| Author | Message | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 384 Registered: 11-2005 |
Instead of posting these on the thread on the main page, I'll go ahead and start one here...            | ||
| 2400wattman
Advanced Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 362 Registered: 11-2005 |
Charles, if you make it to my show in Chattanooga PLEASE BRING YOUR BASS! I've got to see this work of art. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1183 Registered: 12-2002 |
All i can say is.........DAMN!!!... | ||
| southpaw
Intermediate Member Username: southpaw Post Number: 169 Registered: 12-2004 |
I love the look of the mahogony neck. I believe it has been said that a mahogony neck will create a darker tone too. What a stunning bass, absolute art work. | ||
| 2400wattman
Advanced Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 365 Registered: 11-2005 |
Paul, mahogany does make for a darker, richer sound. I had the opprutunity to A/B two 5 String Mark Kings w/Bal. K bodies. One with maple/2 purple heart lams and the other with a neck recipe similar to Charles'. I preferred the maple neck as it makes for a brighter attack(which I like & prefer) but the mahogany based neck did sound excellent, very rich and full on the bottom and the mids and highs were smooooooth and buttery. Gonna go play some Barry White now...ooooohh yaaa.. | ||
| jorge_s
Intermediate Member Username: jorge_s Post Number: 144 Registered: 8-2002 |
That is just amazing. | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 780 Registered: 6-2002 |
Beautiful, just too beautiful. Absolute congrats Charles Mike | ||
| to_81_0190
Member Username: to_81_0190 Post Number: 58 Registered: 5-2006 |
Thank you for posting pix. Every part is really beautiful! Toshiaki | ||
| bassjigga
Advanced Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 209 Registered: 8-2005 |
Beautiful. Congrats again Charles. I'm really thinking about black hardware for my custom... | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 393 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, guys...here's some blurry action shots from last night. It looks huge on me! (Message edited by crgaston on May 24, 2007) | ||
| crgaston
Advanced Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 394 Registered: 11-2005 |
Here they are a little better...   Looks like I need to work on my posture! | ||
| the_8_string_king
Senior Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 621 Registered: 9-2005 |
Absolutely stunning from all angles... thanks for the additional pictures! What a breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly original looking Alembic! | ||
| hifiguy
Member Username: hifiguy Post Number: 100 Registered: 10-2006 |
Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. I can only imagine how magnificent it sounds. Congrats to you, Charles. Paul (seething with jealousy  ) | ||
| jags
Intermediate Member Username: jags Post Number: 136 Registered: 12-2006 |
looking at the close up of the spalted maple and ebony meeting up just shot chills up and down my spine. great shot. 1000x nicer bass!!! smart job on all the wood selections | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 5077 Registered: 5-2002 |
Gorgeous indeed! | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 458 Registered: 11-2005 |
In action...  | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 6178 Registered: 5-2002 |
I love looking at this bass! I bet it sounds great too! | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 2608 Registered: 9-2002 |
Well ...that IS a CLASSIC! Beautifully designed with a lot of taste for every small detail to support more and wider beauty. (BTW: this last picture is amazingly beautiful! You DID work on your pose hehehehehe). Remark: I KNOW I have a twisted mind (that's what Bill TGO always says and since he's a guitarplayer he is the one to know) but I DO see a frightening "thing" looking at me in picture 7 from top, with little glimmering eyes like black diamonds. A beast is hiding behind a rim in thsi guitar. Jaws ready to open ... Ok ...that's my mind ...I know ...I HAVE to see that shrink again. Paul The Bad One PS: I DO am happy to see that there are a LOT of PAUL's hanging out here. I wonder if we already have an "Ugly One" ....we had a "Fake One", a "Jean One", a "Silent One", a "Good One", (I am forgetting a lot of Paul's seem to me...) It's GOOD to be a PAUL!!!! Hehehehehe | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 459 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, guys..Dave, I should be able to provide a link so you can hear it in a week or two. Paul, I picked that piece of wood because of the beast lurking in it...glad you see it too. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1375 Registered: 12-2002 |
alembic's most Haunting peice of wood to date!  | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 643 Registered: 11-2004 |
Good stuff Charles. Your bass is still my all time favorite custom. | ||
| robinc
Junior Username: robinc Post Number: 21 Registered: 5-2008 |
