| Author |
Message |
811952
Advanced Member
Username: 811952
Post Number: 203
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 1:37 pm: |  |
Tomorrow I'm headed up to North Central Ohio for a gig with a big band. I'm taking the Alembic (fairly obvious), a Peavey 210 and probably an ancient custom tube preamp and even more ancient Bogen 200 watt mono tube power amp. I'll be basking in Alembic clarity wrapped in a warm blanket of tube warmth. When I say tube warmth, I mean it too. Those things really heat up a room quickly.. Anyway, I'll try to make a mental note of what I like and don't like about the inexpensive little guy and post it next week...
John |
811952
Advanced Member
Username: 811952
Post Number: 204
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 1:39 pm: | |
impatient fingers yield duplicate posts.... john
(Message edited by 811952 on June 11, 2004) |
frank_orlando
Junior
Username: frank_orlando
Post Number: 42
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 4:00 pm: | |
Well I got to play my 3Pro through an Eden 410XLT 4 ohm cabinet. I rehearsed last night and did a side by side comparison with my present Ampeg set up (410HE/15E) using my 3Pro on both. The Eden has a very clean sound with nice lows. It is a bit more "HiFi" than the stack was. I had the horn up about 25% or I got too much fret click and string noise (DR Hi-Beams). It sounded great with nice piano overtones when I was riffing between songs and breaks. When I played with the whole band though, the sound quality and overtones that made the cabinet fun to play solo were kind of masked by the frequencies coming from the guitars and drums/cymbals. It still cut through but it lost a lot of tone which I don't think is all that unexpected. The band plays loud. At that point it sounded very much like my stack does when the band is cranked. It did have a much nicer bass response on the first 7 frets of the E string than the stack but I was able to EQ that into the stack. Another thing is that the Eden was on the floor and not as high off the ground as the 410HE which sits on the 15, so it wasn't in your face as much. Compared to the Ampeg 410HE alone there was no comparison but then I wouldn't have expected a fair fight there. The 410HE is 8 ohms and only draws 275 watts compared to the 4 ohm Eden pulling 450 watts. Also, the HE sells for about 1/2 of the cost. I think the Eden cabinet is more in the class of the 410HLF or Pro but it is a bit brighter. I have an HLF but there was no room in my Jeep for it so I couldn't compare it to the Eden. I was also told by my friend who works at Guitar Center that he thinks Eden was bought by Washburn.
I am returning this to my friend's home studio. So far my stack is giving me the sound I like best for my ear/music/style/wallet...whatever. I am not done though. I plan to take my bass down to GC and try some SWR stuff. I haven't tried SWR with the Alembics. More to come. Hmmmmm... Now where can I borrow a Goliath lll for a night?
Hey Dave... yes, the Essence was on the forum before. I think when I was showing my Alembic P-Bass Custom a few months back. |
kmh364
Intermediate Member
Username: kmh364
Post Number: 139
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 4:34 pm: | |
Frank,
If you get the chance to try the Eden 410XST or better yet, TWO 210XST's, give that a shot (especially when driven by one of Eden's hybrd heads). The XST's are a step-up from the old XLT's in every way. Regardless, whatever you settle on (even if it's your current rig), Enjoy!
Cheers,
Kevin |
davehouck
Senior Member
Username: davehouck
Post Number: 649
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 8:18 am: | |
Thanks Frank, I found it; it's a very nice Essence.
http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/9677.html?1082970564
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dannobasso
Junior
Username: dannobasso
Post Number: 44
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 10:00 am: | |
Kevin, The hear hear was to agree with you like those in old movies do,pun abouthearing included not the Now See Here which means disagreement. Sorry I was not clear on that. That gig was with a band called XLR8. Total cheese metal but I did use my Spoiler 6 w/ dragon inlay and Bass pedals. Zyrus was also on that bill after me. That place was a time capsule of the 80's. During soundcheck Yngwie did a killer version of Redhouse. I thought it was amazing, other older hair band leftovers stood around with their arms folded with the "I could do that" look. His flange echo effect busted and the crew had to go to Guitar Center in Edison to get a stompbox to replace it. BTW the rig I used on that gig was F1X, Crest LA1200, Trace 210 and SWR Big Ben 18.
Danno |
kmh364
Intermediate Member
Username: kmh364
Post Number: 145
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 12:38 pm: | |
Danno,
My bad for not keeping up on my old movie trivia, LOL! That's awesome you got to open for a living guitar legend (I don't even care if no one else thinks so, I do, LOL!). I wouldn't feel bad about the cheese metal, it's all good and you got payed to do what you love. Who's better than you? You da man! A lot of people rag on Yngwie because of his eccentricities and the neo-classical genre he personifies (did he invent it? he seems to be credited with it), but regardless of anyone else's chops, the guy flat-out rips. I've been a fan since '83 when Mike Varney spotlighted Yngwie in his Guitar Player column entitled "Spotlight". Several months later they gave a freebie 33 1/3 RPM floppy record with "Dark Star" from his then forthcoming "Rising Force" debut album. I was blown away then, as I am now. Now he's older (40), fatter (LOL!) and even more egocentric, but he still amazes with his virtuosity. Hell, I even got die-hard classical snobs to dig Yngwie's classical "Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor, Opus 1".
