jazzyvee

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1396275635' post='2411674'] A lot of of the lower priced Alembics have a bass and treble boost and cut preamp rather than a filter-based one, but the still sound like Alembics. To my sensibilities, the biggest issue with Alembics is their playability. In many ways, they are their own worst enemy in that, particularly with the more expensive models, the ergonomics can be a problem. With the classic Alembic body shapes, especially with a 34 inch scale bass, neck dive and overall playing comfort are a big issues for me. Some of the more modern designs ( and some of the less expensive models) are far better in those respects. Even though nothing can match the full-on sound of the Series 1 and 2 Alembics, it's pretty remarkable how much the more basic models still have of that wide bandwidth , full frequency spectrum Alembic sound . And yes, they will sound good with loud guitars and drums, unlike a lot of fancy exotic wood basses. [/quote] You are correct, i went to the one of the annual alembic gatherings in 2012 in California and had a chance to try out most of the basses in their range, and the large body classic basses are quite heavy and whilst I'm 5'11" it was still a stretch to comfortably play at the first fret and reaching the tuners is still more of a stretch. Some owners go for a medium scale bass in that body style and specify lightweight tuners which does help the balance and and stretch. The short scale basses also have a tendency to neck dive and lean forward from the top of the bass but I've had mine for 12 years now and have got used to this and hardly notice. The ones I've tried that balance the best are the Elan, Europa, Orion and rogue body shapes. Jazzyvee

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1396210973' post='2411075'] yeah it seems so my friend. well I've always had a thing for Chaka. she's a beautiful woman. the song is from the Rufus FT Chaka Khan album 'Camouflage'. [/quote] I'm with you on that Bubinga5, i just love Chaka, I remember seeing her on tv in the 70's I think it was on The Tube but I was mesmerised by her voice and since then she has always been my number one vocalist. The fact that she is also extremely stunning is a benefit. Jazzyvee

As for the price. Nobody walks into a rolls Royce dealer looking for a new roller and says, "oh your cars are too expensive, I can get a Mercedes for a fraction of the cost". If what you want is a new roller then get one, if you can't afford a new one or don't want to pay new prices then get a used one when you find one in your budget. If you don't like rollers, the price won't matter even if it's cheap, buy a different car you like. There are cars for everyone and in everyone's budget. Alembic have been making basses since the early 70's and they have always been premium priced. They are still in business making and selling instruments. So clearly they are getting something right including their pricing strategy. Jazzyvee

There is a guy on the alembic forum called fc_spoiler who uses alembic spoilers and élan basses in his Metallica tribute band called damaged justice so I think that should give you confidence about the suitability of these basses for rock music. http://www.metallicabb.com/index.php?showtopic=156145 There is also an alembic Facebook group if you want to feed your healthy obsession. Jazzyvee

The lower end of the alembic range is still high end bass territory. In the lower price range the élan, which is not a current production model but you can still order one to be made, in particular is a phenomenal bass. I have a 1989 Elan 4 string bass with all maple body, top and neck, 2x p-style pickups, volume, pan, 1 low pass filter, 1 q-switch and bass & treble boost/flat/cut switches and it plays like a dream and sounds incredible. The thing that really works with this combination is that it has amazing clarity and punch, balances perfectly and the neck is a dream to negotiate. I bought it in 2007 and since then have gigged with it playing calypso, soul, rnb, funk, reggae, rock and folk music and the bass is at home in all those genres. A standard Elan does not have the bass and treble boost and cut switches. If you have a decent bass rig it will easily tame a loud guitarist as the maple helps it cut through. I have been gigging exclusively with alembic basses now since 2003 and the only problems I've had is when I get a backline bass rig that is unable to give me a decent sound. The filters require a bit of thinking to make the most of them as they are not as instinctive at first as bass and treble controls but they can be much more flexible in shaping the tone from your bass. You will find though that alembics are not for everyone and some have bought them and found them not to their liking and quickly sold on. Others have sold and regretted it then spent years trying to track down their old bass on the used market. With alembic you need to speak to the converted as many bass players are negative about them without ever having played one or merely dis-count them because of price. In recent months there have been more of the cheaper models on ebay than I have seen in years especially the Epic. if you really want to find out all about them and exercise your obsession with like minded people, the best place I have found is the alembic forum on their web site. www.alembic.com I don't have a video of mine but here is a well recorded bass that is similar to mine. [url="http://samroderick.com/2011/08/15/1990elan/"]http://samroderick.c...08/15/1990elan/[/url] A spoiler [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&v=rVB7ntr4ptA"]http://www.youtube.c...B&v=rVB7ntr4ptA[/url] Epic [url="http://youtu.be/PIcuqDaMQWI"]http://youtu.be/PIcuqDaMQWI[/url] Jazzyvee

I'm really lusting after an alembic short scale Series I or II bass. It's the bass I've always had my heart on since the early 80's. I have only crossed over from guitar onto bass as my main instrument properly in the last few years so I can look into satisfying that desire. Jazzyvee

Wow, I don't think I've heard of this band before, just checking out their stuff on you tube. Jazzyvee

After playing so many festivals and outdoor gigs in the 90's, experience has taught me that the most useful, unusual thing to take to a gig is bog roll. Even these days it is shocking the number of venues you play at where this simple item is missing. There is always a squashed flat roll in my gig bag and i've lost count on the number of people who have been saved with that secret stash. Jazzyvee

Thanks looks a good starting point.

