| Author | Message | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 77 Registered: 7-2002 |
The need to transport amps and other band members to and from gigs over the last few months meant that I wasn't using my MK sig standard anywhere near as much as I would have liked - I just couldn't fit it in the car! Instead, I usually had to go with my Status headless, which fits in a guitar gigbag and can just be thrown in the back seat (graphite, you see - virtually indestructible - it's impervious to cabs and keyboard stands falling on top of it). Then I spotted 93SC8053 on ebay - the seller was looking for a bigger Alembic and I was looking for a smaller one - a match made in heaven. One painless part-exchange later and here's my new SC and a couple of friends relaxing at home on my sofa (that's a 1987 Jaydee GA24 on the left and a 2003 Status Kingbass on the right):   Hmm, now I see them side by side, does anybody else notice the striking resemblance in body size and shape between the Status and the SC? Very different in profile, but, face on, they're remarkably alike. And somebody must have already remarked on the Jaydee's possible visual 'homage' to the Standard point shape. Karl www.harambeuk.com www.myspace.com/harambe | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3890 Registered: 5-2002 |
Nice quilt! | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 656 Registered: 10-2002 |
Very nice quilt Karl. I like the straps too. Where'd you find them? Graeme | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 444 Registered: 6-2002 |
Seems you beat me to that SC, I was pondering and drooling over that maple topped SC to tune as tenor bass. However, when I decided to have another look, it was gone. You pinched it from under my nose.... :-) I guess that old saying "He who hesitates is lost" rings true. Oh well maybe it just wasn't meant to be. I'm sure you will enjoy it. All the best with it. Like Karl, I do like that bass clef strap as well. Cheers Jazzyvee | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 81 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hi guys, Thanks for the comments. The bass clef straps are from the Talkbass.com store (http://www.talkbass.com/store/home.php?cat=2) - not cheap, but they're Moody's (as recommended by Alembic!) so they're worth it. K. | ||
| eligilam
Junior Username: eligilam Post Number: 15 Registered: 2-2006 |
As a fellow SC Deluxe owner, I give you my brotherly congratulations. Will d. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 237 Registered: 10-2003 |
How does the Kingbass compare to the SC? I keep thinking I'm going to end up going the Status route when my back finally packs in (it's getting closer every day...), although I've been disappointed with Mark's Kingbass sound, personally. I thought his Alembics (and Jaydees) sounded much better.... | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 84 Registered: 7-2002 |
Bill, I found that the KingBass compared very well with the MK sig standard I used to own - a similar toppy, twangy hifi sound, but with a lot of headroom on the EQ, so you could dial in as much bottom end as you needed. Very versatile, and a lot of fun to play, because of its compact size and playability. However, as I've mentioned earlier, and I can only assume it's the purpleheart in the neck, all other things pretty much being equal to my old MK, the SC deluxe seems in a different league altogether - more focussed in the lower range, more punchy in the mid range and not so harsh (more 'musical' somehow) in the top range. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a KingBass - they're beautifully made with, as I said, a very versatile sound. In fact, I don't think the bass sound on the recent Level 42 DVDs does it justice at all - maybe it's the amps Mark's using or maybe he just likes that 'knitting needle'-type sound, but I don't think the KingBass is to blame for that - it's capable of a much better and much wider range of sounds than you hear on those live DVDs. Don't let Mark's sound put you off! I know what you mean though - I was watching the L42 Rockpalast DVD the other night and it struck me then that his old Jaydee sounded massive - a bit 'old-school' now perhaps, but damn, it kicked some butt! I'd kinda forgotten that. | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 85 Registered: 7-2002 |
(double-post - sorry!) (Message edited by karl on May 31, 2006) | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 659 Registered: 10-2002 |
Karl Will you be seeing Level 42 this year? Mike and I have tickets for Perth in November ;-) Here's hoping her brings out an Alembic - unlikely but you never know. Graeme | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 86 Registered: 7-2002 |
Graeme, Yes, indeedy. The Royal Albert Hall for me. Yes, I know it's got the acoustics of an aircraft hangar: at least it did last time I went there, back in '94 - awful sound - kinda like listening to the stereo with your head down the toilet - er, not that I've ever tried that, you understand. But, hey, it's local . . . K. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 238 Registered: 10-2003 |
Karl, thanks for the reply. I played a Kingbass very briefly once but it was set up totally wrong for me (wrong gauge strings, everything) and I had nothing to compare it to, so it didn't give me much idea, other than that it was very light and pretty comfortable. I had an SC Deluxe which now belongs to another member; apart from the ergonomics, which I had a real problem with, I loved it. Some things about it I even liked more than my Triple O (mainly the short scale...oh boy was it fast!). Got to agree with you about Mark's Jaydee. I've got some old footage of a live gig shown on the TV in 1980-whenever and it sounds huge. I think his sound now is just too "pingy" for my tastes. The Alembics were very toppy and bright, but much more musical IMHO. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 239 Registered: 10-2003 |
BTW, I know what you mean about transporting your MK; I've only had my Triple O out of the house once and that was in a friend's estate car. We've got Yaris, and I don't think it fits..... | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 448 Registered: 6-2002 |
