| Author | Message | ||
| yanc
New Username: yanc Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2007 |
Hi everyone, happy to see that forum exists. I bought my Alembic Epic 2 years ago. I tried many basses and finally take this Alembic for the precision of his sound. Anyone can tell me what strings are usually used by Stanley Clark and Mark King and what size ? Because I search good strings for my bass ; I already tried Fender and RotoSound (45-65-85-105) but I find the sound is too "choked". Thanks. | ||
| olieoliver
Senior Member Username: olieoliver Post Number: 1117 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hi Yanc and welcome to the club. I'm not sure what brand Stanley or Mark use but I'm pretty sure they both use a lite gauge strings. I beleive Susan told me that Mark uses 37-95 or somewhere around that. If you do a search of this forum you'll find many posts about strings. | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 20 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Yanc, I wanted to say hello and welcome, even though I'm unable to answer your question. Just the kind of gal I am. ;) Best Regards, Kimberly  | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 798 Registered: 11-2004 |
Yanc, Welcome to the club. I love my Epics too. Rich | ||
| the_8_string_king
Advanced Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 398 Registered: 9-2005 |
Welcome to the club! | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 745 Registered: 6-2002 |
I know at one time Stanley used to have custom wound rotosound strings that had the central core exposed over the bridge like Piano string design. Maybe he still does. His web site is a good place to check out. www.stanleyclarke.com they have a section on his equipment. I guess they are like these. Check the rotosound web site http://www.rotosound.com/bass.html# for these: PSD 99 (Piano String Design - Stainless Steel Roundwound) The ultimate in power, sustain and brightness. Contact-core design improves string movement. Designed to fit any Bridge styles. Jazzyvee | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 746 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hi Kimberly :-) are you the lady on youtube? Jazzyvee | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 21 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Jazzyvee. Probably, though I have to note there are at least a few gals playing bass on YouTube. Anyways, here's a link to my intro post on the board. So, is it me? Ummm...maybe, maybe not. http://alembic.com/club/messages/397/35817.html?1170809488 Bestest, Kimberly | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 22 Registered: 1-2007 |
Jazzvee, PS. Nice to meet you. Kimberly | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 748 Registered: 6-2002 |
Yes Kimberly it is you I followed a link to. You have a great tone and I enjoyed listening to yor playing. Solo bass playing has fascinated me since I really heard a lady here in the uk who performed under the name of "Single Bass" maybe 10 years ago. She opened for Allan Holdsworth at his gig at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in Birmingham England. I'm not sure if she is still going but here is her web site. http://www.single-bass.co.uk/ take care Jazzyvee | ||
| yanc
New Username: yanc Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2007 |
thanks all, jazzyvee -> thanks for the links. I already visited the "gear" of www.stanleyclarke.com But thanks for the PSD-99 maybe I will order them. Kimberly -> I saw your video on you tube. Pretty improvisation and good sound ! What are the strings had you used ? and I have the feeling, you use only handle micro. ... is it right ? | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 26 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hello. jazzyvee - Thank you very much and I'm glad you enjoyed my material. Nice link to 'Single-Bass', thank you. Admirable that she started doing this 'way back when' in the mid-80's. I particularly enjoyed her pose cradling her bass in her promo shot (http://www.material.demon.co.uk/SingleBass/SBintro.htm). It's similar to one I've thought of doing myself and likely will before too much more time goes by. yanc - Thank you very much also. As you may have noticed a lot or even most of my material is improv. It's interesting to compare gig to gig, as they're never done the same twice. The fundamentals of melody/arrangement, or close, or not, and then from there anything's possible. My current strings are the bulk packaged from juststrings.com, 45-125 nickel. However, I do have to say that while I'm pleased with the sound, I'm not very pleased with their longevity and likely will not order them again. Simply my feel and experience. They just don't last for me. Ummm...I'm not sure what you mean about "handle micro". If it's about a microphone, here's what I can say. I have three different times when my videos were taken. In one, I was playing on a break with a local band (thanks guys) and didn't use a mike. On another, I used a mike on a stand with a goose neck and lastly, the other one I went to the job and found the owner had taken the PA home to do a party. That one I smiled and waved and said thank you when applauded. Any and all announcments were made 'acoustically'. ;) Best Regards, Kimberly | ||
| yanc
New Username: yanc Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2007 |
Hi Kimberly, Sorry for "handle micro". I talked about your sound bass, he reminds me mine Epic when I use 100% pickup near the handle and 0% the other pickup by using knob. | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 30 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Yanc, Not a problem. This is interesting to me. I'm 'one of those' who pretty much set it and forget it. I also run everything on my 'Sweetie' in the center detent position, pan, bass and treble. Truly the only adjustment I generally make is volume on my bass. My amp is a Aguilar AG 500 SC 2-12 combo. Tone settings on it are treble half way, bass a little over half way and low and high mid's cut all the way. I don't use the -10db cut button or the treble boost button, though I do use the bass boost button. On my Roland GS-6 effects device I run low, low mid, high mid and treble halfway (this device is set for my lead guitar type sound). This is all interesting to me because of the difference in our settings on our basses and the similarity in our sounds, per your description of sounding similar. You did say you're running full bass pickup and no treble pickup right? Even if I'm wrong and reversed with my understanding of your settings, it still seems like a pretty extreme difference with our bass settings, as I pretty much have everything running flat on my bass and my amp (other than my low and high mid cut and bass boost). I guess it would help to know what you use for an amp and how you set your tones to get a similar sound to mine. I'm very curious about this and look forward to hearing back from you. Thank you in advance. Take care, Kimberly | ||
