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Archive through March 18, 2008bassman1009630 3-18-08  2:12 pm
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mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5203
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 2:50 pm:   Edit Post

Last thing: waiting for the gold plated hardware to come back. Other than that, the bass is done.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1099
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 7:18 pm:   Edit Post

Can't wait. Must regain patience...
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5260
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 12:37 pm:   Edit Post

Finishing touches:
setup

Tailpiece is ready to fly onto bass:
tailpiece
Nice goldplating!

Should be out of setup today or tomorrow. I'll finish up documentary photos and testing so that we can ship on Monday. Will contact you before then to review shipping details.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1109
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 2:46 pm:   Edit Post

Yow. From what I can see it's beeoooooteeeful! I can't wait. Thanks Mica!
artswork99
Advanced Member
Username: artswork99

Post Number: 318
Registered: 7-2007
Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 5:37 pm:   Edit Post

Go Bill!!!
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 702
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 6:22 pm:   Edit Post

I love the look of the brown basses with no accent laminates- just Walnut on Myrtle.

Really nice looking bass Bill!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1110
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008 - 5:05 am:   Edit Post

Yeah, I'm pleased you see that too, Toby. The understatement of just the walnut and myrtle, finished in oil, but dressed up with gold hardware was pretty much what I wanted. I love the hippie sandwich under a gloss finish, but I really wanted a more retro-Alembic look for this bass. Looks like that's how it's working out. Plus, frankly, an understated look will carry me through more of the places and people I play with than a "movie star" bass (surprising how easy it is to upstage a Strat, huh?). But, sort of stealthy, too, I hope. You know, super powers in a mild mannered guise (LOL).

I can't wait. I've got a couple of basses at home who've been working on their resumes when they think I'm not looking...

Bill (the other one)
82daion
Intermediate Member
Username: 82daion

Post Number: 142
Registered: 5-2005
Posted on Friday, April 11, 2008 - 12:10 am:   Edit Post

That's looking great, Bill-I love the vibe it throws off.

I can't wait to see it completed!
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5269
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 6:15 pm:   Edit Post

Here's a 100% completed shot:
done

Enjoy!
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6464
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 8:54 pm:   Edit Post

Great picture! I like how the top seems to bring all of the elements of the completed bass together.
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 714
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 10:28 pm:   Edit Post

It came out really nice- enjoy it Bill!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1112
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 11:21 am:   Edit Post

Holy cow - it's beautiful!

Mica: Contact me about shipping. I will be away next Mon and Tues, so we should coordinate.

Thanks
Bill
artswork99
Advanced Member
Username: artswork99

Post Number: 334
Registered: 7-2007
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 11:27 am:   Edit Post

Bill,
Congratulations! It is really a beautiful bass. Play it Healthy!
Art
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1113
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 4:31 am:   Edit Post

More later.
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 718
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 5:36 pm:   Edit Post

I think that look pretty much says it all.

Good stuff.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1114
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 8:30 pm:   Edit Post

Yeah. We're busy making friends. Thanks
guitarbeau
Member
Username: guitarbeau

Post Number: 80
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 4:10 pm:   Edit Post

Congratulations Bill. That Brown is a beauty.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1115
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 8:16 pm:   Edit Post

Finally quit playing long enough to take a couple of pix. I am just marvelling at how well the fingerboard dimensions (a combination of standard and custom), vintage sized frets, scale fit me. I've never played a bass that felt this much like it was tailored to fit.



(Message edited by bassman10096 on April 18, 2008)
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6471
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 8:52 pm:   Edit Post

Nice pics! I like the effect the top has in the top left picture.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1116
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 3:43 am:   Edit Post

Thanks, Dave. I'm going to have to get some non-flash pix in natural light - the flame is much more pronounced than these pictures show. Mica told me the top and back had been sitting in a pile for years, probably because they looked plain. Ironic.
rraymond
Advanced Member
Username: rraymond

Post Number: 324
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 10:30 am:   Edit Post

Congratulations Bill. That's a beautiful bass with an amazing grain pattern. Enjoy!
3rd_ray
Junior
Username: 3rd_ray

Post Number: 22
Registered: 2-2008
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 1:25 pm:   Edit Post

Very nice! I like the myrtle core, it goes great with the other woods. Makes me want to get one, very tempting!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1117
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 3:38 pm:   Edit Post

The myrtle was the biggest surprise. It's got a lot of wild grain, coloring and burls.
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 468
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 3:51 am:   Edit Post

Beautiful bass Bill!!
Does it sound like Stanley's brown bass??
Albeit different amps/settings can change the sound dramatically--still you have what looks like a SF2, so that should make it sound like any bass you want.
Enjoy her----------she's the bizz

George
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1118
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 7:39 am:   Edit Post

Thanks George: I don't play enough like Stanley (not even remotely) to say for certain, but the bass has much of the tone capability of a Series bass (this I can say from experience) given separate filters and Q switches for each channel. Suffice it to say I've found a lot of sounds I like that really fit what I play.

The really cool things about it are the feel (very comfortable, easy to reach the whole neck, vintage Fender-sized frets) and the clarity of every note. The latter has been a characteristic of every Alembic I've played and is a mixed blessing -- On one hand, this clarity begs me to articulate more of the details I often think, but don't play (because who'd be able to hear them)...But, mistakes get heard - including little parts of grooves I never realized were not harmonically correct (Ouch).

