Beloved bass that's too heavy?

[melt]

Alembics are just heavy. I have played a ton of them and they all weighed a ton, which I think is a significant part of the tone.

The one thing you could have done for sitting down and keeping the Triple omega look would have been to get the "Chipple Omega" - he took the template and made the c-cuts smaller so when you sit down the c-cuts don't dig into your leg. That's what I had Chip do on the bass he made me.

I agree; the only really light one I've played was a Brown Bass, but it still had the balance issues.

Re the "Chippie", yes, I saw the pics of his. I didn't realise they'd be much of an improvement though. I guess they are? Oh well, maybe next time, on a short-scale/myrtle-bodied/buckeye-topped/whatever replacement....thanks for the advice.

 

[melt]

I've only had a very brief experience with them, but the ergonomics weren't that impressive, especially when the price is factored in.

Naturally we owe Alembic a lot of credit for their tone and being one of the fist, if not the first custom bass company. Unfortunately, I don't think they've kept up with the ergonomic designs that are gaining popularity. Some models are better than others, but some are heavy, unblananced, and unable to be played in the seated position.

The ergonomics on my Triple O, weight aside, are great. Everything falls where I want, it balances perfectly, and the big body actually suits me. I have far more problems with many smaller bodied basses, even Fenders. I recently borrowed a friend's P-Bass for a while and it was an ergonomic nightmare; caused me all sorts of problems. I'd say the Essence, Rogue and Balance K are fairly ergonomic designs. The problem is often all that exotic wood and brass...

My real problem is that I love how they look, and not many other basses really grab me visually (Ric, Sei, Jerzy Drozd, Fodera Matt Garrison, Warwick Dolphin, Pedulla MVP, Wal Pro 2 - that's about it), and I also love how they play and sound (not to mention the craftsmanship which I've yet to see matched).

 

[Fuzzbass]

Compared to my chambered alder Sadowsky P5, all my other basses are heavy.

My other basses are a pair of Fender RB5's, and a pair of Benavente 51 model fivers. The Benaventes are noticeably heavier than the Fenders, likely because they are rounded with a tighter radius and have no forearm or belly cut.

'Scuse the crappy pic:
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[amimbari]

I own a Jackson TBX, as shown in another thread, and at 14-3/4 lbs, it is the heaviest thing I EVER had on my shoulder. I used it daily and for almost 5 years straight gigging in a IronMaiden tribute band as well as other bands before and after that one. Nothing at that time that I owned sounded as good, so I kinda dealt with it.

ACTUALLY it never really bothered me with a nice padded wide strap. WHY? cause the MONEY made me forget about the pain.


edit: a couple drinks later, the only thing I feel is the groove, and not what I have on my shoulder...

( until the next morning...lol )