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New Epiphone Basses

#101
Duder said:
Man, you're just making it harder for me to not order one of these.
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My endorsement of these basses is far from glowing, but this bass does something none of my other basses do. Never know when a different vibe will come in handy...

For example...not sure my photo shows how oddly misaligned the pickups are on mine, but it's odd. Everything is fixable from what I can tell, but the QC leaves a bit to be desired
IMG_4920.JPG
 
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#102
dukeorock said:
My endorsement of these basses is far from glowing, but this bass does something none of my other basses do. Never know when a different vibe will come in handy...

For example...not sure my photo shows how oddly misaligned the pickups are on mine, but it's odd. Everything is fixable from what I can tell, but the QC leaves a bit to be desired
View attachment 2801261
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So,what is the one thing this bass does that your others don’t do?
 
#103
woodyng2 said:
So,what is the one thing this bass does that your others don’t do?
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It's the Gibson thing... TBirds and Rippers (my favorite Gibson's) have a certain bark (and bite!) that never gets scratchy or too bright. For very stupid reasons, I don't own any Gibson's at the moment, but I'm missing that 'thing.'the Embassy was a very low priced attempt to get some of that back in my life. I like for all my basses to do something a bit different from one another and this bass is providing that. If any of this even makes sense :)
 
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#105
dukeorock said:
It's the Gibson thing... TBirds and Rippers (my favorite Gibson's) have a certain bark (and bite!) that never gets scratchy or too bright. For very stupid reasons, I don't own any Gibson's at the moment, but I'm missing that 'thing.'the Embassy was a very low priced attempt to get some of that back in my life. I like for all my basses to do something a bit different from one another and this bass is providing that. If any of this even makes sense :)
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Oh,i get it! :thumbsup:
One of the best features of my old Embassy was the sound of those Thunderbird pickups,thick and meaty,but with a really nice sounding top end. I think that, along with a mahogony body,and set neck construct,is a defining difference in sound choices in a bass arsenal.
 
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#106
It looks as though the design of the Embassy bridge eliminates the ability to set string height, at least individual string height. Is it possible to raise or lower the entire bridge using the screws on either end of the bridge? Or are you just stuck with it? How much of an issue is this?

I don't know anything about set necks either. I'd love to hear some comments from those who have experience with them. I've always considered the ability to shim a bolt-on neck (if necessary) to be a positive. The bridge and (to a lesser degree) the neck, taken together, seem to limit set up options. At least intonation seems to be easier to set than, say, a violin style bass.

I do love the looks of the Embassy but I'm hesitant due to these design issues.
 
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#107
FlaCharlie said:
It looks as though the design of the Embassy bridge eliminates the ability to set string height, at least individual string height. Is it possible to raise or lower the entire bridge using the screws on either end of the bridge? Or are you just stuck with it? How much of an issue is this?

I don't know anything about set necks either. I'd love to hear some comments from those who have experience with them. I've always considered the ability to shim a bolt-on neck (if necessary) to be a positive. The bridge and (to a lesser degree) the neck, taken together, seem to limit set up options. At least intonation seems to be easier to set than, say, a violin style bass.

I do love the looks of the Embassy but I'm hesitant due to these design issues.
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It's possible Hipshot's Type D bridge could fit that. Their saddles are great for adjustability.
 
#108
FlaCharlie said:
It looks as though the design of the Embassy bridge eliminates the ability to set string height, at least individual string height. Is it possible to raise or lower the entire bridge using the screws on either end of the bridge? Or are you just stuck with it? How much of an issue is this?

I don't know anything about set necks either. I'd love to hear some comments from those who have experience with them. I've always considered the ability to shim a bolt-on neck (if necessary) to be a positive. The bridge and (to a lesser degree) the neck, taken together, seem to limit set up options. At least intonation seems to be easier to set than, say, a violin style bass.

I do love the looks of the Embassy but I'm hesitant due to these design issues.
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String height is adjusted with those screws.
 
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#109
Gluvhand said:
String height is adjusted with those screws.
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Just to clarify . . . Are you referring to the two large screws on each end of the bridge? There also appear to be screws on both the rear and neck side of the bridge that are aligned with each string. I assumed that both of them are used to adjust intonation. Does one of them actually adjust individual string height? Or is height adjustment limited to the large screws which allow you to just raise or lower each end of the bridge, but not individual strings?
 
#110
FlaCharlie said:
Just to clarify . . . Are you referring to the two large screws on each end of the bridge? There also appear to be screws on both the rear and neck side of the bridge that are aligned with each string. I assumed that both of them are used to adjust intonation. Does one of them actually adjust individual string height? Or is height adjustment limited to the large screws which allow you to just raise or lower each end of the bridge, but not individual strings?
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String height is adjusted with the two large screws on either side of the bridge. The screws that you see at both neck and bridge side are the same screw. Only one side would have a head for adjustment and those screws are for intonation only.
 
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#113
With the retro looks (that I like), comes retro functionality (that I'm not convinced of). All said, I'd play an Embassy without great complaint. I suspect, though, the bridge would always bug me at some level. My suspicion is: had Epiphone marketed the bass with a Fender/Hipshot A style bridge, complaints would follow. <shrug>
 
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#114
GwenOnBass said:
With the retro looks (that I like), comes retro functionality (that I'm not convinced of). All said, I'd play an Embassy without great complaint. I suspect, though, the bridge would always bug me at some level. My suspicion is: had Epiphone marketed the bass with a Fender/Hipshot A style bridge, complaints would follow. <shrug>
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That's a fact! I haven't messed with my bridge too much yet (on the road and the Embassy stayed home), but it seems 'fine' to me.
 
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#115
FA56A3B9-B381-4106-8CC0-BD48C63F31F7.jpeg
FlaCharlie said:
I don't know anything about set necks either. I'd love to hear some comments from those who have experience with them.
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I’ve owned quite a few set-neck basses over the decades. I don’t think being set neck made for any extraordinary issues with set-ups,though. Some of my favorite basses have been SN.
Like the ‘67 Embassy i once owned,and currently my ‘74 Rick 4000.
I also own a Guild SB-202 with a set neck.
My Greco Super Beetle was a set neck copy of a Hofner. I’ve had ibanez,Gibson,and a few others varying from 60’s vintage to current issue models. I have heard of incidents where the neck had to be removed,reset,and reglued,but those seem to be due to neglect/abuse situations.
 
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#116
image:12463.jpg
Just got the black Bird at Vancouver L+M. They also have a white and sunburst. Sounded good through the V4b reissue they had in the store, but I was really dazzled once I ran it through the old Traynor TS 50 w/2×12 (Greenbacks) at home. The bass also sounds great unplugged/acoustically. Didn't manage to find a hardcase that's long enough, but a T-Bird gig bag managed to fit it (barely). Fit and finish are pretty good. Now I dream of nickel hardware and correct pickup/bridge covers.
 
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