Short, Dark and Handsome

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Author Message somatic Junior Username: somatic Post Number: 22 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 5:41 pm:    Hi All, I'll be coming into a bit of money soon, and am contemplating ordering a new bass. This is what I'm thinking about, and I have a few questions and opinions I'd like from everyone (tageed with *) before I ring and make enquiries about how to do it most cost effectively. Body Small Standard Body Woods Undecided, but tilting towards Walnut core, maple accents (pinstripe thickness) and either a wenge (preferred) or figured walnut top/rear. Not sure of the finish. Neck Ebony laminates, 7 piece, with maple or purpleheart, 1.5" nut, ebony board, no inlays/dots, std al side markers. Satin finish. Scale 30.75 Headstock Cone, bit smaller than std if possible. Standard Alembic logo Tuners Hipshot Ultralites, black Bridge Black, 17mm spacing, bird tail piece Electronics I'd ideally like Series pickups and Hx, but only with a volume and balance. From other threads I've read, this isn't really an option, so maybe Fatboys and vol/bal. Pickups spaced like the Series, with the neck one up near the trussrod plate. I don't use the onboard tone controls much as I have a heap of versatility in my preamp. Knobs Matching the top wood, either THG or a friend could turn them up here. The sound I'm looking for, is the biggest possible out of a short scale instrument, especially in terms of fundamental tones, but without an unnaturally low-end balance, if that makes sense. I still want the rich midrange and top end, so I've been leaning towards the maple. Would the purpleheart neck lams be a bonus, a negative or just a waste of money d'ya reckon? What about the body woods? I know that have a much lesser contribution to the overall sound. Any other comments or opinions? I want to keep it simple, not "flashy", but still get the biggest return on my money soundwise, I like the look of dark basses and prefer the short scales. adriaan Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 336 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:42 am:    Here are my two cone headstocks, one regular (Epic) and one narrow cut (Spoiler). Both pictures are taken from the same photo, with the basses fairly close together, I just removed the excess stuff. Ah, the Spoiler was closer to the camera, so the headstock appears to be bigger, and it's a medium scale as opposed to the long scale Epic. The string spacing is just about the same on both in reality. The tuners on the Spoiler are Schallers, and the point of the headstock is not wide enough to hold the logo. (Message edited by adriaan on October 07, 2004) adriaan Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 337 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 1:08 am:    Just found another picture where the camera was aiming between the basses, so you get a better impression of what it looks like from the front: (Message edited by adriaan on October 07, 2004) adriaan Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 343 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 4:56 am:    And for posterity's sake, here's the flipside of the headstock. You can see what they had to do to the A and D tuners ... Apologies for the poor blurred image. malthumb Advanced Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 278 Registered: 5-2002 Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:05 am:    Darn.....thought this thread was about me. Oh well.....Carry on. bracheen Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 602 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 1:32 pm:    James, I was having a long dreary day til now. Thanks for the laugh. Sam adriaan Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 345 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 2:22 pm:    Well, it sure isn't me. But then I'm not "tall, blonde and ugly" either. Well, I'm not tall. And I'm not blonde. Good call, James. palembic Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1669 Registered: 9-2002 Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 4:10 pm:    "wide, blonde and ugly????" hehehehehehehe PTBO bob Advanced Member Username: bob Post Number: 333 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 9:40 pm:    Thanks, James, I really needed that (really). kmh364 Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 592 Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 6:35 am:    I'm still laughing, James! And it's been days, LOL! You forgot "...and modest" LOL! somatic Junior Username: somatic Post Number: 25 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Monday, November 22, 2004 - 7:53 pm:    Wow, I've really been tardy replying to this thread. I showed the spec to a luthier I know locally, and he's going to make one to similar spec (with wenge neck lams). However, looks like I'll be visiting the US next year, so I'll drop in and visit the factory and discuss specs in detail and place an order (via D. Burgess). I'll also drop off the Series 1 for a refinish and maybe the new PF7 electronics. Adriaan, thanks for posting the pix. I see the difference in the headstocks and prefer the one on the right. Malthumb, thanks for the laugh. Paul (Palembic) almost summed me up too, but "wide, blonde and ugly????" should be "wide, bald and ugly!!!!"