Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Showcase => Instruments Customized by Alembic => Topic started by: hieronymous on February 18, 2018, 01:37:10 PM
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My Alembicized M-85 II is here! I still haven't been able to take good pictures but I just can't wait to start this thread! The original Dreaming thread is here. (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=6438.0) The pickups are a brand new design, meant to be dropped into the original pickup rings for the Guild humbuckers that replaced the Bi-Sonics around 1971. The electronics in mine are Anniversary (volume, filter & Q switch for each pickup) but mono instead of with the stereo option, and with just a 3-way selector instead of the 4-way rotary. So I don't get stereo or a standby position, but that doesn't bother me at all.
Here's a picture of the whole body:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4631/40345663051_d967a42d7e_z.jpg)
I'll try and post more pics as time goes on, as well as soundclips!
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Looks great, Harry. 8)
Interesting about the pickups... wonder if they'd be a drop-in on my DeArmond Starfire. The rings look right. Hmm.
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Beautiful, Harry! I look forward to the sound clips! :)
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Beautiful! I'll bet it sounds nice too.
Enjoy!
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Thanks everyone!
Mica sent me the Alembic studio shots she took when I picked it up:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4765/25550096457_25f19e781e_z.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4700/39525631885_8425ac44df_z.jpg)
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I'm not a big Guild fan but that's a beautiful bass.
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Congratulations & Compliments, Harry. Looking forward to your fretless posts. ;)
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I've been playing and enjoying this bass! Sounds great with just the neck pickup or with both mixed to give a little bit of bite from the bridge pickup. Did a recording tonight, running through my CAE tube comp & newly refurbished Alembic F-2B, playing along with Mr. Green Genes from Hot Rats by Frank Zappa, plus some free playing afterwards.
Congratulations & Compliments, Harry. Looking forward to your fretless posts. ;)
And here's the hard part - I gotta practice! Gonna keep recording now and again to check my progress. Whether any gets released is another story - noticing it can be hard to hear in tune while I'm playing with headphones, easier in hindsight listening back...
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Finally got in a set of fresh LaBella flatwound strings - I had a set lying around but they were short scale and Guilds really need medium scale because of the extra distance between the ball-end and the saddle. So I thought it was a nice chance to post another pic:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4742/38833535450_bac5ecf0cb_z.jpg)
I've been playing the bass a lot with the old strings - they are probably fine (especially since no frets to mash them up and mess up intonation), but considering that they are 8-9 years old and have been undone and restrung when the mods were being done, I want to put on a fresh set. I noticed the G string around the 7th "fret" is dead - is it a dead spot on the instrument? I'll know more soon. Plus I haven't bothered setting the intonation (seems fine, harder to tell on fretless?), which I will do now.
I also unearthed the pictures from the eBay auction from when I bought the bass back in 2009 - will post those later!
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That does look nice; like an Alembic in stealth mode.
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...like an Alembic in stealth mode.
Funny coincidence Dave; Mica used those exact words yesterday when we were talking briefly about my project. You must have been using The Force. ;D
Hieronymous, I'm wondering if your bass has any side markers? 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.? Looks like some very faint side dots, though to be fair, I'm looking at them on a little-bitty mobile screen... I highly recommend a 1st 'fret' marker if you don't have one... adding it was extremely helpful on my fretless Distillate when landing those notes in the lower register. There's a lot of really useful ones between the nut and 3rd.
*and a lot of really bad ones if you miss. ;)
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Yes, it's got markers at 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, etc. (19, 22 & 24?) (EDIT: I checked last night - it's 22 "frets" so no 24 lol)
I'm enjoying playing it - I try and play at least 10-15 minutes every day - definitely working on intonation - that nut-3rd fret is quite an expanse! I'm actually kind of enjoying exploring it markerless - I think I really need more work on the higher frets!
Gotta run, psyched for your impeding DeArmond Starfire mod! Just haven't had a chance to comment anywhere.
