alembic mania

[bassman10096]

Here's mine.  My 3rd Alembic and the bass they'll have to bury me with.  When I ordered the bass, I combined the neck and fretboard dimensions of my favorite couple of basses and wound up with the Goldilocks special:  Not too thin, but just thin enough; not too wide but just wide enough, etc.  Makes every sound I want.  I have other basses I really like, but once I pick up the Brown Bass, I realize how good it really is.  I'm not an Alembic-Koolaid type, but it's hard not to love 'em.   

[chromium]

That looks great!!

Is that one short-scale, with mostly mahogany neck?  I think that would make a great combo on an Alembic.

[hieronymous]

Loves it! I'm falling in love with the Brown Bass, and yours is an incredible example! Love the grain on the top. And the look of the mahogany neck. If I am ever able to order a custom, there's a good chance it'll be a Brown Bass.

[bassman10096]

Thanks.  This is my favorite bass ever.  It's a shorty (30.75"), but because the bridge is placed so far up the body on Alembics, the reach and wrist angles to get to lower frets are a lot like a 34" scale.  The mahogany (the stringers are: center-Walnut, flanked by 2 beech) realy warms things up.  The sound is much rounder than my maple-necked Alembics, but with no loss of articulation in the high mids and highs.  The body core is myrtle.   

[kungfusheriff]

I really, really want to try a Brown Bass at some point. There are stories of early Small Standard basses with myrtle body cores that weigh a whole 6 or 7 pounds. I could live with that very easily.
Since I last posted here, I've picked up a gorgeous long-scale, walnut six-string Series 2. 14 pounds!
If I can stop photographing my beautiful baby daughter (  ) I'll photograph my beautiful basses and take another crack at getting the shots onto Photobucket and posted here.

[chromium]

Congrats on your baby girl!  and on the new Series!

Regarding the prioritization of your photo subjects, you could always multitask 

[kungfusheriff]

"Regarding the prioritization of your photo subjects, you could always multitask"

Hmmm...putting 14-pound bass on a 13-pound baby. Mom would just love that one.
Beautiful bass, and beautiful boy too. Is that a recent pic? If so, he'll be talking you out of 'that old bass' sometime later this week.
My daughter seems to like it when I play the Alembics for her, but she loves the Earthwood. Grins and babbles like she's on Jeopardy and Alex hasn't called on her yet. I may have made a bass player.

[chromium]

Hmmm...putting 14-pound bass on a 13-pound baby. Mom would just love that one.

Hey that's what boppies (sp.?) are for! 



Note the strategic use of the beat-up Aria.  It takes to baby slobber better than the Alembic.  Now that I think of it, it did okay with the old man's slobber too - back when I was using it regularly 

[kungfusheriff]

Ha ha, good idea.

[bassman10096]

There are stories of early Small Standard basses with myrtle body cores that weigh a whole 6 or 7 pounds.

Wow.  Mine's quite a way north of that.  Never felt it was heavy enough to weigh.  Regardless, it's very managable, given compactness and my attachment to 4" straps.   

[kungfusheriff]

OK, let's see if this works. Mods, feel free to edit these if they come out gi-normous.
First, a gig shot from over the summer, the first time I played the 6 in public. I'm 6'1" so you can figure how big the bass is:


This is the wooden-neck '82 I play most of the time. Frets need work and the pots are shot, but a great bass nonetheless:


Finally, the little graphite wonder with my wife and I at a jazz gig a few years ago:

[chromium]

So was that your first six string?  If so, how are you liking that? (other than the extreme massiveness...)

Is the graphite also a Series II?  Just from a casual observation standpoint, basses with Series II setups don't seem to pop up as much.  Did you specifically seek those out?

Those are truly beautiful!  Sweet amp too 

[Barklessdog]

amazing basses. I remember when you just got started collecting them. I have horrible Alembic envy of you guys.

[kungfusheriff]

All three are Series 2s. I got the graphite bass first and it spoiled me for (most) other basses forever. It's an incredible instrument. As far as ending up with three of them, well, I guess luck was on my side.
I gigged the 6 last night, and it is massive. My spine feels crooked, and it was only a 90-minute set. But I had a lot of fun playing it because the tone is huge but incredibly clean and responsive, and the neck, while freaking wide as hell, is really comfortable to play. I got used to the bass in about two weeks. It's my first 6.
Thank you for the compliments. Hopefully, one day I'll deserve to have three of these.

[Dave W]

Shawn, didn't you buy one of yours from Mark Andes? Or am I remembering wrong?