whoa, man! your bass is craaazy! What are all the controls? | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Advanced Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 310 Registered: 10-2006 |
This lovely piece is a Series II, Robin - an explanation of the controls is here. Charles had them add a stereo/mono switch & a dimmer knob for the LEDs. This was the Custom of the Month for August-September 2007, so you can get more details here - or, to really get into it, check out the Factory to Customer thread. (I LOVE this neck receipe!) Peter | ||
| robinc
Junior Username: robinc Post Number: 25 Registered: 5-2008 |
I couldn't agree with you more, Peter. That neck recipe is a winner for sure. I love the contrast of the coco, mahogany, and ebony. Am I seeing things, or are the mahogany neck laminates and the body a singe piece?! They are seamlessly matched, if not, especially on the left side of one of those photos above. | ||
| robinc
Junior Username: robinc Post Number: 41 Registered: 5-2008 |
Ok, maybe this is a dumb question... but what is under that black plate between the pickups? | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 766 Registered: 11-2004 |
Robin, That's the humcanceller for the Series II electronics. | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 462 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hi Robin, Thanks for the compliments. They sure did a great job with this one. The neck is separate from the body, but I did ask them to make it as close a match as they could. Thanks Peter and Toby for helping Robin out...I don't check here much...it makes my wallet start hurting, and we're in the process of building a house :-) I do keep peeking at the FTC section to see if Toby's thread is up, though....still waiting! | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 776 Registered: 11-2004 |
You and me both Charles. I have a feeling it will be a relatively quick build. I won't be surprised at all if it's done by the time Mica finds time in her busy schedule to get to creating the FTC. No real fuss.... I think seeing it might make the waiting harder....(but I still check everyday too!) | ||
| bassman68
Junior Username: bassman68 Post Number: 38 Registered: 10-2007 |
That is defineatly the SEXIEST looking Alembic 5 string i've ever had the good fortune of seeing on this site (must type this quietly incase my baby hears of this!). | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 464 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, bassman...surely your baby isn't the jealous type, so long as you love her best! HERE is a link to the East Coast Entertainment webpage that features my band. There are a few little snippets of some cover tunes on there, which sound pretty good through my headphones, but cruddy on my computer speakers. These tunes were recorded live, but with no audience. We went to the Peachtree Tavern on a Sunday and set up everything and just took a stereo recording off the board. They were mixed by Skip Slaughter, who is an amazing engineer and fellow Alembican, so he did the bass right :-) He said he ran it flat except for a little bump in the upper mids. I'm using the D-fly and an F-2B in stereo, then combined into a DI. I'm running the neck filter rolled back to somewhere between 800-1kHz with just a touch of the CVQ, and the bridge filter all the way open. Each channel of the F2B is pretty flat, with a little bass and mid cut on the neck, a little bass boost on the bridge, and treble is boosted slightly on both. I adjust tone mainly by varying the volumes of each pickup, and with my right hand. You can hear the switch from fingers to pick on "Alabama." Hope this is at least somewhat educational. Enjoy! Oh, yeah, I'm using nickel DR strings...either Lo-Riders or Sunbeams...can't remember which. | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 786 Registered: 11-2004 |
Good stuff Charles! There are quite a few tunes there that I didn't hear from the CD. Really nice work on the bass- you and the drummer work really well together. I really like the version of Tupelo Honey and one of my favorite tracks from the CD is still that live version of Jacob Brown and Will the Circle be Unbroken. Skip did the Dragonfly justice in the mix =) I think you should post a link to this in the 'gigs' section. I think more people might stumble across the link in a new thread- it's worth hearing. | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 558 Registered: 11-2005 |
Just posting to consolidate... FTC Thread More Pics Another One Another year gone by with the Dragonfly...seems like I've always been playing this bass now. It is definitely "My" instrument. One thing that I really appreciate is the string spacing. Back in the '90's I played a Modulus 4 nights a week and would have to soak my hands in ice water after a gig for a few minutes or else they hurt like heck the next day. Now when we do a 4 night run I'm feeling no discomfort at all. I've swapped my rig up a bit, too. I'm just using the F2B and a power amp (Superfilter went on the fritz, and now I don't really miss it at the cost of having to lug a 6 space rack). Also I replaced the 2 Bergantinos with Edens. It's a bit more focussed and having 3 of the same cabs stacked looks cooler My band's YouTube Page | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 1080 Registered: 11-2004 |