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Been in conversation with edwardofhuncote in a couple of places so not always sure where and when we talked about different things, but here is an issue I was having:
With the old (circa 2009?) strings I was having a dead spot at the 7th "fret" position on the G string (D note) - the initial attack sounds great, but dies quickly. Other positions on the G string sounded fine. Well, finally put on a new set of La Bella flatwounds and it is much better, but still seems like a dead spot. Not a big deal - I'm not going for big sustained tones, I approach this fretless more like an r'n'b thumper - but I did notice something else about the saddle - it's almost like two grooves were cut next to each other:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4801/39798305865_89ec3b546d_z.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4797/39798306545_fd6a2100c2_z.jpg)
You can kind of tell that the saddle looks darker than the others - might be a replacement, badly set up? Unfortunately these saddles are really rare to come across. Do you think it might have any effect on the string? Possible contribution to the dead spot? Something I would like to get fixed, even just for my OCD's sake, but I'm not worrying about it right now.
A lot of people don't like the "harp bridge" but I kind of like it for this bass - if it was fretted I might have upgraded earlier on. I do have some metal replacement saddles which I might switch to at some point, I just like the idea of wooden saddles - what a kooky design! Apparently these were made by Hagstrom and shipped to Guild with the saddles in place - see this thread at letstalkguild.com where someone exchanged emails with Karl Hagstrom Jr.:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?153290-Saddle-Talk (http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?153290-Saddle-Talk)
Maybe someday there could be further Alembicization of this bass - Alembic bridge/tailpiece (in chrome), and also if the fingerboard ever got really chewed up maybe they could replace it with ebony, and install LEDs! I guess this should go back in the dreaming thread...
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I think you have a version of the Fender dead spot. It has to do with resonance and sadly isn't limited to Fender basses. You might be able to move it to a less conspicuous location on the neck by adding some mass to the headstock (i.e. Fat Finger). I just live with it on my Fenders and if I really need the sustain move to the D string for those notes.
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I think you have a version of the Fender dead spot. It has to do with resonance and sadly isn't limited to Fender basses. You might be able to move it to a less conspicuous location on the neck by adding some mass to the headstock (i.e. Fat Finger). I just live with it on my Fenders and if I really need the sustain move to the D string for those notes.
Thanks - I actually do have a Fat Finger - I should experiment!
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Based on what you report, I believe Keith is correct... it sounds like a resonance dupe. A little extra mass might correct it or at least move it 'out of the way'. Just to further eliminate geometry problems, take a very close look at the trueness of the fingerboard right there... look for any noticeable groove. Use a credit card and backlight with small flashlight, see if there's any unusual relief there. Believe me, it doesn't take much on a fretless.
On those saddles, that one does look like a replacement... actually, it looks like ebony against the obviously rosewood one next to it. I would think any competent luthier could make suitable replacements for those. Shoot, I'd be willing to try if you sent me a couple to go by. That said, if you have metal (brass?) replacements, I wouldn't hesitate to use them. A black or brown Sharpie pen will keep you in stealth mode. ;D
~Gregory (who freely confesses to be a loothier...)
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Based on what you report, I believe Keith is correct... it sounds like a resonance dupe. A little extra mass might correct it or at least move it 'out of the way'. Just to further eliminate geometry problems, take a very close look at the trueness of the fingerboard right there... look for any noticeable groove. Use a credit card and backlight with small flashlight, see if there's any unusual relief there. Believe me, it doesn't take much on a fretless.
On those saddles, that one does look like a replacement... actually, it looks like ebony against the obviously rosewood one next to it. I would think any competent luthier could make suitable replacements for those. Shoot, I'd be willing to try if you sent me a couple to go by. That said, if you have metal (brass?) replacements, I wouldn't hesitate to use them. A black or brown Sharpie pen will keep you in stealth mode. ;D
~Gregory (who freely confesses to be a loothier...)
I haven't had a chance to take a good look at the fingerboard - there was more wear under the A string which doesn't seem to be having much of an effect.
I've been playing it a fair amount with the new strings - it's addictive! Still having some tuning issues but it's partly because I'm playing along with old recordings which may not be at A=440 so I have to try and retune - easy enough if the tune is in E, A, D or G, but not when it's in F or Bb or something like that. It's challenging but fun!
So I don't think there is going to be any time soon that I'm going to take the saddles off - I should have ordered a set when the guy I bought the metal ones from still had them (a couple of years ago I think). It's ok though, I'm going to use them for now and probably won't do anything unless one cracks/breaks.
