TheBass Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 (edited) I have it for a while but it never hurts to show it again. It plays and sounds as good as it looks. It's just a killer. Edited March 8, 2010 by TheBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Nice, is the body core maple with walnut laminates under the facings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Beautiful! All except for those horrible cheap-looking plastic control knobs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleblob Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Beautiful, one of the basses I dream of owning one day - but have to agree with the comment from Conan about the knobs. For something so elegant, you'd have thought that they could have come up with some nicer knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 (edited) That is absolutely lovely! It's unusual to see a full facing on a SC Deluxe - a gorgeous piece of cocobolo it is too. The electronics look a little unusual - are they anniversary rather than the usual 'signature'? Also, the laminates/pinstripes look unusual - is it cocobolo/ebony/purpleheart/maple etc? On the knobs, I hadn't really thought about it - they aren't the most elegant I suppose, but they work very nicely - good ergonomics and you can see what you're up to. Edited March 8, 2010 by lozbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBass Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 top and back laminates are selected and bookmatched Coco Bolo accents are Purpleheart laminates body is plain Maple Electronics are "Anniversary" type with volume x 2, filter x 2, 2-position Q-switch x 2, mono/stereo switch near the jack, 4-position rotary pickup selector switch (neck, neck+bridge, bridge, off). In stereo mode each PU is routed separately to the output jack (tip: neck PU, ring: bridge PU). This is nice for recordings. I never used this on stage. And yes, I aggree, the knobs are awfully looking and break the beauty of the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 It's a really lovely bass - thanks for the extra details. It looks like there's a fine black/dark pinstripe laminate between the cocobolo and the purpleheart - is this the case (if so, it's a really nice touch and not something you see on too many Sigs)? I thought the electronics were Anniversary - I've not had an opportunity to compare Ann and Sig side-by-side but it appears to me that the Ann. offers a few more options (beyond the obvious stereo-mono selection) I keep looking at the knobs - maybe not the most elegant but they work well and it's easy to see what you're doing (even in a gig setting) on a bass that has a massive range of tonal options. I've seen a few Alembics with wooden replacement knobs - I have to be honest, I'm not keen on them at all (on an Alembic). I know some players prefer the old top hat knobs on an Alembic - again, I'm not sure they're much of an improvement on the newer version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='lozbass' post='767836' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:42 PM']it's easy to see what you're doing (even in a gig setting)[/quote] I understand that. But in reality, how many times do you [b]really[/b] need to [b]look[/b] at the knobs on your bass to see what your settings are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='Conan' post='767846' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:45 PM']I understand that. But in reality, how many times do you [b]really[/b] need to [b]look[/b] at the knobs on your bass to see what your settings are? [/quote] Good point - and not too easy for me to comment as I gave up gigging almost 20 years ago (and so, have largely forgotten). That said, the circuit in Alembics is much more powerful/versatile/complicated than any other I've used (and trust me, I've used a lot) and small tweaks can make a significant difference. As a result of the (relatively) complicated nature of the filter circuit and control layout, it's good to be able to see where you're up to (fairly quickly and clearly) if you want to dial-in a particular tone for a specific passage of music. Being 20 degrees out on the filters can be a big deal. You'll see SC himself doing a fair bit of messing about with filters and volumes in a live setting (and sometimes, he appears to look rather than just listen - I could be wrong of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='lozbass' post='767874' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:58 PM']Good point - and not too easy for me to comment as I gave up gigging almost 20 years ago (and so, have largely forgotten). That said, the circuit in Alembics is much more powerful/versatile/complicated than any other I've used (and trust me, I've used a lot) and small tweaks can make a significant difference. As a result of the (relatively) complicated nature of the filter circuit and control layout, it's good to be able to see where you're up to (fairly quickly and clearly) if you want to dial-in a particular tone for a specific passage of music. Being 20 degrees out on the filters can be a big deal. You'll see SC himself doing a fair bit of messing about with filters and volumes in a live setting (and sometimes, he appears to look rather than just listen - I could be wrong of course).[/quote] I stand corrected! Good answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='Conan' post='767882' date='Mar 8 2010, 01:01 PM']I stand corrected! Good answer! [/quote] Thank you, you're very kind! It was just an observation (I was messing about with my SC in the dark last evening - the controls are a bit tricky unless you watch what you're doing). It gives me an opportunity to bump this lovely bass again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBass Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 The Alembic doesn't appear to be easy to manage during a gig ... but that's only untill you have worked with it under live conditions. You can hear very well what the filters are doing and really don't need to see the knobs. It's very useful when your sounds get buried in a loud mix and you want to have your bass stand out without increasing volume. Just turn the filter a bit and you hear them in a different sound spectrum. No other electronics I am aware of can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EskimoBassist Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Ooo-err! Pretty bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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