jazzyvee

4 hours ago, jacko said:

I only play Alembics and look down on the rest of you mere mortals. Does that count as snobbery? 

Yes it does if you are already a snob. But if not, then playing an alembic is not a sign of snobbery just a sign of different taste in basses. 🤣

Play on my alembic buddy. 🙂

On 08/06/2022 at 07:04, Richard R said:

Very nice indeed. Did you bring that to the Midlands Bass Bash a few years back?

Yes actually i did bring it along and nervously let some of the attendees play it. I didn't know how to operate it back then, but i have gigged a few times with it since. Out of interest, is there another one  happening this year?

I think guitars and basses are objects of art as well as musical instruments. 

On 27/05/2022 at 00:03, gjones said:

I bought a double bass about 4 years ago, as I felt I should learn to play one. It's spent most of it's time in the corner of my living room (which is the only place I have room for it) where it looks great.

 

When people come into the house the first thing they do is mention the DB, it's become a conversation starter.

 

Every home should have one.

 

I too bought an EUB in the 2018 to learn to play double bass, and whilst putting it in the corner of the room was a practical place for me to keep it and practice, It also looks good as an item of decoration. 

I don't think it was something i had ever considered as a requirement any more than set neck vs bolt-on vs neck through.
Just happens that I bought a really good neck through and just stayed with what I know. I  have bought a Vietnamese minor brand bolt-on that I use for jam sessions or practicing if i'm away from home.

The access to the upper end of the fretboard is better with the neck through but to be honest i spend minimal time up that end to really say it's an issue. Also the sustain is not something I have found lacking in any bass I have owned. 

My bass has a 30.75" scale length and for about a year i had been trying to get used to nickel strings, however i have had to resign myself to not using them because ny finger tios don't seem to get on with them. I don't understand why but after playing my fingers feel like they did when i first started playing bass. Anyway at the weekend i changed my strings to some dunlop superbrights which i like the sound off and have a bit less tension and the right amount of resistance when bending strings. However, when bending i now find the strings roll on the frets causing my fingers to slip sometimes. Any tips?. It didn't happen with the thicker strings which had more tension. My fave strings are D'addario pro steels but i just wanted to try dunlops for a change. 

19 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Any excuse to post a pic 😂

 

I love Orions, beautiful, and i know it sounds even better than it looks. 👍🏾

17 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Alembic Orion, though I'm going to build something which I reckon will be even more of what I want.

I had to look up that Orion..... Sweet and with a classic crown headstock too. 👍🏾

42 minutes ago, Captain Bassman said:

One from Chic…

 

Everybody dance to the loo

Cr*p your pants, cr*p your pants

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I just hope Nile Rogers is not a member of this forum.

2 minutes ago, ubit said:

When I was a kid I always used to hear Suzi Quatro on the radio and tv singing Devil Gate Drive. I thought it was Dimbleby Drive.

Same here!

I have the same issue as the OP, though i think it happens more when tuning on a loud stage during sound check rather than at home.  i have gone back to tuning using the 12th fret harmonics much more stable. 

My one cab solution would be a Big Twin II. Lightweight, great sounding and extremely powerful when you need it to be.]

10 hours ago, Bunion said:

I take it you didn’t get on the list this year? 😳

 

 

 

 

just teasing you 😂🤣

I completely agree about the lists 

No offence taken at all. 👍🏾😂

Any polls regarding musicians, singers, bands as being the greatest of all time or even their generation, genre…. Etc, are a complete waste of time and have no merit. 
There, i said it now where’s my coat. 

Nope, i have always had a day job and if I had ever got to the point where I was getting enough gigs to do that and keep my bills paid. I think I would have enjoyed it but, apart from my regular band, I only get sporadic dep gigs or studio calls. 

That said, whilst on my day job I have managed to take time out to do quite a bit of touring with a couple of bands in Europe, USA/Canada, a Caribbean cruise and a festival in Singapore. However none of them paid me enough to cover what I was earning in my day job but I did them because I love gigging and getting to tour abroad was an opportunity not to be missed. 