(Still haven't experimented with the Fat Finger - gotta remember to do that)
Just to keep a record, mostly for myself, I played along with some O'Jays tonight - It's Your Thing, Who's That Lady, and Summer Breeze. A couple of nights ago it was parts of Soft Machine NDR Jazz Workshop (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKDuevCr90Q), of course James Brown - Hot Pants, Cold Sweat, Escape-ism - Sister Sledge - We are Family, Chic - Good Times- that's all I can remember for now
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I am excited about this Alembic Pickup and electronics modification . Congratulations !
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I am excited about this Alembic Pickup and electronics modification . Congratulations !
Yeah! I'm enjoying it and excited for others to be able to upgrade from Sludgebuckers!
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Been meaning to share this - it's a picture from the auction from when I got the bass back around 2009:
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/863/26813486407_546b6e47a8_z.jpg)
As you can see, it had black nylon tapewounds and a red die for the pickup selector switch. I hated that die! Wish it still had the metal cap that was stock on these but have never been able to track one down.
I feel so lucky that I had the presence of mind to save all the pictures!
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I need to come up with a new name for this thing so that I don't need to type out "Alembicized fretless Guild M-85 II" each time - hmm, fretless M-85 A? AleM-85? Too bad we can't do polls here, I could have people help me decide.
Anyway, I got to take it out and play it with other people! Still haven't been able to use it with a drummer but that will happen soon! It performed great - I recorded separate tracks of it direct & mic'd with a Shure BETA52a on my GK MB-112 II (another II, though it looks like they've dropped it in their advertising) - going to play with the recording a bit and maybe post something soon.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1745/42438231011_baa47cfc47_z.jpg)
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Looks good, I’d like to hear what it sounds like! I like AleM-85. :)
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Another vote for AleM-85. :)
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Yeah, I typed it (AleM-85) on twitter and it felt right!
Here's another pic from rehearsal:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1734/42407603332_1e5dae735b_z.jpg)
And here's a link to a recording from the rehearsal: (I had posted a link but have taken it down for the time being - sorry about that everyone! Will post something again soon.)
The bass was kind of boomy in the room from the room mics, so I put a high-pass filter on those to cut the lows, then used the mic'd cab track for the bass - hopefully the bass isn't too loud lol
There is definitely one spot where I can hear my intonation is way off, I'm pretty happy with it overall though - I need to record myself playing the fretless more - gonna gig with it this Saturday!
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I really like that Harry ! Your playing as always is awesome and that bass sounds wonderful ! My ears are telling me that Steve Burch is playing the Guitar . Are my ears correct :) ?
Wolf ...... ( with ears perked :) )
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Sounds great. The bass has a warm and meaty tone.
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I really like that Harry ! Your playing as always is awesome and that bass sounds wonderful ! My ears are telling me that Steve Burch is playing the Guitar . Are my ears correct :) ?
Wolf ...... ( with ears perked :) )
Good ears Wolf! We've been playing together for the past month or so - we'll see where it goes...
Sounds great. The bass has a warm and meaty tone.
Thank you! I'm pretty happy with how the BETA52A worked on the amp. In the past I've used it on the kick drum, but no drummer right now so my bass got it. Next step is to do my usual thing with the direct track - I need to put it through my F-2B - always fun to experiment!
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I thought so Harry . Steve is always fun to play music with . I have been playing with him as well on and off again for years . He is indeed a unique and talented musician. Harry, is the modification of this bass now complete or have you ever considered getting an Alembic bridge with brass block and tail piece installed ?
An interesting aspect on my two short scale bass's that have an Alembic bridge and tail piece is the set back location of the tail piece. On my 65 Guild Starfire the tailpiece is set back and as well on my Alembic 73-32 . As a result both of these short scale instruments require long scale strings. I actually like that feature because I can use the same sets of strings for my long scale , medium scale and short scale instruments that way . I love that and the intonation works out swell as well because just the tailpiece location is set further down and not the bridge 8) Very kool !
Wolf ( who likes this bass project )
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Harry, is the modification of this bass now complete or have you ever considered getting an Alembic bridge with brass block and tail piece installed ?
I don't have plans to modify the bridge at the moment. I kind of like the stock bridge with the rosewood saddles. I'm not going for huge sustain, plus I'm interested in finding out if the stock harp bridge has a noticeable impact on the sound. I do have some metal replacement saddles that I picked up along the way, may switch to those if one of the wooden ones breaks.
It might just be romanticizing wood, but it's kind of cool to think that the string is anchored by wood both at the fingerboard end as well as the bridge saddles (though of course the harp also has some metal posts).
