GOO-OO-OOD looking bass! I'm loooking forward to reading your comments after you've got some playing time on it.
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- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
I had an Embassy Pro for a week or so. The bridge was fine. No need to sweat that. Mine had a whole lot of other issues so it went back. Shame, I really wanted to love it
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Wife said the black one looks the best, guess I’ll order that one 
What is really nice is these particular 60's T-Bird-sounding pickups have a bit more mids/highs and one can actually do slap bass stuff on one when bandleader runs right into a song requiring such(and didn't leave you time to change basses). With rounds, they sound like an "angry piano" when played aggressively.
Well,I got an email notice today that Sweetwater had the antique white Embassy’s in stock. Followed almost immediately by another email that they were sold out again.....
Hit that too.
And POOF, they're gone!
Scott Dasson has posted a highly-praising video of the new Epi Tb. His facebook page has a bit more compliments(" I really do think this bass sounds great! It has the treble zip and zing along with the inherent distortion I am always going on about. Sound is so subjective but this bass has to my ears that classic 60's Thunderbird tone." https://www.facebook.com/scott.dasson ). Here's the review:
And POOF, they're gone!
Scott Dasson has posted a highly-praising video of the new Epi Tb. His facebook page has a bit more compliments(" I really do think this bass sounds great! It has the treble zip and zing along with the inherent distortion I am always going on about. Sound is so subjective but this bass has to my ears that classic 60's Thunderbird tone." https://www.facebook.com/scott.dasson ). Here's the review:
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If Scott likes it,that’s good enough for me. (Although i’d still go for the Embassy rather than the tbird).
got to play the Mastebilt ABG today and it’s legit. felt longer than its 30.5” scale, if that makes sense, but the string tension was crazy low (in a good way) and really fun and comfortable to play. didn’t spend a whole lot of time dialing in sounds, but it sounded fine thru a SS head. fit and finish were excellent. definitely had me GASsing, and i’d be considering buying one if i had the need.
Really want to get my hands on the Masterbilt ABG. Especially in the tobacco sunrise finish. I would love to have an acoustic, and that one will fit with the rest of the family
I haven't had a chance to play of photograph my new Embassy, but a quick test ride revealed a very elegant bass, great for multi-instrumentalists like me, or guitarists, bassists of course, it's very light and ergonomic. Beautiful finish and my Sweetwater rep really did pull a beauty for me. For 4 bills it would be a shame NOT to buy one, easily as nice an instrument as a 1-2k bass.
Got my ivory Embassy this week, and, like every time I go outside my preferred box, I am again shown that I cannot truly like anything other than a P Bass. But damn-it’s truly gorgeous. Keeper for that reason alone.
Visit my local guitar store yesterday and i found a new Epi Tbird Vintage Pro IV in cool looking Alpine White !
Plug into Rumble 500/210 and play it , i found the tone is muddy and lifeless . Plug again to another Ampeg BA210 and Markbass CMD151 , still same. I ask the staff and he demo the bass .
WoW !! Sound is crazy punch and great attack. Yes, he play hard with pick, and sound still great with his aggressive finger style.
I play Ti flat on Pbass currently, and i found my tiny finger + plucking skill could't bringing up the Tbird VP tone alive. Shame.......
I am very impressive with the paint job, built quality ,great fret work, comfort neck , good electronic and hardware of this bass guitar. I can tell you, this bass quality is better than Squier CV bass. For Sunburst model, i love to see the wood grain and neck through body wood shown on the bass .
The only downside is heavy for me, 3pcs i pickup, they are fairly close to my previous Squier CV 60J weight ~ i think around 10lbs. And very clear neck dive problem if hang the bass like how i hang my pbass on my body. Maybe extend the strap length could help a bit.
A funny thing is, my hand cant reach to D tuning peg while the bass hang on my body. Not the neck is too long, i believe
cause by the strap nut location prblem.
Still the pbass tone is more suit for me , but if i play heavy rock and have strong finger attack, the Epi Tbird VP IV is great choice.
When i leave from GC, my eyes balls still stay on this Sexy Tbird VP IV.
Plug into Rumble 500/210 and play it , i found the tone is muddy and lifeless . Plug again to another Ampeg BA210 and Markbass CMD151 , still same. I ask the staff and he demo the bass .
WoW !! Sound is crazy punch and great attack. Yes, he play hard with pick, and sound still great with his aggressive finger style.
I play Ti flat on Pbass currently, and i found my tiny finger + plucking skill could't bringing up the Tbird VP tone alive. Shame.......
I am very impressive with the paint job, built quality ,great fret work, comfort neck , good electronic and hardware of this bass guitar. I can tell you, this bass quality is better than Squier CV bass. For Sunburst model, i love to see the wood grain and neck through body wood shown on the bass .
The only downside is heavy for me, 3pcs i pickup, they are fairly close to my previous Squier CV 60J weight ~ i think around 10lbs. And very clear neck dive problem if hang the bass like how i hang my pbass on my body. Maybe extend the strap length could help a bit.
A funny thing is, my hand cant reach to D tuning peg while the bass hang on my body. Not the neck is too long, i believe
cause by the strap nut location prblem.
Still the pbass tone is more suit for me , but if i play heavy rock and have strong finger attack, the Epi Tbird VP IV is great choice.
When i leave from GC, my eyes balls still stay on this Sexy Tbird VP IV.
That is actually a Loar. It was steeply marked down at my local shop and I wanted to learn to play guitar after playing uke. My wife went and boat it for me for Christmas a few years ago. It is very, very pretty and sounds great. Luckily, my wife is learning to play on it while I am playing bass so it still gets a lot of use.
So... you don’t “like” it,but keeping it anyway because it’s pretty?
What do you not like about it,other than it not being a P-bass?
I am very interested in one,but really not expecting much in the price range it is in.
Post a pic, I need something more realistic to look at, the photoshopped pics online have been inconclusive
As far as it not being a P Bass goes, the main thing I miss is strong high midrange - and I also find a second bridge-position pickup useless for trying to bring additional usable tone (in this case, something approaching the P’s defining 1.65k) into the output sound.
As for other minuses on the Embassy, the fret end dressing is pretty shoddy. And I would strongly consider swapping out the tuners. All told, decent for $400 overall and i can absorb the $.
Bad fret dressing would be the deal breaker for me.(and kinda what i would expect in this price range.)
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
I bought and returned an Embassy, but it wasnt a total dud, by any stretch. It’s a $399 bass. Frets were fine, pickups weren’t aligned great, but it sounded pretty good. Finish wasn’t so good, but not terrible. Some folks have bought and loved theirs. Really, I was hoping for an affordable way to get a Thunderbird kinda sound. My solution was to save up a bit and wait for the right situation. Wound up getting a 2014 Gibson T Bird for $800 and love everything about it. But if max budget is $400, you could do a lot worse than an Embassy