I'm surprised it won't fit in Yaris..>!!!! I get the following in my car when I do gigs. My SC in it's flight case, mesa boogie head and sf2 in 3U flight case,on the front passenger side of the car (with the seatbelt holding things in place). My Mesa Boogie 2x10 and 1x15 powerhouse cabs, music stand and guitar stand fit in the back, plus myself in the driver seat. And I drive an mcc Smart Car like this one. http://www.smart.com/-snm-0155109868-1148443915-0000026931-0000002345-1149112094-enm-is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/mpc-uk-content-Site/en_UK/-/GBP/SVCPresentationPipeline-Start?Page=issite%3a%2f%2fsmart-Site%2fsmart%2ecom%2fRootFolder%2frest%2fredirect%2epage&ScriptParam=smart/modelle/smartcitycoupe/ausstattung/pure/highlights Jazzyvee | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 917 Registered: 6-2002 |
Jazzy, Some people will have a hard time believing you manage to get all that into a Smart. So could you post some pictures to prove it? | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 449 Registered: 6-2002 |
When it gets warm and dry here, i'll pack the stuff in the car and post some photo's I had meant to do that a while ago but just never got round to it. If it's sunny at the weekend and I'll try to make some time to do it then. Jazzyvee | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 919 Registered: 6-2002 |
Great! Make it a separate thread, just to keep things tidy around here. | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 660 Registered: 10-2002 |
Good idea Adriaan. We can all contribute to that one - I'll get some pics of my car packing nightmare this weekend;-) Graeme | ||
| haddimudd
Intermediate Member Username: haddimudd Post Number: 161 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hey Karl, Congratulation on your sweet collection, I like all three of them! Now that you have both, Kingbass and SC, how do they compare in balance. Is the headstock of the SC more of an issue compared to the headless neck of the Status? On the other hand the Status seems to have a bigger corpus. Is it heavier than the SC? I am curious because I keep fancying about a SC, but at the same time I do like the headless concept of the Status which I will never get on an Alembic (I guess) - and probably not want on an Alembic, who knows. Hartmut | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 98 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hi Hartmut, Thanks for the congrats! Yeah, I love the headless concept - it makes the bass much more compact and portable, and quick string changes are a breeze, and I really don't understand why it isn't the norm for bass guitars now, rather than still being the exception. To answer your question about balance though, there is simply no comparison. The KingBass balances beautifully. The SC doesn't. And while the body of the KingBass is ever so slightly bigger than the SC, the whole thing is probably slightly lighter than the SC, given that it has no head and the neck is made of carbon fibre composite rather than wood. However, in terms of sound and playability, the SC is in another league. While both the SC and the KingBass have distinctively 'hi-fi' sounds, the SC just has a warmth and musicality to it that the KingBass lacks somehow. It's difficult to explain, but when you're playing the Kingbass it could be any modern bass. It looks good, it feels good, it's reliable and it will always get the job done, but it's just a tool of the trade at the end of the day. But when you're playing the SC, it feels like something special. Very difficult to explain, but when you play one, you'll know what I mean :-) K. | ||
| haddimudd
Intermediate Member Username: haddimudd Post Number: 167 Registered: 6-2002 |
Karl, Thanks for the reply. That is interesting. I have played a SC when I visited Alembic a few years ago, but I never strapped it on, so I don't know about balance issues. And I have yet to get my hands on a KingBass Status to compare. BTW, I just realized the string scale seems longer on the Status. Is it not a short scale, too? Hartmut | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 99 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hi Hartmut, Well, please don't let the balance issue put you off an SC - most people, myself included, compensate for the neck dive well enough with the help of a good wide strap, wearing the bass high and a bit of bracing from the right elbow - you get used to it quickly enough! And yes, the KingBass is usually a 32" scale (so still not as short as the SC at 30.75") but the inclusion of the BendWell thing (see the Status site for an explanation of what that's all about - it basically allows behind-the-nut string bending on a headless) makes them look like a regular long scale. However, mine in the picture above IS actually a regular long scale (well spotted!) with no BendWell - I requested that as a custom option because, at the time, I was used to long scales and I had no use for the BendWell. In retrospect, having found the shorty SC so enjoyable to play in the meantime, I would probably go for a short scale Status, with Alembic's narrower string spacing, if I were ever to get another one. The SC really has converted me to short scale basses - I've realised that the so-called disadvantages of a short scale (looser string tension and slightly 'darker' sound) are actually beneficial to my playing - I have quite a light touch, so the lower string tension doesn't bother me and actually allows me to get some nice triplet effects that I can't always pull off on a higher tension bass - and I naturally have a rather percussive and trebly tone, so the slightly 'darker' sound of the short scale warms it up nicely for me. Anyway, I love both the Status and the Alembic, but if I had to have only one, it would be the Alembic every time! K. | ||
| haddimudd
Intermediate Member Username: haddimudd Post Number: 169 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hi Karl, Don't fear, I am not thrown off the SC at all. I have a Series II double neck full scale and while it may have some neck dive, it isn't really that much and never bothered me. As you say, it all comes down to the proper strap position and adjustment. For a future short scale Alembic project I am currently photoshopping myself through various possible body shape alternatives, more looking towards the standard point body but scaled down proportionally. That would also provide a longer upper horn compared to the standard small body. In the end the Alembic staff would have to be the judge on the electronics to fit inside or not. And yes, I know about the BendWell. It is a very smart solution. I too am looking forward to a lower string tension, I really like that. As soon as I stumble over the next pack of $20.000 notes you will see me handing in my order for my favorite Bonsai Alembic the same day. Hartmut |