The mod I have been fantasizing about is having Alembic replace the fingerboard and put in side LED markers! The D at the 7th fret on the G string seems to have a groove with a noticeable effect on the sustain. Also, the finish on the back of the neck is getting sticky, might be nice to get that refinished. This is a future project though, not going to happen any time soon...
Here's a shot from rehearsal last night:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1736/42447710642_fe073f59c8_z.jpg)
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Played the AleM-85 live for the first time!
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1744/41841770974_a492cc3614.jpg)
Circumstances weren't ideal - only a 20 minute set, had to use the backline (looked like a Fender Rumble or something - I never got close to it, soundman plugged it in and adjusted the volume), no soundcheck to speak of, and lead guitarist was really far away and amp pointed away from us so couldn't hear him at all! But we had rehearsed the set pretty well, so I forged ahead! Not including Alembic Gatherings, I've only been able to play live in front of an audience maybe 5 times in the past 7-8 years, though I played fairly regularly in the early '90s. I remember gigs being disappointing sometimes, usually because they didn't go as well as hoped, or the circumstances weren't optimal, etc. But I basically expected everything that happened as a possibility (well, I didn't actually consider that I wouldn't be able to hear the guitarist), and somehow I was able to just play and enjoy the experience rather than dwell on the negatives.
I briefly considered taking a different bass, but ultimately went with the AleM-85, and I'm glad I did!
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Wow! VERY cool!! (I haven't played in front of an audience in quite a few years, myself. Congrats on, what seemed to be impossible circumstances!)
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I'm curious Harry, as you transition to playing the fretless out more often, do you find yourself using, or trying out alternate settings on your fretted Alembics? (can't quite tell from the pictures where the pointers on your witch hats are...) ;D
My own recent personal experience with both my fretless Alembics has led me to favor the bridge pickup about 60/40, roll the filter down even lower to about 30% open, and engage the Q-switch. Generally, these settings are opposite what I would start with on the fretted basses.
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Nice photo, Harry, glad it all worked out, hope to hear how it sounds!
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My own recent personal experience with both my fretless Alembics has led me to favor the bridge pickup about 60/40, roll the filter down even lower to about 30% open, and engage the Q-switch. Generally, these settings are opposite what I would start with on the fretted basses.
Interesting question! So are you going for a similar sound but by different approaches or are you going for something different with fretless?
So far, I feel like I'm going for a basic fat, round sound without much high-frequency information, whether on fretted or fretless, and it's basically neck pickup with filter turned down - hmm, halfway? Though I think the neck pickup on the AleM-85 is much closer to the end of the fretboard than on my Stanley Sig2 - I should measure to make sure.
One more rehearsal with this group before we go on hiatus for 6 weeks or so - I think I might take a fretted bass. The AleM-85 lived up to expectations, but it takes a lot of work to play fretless! I think I might take a break this time since we're not building to something, though I do want to try and keep it up too. Fretless is do or die - with each note! Or maybe I'm just too much of a slacker rock bassist lol
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"Interesting question! So are you going for a similar sound but by different approaches or are you going for something different with fretless?"
I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but my perception of what I like fretless tone to be started to evolve. The fretless Distillate and Custom wih E-M-W controls are very similar, and so, can be made to respond in kind. I've found that favoring the bridge pickups, closing the filters, attenuating the Q, and boosting the bass has revealed a new happy place. By contrast, with the fretted basses I typically have favored the neck pickup, left the filter about 50-60% open, toggled the Q off, and left the eqs flat or even cut.
All part of the adventure I suppose. :D
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With my fretless playing and exploration I have applied some of the acquired technique to my fretted playing as well . I have a propensity to strive for Jaco like tone on fretless . In this pursuit I tend to favor the bridge pickup and apply my plucking hand / fingers close to the bridge area. As well I go for more lower midrange growl then Earth shaking bass response because of the articulation that I am trying to achieve. In the early 1990s I was fortunate to get some coaching and guidance from both Michael Manring and Mark Egan who remain as my living mentors on fretless playing . I recently attended a show on 6/2/18 with Michael Manring playing as a solo act and was grateful to have another conversation with him after the show . We reopened our previous topic of string gauge and tension . Both Mr.Manring and Mr. Egan were guided and coached by Mr. Jaco Pastorius whom I met briefly in the 1980s .
