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jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1716
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 12:12 pm:   Edit Post

Well, we were two members short but finally managed to gather together 6 unique alembic basses..
group

we had my three - epic, rogue and MK..

gjs

Mike Pisanek's Europa and Spoiler..

mps

And George's stunning series 1..

georges

We spent a good 3 hours and more discussing and playing these superb instruments. Georges series attracted alot of interest. I spent the afternoon trying to figure a way to smuggle it out..
gj and s1

But george wasn't about to let her go..
geo and s1

Mike brought along his huge 6 string europa for us to try ..
geo and euro

and his unique 6 string spoiler..
spoiler

george had a great time trying out all the basses - here he is with my balance k..
geo an mk

We overran the time allocated but agreed we'd had a great afternoon and we'll be doing it again. Even the beer was good.

men

Graeme
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6427
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 6:00 pm:   Edit Post

Cool!!!

Nice tee-shirts and caps!
And six really nice basses!
And a friendly looking group!

Thanks for the pics Graeme!
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 449
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 1:49 am:   Edit Post

Thanks for posting the pics Graeme.
I had a great day!
I'll never complain about the weight of my bass after playing Mike's Europa. It weighed a ton, and I could feel the muscles in my back starting to tighten after just a couple of minutes with her.
The great thing about the day was being able to try those beautiful instruments for free-especially through Graeme's superb rig.
I loved Graeme's MK 5, it had a great feel and sound although I'm still a sucker for his Epic.
I took along my new Cort fretless to try her out through a good rig, it was surprisingly good, but hopelessly out classed by Graeme's beautiful Rogue. That's how a fretless SHOULD sound!
Pity the other guys didn't make it, it would've been great to try even more basses----maybe next time--once I get major surgry on my back after the "Europa" experience. Couldn't get to grips with the Spoiler though.
I'll try and post some pics
Thanks for a great day guys

George
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 450
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 5:00 am:   Edit Post

More pics!!
The weans on display











(Message edited by davehouck on April 06, 2008)
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 451
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 5:04 am:   Edit Post

Well,
Made a pig's ear of it again!!!
I retouched the pics before resizing them, so they came out crap on the resize but look cool normally.
Don't know why they all appear on one line???
I hate techno stuff.
Anyway, you get the general idea.

George
bigyouth
Member
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 90
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 8:31 am:   Edit Post

Salut Georgie
Magnifique basses et superbe photos!!
a bientot
speicky
Advanced Member
Username: speicky

Post Number: 271
Registered: 3-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 9:00 am:   Edit Post

Wow, I bet you guys had way too much fun !
Thank you, George, for just giving me a general idea, very much more details would have driven me mad with jealousy :-)

Christian
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3032
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 9:42 am:   Edit Post

Looks like you all had a blast. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but ever notice that when two or more Alembic players are put in the same room, we can find interesting things, (at least to us), to talk about for hours and hours? Thanks for the report and pics. When's the next one?

Bill, tgo
keurosix
Advanced Member
Username: keurosix

Post Number: 283
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 4:35 pm:   Edit Post

Ok, so what's the verdict? Is the Series 1 heavier than the Europa 6 string, or vice-versa?
Looks like you guys had a blast!
Kris
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1718
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 1:33 am:   Edit Post

There's the funny thing. I found the series to be incredibly light compared with my basses - maybe on a par with the rogue - but then it is a 4 string. Mikes' Europa is ridiculously heavy but then He's a big guy and can handle it ;-)

It was interesting to hear the differences in the electronics packages but they all had that unmistakable Alembic sound. Mike and I were both blown away by Georges' series - the tone shaping just feels so much 'More' than even the signature gives me. Food for thought although I'm still very happy with my instruments.

Hopefully we'll be able to arrange another one later in the year when Ian and John can make it.

Graeme

Oops. Meant to mention Mike's Spoiler. it's a six string on a four string neck and the spacing appears to be narrower at the bridge than at the nut. I found it impossible to play without using a pick which is how mike plays it at gigs.

(Message edited by jacko on April 07, 2008)
mpisanek
Intermediate Member
Username: mpisanek

Post Number: 175
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 5:52 am:   Edit Post

I guess I'll chime in here as well.

We had a great day! It was great to see all the basses side by side, and to be able to compare the sounds and feel of each one with the others. It is amazing though, I thought that I might be unhappy with the sound of my basses after hearing the Series 1 that George had. What I found is that while I will get a series in the future, I am still very happy with my instruments in their own right. Each bass has its unique sounds and playing characteristics. The fact is that at the end of the day, I loved all the basses.