BTW, Yngwie was in rare form when I saw him that night,. He paraded his wife on stage before he played, her done-up like a cross between a porn star and a princess. Then he duked the guy out for heckling him. He ragged on "pretenders" to his throne like Vinnie Moore and Tony Mac Alpine ("see if BLANK can play like this", said he, in between killer riffs), payed props to Blackmore by a crowd-pleasing riffing of "Highway Star" (Jah, you like Ritchie Blackmore? Me too! LOL!). Yngwie claims he studied everything Blackmore he ever played, but the only similarities I see are the theatrics, ego, costumes and scalloped-fingerboard CBS strats, LOL!. As he was walking off stage (right past me), I told him he was #1 (no, not that salute, LOL!) and I got a high five from the maestro YJM himself. I got all banged up on beer, stunk like a cigarette from the club, was half deaf when I left and had my (now ex) wife pick my bro and myself up from the club as I only lived a mile away and didn't want a DWI. All in all, a great night, LOL! |
dannobasso
Junior
Username: dannobasso
Post Number: 45
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 1:27 pm: | |
Ah yes the lovely Amber Dawn. His child was there as well. I saw Rainbow at the Garden w/Scorpions. The theatrics of Blackmore and his protoge' are extremely close right down to the Taurus pedals. If you pick up Derek Sherinian's last CD, Yngwie, DiMeola, Zakk and Steve Lukather are all on it. I think Tony Franklin is on it as well. Too bad the Birch Hill is closed due to selling drinks to lady minors! I hope Frank finds rig heaven.
Danno |
essencetimestwo
Junior
Username: essencetimestwo
Post Number: 46
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 2:40 pm: | |
It seems like we have a lot of Eden fans in the club. I admit I am one too. I have been using Eden cabs for the last 7 years or so. My first set was a D410T and a D115T. After a while I added a D210XLT for smaller gigs. I power these cabs with an older SWR 350 head. I like the fact that it is simple with few controls. After I got the D210xlt I fell in love with it. I sold the 410 and 115 and bought another D210XLT. My rig now consists of the SWR head and two D210XLT cabs. I love them. Depending on the size of the gig I can bring one or two cabs. My next goal is to upgrade my head to the WT550. I would also love to get a D112XLT for practice purposes. I love the sound of my Alembic through my Eden cabs. |
811952
Advanced Member
Username: 811952
Post Number: 205
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 8:22 am: | |
I did the big band gig with the Peavey 210 and it sounded fine. We started with Piano, Bass, Drums and sax for an hour and a half, and I got a smooth upright-ish tone with Rotosounds and some filter-tweaking (mostly bridge pickup, plucking over the end of the fingerboard). For the big band part of the gig ("Society style, boys.."), I added some 500 Hz for punch and it mixed well with the 8 horns, piano, drums and vocalist. The cabinet is smooth sounding, with no bad habits or annoying peaks/dips in frequency response that I am able to notice. It does have a port on the back, so placement is a bit more critical than some other cabinets. For a swing gig where I'm blending with a jazz orchestra, I think it's a perfectly fine sounding cabinet, and plenty loud. And I think I only paid something like $150 bucks for it used...
John |
willie
Junior
Username: willie
Post Number: 20
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 9:22 am: | |
I used to have 2 Hartke stacks (2 4x10's on top of 2 1x15's with 2 405 tweeter cab's on top), then I tried Eden cab's. Sold all the Hartke stuff. Now I use 2 Eden D410XLT's and they kick @#!%&*. They are powered by an Alembic F-1X with an Alembic SF-2 & DBX 160A Compressor in effects loop than to Crown Power Bass 3 amplifier. For larger shows I can Stack the Eden's on top of 2 1x15 cabinets with JBL E-140 & E145 drivers, use the Bi-Amp outs of the F-1X into 2 Crown Power Bass 3 amplifiers, 1 for the high Xover out to the 2 4x10's & 1 for the low Xover out to the 2 1x15's
Willie |
son_of_magni
Member
Username: son_of_magni
Post Number: 55
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 10:26 am: | |
I use a SWR Goliath II (4x10 and horn) and a Carvin 1x18. Bi-amped from a Hartke 7000 (350w x 2). My MK 6-string fretless plugs into an ART TPS II tube preamp then through a TSR3 tube spring reverb.
