Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: BeenDown139 on January 12, 2025, 10:37:11 AM
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as much fun as my big 5-stringers are to play, i gotta find something lighter and smaller for these marathon rehearsals we're doing lately as we're getting the band out of the gate. i did 3 hours with the MKD (11.5 lbs) strapped on friday and my left shoulder's still nice and sore 2 days later. the SII weighs in at over 14 lbs. plus we're a 4-piece jammed into a basement man-circle that's maybe 10 x 15 (feet, that is) with RC plane bodies hanging from the ceiling. to say it's tight is an understatement. i'm afraid of putting a headstock thru a plane body (pete townsend style!) if i put too much body english on it. you cna see how it is in the videos i've posted lately.
so i'm looking for a light headless 5-stringer that isn't a POS or costs >$20kUSD. as much as i love stienberger, they're out - an XL-25 is just 5 string hardware on a 4-string body - 1 1/4 inch at the nut is narrower than my 4 string fretless. i've owned one of these before and i had to unload it because it was like playing a long-neck guit@r with fat strings and my left hand couldn't keep from getting tangled up. an XL-25W is close to my comfort zone string spacing-wise but apparently they're rarer than hen's teeth and i'd pay more for one of those than an SII. i've not heard good things about the synapse, they're cheap enuff to gamble on but i dunno i want to go back to a bolt-on.
so that leaves this:
https://reverb.com/item/86474025-used-status-graphite-streamline-5-string-bass-black-gloss-0709048
i'm not turned on by the body shape especially, but at 6 lbs 9 oz i can live with it.
so my question is - does anybody here have experience with these? how does it stack up sound-wise to an good XL-2? or an alembic, for that matter. you can PM me if ya don't wanna publicly comment.
thanks
t
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There is another solution. I was diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis a couple of years ago. I can’t stand for three hours anymore. So I got one of these. If it’s good enough for Jeff Skunk Baxter, it’s good enough for me.
Bill, tgo
https://reverb.com/item/34020841-gator-frameworks-gfw-gtrstool-guitar-stool-w-stand-open-box
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thanx for the tip. the problem is i wanna perform standing up. if it wasn't for that i'd get a stool and we wouldn't be having this conversation. i kinda feel like that would be giving up. im 68. ive played standing my whole career. i can still do it but i gotta get a lighter bass or im gonna wind up crippled at this rate.
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There was a member here who let me try a prototype of a ‘harness’ system that had a belt that put the instruments weight on your hips. It works well. Thought he went into production and was selling them online. Richard was his first name…. I’ll dig through old emails see if I can find out more…. CRS Syndrome don’t cha know.
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There's a bunch of Yamaha BX-5 listings on ebay, not sure any of them are real. Here's 1:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/306011539174?_skw=yamaha+bx-5&itmmeta=01JHE2S0WBJ87CT8JW5AWJVP94&hash=item473fb586e6:g:7IgAAOSwlU9ndN8k&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmZT2K6j1nqwAp8fWv0smX1lB4tubSyN6YprcSlg%2BfWjcQPArITl7uyBZdLZNBRwqgK2LPUGI5uPGWnWCa%2BCRDefOGTbwnJ1EMEy19uB6e5NHmbpTiwVUjHyniVbaKoFZXciB%2BWoRcZahAcfXd0B8d3TqPYc9%2F%2BZCkfq1vKbWwC3aVaiXz9YPeWcZUUqjzE9SzAy3ai8VcEBpGYzFUfnar%2F6oa3Hi7nG82C4kYJQDCvFuwYeiK4KPXYmZz5O1tqqX4oCk%2FUQKPVjx4HHoq0efgV%7Ctkp%3ABFBMqo7kwotl (https://www.ebay.com/itm/306011539174?_skw=yamaha+bx-5&itmmeta=01JHE2S0WBJ87CT8JW5AWJVP94&hash=item473fb586e6:g:7IgAAOSwlU9ndN8k&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmZT2K6j1nqwAp8fWv0smX1lB4tubSyN6YprcSlg%2BfWjcQPArITl7uyBZdLZNBRwqgK2LPUGI5uPGWnWCa%2BCRDefOGTbwnJ1EMEy19uB6e5NHmbpTiwVUjHyniVbaKoFZXciB%2BWoRcZahAcfXd0B8d3TqPYc9%2F%2BZCkfq1vKbWwC3aVaiXz9YPeWcZUUqjzE9SzAy3ai8VcEBpGYzFUfnar%2F6oa3Hi7nG82C4kYJQDCvFuwYeiK4KPXYmZz5O1tqqX4oCk%2FUQKPVjx4HHoq0efgV%7Ctkp%3ABFBMqo7kwotl)
I have (had) a BX-1, loved it. Neck-through, passive, light, and I loved the sound. I lent it to my stepdaughter and she won't give it back.