I said on the day that we are very lucky to have so many Alembic basses in such a small area so far from the mothership.

The one thing that I will say is that I think beer tastes better when there is an Alembic in the room!

Thanks to Graeme for organising the day, and thanks to all for letting everyone try their basses. It was a great day!
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 452
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 8:43 am:   Edit Post

Hi Christian
It was great!!!
And yes Bill, we talked for hours about so many things, and even had a great laugh with some Scottish beer.
I'm very touched that the guys liked my bass, but as she is mine, it's very easy to become somewhat complacant. I PERSONALLY loved Graeme's Rogue (fretless), and his MK5. I also loved Mike's Europa-----whilst much too big and heavy for me, it was a true work of art-as were ALL of Graeme's basses.
The Spoiler, as Graeme has described, was great, but the string spacing was way beyond my control as I don't generally play with a plectrum (pick).
There was also the difference of strings------I saw red ones, blue ones, black ones and even a "normal" silver coloured set that I used!
All in all, I think that the strings can make SUCH a difference to an instrument. My strings were pretty new, and hence sounded quite bright whereas Mike's strings on his Spoiler 6 had been on the guitar for ages. I think he bought them second hand from NOAH.
There is also the question of wood ages. Mike was the first to point out to me that the Maple on my bass was of a much more Yellow colour than the others; which for her age seems quite normal
She has never needed adjustment at all since she was set up by Chris Ward at the Bass Centre in London when I bought her 7 years ago for my 47th birthday as my special treat to me. I assume that this bass was built by Ron and Rick Turner. It is thicker than the newer Alembics, and the circuit board is in the back plate as opposed to being mounted in the "hollow cavity".
As for Graeme's comment on tone shaping---He runs his preamp with basically "flat" settings. Great for what he does live (and I've heard him live) but IMHO crank the pre amp up and you will get so much more from these instruments----after all these are the best that money can buy!!!
All in all, the most beautiful basses were those of Graeme and Mike. I personally think that Graeme's Rogue and MK 5 were stunning. Mike's Europa was overwhelming---I loved it immediately, plus it has the LEDs.
So, it seems that most people want to aspire to a Series bass---I can understand why, but as Graeme and Mike say, EACH bass hass it's own distinctive feel, sound and character. No single one is really better than the others----they may have more "Q", but at the end of the day, it's horses for courses
I REALLY want that Zerbrawood bass that was on E Bay UK . That was amazing
No Series no nothing
The BIZZ!!!

G

Eh Medhi
Merci pour tes paroles!
Passes moi un message quand tu auras un petit peut de temps

JOJO (G)
Prends soins de toi mon pote
white_cloud
Advanced Member
Username: white_cloud

Post Number: 344
Registered: 11-2007
Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 11:29 am:   Edit Post

Im very p****d that I couldnt make this one, I ended up floating off the coast of scotland in a boat instead (its a long story!)

It looked like a great day and I was there in spirit!

:-(Sorry guys:-(

Next time I will ENSURE that I am there:-)

John
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 461
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 12:01 pm:   Edit Post

we were all waiting for you John!?
Ian as well,but alas it ended up just the three of us.
As I've no transport at the moment,you are totally welcome to come over here and play the Series.
It's a good bass but different from the others
I know that it's your favourite bass so come play here!!!

G
so don't get over excited.
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 462
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 12:03 pm:   Edit Post

we were all waiting for you John!?
Ian as well,but alas it ended up just the three of us.
As I've no transport at the moment,you are totally welcome to come over here and play the Series.
It's a good bass but different from the others
I know that it's your favourite bass so come play her!!!

G
so don't get over excited.
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 463
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 12:10 pm:   Edit Post

OOPS!!
Double post---sorry guys

G
pace
Advanced Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 368
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 1:53 pm:   Edit Post

That Spoiler is neat! Is it tuned from E, or B?!?
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1737
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 1:51 am:   Edit Post

It's low B -> C Mike. String spacing is ludicrously tight.

graeme
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 464
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 7:08 am:   Edit Post

I can vouch for that!!!

George
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 768
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 6:14 am:   Edit Post

I've been learning how to play with a pick!!
Really want to try that ol' Spoiler again.....what a great sounding instrument.
Don't know it's year, but it was uber cool

G

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