a great deal on it I might. It needs some work, the neck is bowed & strings are about 1/4" high so it doesn't play well. but it's an Alembic so I'm sure that is fixable! I told my wife that I felt like I just went to a pet store & saw this sad little puppy begging me to rescue him & take him home & love him! LOL! | ||
| groovelines
Senior Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 756 Registered: 4-2003 |
Testing the limits of the "Alembic Monogamy Theory" already? | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 875 Registered: 2-2011 |
Apparently the Dallas bunch was a bad influence on me! :-) | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2952 Registered: 5-2009 |
My confession ; Resistance was Futile , I have been Assimilated . I accept it . I have complied. { Rationale = Not such a bad thing } | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3503 Registered: 6-2002 |
Don't fight the urge within if you "really" want that bass. However from my own experience, if what you ultimately want is a series bass, this route you are taking will not quench that thirst and you will end up with a progressive collection that increases the desire for as a series bass but when it comes to selling from your collection to get one, man that is so hard to do. There is subliminal psychology present in every bass as a no cost feature and I agree with sonicus resistance is futile :-) Jazzyvee (Message edited by jazzyvee on June 15, 2013) | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 997 Registered: 1-2008 |
I have an Orion with that electronic package. It sounds like a really good Fender... nothing like the packages with filters and certainly nothing like a Series. | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 998 Registered: 1-2008 |
BTW... how does an Alembic wind-up in a freakin' pawn shop??? That has to be a desperate situation. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 884 Registered: 2-2011 |
OK, here's the Epic update...I went back to the pawn shop, tool kit in my hand & talked the owner into letting me tweak the Epic to see if I could get it playing like an Alembic should. He agreed & after about 20 minutes I had the neck straight & the sitar sounding G string was gone! I had the low B at .090 (3/32) on the Stew Mac gauge, & the G string at .080 (5/64). I also replaced the battery & brought the pickups up to a respectable level which really brought out the punch in the bass. My only concern now is that I noticed a rattle up by the headstock which sounds like the truss rod is loose inside the neck. Both truss nuts turned easily with the right amount of resistance you would expect & I didn't have to bottom them out to get the neck straight, So I don't think the truss rod is broke, but something is rattling inside the neck when I played a low B. Any thought on the rattle? I didn't buy the bass yet but told the owner I just saved him $100 on a setup! The intonation is perfect, even with the extremely dead strings, I did 2 string octaves on all the strings all the way up the neck & it was perfectly in tune. | ||
| espresto
New Username: espresto Post Number: 4 Registered: 7-2013 |
I am about to buy this bass (sight unseen), and had no idea about the rattle. Any thoughts on this? | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 900 Registered: 2-2011 |
Hey Michael, I went back to the pawn shop a few days after adjusting the truss rod & brought a Schecter 5 string with me to have something to compare the Epic to before I decided if I wanted to buy it. The Schecter had a similar rattle on the low B so I think it may just be the string vibrating when you play it open. I didn't hear the rattle on the Epic when I played it through my amp. I have never owned a 5 string so that may be normal. I only heard the rattle when I played an open B without the bass plugged in to an amp. It's not a loud rattle, I had to put my ear on the headstock to hear it well. After hearing the similar rattle on the Schecter, I was not concerned with the rattle on the Epic, that is why I didn't mention it in the for sale post. The only reason I didn't buy the Epic is that it was more than I had to spend & John was unwilling to come down on the price. I think that you will be very happy with this bass & blown away with the quality & craftsmanship of your first Alembic! | ||
| espresto
New Username: espresto Post Number: 5 Registered: 7-2013 |
Alright, thanks for being forthright. I never thought it was dishonesty, I just was wondering why it wasn't in the other post. I'm sure this bass will be everything I expect and more. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 901 Registered: 2-2011 |
Be sure to post some pictures of you with the bass when you get it! | ||
| that_sustain
Advanced Member Username: that_sustain Post Number: 204 Registered: 8-2012 |
I think that rattle will settle. The neck just went through a big adjustment, right? It could be the tuners..or a loose nut screw. It could even be that the A string wasn't wrapped around the tuning peg "correctly"(try muting the A at the headstock). Alembic truss rods don't strip out like all the rest of the bass manufacturer's do. My advice is to just take it slower with neck adjustments. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 902 Registered: 2-2011 |
It's possible the rattle was from a loose nut screw, although that wouldn't explain the similar rattle I heard on the Schecter bass. I didn't strip the truss rod, as I said, both nuts turned freely & never bottomed out & I only had to turn them about a half turn to get the neck straight. Not sure how muting the A string will affect a rattle on the B string but after playing the bass for the 3rd time I didn't hear the rattle through my amp that I brought to test it with & felt like it was a non-issue at that point. Even with dead strings it sounded full & punchy through my amp. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 8437 Registered: 6-2000 |
Here's what I found in the file: top: California Walnut accent: Maple pinstripe body: Mahogany neck: 5-piece Maple with 4 Walnut pinstripes scale: 34" long fingerboard: Ebony side markers: bronze dots pickups: MXY56 controls: "Epic" finish: satin natural polyurethane (oil-look) originally made for: Guitar Center, TX birthday: September 8, 1998 Except for the fact that it wound up in a pawn shop, we haven't heard from this bass since it was shipped to Texas all those years ago. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1560 Registered: 2-2011 |
Thanks Mica! This is the bass that got the ball rolling for me to eventually wind up with my Blue Orca! Before investigating this bass I had no desire for a 5 string, now my Europa is my main bass! |