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Suggest you check out Geoff Gould's five strings. He makes nice basses with bolt on graphite necks and depending on wood combos some of them can be in the 8-9 pound range. Necks are nice and wide with a thin profile front to back. Most of his basses are 35"scale so not sure if that would work for you.
https://reverb.com/item/73973920-g-gould-ggi5-2023-cocobolo-roasted-pine-natural-clear-gloss (https://reverb.com/item/73973920-g-gould-ggi5-2023-cocobolo-roasted-pine-natural-clear-gloss)
You could also look into one of the stands you can mount a bass on to play standing. Trevor has opted for one of the stands to help deal with the weight of his Gene Matsiko Alembic.
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There was a member here who let me try a prototype of a ‘harness’ system that had a belt that put the instruments weight on your hips. It works well. Thought he went into production and was selling them online. Richard was his first name…. I’ll dig through old emails see if I can find out more…. CRS Syndrome don’t cha know.
It was Rich's "Hover Harness", invented by Club Member [richbass], and I have one, with two of the sleeves for two basses, if Tim wants to give that a try. It definitely works... transfers 100% of the weight of the bass from your back/neck/shoulders to your hips.
I don't think he makes them anymore, but I'll gladly pass my gently used one along if it'll help.
Also, I'm with you on the "I want to perform standing up" attitude... I was there too. I'm much stronger and healthier now, so I don't need it as much, but after my first fusion surgery when I returned to playing, I kept a chair/stool very similar to what Bill TGO suggested right next to my rig. I still do. And when I start feeling that bass pulling me down, guess where my scrawny ass goes between tunes? It's a trade-off I have learned to live with.
You're welcome to try the Hover-Harness too.
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Well…..the Spirit 5-string has a wider neck than the Spirit 4-string & a Real Steinberger 4.
Upper left is the 5 in white.
Below that is the 4 in white.
Below that is a Steinee 4 in black graphite.
I bought the Spirits from Music123 years ago. I paid $279.00 for the Spirits. The Doubleneck was $379! I bought them thinking just the Steinberger licensed hardware was worth the price!
The Spirits are wood so heavier than the graphite. And headless insures you don’t skewer a bomber flying in low. If interested, I can dig them out for more precise measurements / weights.
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ok thanks for the help, but i think i need to clarify - i want smaller, lighter and something i can move around the stage with. something that doesn't sound and play like a cheap bass. pretty sure we're going from crowded basement to tiny stages soon. for the gigs where i have room on hte stage to prowl around and that i can bring both amps to, it's the the SII backed up with the MKD hands down. but i forsee lotsa hit-and-runs gigs and certianly more time in the basement in the meantime. i need a 5-string for about half the songs we do, often because i have to play the song a 1/2 or whole step lower than the original to accomidate aging vocalists. if it wasn't for that, there are plenty of decent XL-2's around. that's why i'm on the headless small body 5-string quest.
There's a bunch of Yamaha BX-5 listings on ebay, not sure any of them are real. Here's 1:
this bass intrigues me. never seen one before. price is right. but i would't touch anything on ebay, especially from japan with a 10-foot pole these days. i couldn't find any in hte US. might hafta poke around.
Suggest you check out Geoff Gould's five strings.
nice basses, but i want headless.
any status players out there wanna chip in? i'm kind of attracted to the streamline. thinking of pinging the owner, maybe taking his temperature, so to speak.
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I own a Status Stealth 4 string and it's an astonishing instrument. Similar to the Streamline, but with wings. Impeccable workmanship, light as a feather, and great tone to boot (really nice preamp). I would custom order a 5 string in a heartbeat but Status no longer makes them. It's a one piece monocoque construction, I would highly recommend. I often bring mine as a backup to switch to if my S1/S2 just gets too heavy over the course of a gig. Status ball end strings are also great.
G.Gould instruments are also terrific. I have a matched pair of redwood/purpleheart/swamp ash 5 strings, fretted and fretless which are easy on the shoulder and are tone monsters. Very flexible and expressive instruments.
None of the above have the tonal gravitas of an Alembic, but they are my next favorite basses :)
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pretty sure we're going from crowded basement to tiny stages soon.
For some reason I'm recalling the night the (always overcaffeinated) bass player's pristine Ed Reynolds custom and the lead player's likewise pristine 1966 Fender Electric XII banged headstocks.......
Peter (who still winces at the thought - so imagine how they fe!t!)
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likewise pristine 1966 Fender Electric XII banged headstocks.
well ive already almost introduced the ebony amazon's headstock to an RC airplane body, various zildjian cymbals and the backs of a coupla people's heads. if i was playing a f3nd@r or some other mass-market instrument id call it mojo and move on but not with one-of-a-kind masterpiece which is a big reason i wanna go headless. id like to move around on stage with having an expensive accident 🤑
for a while i had an elan 5-string with 5-inline headstock. i needed a 6-foot perimeter wherever i stood. that bass headstock was a hazard 😵
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likewise pristine 1966 Fender Electric XII banged headstocks.
well ive already almost introduced the ebony amazon's headstock to an RC airplane body, various zildjian cymbals and the backs of a coupla people's heads. if i was playing a f3nd@r or some other mass-market instrument id call it mojo and move on but not with one-of-a-kind masterpiece which is a big reason i wanna go headless. id like to move around on stage with having an expensive accident 🤑
for a while i had an elan 5-string with 5-inline headstock. i needed a 6-foot perimeter wherever i stood. that bass headstock was a hazard 😵
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Well, it was a '66, and still pristine in '82, so he was kinda bummed. But not as bummed as Tom was about his one-of-a-kind masterpeice Reynolds.* Plus, to make it worse for him, it was his fault.
