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jazzyvee

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Posts posted by jazzyvee

    Show us your rig!

    in Gear Gallery

    Posted

    [attachment=115243:MesaRig.jpg]
    This is my bass rig.
    Its Mesa boogie 1x15, 4x10 and 2x10 powerhouse cabs.
    I generally use them as either 4x10, or 2x10 and 1x15. Never had the need to use them all at once but it would be good to try it out one day.

    Alembic F1-x preamp
    Alembic SF-2 Superfilter
    QSC PLX2404 power amp.

    When I need to travel light i have a Mesa walkabout head.

    Jazzyvee

    Gig-bags

    in Accessories and Misc

    Posted · Edited by jazzyvee

    I'm looking for one at the moment to hold two long scale basses. Reunion blues one I bought was too short to fit my bass so i sent it back and now looking at a Harvest, leather or leather and canvas gig bag.
    Has anyone got any experience with these bags.

    [url="http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Polyamid-Nylon-canvas-with-buffalo-leather-trim.html"]http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Bass-Bags-For-Two/[/url]

    Jazzyvee

    External PSU for bass

    in Accessories and Misc

    Posted

    Has anyone found the need for an external power supply for their electric bass?
    I use my basses a lot at home in between gigs so when it comes to gigging I am never sure how much capacity is remaining in my batter and have often wondered if there is an external power solution which does not require drilling holes in bodies to add sockets. My basses do not have a passive option so if the battery goes dead it reverts back to to a piece of timber with metal bits on.

    The only thing I've managed to find is an external PSU from EMG that supplies power to their active pickups as a battery eliminator. I wonder if this would have enough capacity to power a bass that did not have EMG pickups and electronics installed.? They have both 9v (ES-9) and 18v (ES-18) versions.

    A balanced (TS 1/4'' to TRS 1/4'') "stereo" cable is all that is required between your instrument and the ES-9 or ES-18.

    [url="http://www.emgpickups.com/products/index/378/265/101"]http://www.emgpickup...dex/378/265/101[/url]

    [attachment=111986:EMG-Batt-Box-1-Hero.jpg]
    [attachment=111987:EMG-Batt-Box-1.jpg]

    [url="http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wiringdiagrams/ES-9_0230-0218D.pdf"]http://www.emgpickup..._0230-0218D.pdf[/url]

    Comments and alternatives welcome.
    Jazzyvee

    Alembic - show us your pics

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by jazzyvee

    [quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1279884285' post='903076']
    +1 - oh dear me! I feel euphoric and slightly nauseous at the same time...an absolutely staggering bass. I'd love to hear this one. I can see that Jazzyvee's acquisition is going to make me want another Alembic (one I don't need and can't justify). Unusual to have the standby switch - extremely useful on a 'live' bass - I think we should see more of these
    [/quote]

    As it happens the standby switch didn't last too long. I use right-angled jacks at the instrument end and when I put it down on the stand the jack must have connected with the switch and broke the lever off. I recently got a replacement from Alembic which has a much shorter lever which is short enough for the right-angled jack to pass over without connecting so this is a much better option.

    Still loving the bass. The maple gives the bass fast attack and wonderfully big piano like envelope to the note. The other thing is that this is the only bass I have with a narrow string spacing so the feel of it is noticeably different to play on both the fretting and plucking hands, so swapping basses takes a bit of adjustment.

    Alembic lovers and haters - please advise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by jazzyvee

    [quote name='4000' timestamp='1334422546' post='1616072']
    Have to say if that buckeye EVH in the For Sale section was a pound or two lighter I'd be working out how to get it...
    [/quote]

    I bet if you changed the sustain block for an aluminium one that would reduce the weight significantly. I recall a conversation on this subject on the Alemic Forum.
    On the downside though, there would probably be some a change in the tone and sustain and the balance may change to being neck heavy and could you imagine the cost of Alembic providing you with a replacement block...??!!. I've not made my mind up about buckeye burl. I can see why people love the dramatic patterns in the grain but my brain can't rest when I look at it. For example on first glance this one looks quite evil.

    [url="http://www.righteouswoods.net/Graphics/Clients_and_%20works/Alembic_5String_BuckeyeBck.jpg"]http://www.righteous..._BuckeyeBck.jpg[/url]

    Stanley was using a series I bass in Buckeye burl on the last REF tour and was enthusiastic about the tone of it so it must have some interesting sonic properties it adds to the mix as well as the visual drama.

    Jazzyvee

    Show us your playing videos!

