| Author | Message | ||
| juggler
New Username: juggler Post Number: 4 Registered: 1-2009 |
My name is ted. I received my new to me Elan 4 string.   My question being,has anyone come across this type of headstock. I have not scene it before in any of the research I've done. Also what does the switch do. I need to put new strings on it to make sound alive again. thanks Ted (Message edited by davehouck on March 13, 2009) | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 1039 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hello Ted, Your Elan was discussed earlier when it was for sale. Sorry, I didn't think to look it up. I'm sure someone will be by shortly who participated in that discussion. Your headstock isn't standard, it's a very strangely carved or sawn modification done by someone after the bass was sold. The switch should be a Q-switch. Look in the FAQs and Must-Reads at the top of the home page for the club for a full discussion of your control layout and other good info. Does it seem playable? I feared the headstock might be weakened. Mike | ||
| juggler
New Username: juggler Post Number: 8 Registered: 1-2009 |
mike it seems to play well. I've been playing 2 2 hour sessions and its holding up | ||
| peoplechipper
Junior Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 11 Registered: 2-2009 |
Ted, greetings from Vancouver! neat bass...but the headstock needs something to compensate for it's circumcision; maybe get a jeweller to do some kind of silver carving to go where the rest of the headstock would be...I'd do it (as I'm a jeweller) but I'm too far away from your headstock to fit it and I don't do casting...just an idea...Tony. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 7711 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Ted, welcome to the board and congrats on the Elan! As stated above, the headstock has been modified by someone other than Alembic. If it were me, I would send it to Alembic and have them replace the headstock; it's a relatively inexpensive repair, and I think it would be well worth it. And have them put on a logo! And while it was there, I would have them do a satin finish on the neck, which is now standard. It makes the neck feel faster in your hand, and still looks great. The jack plate is also not original. I don't know what they could do, if anything, to address that, but it would be worth asking. Most likely someone left it in a guitar stand with the cord still plugged in, the chord being subsequently stepped on or tripped over, the jack being ripped from the body, and the bass crashing to the floor breaking the headstock. This is a great bass; Elans balance well, look great, and sound wonderful. This one has a really nice Walnut top on a Maple body with a three piece Maple neck. Personally, I think it would be well worth it to send it to the Alembic shop and let the Elves work their magic. If you think this is something you might want to do, give Mica a call and talk to her about it. Oh, and the controls are Volume, Pan, Low Pass Filter, and Q Switch. Basically, the filter control is a low pass filter; as you roll it back it lowers the point at which it passes low frequency signals and blocks high frequency signals. To quote Mica, "the range is from 350Hz-6KHz. Wherever you set the filter, only frequencies below that cutoff point are passed." The Q switch works in concert with the filter and provides an 8db boost at the cut off frequency you've set with the filter. When the switch is off you get a flat response up to the filter setting. Again to quote Mica, "the Q affects mainly the attack portion of the note". |