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I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but my perception of what I like fretless tone to be started to evolve. The fretless Distillate and Custom wih E-M-W controls are very similar, and so, can be made to respond in kind. I've found that favoring the bridge pickups, closing the filters, attenuating the Q, and boosting the bass has revealed a new happy place. By contrast, with the fretted basses I typically have favored the neck pickup, left the filter about 50-60% open, toggled the Q off, and left the eqs flat or even cut.
All part of the adventure I suppose. :D
Very interesting. East meets West is part of the equation that I don't have. I was very happy with the sound I got from the neck pickup into my tube compressor into my GK amp with the controls fairly flat, recorded with the Shure BETA52A. I need to post it soon!
With my fretless playing and exploration I have applied some of the acquired technique to my fretted playing as well . I have a propensity to strive for Jaco like tone on fretless . In this pursuit I tend to favor the bridge pickup and apply my plucking hand / fingers close to the bridge area. As well I go for more lower midrange growl then Earth shaking bass response because of the articulation that I am trying to achieve. In the early 1990s I was fortunate to get some coaching and guidance from both Michael Manring and Mark Egan who remain as my living mentors on fretless playing . I recently attended a show on 6/2/18 with Michael Manring playing as a solo act and was grateful to have another conversation with him after the show . We reopened our previous topic of string gauge and tension . Both Mr.Manring and Mr. Egan were guided and coached by Mr. Jaco Pastorius whom I met briefly in the 1980s.
Thanks for the insights Wolf! I've been blown away by Jaco a few times in my life, also appreciate Mark Egan's playing on the first couple of Metheny Band albums, plus I had his Mosaic solo album. Michael Manring is amazing - very cool that you've encountered and connected with him a few times!
I've definitely got a few approaches to the bass - aggressive with a pick, deep round r'n'b sound with fingers, fat distortion/fuzz - depends on the bass and the people I'm playing with I guess.
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Since speaker type can infuence the sound, I’m just wondering what size speakers you fretless players are using? I’m using a 12-6-soft tweeter cab with my fretless (jazz band so not terribly loud). So far so good, but I was thinking of trying it with a 15-with tweeter cab to see how it sounds.
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Here's some audio! This was recorded and mixed by the drummer, so I'm not responsible if the bass is too loud lol
There are some blatant intonation errors when I go up the neck but wanted to share for the sound. The fill leading in at the very beginning is from my DI recording, the rest is from the mic on my GK MB-112.
http://hieronymous.us/music/reflectionofthesun_edit3.mp3 (http://hieronymous.us/music/reflectionofthesun_edit3.mp3)
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I like your Groove . Those Alembic pickups and electronics sound great ! I remember both the drummer and guitarist as being fun to play music with :) ! Please send them my best wishes .
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I like your Groove . Those Alembic pickups and electronics sound great ! I remember both the drummer and guitarist as being fun to play music with :) ! Please send them my best wishes .
Thanks and will pass on the wishes!
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Thumpy! Sounds great, really.
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Thumpy! Sounds great, really.
Thumpy - that's definitely part of the sound I'm going for. On certain basses like this it feels like I'm trying to plop the notes in the right space for the groove.
I put a louder version of the jam on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hieronymous-seven/reflection-of-the-sun (https://soundcloud.com/hieronymous-seven/reflection-of-the-sun)
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I haven't used the AleM-85 at the past couple of playing opportunities - I think I needed a break from fretless - partly the continued realization of how much work it is to have good intonation. And then I had a brilliant idea - check the intonation! It was way off on the D & G strings :o I worked on it, I think it's better, have another jam session this week, think I'm going to take it!
(At the last rehearsal I took my Gibson Les Paul Triumph - it worked well but we played for about 3 hours and I definitely felt the weight by the end - and later that evening!)
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Quick update (though nothing exciting) - at the last rehearsal the strap pin by the neck pulled out again, so my toothpick/Elmer's glue fix didn't hold. I think it needs a longer screw, going to have a friend help me. I don't have any tools other than a few screwdrivers & allen wrenches. It's kind of frustrating to look at the bass and know that I can't pick it up and play it! Well, I could play it seated but I prefer to practice with it the same was as when I play it out, so I'm resisting.
