Do eyes decieve?

[lamborghini98]

Seem to be a lot of people out there who arent too happy with Alembics (not THEIR Alembics.. just Alembics in general). Is the general consensus that their basses attract a different crowd than most manufacturers? Ive only played 3 Alembics, and really didnt like any of them.

 

[Suburban]

I find that there are very few basses being made today that truly sound bad. Even the cheapie Squiers, Rogues and Carlo Robelli basses are miles above the cheapies made in the 60's. However, I must admit that the farther past the $2000 price point a bass costs, the less I like it. There are certain things about basses that cost that much and more that I absolutely can't stand, like exotic woods that do nothing for tone(especially spalted woods), overblown pickup systems, bridges that take 2 hex wrenches and a screwdriver just to adjust the intonation, etc. I find that a lot of those basses sound sterile and lifeless. I'd rather play a bass that has a few flaws and has some (for lack of a better word) personality than these airtight basses that are so perfect they perfect all the personality out of them.

I read this and come to think of an F bass I tried the other week, together with a Skjold.
They were both perfect, almost, in craftmanship. The F was rather conventional, J-ish, while the Skjold was very personal. The F sounded extremely open and vivid, while the Skjold was very compressed.
Bottom line: I believe that at least every bass model has its own personality. I actually believe that most individual instruments have a certain personality. Or at least a personality catalyst of its own, that makes your personality to go in a certain direction.

 

[tombowlus]

the Skjold was very compressed.

Really? That surprises me. Do you know what model it was, and what woods were involved? How about electronics? The only Skjold's that I have played which sounded at all compressed were equipped with EMG pickups, and it was my impression that what I was hearing was the sound of the pickups. Skjold basses using Pete's custom pickups and preamp sound very open to me.

Bottom line: I believe that at least every bass model has its own personality. I actually believe that most individual instruments have a certain personality. Or at least a personality catalyst of its own, that makes your personality to go in a certain direction.

Agreed.

Tom.

 

[Pete skjold]

Really? That surprises me. Do you know what model it was, and what woods were involved? How about electronics? The only Skjold's that I have played which sounded at all compressed were equipped with EMG pickups, and it was my impression that what I was hearing was the sound of the pickups. Skjold basses using Pete's custom pickups and preamp sound very open to me.



Agreed.

Tom.

Hey Tom ,

I had to do a double take too ...

The bass this fellow is reffering to is an Exotic Custom Series . It was made with the intent to show off our woodworking at it's highest level .

He is 100% right though , this bass is made with a figured hard rock maple core . The top and back are imbuia and the finger board is white wenge ( this is the recipe for compressed mids ). This is not a bad thing but it is not my favorite tone . I played this bass for about a year with Bart pickups and pre and it was the bass that first got my new pickups and the U-retro preamp . It sounded much more open after the upgrade and I almost kept it until Kimmo from Jam music in Sweden offered to buy it . Like I said it is not my favorite sound but the bass is beautiful and it does rock ( ala Geddy Lee , John Entwhistle ) real well .

I don't use maple as a core wood now unless someone is going for that particular sound . Anyone who loves the sound of the maple warwicks would know the tone .

Pete

 

[Pete skjold]

I wonder if there are any basses that simply look really great but dont sound so good. I mean.. I look at Nordstrand or Benavente basses and I think "thats how they look" but I NEVER think about the sound. Is it something we (rightfully?) take for granted? I mean.. I look at a Fender and the first thing that comes to me is the sound (same thing with Hofner.. but not in a good way)... that doesnt happen with more aesthetically pleasing basses.
Im not saying its a bad thing that people appreciate basses for their looks, but I just hope that the wow factor of having great looking woods doesnt lose its class (as do so many once-good things in America).

This is a good point . I think you can get carried away with the features and lose sight of the mark . You don't have to have all the fancy tops and electronics to have a great playing and sounding bass . I think what happens in the higher end market is people want to personalize what they buy and play . At this level you have to take every bass on a 1 on 1 basis .
Someone might want a bass totally for looks sake and someone may make tone thier only concern . I like basses and try to make basses that blend the two together as much as possible .

Pete

 

[The Mule]

Seem to be a lot of people out there who arent too happy with Alembics (not THEIR Alembics.. just Alembics in general). Is the general consensus that their basses attract a different crowd than most manufacturers? Ive only played 3 Alembics, and really didnt like any of them.

I agree 100%. Definitely not everybody's cup of tea. Love them or hate them, not much in between, or so it seems. You have played a few Alembics, and you didn't like them, nothing wrong with that. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: you can find more opinions about Alembic on the internet, than people who have actually played one. Nothing wrong with opinions, as long as they're not presented as facts. On the other hand, one huge advantage of this phenomenon is that the secondhand market for Alembics is a buyers' paradise...