Epi PRO IV w/case $395 BIN

dadagoboi · January 10, 2011, 06:50:00 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190489004107&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

uwe · January 10, 2011, 08:04:35 AM

Less middish than the regular passive Epis, these basses do well in emulating a Gibson TBird sound, albeit with a battery and not quite the original's timbre. But they compensate with the extra treble and bass smack (which is not too extreme). Definitely worth the money and the look is appealing. Workmanship good for a bass of this class. Nice sustain as the maple neck-(thru) jump at you a bit more than mahogany would.

godofthunder · January 11, 2011, 05:20:06 AM

While for the money these are well executed I can't seem to warm up to them. They are heavy and when playing them in the shop they feel sterile, maybe they need a good set up and strings of my choice. That is a good deal if you are looking for one.

uwe · January 11, 2011, 07:56:41 AM

An active bass is an active bass is an active bass unless it is a WAL!

So you have to accept the nature of the beast. This bass tries to create a "modern TBird sound" and is more concerned about versatility and being heard over a not so great rig rather than faithfully replicating vintage tones.

exiledarchangel · January 11, 2011, 09:10:36 AM

Good to hear that it doesn't have so much of the annoying clean sublows and zing active basses have.

uwe · January 11, 2011, 09:44:11 AM

Quite right, even with full treble and full bass it provides a "normal bass sound" irrespective of which pup is emphasized. Nothing extreme either way. This is not the radical active Bartolini TCT "take no prisoners treble- or bass-wise" electronics of, say, the Les Paul basses in the mid-nineties. It's mellower than even a modern Stingray or Ibanez ATK.

Dave W · January 11, 2011, 11:15:38 AM

Quote from: uwe on January 11, 2011, 07:56:41 AM
An active bass is an active bass is an active bass unless it is a WAL!

No it isn't. Passive pickups with active preamps don't sound like the internally active original EMGs, and active preamps have the same function as the preamp section of amplifiers. Various preamp brands and designs sound different from each other in the same way different amp heads do.

I've only played one Wal. It was different. And unpleasant sounding. I wouldn't buy one at any price unless I could resell it quickly at a profit.

uwe · January 11, 2011, 12:32:44 PM

"Passive pickups with active preamps"

I only meant those.

EMG active pups spund like the string unamped, just louder!

WALs are an acquired taste, but the sound of the electronics and how they work is something else and totally removed from anything else you can hear out there. But, admittedly, I've never played an Alembic.

jumbodbassman · January 11, 2011, 01:09:31 PM

Alembics sound different from everything else out there. You will love it and be hooked for life or hate it. nothing in the middle. I had an original series one in early 80's. To this day still the best sounding bass i have every owned. but was totally unplayable for me. Very heavy, neck diver, ridiculously long bass (shoulder problems back then from it - maybe ok if you are about 6'4 but average size 5"9 person forced to get a medium or short scale) strange string spacing, bad pup placement especially in 80's when some tunes needed to be slapped.. exterior preamp box....
Granted i was coming form playing fenders and rics so it was a radical change but never felt comfortable in my hands. When i picked up my first Fodera Monarch the Alembic was a goner. But still nothing has sounded like it to this day. I have since put alembic pups in other basses and they great but the aftermarket stuff is still not the same especially the outboard preamp.

chromium · January 11, 2011, 03:11:50 PM

I love my little Distillate- very comfy, ~9lbs, balances well, a total sleeper $$-wise, and I get punchy/warm sounds from it just as easily as the bright piano wire riiiiiig that folks associate with Alembics. I could take that bass on any type of gig. Its a 32" scale, but still packs an E string with authority. Generally, I just like playing a nice simple passive bass and don't go out of my way for onboard goodies, but I must say that the electronics in that bass are masterfully executed and I get along well with its preamp.

fur85 · January 11, 2011, 07:07:29 PM

From the auction listing:

"There is one issue. ---------- If you leave the battery hooked up for more then a few days without playing, the battery goes dead. The jack-plug for active guitars is supposed to disconnect when you remove the jack apparently this one doesn't do that."

Is that normal for the Epi T-Bird Pro or does this one have a defect? Either way, it's reason enough for me to steer clear.

Pilgrim · January 11, 2011, 08:45:42 PM

You thought that every active bass would discharge its battery if you left a cable plugged in.

fur85 · January 11, 2011, 08:56:56 PM

I thought a battery should not go dead after a few days if the cord is not plugged in. I don't know about whether it should go dead if the cord is plugged in. When I had a Stingray I always unplugged just in case. No active basses at the moment.

Psycho Bass Guy · January 11, 2011, 09:10:36 PM

Not every active bass preamp removes power when there is no instrument cable. The BTC preamp on my G&L L-5500 guzzles batteries, which is why I use two rechargable "nine-volts" in series (a "performance" mod with regular alkalines) in it. My Stingray that I bought new, OTOH, still has its factory installed battery from 2000 which tested at 8.3 volts the last time I checked a few weeks ago.

Nocturnal · January 11, 2011, 09:28:16 PM

My daughter used to have a bass that ate batteries every couple of days. Turned out that the jack had been wired wrong and the bass was always "on" (according to the guy that rewired it). Never had a problem after having it rewired correctly, and it was almost free to have fixed. The last battery that was installed had been in for about a year when she sold the bass.