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Might be time to plug, and redrill if that longer screw doesn't do the trick. ;)
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Wanted to share a pic of current Bass Forest Guardian - Kismet!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48157235557_05cfb44c45_o.jpg)
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Swell :)
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Picked up the AleM-85 for the first time in almost a year! Felt inspired for some reason, played along with some '74 Dead, even managed to capture some on video.
I love this little bass![/youtube]
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Sounds great! Very cool fretless! :)
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Looks really cool and sounds great, what warm tone.
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Thanks everyone! It is a fun bass to play and I'm really happy with the tone I basically stumbled on. Well, there was some thought that went into it - I turned the bridge pickup up higher than I normally would, and the other day realized that I had the Q-switch on (just the bridge pickup), I think that's a significant part of the sound I'm getting.
Here's another video recorded a couple of days later - same settings, different pick (graphite Telefunken that Edwin turned me on to)
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Part of the fretless tone recipe' I seem to keep dialing in on both my Custom and Distillate... favor the bridge pickup, close the filter to about 30% open, boost the Q, and push the bass a little.
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Part of the fretless tone recipe' I seem to keep dialing in on both my Custom and Distillate... favor the bridge pickup, close the filter to about 30% open, boost the Q, and push the bass a little.
"Tone recipe" - I like that!
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Haven't stayed up to date in this thread - here is my latest:
Playing it with a wood pick I found in a local store - ordered some new strings, pretty sure these are the same LaBellas that have been on it since I got it back from Alembic! (I'm actually not sure how long ago that was) Might try some Pyramid flats - wish me luck!
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That attack sounds tasty.
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Exemplary
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If I was just listening I would have thought it was fretted. Nice fretless slides without loosing the beat.
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Here's another one - I turned the bass up in the mix and only used the neck pickup, still with the wood pick and Tech21 Geddy Lee MP40 SansAmp:
And in other news - my first-ever set of Pyramid flats arrived! Not sure that I'll put them on right away, but I am kind of excited...
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Apparently Chris Squire used a fretless Guild JS-II (a short scale) on a section in the fourth part of the song Close to the Edge from the album of the same name. It appears to be from around the same time of the AleM-85?!! Conjecture on my part, since I have no idea how many unlined fretless basses they produced in the 2-3 year span of mine and the release of Close to the Edge. Whatever the case (and I would like to do more research), I had a great time doing a bass cover with mine.
There are several clams toward the end, but apparently on those sections he was playing his Rickenbacker! :D
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Harry, That was a really nice way to start my Friday. Thank YOU.
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I got a new truss rod cover for the Alem-85:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54150073861_c6e76f4fda_z.jpg)
It was done by Frets On The Net (https://www.fretsonthenet.com) - I think he did a good job, a Guild aficionado will notice that the truss rod is backwards but the traditional orientation won't fit with the replacement tuners (they were there when I got it, I actually really like the look, the post has a bigger diameter than the standard tuners of the time)
I haven't played this bass in a while! Been focusing on the AlFeMBoses...
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Is that one of those fat finger thingies clipped on the top or your tuner. if so did you try it on your other AlFeMboses neck to get rid of the dead spot before getting the new neck?
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Like the new truss-rod cover. 8) I recently had one made for an obscure Gibson bass that 'came home' after an extended loan-out. Philadelphia Luthiers Tools does custom engraving, and I've had them do a few for me. (they also have some great tools I use in my shop...)
I think this is my favorite of your basses. Although that doubleneck is pretty cool too!
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Like the new truss-rod cover. 8) I recently had one made for an obscure Gibson bass that 'came home' after an extended loan-out. Philadelphia Luthiers Tools does custom engraving, and I've had them do a few for me. (they also have some great tools I use in my shop...)
I think this is my favorite of your basses. Although that doubleneck is pretty cool too!
Custom truss rod covers are a fun and cheap way to spruce up an instrument, huh? Although I've been favoring the AlFeMBoses recently, the ALEM-85 definitely holds a special place in my heart!
jazzyvee, it IS a Fatfinger™ - its effect is magical on this instrument - there was zero sustain on the 7th fret D on the G string - I thought maybe a groove had been worn in the fingerboard, it was that bad, but the Fatfinger™ has magically removed all dead spots that I can tell! I tried on my Precision Basses but with almost zero results, hence the graphite neck - though I have also been interested in them since the '90s when a couple of my favorite bassists used them - Oteil Burbridge with Modulus and Mark White of Spin Doctors with a graphite necked Jazz Bass.