On 26/05/2020 at 01:38, Kev said:

Does the same apply if I send my own topwoods? 

That has been done. 

Yes, Stanley Clarke was the impetus for saving up for an alembic. Up till that time, (2002), i didn't fully appreciate the difference between the signature model and his series I bass, i just went with the body styling and how it sounded in the shop. I eventually got a series I short scale bass. Nowadays, a bass used by another bass player wouldn't influence me to buy into it as i get all the sounds i want from my alembics.

8 hours ago, three said:

What 

 

What a thing to happen to a gorgeous Alembic though it seems to be a common situation

I'd still like to see an old picture if possible. 👍🏾

Not a chance. I have a beater bass that I take to jam sessions and have on occasions let others use there but would not let someone take it away on a gig.

11 hours ago, three said:

Beautiful - if you're looking to re-fin the pickups and add new gold logos, drop me a PM - I had some logos made by a very high-end model shop (horrendously expensive but an unbelievably good job).  I've also been through the process of applying them to several pickups and refinishing the surface of the latter.  A painstaking process but the results are very good (IMO).  I was going to offer the transfers on the Alembic site (with Mica's permission, of course) but she didn't get back.

Thanks for your offer, though i am not sure that I want to keep the logo's at all since the neck ones are virtually worn off and also gold which doesn't seem to fit the aesthetic of maple and chrome. But I will have a think about it.

I posted this on the alembic site and mica indicated she might have some old vintage look cream pickups that may go with this bass so i just need to get an email fired off to find out what may be available and at what price. No idea if they have the alembic name moulded, transfers or plain. I do recall they had some cream pickups with splashed paint on called "Clown's Vomit' which might be a nice contrast. :-)

If i am looking for a bass, the tone wood claims or counter claims would not influence my choice. if i liked the sound and it felt good to play and i liked the look of it. that's it. The reality for me is that i only have two basses that i tried before purchase and the others i bought on line and they sound great. The reasons they sound different is a combination of far too many things for me to be able to isolate and properties of the construction woods. YMMV

I have wanted to give my alembic a facelift for ages and when i saw Cosmo Valdemar's bass at Jaydee being prepped for respray, it gave me the confidence to get mine refinished from see through purple to clear finish, had a refret and new knobs. And it now looks brand new except the pickups. I will be looking for some way to make them look new.

I tried one of these out a few years back in a trip to Brighton and to me it was the best sounding fender i've ever played. If I was to go down the fender/FSO bass route that would be the first one i would seek out to try again.

All the best with the sale.

On 04/05/2022 at 07:05, JJTee said:

Phil Jones Bighead (HA-1) Mobile Bass Amp. Absolutely brilliant. There’s a mk 2 which is a bit fancier but I couldn’t be happier with the cheaper version.  Plug my iPhone in, headphones and bass. Couldn’t be happier. Fantastic sound quality.

https://philjonesbass.net/cms/index.php/product-ha-1/

i seem to have problems with all the headphone practice amps over the years. I have the Big Head but firstly the battery stopped holding it's charge so then i used the usb socket to play direct from a usb power pack and now the micro usb connector socket has come loose inside so that only works intermittently but the quality of the sound is impressive. So recently I have started using my Stanley Clarke Acoustic preamp as  headphone amp and again the sound quality is superb.

I have a couple of options. My main one is a Rack with alembic preamps and a crown xls1502 or Synq 1K0 power amp that I use with the BTII or when using multiple cabs. I also have a Mesa boogie walkabout head that I tend to use with my BBII for a small rig.

On 21/11/2021 at 20:41, NickA said:

Ooph. Cheap.  These are so accurate and powerful, I use one in a test lab.

 

Mono bridge both channels into 4ohm and get 3.1kW ( yes KILO watts ) of power.  It will even drive 1 Ohm with care.

 

Tempted to buy a spare.

 

3102 tho, surely.

3KW should keep my coffee warm for the interval. 🙂

I sold my PLX 2402 due to the weight in a full 6U rack, but I do miss the sound.