Author |
Message |
jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee
Post Number: 1026 Registered: 6-2002
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 1:34 am: | |
http://www.unicornbass.se/eng/htm/news.htm There is more than a passing resemblence to Alembics and Jaydee's in these designs. Seems like an attempt to combine the best of both companies. Hmm Jazzyvee |
white_cloud
Intermediate Member Username: white_cloud
Post Number: 104 Registered: 11-2007
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 3:15 am: | |
Just checked out the unicorn bass web site, they look and sound fantastic..but certainly dont come cheap! I agree with you Jazzyvee, a definite Alembic look about this bass. Would much rather have an Alembic MK though p.s. I have just checked out the L42 web forum where the Unicorn bass is criticised for ripping the Jaydee design off! One of the guys who build the Unicorn ( Martin Olson ) actually replies as he's a member of the forum and has a real go! Good stuff! (Message edited by white cloud on December 11, 2007) |
jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko
Post Number: 1518 Registered: 10-2002
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 5:21 am: | |
From the level42 website news.. "There are 20 dates planned for a UK tour in October, dates and tickets will go on sale in January". If it's as good as last year I'll be there. Graeme |
palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic
Post Number: 2593 Registered: 9-2002
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 7:27 am: | |
Mmmmm ....Jazzy I would even say more: it's a crossbreeding between Alembic, Jaydee AND the original (old) Statuses. And (ahem) also Status is coming with something "new" if you go and see here: http://www.status-graphite.com/status/carts3/frames/frame3.htm and click through to the redesigned T-bass! See what solution they invented to solve the hum-problem on single coil basses! O yeah!!!!! Paul the bad one |
bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee
Post Number: 1844 Registered: 3-2004
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 12:22 pm: | |
I may be wrong, but I have a suspicion that some of the big name guys who have moved away from Alembic over the years did so to get paid. Maybe he's looking for the best of both worlds? |
811952
Senior Member Username: 811952
Post Number: 1259 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 1:42 pm: | |
I suspect that he's a big-enough name that any instrument he touches has been setup and tweaked to the Nth degree and is virtually flawless. I doubt there is much perceptable difference between any of his basses from a playability standpoint, except for the circuitry. As someone mentioned some time ago about Mark, he seems to be reinventing the same instrument all over again, again.. :0 John (Message edited by 811952 on December 11, 2007) |
white_cloud
Intermediate Member Username: white_cloud
Post Number: 107 Registered: 11-2007
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 1:27 am: | |
Mark is certainly a player who seems to like moving from axe to axe! Its perhaps not such a strange thing. As such a high profile player he is probably bombarded with offers from many luthiers. It must be like being a child in a toy shop to be in that position! I noticed that the Unicorn bass that is presented to MK is 32 inch medium scale, is it normal for Mark to play medium scale basses? I honestly didnt realise that he did if this is the case! (Message edited by white cloud on December 12, 2007) |
bigbadbill
Senior Member Username: bigbadbill
Post Number: 410 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 5:28 am: | |
Mark King originally played 34" scale instruments; his first 2 Alembics were 34" scale. He then had 2 built with 32" scales, and he transferred that over to the Status Kingbass; the Kingbass Artist model is a 32" scale, so yes, he's been playing 32" scales for several years now. From the interviews I've read with Mark it appears that for a while a least he got fed up of playing big-bodied basses (he's not the biggest guy, maybe 5'8" or so?); I imagine the typical Alembic Series weight can be an issue after 2 hrs on stage. He also says he's a plug-in-and-play type of guy, and doesn't like fiddling with his electronics too much. But he has also stated that whenever he's given another bass to play (providing it's set up right I assume!) he automatically thinks "wow, that's great!!!", maybe just because it's different. I'm sure if people were throwing exotic basses at me I'd be catching as many as possible. But I know what it's like, because I go through phases with instruments; I usually cycle through my basses every other month, rediscovering them and then getting fed up with them and then rediscovering them again. |
hodge
Junior Username: hodge
Post Number: 20 Registered: 11-2002
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 2:54 pm: | |
does anyone remember a saying about imitation and flattery? |
adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan
Post Number: 1723 Registered: 6-2002
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 12:52 am: | |
You are referring of course to Oscar Wilde's take on the classical concept of emulation? |
terryc
Advanced Member Username: terryc
Post Number: 391 Registered: 11-2004
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 1:54 am: | |
Nice bass, definitely looks like a hybrid Alembic/Jaydee design but then again is there any designs left in the world(except wacky outrageous ones!!) to use apart from the classic 'guitar' shape. bet it sounds as good as it looks |
edwin
Advanced Member Username: edwin
Post Number: 251 Registered: 5-2002
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 12:33 pm: | |
Looks pretty nice. I would imagine that Mark is like the rest of us. It's always fun to check out new things. One thing I found odd is that there is a "slew rate" spec given as 23v. I though that the slew rate spec was a voltage for a given amount of time. Maybe the time is taken for granted in the spec, but it sounds more like they mean peak to peak voltage. I don't think that there is a lot of variation in the slew rate of modern internal bass preamps. Most are pretty damn quick. Edwin |