Bob kept gigging the Electric XII, and it now looks 59 years old.
*3-piece maple through-neck, streamlined-J-bass-type bubinga body, ebony 'board, crown headstock, oval inlays; may have been some influence from somewhere......
It had Barts w/3-way active EQ. Not an Alembic, but without a doubt the finest non-Alembic bass I've ever known.
Peter
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Thanks Gregory! You have a well developed skill for remembering things.
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I actually have a streamline 5 available. Great sounding and playing instrument. Lmk if there is any interest. I have 2 status mark kings as well they never need any adjustments.
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I actually have a streamline 5 available. Great sounding and playing
PM sent
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Thanks Gregory! You have a well developed skill for remembering things.
Ha! 😄 If only whatever mechanism causes that, allowed me to selectively forget certain things! Nah, I really did benefit from Rich's brilliant gizmo... I don't guess he hangs around here anymore but I really appreciated that harness during a bad time. If I had a brain between my ears I'd stop trying to gift it and be ready for the inevitable day I need it again. 🤨
Looks like BeenDown found what he wuz lookin' for. 😊
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a couple random notes on this:
for some reason i can't edit the post where i said my elan 5iver headstock was 5 in line. it was actually 4+1. still, a very long headstock nonetheless. a real headbanger if ya catch my drift.
that bass was hands down the most uncomfortable awkward strapped up heavy bass i've ever played, even worse than the ebony amazon. if i'd kept it, i would've undergon right shoulder surgery by now. that body shape put my right arm in a wierd position that i could never overcome. that being said, it had the closest sound to an SII that i've ever heard from any bass. ever now and agin i miss that bass :-( . pictured below for your perusal.
on a related note, i noticed that my left shoulder soreness wasn't near as severe after playing the EbonyAmazon standing for 3 hours as it was with the MKD, which is kinda counter-intuitive because it weighs about 2 1/2 lbs more. then after watching the videos, i noticed that the MKD strap naturally rests on my left shoulder out toward my arm (which is where it hurts) as opposed the SII. the SII medium-scale-body-with-long-scale-neck geometry naturally pulls the strap in snug against my neck when i stand up, which i suppose puts less cantilever strain on my shoulder. so it's actually more comfortable to play standing up than sitting down. who'd a' thunk it? it's still heavy as heck, tho. gonna try it out again at rehearsal today. see hwat happens.
that status web site has some really cool stuff but it has got to be the most poorly laid out one i've seen in a while. hard to tell what's for sale, what's even still in production or how ya even order one fer cryin out loud.
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ooops forgot the pic ::)
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Looks like BeenDown found what he wuz lookin' for. 😊
indeed. BOOM!
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ooops forgot the pic ::)
That bass looks greatooops forgot the pic ::)
That Elan bass ticks lots of boxes for me.
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That Elan bass ticks lots of boxes for me.
that bass was the bomb. somedays i miss that bass :-(
however, on a lighter note, many thanks to dannobasso for working this deal with me. the status arrived in one piece and ready to go this afternoon. sounds great, wide chunky neck like my essence 5iver. here she is with her wooden stablemates, gonna hafta find a stand that works for her, for now we'll go with an old t-shirt propped up in the corner.
gave her a checkout test drive this afternoon, my hands still hurt from yesterday's rehearsal (it was intense!) so a light run-thru with some familiar songs before its back to the wooodshed getting ready for next band day.
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oops forgot the pic. been doing that alot lately. hope it's not a sign
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Glad you are enjoying it. Your back will thank you very much.
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the status arrived saturday, basically all i did was tune it up, adjust the strap and then dive into getting accustomed to it while getting ready for rehearsal today. we did our standard 3 hours, mostly standing up, i used the MKD for touch of grey and the status for hte rest of the songs.
impressions:
definitely different than a wood bass. i generally leave leave the tones wide open on the wood basses to let the sound of the wood through. on this one i gotta use the tone controls to shape the tone into something wood-like. not used to that. took me a while to find my sound.
after 3 hours of this, i still had feeling in my left shoulder and arm and my back didn't hurt. didn't bang it into anything or anybody. i'd call that a win.
getting a tuner clipped to that head stump is tricky. none of mine will register the open B string. kinda weird. good thing i still remember how to tune by ear. :o
it's so light at times i felt like i was wearing one of those guitar hero doo-dads.
it was a real nuts-and-bolts rehearsal, didn't get any keepers out of it, here's a fragment showing how it went.
looks like we'll need a setup after that cross-country trip, gonna work on that. got another rehearsal friday.
cheers!