Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Showcase => Spoiler Basses => Topic started by: bigredbass on March 18, 2012, 09:10:24 PM

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: bigredbass on March 18, 2012, 09:10:24 PM

Finally.  1992 ALEMBIC Spoiler Five, Series Omega shape, in Ruby Red.  Quilt top and faces, mahogany behind, maple / purpleheart deluxe laminates. Traditional Spoiler circuit with FatBoy 4's to go with the classic taper neck (thanks to Bob Novy and Mica). Gold regular Gotoh keys (I do need to trade them out for ALEMBIC monogrammed keys and get a brass control cover to '86 that black plastic !)  It's a whole lotta Spoiler.  Did I mention it's red . . . .  
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126427.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126428.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126429.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126430.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126431.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126432.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/126433.jpg)
  OK, so I finally bought a digital camera (see, Hell DID freeze over).  FujiFilm X10, I highly recommend this little gem. Thanks for Watching !  J o e y  (Message edited by davehouck on March 19, 2012)

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: wishbass on March 18, 2012, 09:15:18 PM

That (those) are lovely Joey.Same red as my Elan!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: bigredbass on March 18, 2012, 10:23:52 PM

Oh, and I forgot, it's long-scale.  It's also very light (noticeably lighter than the Elan) to be that big.  I once wondered if this was some abandoned Series-to-be and it had the hollow spaces in the body, but it doesn't.
 
J o e y

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: jazzboy621 on March 18, 2012, 10:43:21 PM

Beautiful!! Simply Beautiful!!!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: jon_jackson on March 19, 2012, 04:46:58 AM

Thanks for posting. I've wanted to see a picture of BRB ever since joining the Club. Very, very nice.
-Jon

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: tbrannon on March 19, 2012, 05:22:17 AM

Beautiful bass- striking color combination you have between the BRB and the Elan. Glad to finally see a few pictures of it!!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: artswork99 on March 19, 2012, 08:44:26 AM

S W E E T !

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: David Houck on March 19, 2012, 11:59:42 AM

Beautiful quilt; great bass!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: eligilam on March 19, 2012, 03:50:09 PM

Finally!!!  The BigRedBass was like the Alembic Snuffleupagus...until now.  Love it.

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: aquaman on April 04, 2012, 05:38:26 AM

That red is stunning!  Beautiful in all respects.  Glad we finally got a gander at BRB.  
 
Of course, I'm a bit partial to reds. . .

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: dadabass2001 on April 04, 2012, 07:03:07 AM

Been a long time comin' (to borrow from Crosby), but your BRB is be-you-tiful!
Welcome to the digital image age, Joey.
 
Mike

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: mario_farufyno on April 04, 2012, 08:45:51 AM

It is Big, it is Red... It is gorgeous, congrats!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: hieronymous on April 04, 2012, 09:12:18 AM

I wasn't aware of the snuffleupagus status of this bass. I actually kind of like the black control plate - matches the pickups and knobs, keeps balance between front and back (in my eyes). Beautiful!

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: sonicus on April 04, 2012, 09:33:34 AM

An Awesome Bass Joey !  What kind of strings /gauges do you like on this beauty?  
   
 Wolf

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: bigredbass on April 04, 2012, 10:17:17 PM

Wolf, I'm not much of a string-fiend.  Right now this is set up with the Markley Nickel Rocco Prestias.  Over time it's seen everything from Tomastiks to GHS Boomers, usually it winds up with whatever's cheap at Sam Ash the day I bought 'em.  I'm afraid I don't hear a whole lot of difference, feel a whole lot of difference from brand to brand, other than nickel roundwounds are tamer than stainless steel.  After they go dead in a week or two, they all sound the same to me.  Now that I no longer gig, they don't get changed very often at all.  I'll probably settle on D'Addarios, even though it galls me that they put those colored balls on the ends so I can tell which string is which:  I've somehow never confused a 135 B with a 45 G !
 
J o e y

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: bigredbass on April 04, 2012, 10:27:20 PM

Forgot, always the usual'medium' size 5-string set, generally the 45-130 neighborhood as it varies slightly from brand to brand.
 
I do seem to feel a difference in 'round' core strings vs. 'hex-core', basically the same somewhat looser feel that most people report.
 
And I never complain about the 'floppy' B-string.  This seems to aggravate a lot of guys, but I've never thought twice about it, just play it and go on.  
 
The real advantage of this shape (if you can live with the constant conspiracy of gravity against it) is that the entire neck is free of the body, almost Steinberger-esque.  Playing at the octave and above is WAY easy.
 
So the back-story:
 
After I got it, my sister and brother-in-law came over.  I got it out, and Tom said, 'Wow, that's a big red bass'.  And so it is . . .  
 
J o e y

Title: B i g R e d B a s s
Post by: sonicus on April 04, 2012, 11:27:58 PM

Joey , thanks for the post replies. lately I have been using the Dean Markley Blue Steel/ stainless steel .  I agree with you about the body shape and playing at the octave.
 
 Wolf