| yanc
New Username: yanc Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2007 |
Hi Kimberly, Sometimes when I use full bass pickup and no treble pickup, my sound looks like your chorus sound on your youtube video Jan. 2007 But you told me all your knobs are in center, that's OK but I'm surprised ... Maybe your treble pickup is adjusted lower that mine. I don't have mine amp, because I play in many places which have already an amp. I usually use all knobs centered like you but I don't have the same sound ; mine have more treble. | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 31 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Yanc, I'm surprised also. One thing I can say for certain is according to Mike Lull (the guy who installed my midi pick up), he said he set the trim pots to balance the two pick ups with each other. Have you adjusted yours? If you haven't, that might explain our similar tones, with our dis-similar settings. If you have adjusted your trim pots to balance the pick ups, well...the only thing I can say is, "the plot thickens". It seems to be such an extreme difference in settings, I would think they shouldn't sound alike, but they do. Hmmm... I don't know. I just don't know. Anyone else? Thanks Yanc. Kimberly | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1261 Registered: 6-2002 |
Standard Epic has just one trimpot for overall output level. So the second one on Kimberly's Epic must set the level for the midi out? | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 33 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Adriaan, Damn...that blows my theory right out of the water.  I remember Mike saying something about adjusting the *levels*, but if an Epic only has one adjustment he must have said he adjusted the *level*. It can't be the midi pickup because it's one of those 'warts' that you see 'hanging on' to basses and guitar. The only adjustments it has is a selector for instrument only (which bypasses the synth), instrument and synth, or synth only (which bypasses the bass), and an overall master volume for the synth which I use for balancing the bass and synth mix, (or sometimes I use bass volume to adjust the mix depending on which of the two gives me the headroom I need to make the mix). Nothing at all to do with bass volume. So, when playing 'straight bass' via the midi bypass, the bass volume/pan/tone can only be controlled/adjusted by the bass volume/pan/tone controls. Thanks for the information Adriaan and as I said before and seemingly even more so now, "the plot thickens". Kimberly - Clueless in Seattle ;) | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1263 Registered: 6-2002 |
Me senseless in Breda. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 4105 Registered: 6-2000 |
One other thing to consider is the knob installation. Just because the knob "points" the same direction as another, doesn't mean they both have the same starting point. We have our normal way of installing knobs, but especially if you've had work done on the electronics, they may have been installed to "point" a different direction. Normally on an Epic, the center of the bass and treble controls, as well as the center of the pan control will point directly toward the strings, that is, perpendicular to them. The volume knob is usually oriented so that maximum volume is pointing toward the peghead, or parallel to the strings. Some left handed basses have specially made left handed pots. Even if the knobs are installed in the same position, if the pots are mirror images, you will see different positions. Different woods and different string numbers even on the same wood will produce different sounds. The particular strings and the individual playing will also affect the tone. When I play a bass here, hand it to another person to play without changing the settings on the bass or the amp, it can sound like a completely different bass. There's lots of variables. | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 34 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Mica, Thank you for the information. And as you say there are a lot of variables, certainly more than I would have and have considered. 'Who wudda thunk it, left handed pots?' Wow... but then I think about some and realize... hey that's me, kind of. As far as mine goes (left handed Epic), wide open volume does point toward the peghead, though the pan/bass/treble have the center detent position at about 10 o'clock when looking at him in the playing position. I will note that on my boy the bass and treble are mirrored. Clockwise for the bass and counter clockwise for the treble for the full open positions. It's all good and certainly works just fine for me. Just speaking 'for the record'. Thank you again for the information and hope to meet in person sometime. Maybe even in a couple of weeks as I'm heading southeast from Washington to Louisiana and I'm just starting to schedule the dates and route. Who knows... ;) Best Regards, Kimberly | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 1137 Registered: 11-2003 |
Kimberly, if you make it as far as NE Florida drop me a line. I'd enjoy coming out to hear you. Sam | ||
| chuck
Member Username: chuck Post Number: 73 Registered: 3-2005 |
Ditto on above if you get a gig in or around Raliegh,N.C. Chuck | ||
| kimberly
Junior Username: kimberly Post Number: 37 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hi Sam and Chuck, At this stage in the game anything's possible. However, you may both rest assured if I'm in the area(s) I'll be in touch. How very cool for the ego. Thanks! Kimberly |