Anyone know where I can get a wiring diagram or a set of electronics for a SSH set of lace gold pickups? I have only been able to fined SSS diagrams on-line. Jazzyvee

[quote name='Alien' timestamp='1194957388' post='87826'] One of my basses has a switch on it that's not wired to anything (never got round to it), but most people believe they can hear a difference when I flick it to a different position! Andy [/quote] Snap I had the same thing on one of my basses I just used to tell people that I had no idea what it specifically does but it is supposed to sweeten the sound. I don't have it on the bass anymore.

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1395085049' post='2398525'] I have a couple of minor issue with my PJB Briefcase combo that are starting to get to the 'must do something about this' stage. Firstly, the compressor/limiter is becoming 'noisy' with an audible 'click' when the LED illuminates. Secondly, and this is a bit of a strange one, it makes a farting sound when you switch it off. If you switch off using the front power switch, it makes this sound (like a capacitor discharging through the speakers) but if you turn it off at the wall, it doesn't make this sound? Any clues or is it time for trip to see PJB's recommended amp service centre (hang on, is there an amp service centre in the UK?). [/quote] I don't have a problem with the compressor it is in fact much better than anything I've used in-line with the bass. The farting sound is something I have but since it doesn't give me any problems in use, i haven't done anything about it. What does happen to mine is that sometimes when I'm using the amp the sound suddenly disappears and the light on the front goes red. I contacted PJB and they said it was something to do with the inconsistent nature of the mains to the amp. I'm not convinced. I need to contact synergy as i accidentally broke off the sliders on the graphic when it got caught on something in the back of the car. :-( Jazzyvee

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1395215638' post='2399737'] The occasions where I don't use my own rig are things like festivals where there is a hired rig, or multi-band lineups where another band is supplying the rig (a large proportion of our gigs are multi-band jobs) It's not a matter of my rig not being portable, but swapping rigs seems so much hassle in terms of stage space, extra time, and soundguy disapproval. [/quote] + 1 Even in the situations where there is a rig, it usually isn't something I find I like the sound of so I tend to bring my pre-amp and take a DI out to the PA and again depending on the rig I plug the pre-amp into the return to the power amp section of the head but it's never set up loud just a fill in for my monitor feed. Jazzyvee

I want to start recording my gigs from the perspective of where I am on stage. Do you know of a lightweight video camera that can clip onto the headstock so that I can record either what i'm playing or to my strap to record what is going on in front of me. I was thinking something like the ones cyclists clip to their helmets or bikes. I guess it's also possible to get a mounting device and use my iPhone but I've not found anything that seems suitable and non intrusive yet. Any ideas? Jazzyvee

[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]I'm gigging again with Musical Youth at a Star (Standing Together Against Racism) festival in Preston at the Guild Hall this weekend Sunday 23rd March. [/size][/font][/color] [url="http://www.preston.gov.uk/events/details/2858/"]http://www.preston.gov.uk/events/details/2858/[/url][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1] [/size][/font][/color] [url="https://www.facebook.com/prestonguildhall"]https://www.facebook.com/prestonguildhall[/url][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1] [/size][/font][/color] http://www.loveetiquette.com/events.html#StarMusic At the moment we are on at 5:00 subject to change. [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][size=1]Jazzyvee[/size][/font][/color]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1395067377' post='2398218'] Benny Hill = role model. [/quote] + 1 Any advice on how to get that clean Benny Hill Tone :-)

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1394822579' post='2395680'] Exactly. Isn't it time for Precision v Jazz or Flat v Round yet? [/quote] Maybe that will come after the "Are high end basses worth the money?" round. :-) What constitutes too much slapping is a personal thing really, but I couldn't listen to a gig where every song was slapped like crazy but if it was a section of a song that was using it in a musical way instead of " look at me i'm fantastic" then I can deal with that. I found it interesting that Yolanda Charles made the point during her set at LBGS that slapping doesn't keep you in gigs. There are other things about bass that i just don't get.... yet....., why someone would pay a lot of money for a decent bass and amp then use distortion on it which to my ears makes it sound the same as a cheap bass playing through a cheap rig. However I'm open to any insight into this that you can share to aid my understanding. jazzyvee

If you want a high end bag I can recommend a Harvest gig bag. I have two. My regular case:[url="http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Buffalo-Nubuck-Vintage-Brown.html"]http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Buffalo-Nubuck-Vintage-Brown.html[/url] I took this one with me on a few festivals last year and carried it round all day as I didn't want to leave the bass anywhere. I could sit down eat and drink with it still on my back. When I need to carry two basses or one bass and overnight stuff: [url="http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Cow-Antique-oxid-8.html"]http://www.harvest-g...que-oxid-8.html[/url] As both animals who donated their skins were waterproof, i'm sure these are too but I haven't carried them in the rain so don't know how waterproof the zips are. Jazzyvee

[size=4]I think this looks well dressed with a little gold [font=arial, sans-serif]accoutrement[/font]. The white maple tones down the impact.[/size] Jazzyvee

I am mature bass player and have capacity to take on some depping work. Styles interested in covering include. Reggae, Soul, Funk, RnB, light commercial rock. I have decent gear, my own transport and professional attitude to what I do and would not be interested in working with time wasters. I'm flexible with travel and rehearsals if needed and west midlands area is preferred although willing to travel further if expenses and fee is right. Let me know if you have anything interesting to help you out with. (I'm not a sight reader) Jazzyvee