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by jazzyvee

    Here are a couple of video's from my practice session when I was learning a couple tracks by Return to Forever and Marcus Miller for a gig last summer. As it happened the RTF track was dropped from the set list about a week before the gig but anyway it was good practice to learn it.

    Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy by Return to Forever
    [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flb7aBVvYxE[/media]

    Blast by Marcus Miller
    [b]http://youtu.be/vC74ry1wom4[/b]

    Alembic lovers and haters - please advise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by jazzyvee

    [quote name='jacko' timestamp='1334269634' post='1613744']
    Like several others on here I'm a devoted player of Alembics, having bought my first (an epic) new in 1995 for £1200ish. Since then I've added a fretless rogue and a Signature. If I had the money I wouldn't think twice about dropping it on a series 2. One of the things that impresses me most about them is the fact that everything apart from the machine heads is handmade at their workshop. Of my three, the latter two were custom built to my exact requirements. I was able to talk to the craftsmen (and the MD of the company) whenever I wanted to discuss the builds / choose laminates / string spacing etc. Granted they cost a lot more than any other basses I've played but - and this is where the 'haters' get bogged down - I absolutely love playing them - to my hands they are perfect and I can get any tone I need from them. Another important consideration - I'm lucky to have a very understanding other half who has allowed me to splash out once in a while. Others maybe aren't so fortunate. The owner of this bass - [url="http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_romanconq.html"]http://www.alembic.c..._romanconq.html[/url] paid somewhere in the region of $20,000 in 2004. Sadly for him he didn't tell his wife and once she found out the cost it ended up for sale.
    p.s. I'll be visiting the workshop in September - a dream come true. :D
    [/quote]

    Hi there Jacko, as a fellow member of the Alembic web site forum, the cost aspect has raised its head a number of times as you know, especially at the times of price increase. I just think it's something that will always be debated. Like you I just love them and they give me the ability to get the sounds I enjoy and require for the music I play. I've almost dropped the money on a Series custom order a couple of times in the past but couldn't persuade myself to take that final step. So for me there is an upper limit. But as long as there are used bargains to be had, finding a good used series II first may be the first step in overcoming that hurdle... unless of course there is another price increase. . BTW I will be visiting the workshop next week.... :-)

    Alembic lovers and haters - please advise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1333980728' post='1609079']
    FWIW, I love filter circuits too. My ACG is a real joy to play around with. Everyone should at least have a go of a filter circuit to see if they like them.
    [/quote]

    I rate the ACG filters too and have them in my Europa 5 bass which has given me a bit more control of the lower frequencies giving the bottom end a clear, powerful richness that sounds masterful for the reggae gigs I do.
    Jazzyvee

    Alembic lovers and haters - please advise

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    A devoted Alembic lover here. I have alembic 4 and 5 string basses and the main reason I bought them was that I wanted a bass sound that was different to what I was hearing from other basses at gigs and on record.

    When I decided to branch out into bass playing I just wanted something that had a different sound to what I was hearing at that time and I just loved the distinctive sound I was hearing on Stanley Clarke's playing.

    I've found them to be very versatile sounding instruments and whilst they all have a "family" sound they all have their individual voice which still means I can still choose a bass for the sound required for a particular gig. All the ones I have use the filter circuits and really do take time to understand how they work as on the signature and series basses they operate individually on each pickup so the scope for sound sculpturing is massive and it takes a while to get confident enough to dial in tonal changes mid song quickly. But it is really worth the effort.

    At the time I bought my first which was a SC Deluxe I was primarily a guitar player. I tried it out at the Bass Centre and bought it there and then. I think they are amazing sounding instruments, (if you like that sound). As for the cost of them, there is no getting away from the fact that they are pretty steep in their new price although the used prices can be worth a look at. To ignore them or refute their quality based purely on cost is short sighted I think. A good bass is a good bass regardless of the cost. The cost may be the main determining factor as to whether you buy it or not but not whether its a good or great bass. Many things including basses are priced not on their value but on where they want to be situated in the marketplace. Alembic price their basses as they see fit and I guess they are still selling new ones to someone I guess if their market starts to shrink they can either drop the price or drop out.

    I know alembic have only recently started taking adverts out in selected music press.

    A few have commented here on not buying an alembic without hearing or playing it first. Pretty good advice since it's a very personal thing. However I've done that with alembic and not been disappointed but then familiarity breeds contempt for that advice.


    The main thing is play what you enjoy and want to buy.

    Jazzyvee

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