Kiwi

[quote name='thedonutman' post='442089' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:44 PM']Wouldn't happen to be interested in my Euro 5 would you? [/quote] I did have a look at it but its a little out of my cash sale price range and I'd be inclined to agree with you about the finish. I'd also prefer to trade my Spector if possible. [quote name='BeLow' post='442086' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:38 PM']Not this one then? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alembic-Bass-Guitar-Immaculate-Condition-1981_W0QQitemZ260381513152QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item260381513152&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A7%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alembic-Bass-Guitar-...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url][/quote] Run away, 2500 quid is a lot to ask for a butchered bass. Those front facings aren't original.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='441973' date='Mar 22 2009, 08:03 PM']I don't really know why I have this Alembic thing. When I 1st started with bass about 12 yrs ago there was a 2nd hand one in Mansons in Plymouth. Ralph, who later worked for BGM did his best to ignore my obvious passion for it and sold me a far more sensible TRB4 instead [/quote] Can you recall what model it was? They're great recording instruments but I think a TRB would maybe have been a more versatile first bass - Leland Sklar played them for a long time until he switched to MTD's. Still, the cost of an early 80's Alembic Spoiler might only be the sale of 1-2 of your current basses away. EDIT: The Spector is still available as trade bait if that's of interest to anyone with the right 5?

I have a love hate affair with it to be honest Peter, its an idiosyncratic instrument. But the bloke who I bought it from is one of my best mates now so I'm not selling it unless there's no choice. The curves look a little unorthodox but can be very ergonomic when the strap is adjusted so the bass is at the right height. [quote name='steve-soar' post='441961' date='Mar 22 2009, 07:54 PM']Great stuff Steve, what "workhorse" 5er do you have in mind?[/quote] Basically anything warm sounding and reasonably versatile with an authorative B-string and minimal mid scoop, Steve. A warm sounding Status headless would be good, Spector Euro 5, an late 80's MM Stingray 5, Sandberg Ken Taylor or Basic 5...I was even contemplating a Lakland 99-54 or similar last week. Or even a 5 string P/J like the Celinder for sale (although I can't afford that at the moment).

[quote name='urb' post='441931' date='Mar 22 2009, 07:15 PM']I seriously could never imagine owning so much stuff or being able to fit it in my flat[/quote] Hi Mike, FWIW I've arranged things so that the kit doesn't consume too much floor space. The amps get stuck on a sturdy shelf unit: and the basses are put in a Warwick bass rack that I was lucky enough to win in the raffle at the last SE bass bash: The cabs stack by themselves in a corner too. I think I could get this set up in my old flat in London but it would probably be a bit of a squeeze! [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='441944' date='Mar 22 2009, 07:32 PM']Just love that '78 Ray and the 2 Celinders.. Wouldn't like to be your roadie though if you were going on a long tour![/quote] Thanks Nik, especially shifting that Strategy power amp around. Still, you would probably get to spend more time with the instruments than I would...

Backline - I've got a range of options since bagging a second EBS Neo212. Lightweight Shuttle rig to the left, Burman Pro4000 vintage rig to the right. I was playing with the eq on the Burman this afternoon. The eq frequency centres are perfectly positioned, I dialled back the treble to remove some harshness, boosted the mids to introduce more growl and bumped up the bass to add warmth. This resulted in some gorgeous, chocolatey growl and boosting either bass or treble on the instrument introduced some nice Ampeg type grind. Trace V8 to the left with both Neo212's, slightly mad, stereo MIDI rig to the right. The MIDI rig still needs a 2 channel valve pre (Alembic F-2B), a 2 channel multi effects unit and maaaaaybe a smaller power amp. Having said that, when this thing is working the Strategy 400 and the Roland JV1080 produce some seriously meaty bass synth sounds. This is a work in progress still though.

Right-o, its been a while since I've updated this thread so here goes. Sold 5 instruments this year and whittled the collection back a little. I'm probably happier with it now as its more focussed but I still need a workhorse 5. (L-R) Shuker Headless 6, Spector Euro 6, Pedulla Pentabuzz (with Alembic Activators) (L-R) 'Ol' No. 2' Celinder Update J (94), Celinder Classic P (02), Musicman Stingray (78), Alembic Series 1 graphite (79)

For what its worth, for anyone who is interested in learning an approach influenced by Jeff in the UK feel free to drop a line to Phil Mann on this forum. Phil is a graduate from the school as well and Jeff was so impressed he offered him a job to teach at the school full time. Phil is a lovely chap, extremely modest and almost unknown in the UK. However I can't recommend him highly enough, a truly gifted, sensitive and self depreciating musician. Not that I'm trying to divert from people who would like to learn from Jeff Berlin directly, I'm just making it known that if the cost or committment is too great, there are other options available.

Hmmm...he seems harmless to me.