I'm loving it.

Bill (the other one)
dadabass2001
Senior Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 881
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 7:46 am:   Edit Post

Congrats again, Bill
A beatiful bass once again. I'm a real sucker for walnut, so I'm jealous as heck. A brown bass is somewhere in my future.
:-)
Mike
jalevinemd
Senior Member
Username: jalevinemd

Post Number: 637
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 6:00 pm:   Edit Post

Bill,

Another very tasty wood combination. Such a classic looking Alembic. Congrats.
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1119
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 5:09 am:   Edit Post

The wood choice was Mica's alone. She outdid herself. I'm stunned and can't thank Mica, Susan and the Alembic folks enough for this bass.

Bill (the other one)

(Message edited by bassman10096 on April 21, 2008)
bkbass
Intermediate Member
Username: bkbass

Post Number: 165
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 8:30 am:   Edit Post

Hey Bill, how do you like the 2460 cab? I love my Alembics through a lot of different cabs but the 2460 really allows the nuances to shine through. Hooked up to an IFRA sub as well?
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1120
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 12:03 am:   Edit Post

I've been using the Dr Bass 2460 for about 3 years now and haven't looked back yet. It's a super-rugged, high powered cab that handles a broad spectrum of frequencies without undue coloration. Paired with the ELF sub, you get very clean, present lows and ultra lows - kinda what I was always looking for when I put a 115 under a cab full of 10s (only much better). The hoot about the ELF/INFRA technology is that it's not heavy (118 is about 60 lb), is smaller than conventional subs, and is pretty easy to run. It does require a dedicated power amp channel to run the rackmount integrator, but the 18 only takes about 450 watts to run.
bkbass
Intermediate Member
Username: bkbass

Post Number: 167
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 9:43 am:   Edit Post

Thanks Bill, I also have some BAG End cabs. Dr. Bass has out some new subs as well. I also use a single 18" Dr.Bass with my 2460. I have a custom 3-way single 12"/ 2x10" stereo cab with the 10's for the lows. Most recently my favorite setup is a single 1260 with a 12LF underneath it. Well... it's just silly great. So much clear articulate sound out of something so small and portable.
mele_aloha
Advanced Member
Username: mele_aloha

Post Number: 351
Registered: 1-2007
Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 12:08 am:   Edit Post

Oh Geeze Bill!

I don't have time to type much right now but all I can say is-Oh MY God! Just Beautiful-Everything!, the BASS!, the pics-everything!!!!Man, awesome. I wish I had one, that's all I can say right now!!! WOWWWWW, Paul
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1124
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 11:22 am:   Edit Post

First rehearsal with the new baby last night. I almost forgot how solidly Alembics sit in the mix; how each note sounds distinctly, with even harmonics and volume, across the range, etc - the stuff all Alembic owners enjoy- the ease of play, no straining to get notes out, freeing attention to what you are going to play - not how you are going to manage to play it. But the warmth and punch of the "brown woods" (mahogany and myrtle) and the short scale blew my bandmates and I away. Woof!

I have to say my rig sounds better than ever before. This is really the sound I've always wanted. The ELF sub brings out the lows cleanly and deeply. In many respects, the sound is reminiscent of Phil's Osage bass.

I am a happy camper.

Bill (the other one)
artswork99
Advanced Member
Username: artswork99

Post Number: 349
Registered: 7-2007
Posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 11:33 am:   Edit Post

Nice!
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6528
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 11:35 am:   Edit Post

Happy Camping!
fluke
Junior
Username: fluke

Post Number: 14
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 3:58 pm:   Edit Post

Hey Bill,Thanks for the comments on my Bass.Just wondering,hows yours.Looks cool,been watching it built and all.I've just been wrapped up in it,y'know.Hows the scale and how does it play,sitting.Er,feel I guess. Mike
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1135
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 5:54 pm:   Edit Post

Hey Mike: I just played it out Friday for the first time. It was an outdoor gig, so I brought a 212 and a Bag End ELF 118. I'm using an Ampeg SVP-CL pre through an SF-2 then a QSC PLX2402. It was clearer, more even and warmer than anything I've ever played - even with the great out of doors eating the sound up. The deep swells were so easy to play I couldn't believe it. I've played a lot of gear, but this beats it all.

I find the bass handles really comfortably standing and sitting. The body would be awkward on my thigh except that the small standard is small (smaller than it looked to me before I held one). It is well proportioned in just about every way. I tend to like short scales, but I especially like the way the traditional Alembic shapes have the bridge shifted up from the bass's butt. That makes the neck stick out a bit further - so you get the short scale fretting but you extend your arm more like a typical, "bridge near the butt" medium or long scale (actually in between the two). I find that preferable because shorties like EBOs kind of force my wrist into an awkward position on the upper frets (I guess my gut gets in the way too...).

Your bass is a stunner. I guess it won't be long before you get it into your hands. Be patient. It'll get there soon.
Bill (the other one)
fluke
Junior
Username: fluke

Post Number: 18
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 4:07 pm:   Edit Post

Hey ,Bill....What's up...?Me OH,....still... being...patient....7...,8..,9...,10,11,12..'09?Things movvvviiiinnggg along real long........DDDDDDDDDDDaaaaamnnnnn.........

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