I'm thinking of trading the Hartke for a Mesa Bass 400+, but then I wouldn't be able to bi-amp :-( |
davehouck
Senior Member
Username: davehouck
Post Number: 655
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 11:02 am: | |
SoM; what do you think of the TSR3? They appear to be rare and it looks like the company doesn't make them anymore. |
son_of_magni
Member
Username: son_of_magni
Post Number: 57
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 4:21 pm: | |
Dave, I really like the TSR3. According to HDB audio, it hasn't been imported to the states for at least a couple of years, but there might be some old stock around. I don't know if they are still making them for sale in europe. It's a nice quiet tube-based box with, as the name implies, a tripple spring reverb unit. Plus the cool level meter. I'm sure my brother would tell you that his Matchless is a better reverb, but for the price and being rackmount the TSR is perfect for me. |
frank_orlando
Junior
Username: frank_orlando
Post Number: 43
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 5:29 pm: | |
I think my quest for ever-improving tone is over ...for now. As I mentioned, I had the luxury of trying an Eden 410XLT with my 3Pro on Thursday night. Well, Saturday I dragged my Alembic (the Fender P-Bass-looking one)to Guitar Center in Carle Place, Long Island (NY) and I spent several hours playing an SWR Goliath III with an SWR SM-500 and then a 350X. They sounded very nice...pricy, but very, very nice. I dialed in some really nice tones with tons of bottom, punch and crisp highs, mainly with the SM-500. Now, here is the important lesson I learned. Had I left to go home just then, I would have thought that the SWR rig had a better sound for my ears, and all my Ampeg stuff would be on eBay right now. BUT...after I satisfied myself that I had dialed in the best SWR sound for my ears, I went a few feet over to the Ampeg demo rack, you know, the one that lets you dial in different heads and cabinets with the twist of a dial. I dialed in a 3Pro and a 410HLF. I adjusted the 3Pro to my usual settings and set the HLF horn up to about 25%. I am so glad I took this extra step. The Ampeg sounded even better! With that I A/B'd the SWR and Ampeg a few more times with the same outcome... I like the Ampeg sound. Also, I have been A/B-ing the HLF against my 410HE+15E stack for a while and like my stack best, soooo... it turns out I had the sound I like best all along. Thanks for all the info. I would not have tried the Eden or the SWR had it not been for your posts. |
frank_orlando
Junior
Username: frank_orlando
Post Number: 44
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 6:06 pm: | |
Hup!! I got into the site... very nice. I'll leave a review. |
hup
Junior
Username: hup
Post Number: 19
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 7:51 pm: | |
hey Frank, thanks for the review hope you enjoy, hope you liked the others as well, we wrote another new one on saturday and i think its cool, will you be posting any of your stuff on the site ? if you do let me know and i'll check it out. i see you are stickin with the ampeg for the moment, good to see cheers Hup |
al_young
New
Username: al_young
Post Number: 5
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 9:33 pm: | |
I have to weigh in for SWR and Eden. I have both a Goliath III and 410XLT. The problem is I can't decide which I like better. I was using the Goliath III with the SM-900 and got a really nice sound, although I ran both cabinets for a while. Sounded great just too loud. Settled on the SM-900 and Goliath. Until the SM-900 started acting up. They run really hot and I put a fan in my rack and got some dirt in the Stereo/Mono switch. Went back to the Eden with a WT-800. That worked well until the WT-800 screwed up again. That's why I got the SM-900 in the first place. After all that I got an Ampeg SVT4Pro and I love it. Seems to have more midrange punch. It's not as sweet sounding, but it cuts through better on stage. Wish I would have bought it first. I am running it the the Eden 410 XLT. Our sound guy said the 410 XLT sounded better than the Goliath III. But I just got a new Mark King and I'll probably do some more experimenting. |
frank_orlando
Junior
Username: frank_orlando
Post Number: 45
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 3:30 am: | |
Hup, check us out here...
www.cdbaby.com/mediacrime
You can preview the whole CD free. Only thing is that I joined after the CD was made so that is not me playing... or an Alembic.
Check out our web site for pix... www.mediacrime.com
Frank |
hup
Junior
Username: hup
Post Number: 20
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 3:50 pm: | |
Hey Frank, i've already checked out your web site, so now i will check out cd baby, i cant wait to here some recordings with the mighty ALEMBIC.. keep on keepin
Hup
White Iris
"ALEMBICISE THE WORLD"
|
dnburgess
Advanced Member
Username: dnburgess
Post Number: 285
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 12:25 am: | |
I liked Acme speakers so much I set up a business to import them (which lead to me becoming Alembic's Australian distributor).
I have done many demos with Acme - often A/B'ing them to a customer's current setup (including some of the other speakers mentioned in this thread). So far I'm yet to hear better bottom end or flatter response. The Acme's really complement Alembic basses well. Sometimes you get more than you pay for. |
rami
Advanced Member
Username: rami
Post Number: 354
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 6:15 am: | |
I don't know how many of you guys are familiar with Alain Caron, but he's my favorite (living) Bassist - after Jaco, of course. He's got this AMAZING tone from his 6 string fretless. He plays through Eden cabs. I've seen him on several occasions in clubs bring the house down with nothing more than an Eden 210 cab. It's got the range to reach all the way down and the brilliance of the highest notes on a 6 (or even a 7) string.
Awesome Bass player and awesome cabinet.
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