Are you trying to fix a problem that isn't there? If you don't need the slap switch, can you ignore it?

I have one. Whatever you do, make sure you don't get the MkI version. The locks have a tendency to pop off with any sudden jolt if the tangs aren't bent back sufficiently. I've managed to bend mine back but it took a set of mini mole grips to do it. The MkII versions apparently had this design issue resolved. Also, keep an eye on the wheels, I've had a situation where the attaching bolt on one of mine came loose and I lost both the wheel and the bolt . They're easy enough to get from a well stocked skate shop but finding a shop like that is another thing entirely if you live outside London...

I ran a GK RB700 combo with a 2x10RBH extension cab for a while. It was so loud it was almost unplayable. HUGE sound and once I turned down the tweeter it sounded very clean. I wouldn't say neutral because it was quite aggressive sounding but loads of growl. I miss it (apart from the weight). If you have wheels on yours keep an eye on them. Mine distintgrated over hard surfaces.

What would MacGyver do...?

hi Karl, does Rob have tuners and headpieces back in stock now? Or did you buy them a while ago?

wow, thats something special and interesting! I never knew silver steinies had been made - thanks for sharing!

If you can coat the bare wood with some kind of coloured, matching base coat (like using a varnish stick or similar), then go to a beauty shop somewhere and get some nail buffing pads. NOT the rigid, abrasive ones, the softer, super fine polishing ones a bit like these: (Those grey and white ones - S1224 seemed to work best for me.) Then get some superglue and backfill the dent with layers of glue and let each one dry. Don't worry too much about the white staining or going over the edges of the dent too much, just don't do more than you're prepared to buff back later on. When you've applied enough layers so that the backfilled glue stands proud of the surrounding finish, use the nail buffing pad to abrade the glue filler back to match the surrounding finish level. Sometimes you can use a more abrasive nail pad if you're careful to mask off the surrounding finish to protect from accidental scrapes and use the buffing pad to finish things off. Just take it easy and be patient. Use the coarsest pad to do most of the work and then the finest pad to polish the glue surface and existing finish plus remove any superglue staining. I've done it myself on poly finishes and the repair was invisible apart from when I held it up to the light.

zzz

Talk to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=66"]Prometeus in the Affiliates forum[/url]? He seems very good value for money although I haven't tried any of his instruments. Quick turnaround time too compared to most luthiers.

well as far as Bilbo's comment on Jeff's backing vocalists, I'd agree about him doing his own thing with a vocalist. BUT, it would require him to collaborate rather than fulfil the role of consultant maestro. Having said all that... Jaco + Joni. How much more perfect could it get? Musically? Commercially? Critically? Maybe Jeff should have gotten in with Eva Cassidy when she was still alive, that would have been a nice combination I think.

[quote name='SteveO' post='439956' date='Mar 20 2009, 06:35 AM']Interesting idea, looking at [url="http://www.bassgearmag.com/blog/?p=109"]this article[/url] they claim that each speaker has 2 coils which allows the switching. Won't this affect the performance though? i'd have thought that a speaker with only one coil would be better than one carrying the dead weight of a second unused coil. Maybe the convenience outweighs the small performance hit though, or maybe it's so small as not to be an issue.[/quote] I can understand the principle for one driver, but what happens in a 4x10 cab?!

Noone seems to know much about Musicman Cutlass basses there either, huh Ben?

I know its not very helpful but at least Cubase comes with MIDI drivers. I had a similar experience using M-Audio Pro Logic M-Powered until I eventually understood that MIDI drivers needed to be installed (unlike my previous experience with Cubase which was a lot simpler). I'd like to help out but my experience of Cubase is probably out of date. However, these sites may be of some assistance perhaps? [url="http://www.pdf-search-engine.com/tutorial-cubase-pdf.html"]http://www.pdf-search-engine.com/tutorial-cubase-pdf.html[/url] [url="http://pdfdatabase.com/download_file_i.php?file=4240172&desc=cubase+.pdf"]http://pdfdatabase.com/download_file_i.php...esc=cubase+.pdf[/url] Good luck with it.

I can't tell you how they will sound and I think you will be hard pressed to know the difference between them (assuming there is some difference) unless you buy both. What made you think that piezos sound different? I think you should go with the bridge that has the biggest transducers. Mine are by ABM BTW.

[quote name='Golchen' post='438953' date='Mar 19 2009, 09:40 AM']I have a strat neck that feels great, but in a previous life some wally chose to try and stone/level the frets without taking the tension off the truss rod. Thus all the middle frets are flat! Can anyone recommend a decent place for restoration, either by a really good fret job (might just take it still?) or a refret? The joys of buying instruments unsighted![/quote] If the middle frets are flat, wouldn't that mean the neck was back bowed? I'd say take it to Martin Petersen, he's the closest to you who does good quality fret jobs. Might be a bit expensive though, so just be prepared for that.