Good stuff Charles... glad to hear you and the Dragonfly are happy making music. | ||
| pauldo
Advanced Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 223 Registered: 6-2006 |
Keavin really nailed it in a much earlier post. . . . DAMN! That is one sweeeeeeeeeet lookin' bass. (I really dig Whippin' Post from the youtube link) | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 1232 Registered: 6-2002 |
(me too) unredeemed jammer | ||
| wishbass
Advanced Member Username: wishbass Post Number: 232 Registered: 5-2011 |
This bass is so put together! A real beauty too.The attention to detail in the planning and exacution of this bass is very admirable. | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 626 Registered: 11-2005 |
We start at about 1:36... The lead picker is Barry Waldrep, fiddle player Bob Banerjee, singer Paris Luna, and Kane Russell on percussion. This was the biggest show I'd played, considering the internet and TV audiences, and was freaking out on the inside :-) http://www.livestream.com/musiccityroots/video?clipId=pla_ca7955e5-d182-4590-9cb3-6ecea3c85bcf&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 1685 Registered: 6-2002 |
Very nice Chuck. The Dragonfly sounds excellent and the playing is solid! MIke | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3252 Registered: 6-2002 |
Yeah great solid playing and the bass sounds strong in the bottom end. Jazzyvee | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 209 Registered: 3-2009 |
Now that's my dream 5 string! It would go nicely with my 4 string series Distillate! That's baaaad bass you got there! Much Kudos to you Chuck!!!! From Chalie! | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 210 Registered: 3-2009 |
Really nice set! That's a pretty tight band indeed! Of course your Dragonfly sounds superb! | ||
| wishbass
Advanced Member Username: wishbass Post Number: 305 Registered: 5-2011 |
Great tunes, and solid playing... a winning comb. There are so many favorites when it comes to COTM basses, but the Dragonfly and Karma are my top in the balance body shape. I look forward to more sightings! | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 627 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks guys. I just put some D'Addario flatwounds on a few weeks ago and wasn't too sure about them at first, but they have settled in nicely and sound great now. As for the group, that was the first time all of us had played together on the same stage. Barry, the guitar/mandolin/banjo player had played with us all in different projects, and the singer and drummer are actually married and in a band toghether. Bob the fiddle player lives in Pittsburg and the rest of us are in GA or TN, so we got to run over the set with him a couple times in the hotel the night before. He's truly an amazing player and quite possibly the nicest, coolest guy I've ever met. He's all over youtube. Bob Banerjee. Check him out! | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Junior Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 46 Registered: 6-2012 |
First off - great bass. Unique visual concept and wood selection. A very striking combination. Second - the D'Addario flats you used, are they the Chromes? Been thinking about trying the chrome flats. | ||
| crgaston
Senior Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 628 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, 5aqt! Yes they are the Chromes. They are still surprisingly bright, and need a little help in the upper mids on my bass. I had been using DR Sunbeams for a few years, and was really happy with them. I just recently started playing the upright and so kind of decided to try the flats in a quest for sonic symmetry or some such weirdness. I think they are starting to sound really good as they mellow and as my fingers and ears acclimate to them. I would say go for it, but be prepared to be patient. Also, they are SUPER easy on the fingers. | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Junior Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 47 Registered: 6-2012 |
Thanks. I have a custom in the works and will use the Alembic standard strings to start, but when they're shot, I have a hunch that flats will be a good choice for this instrument. Based on your input and some other reviews, Chromes are the front runners at this point. Sorry for the partial thread hijack. | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 1538 Registered: 11-2004 |
Solid stuff, Charles. You are locked in and the fiddle guy can play a bit, can't he? Hope you're well and that the fretboard on the Dragonfly is behaving. Been meaning to shoot you an email to catch up, but you know how that goes. Toby |
