Given my own preference for Alembics:  Whatever works...

Hey Guys,
 
I just experienced a bit of 'Reverse Discrimination.'
 
I just recently finished doing a video shoot with one of the bands I work with @ EKO Productions (some of you East Coast guys might be familiar with the place).  
 
Now, I've done quite a few videos there with various bands, but this last time I noticed that I didn't get quite as many close-ups as usual.  In past videos, I seemed to be featured often, and my bass was super-imposed over the vocalist in many instances.  While I did get a few this last time, it didn't seem to be half as many as usual.  So jokingly, I asked one of the cameramen: What happened this time?  He said: Well, while the bass you're using now (my Tobias) is quite nice, in the past when you was using that Alembic, I just couldn't take my lens off of it.
 
When I thought about it, I realized the first question he asked he when I pulled out my Tobias was: Where's the Alembic?
 
Man, I gotta get my dollars together and get my next Alembic quick.
 
Mikey/

Here in Philadelphia many bassists use Fenders. any high end bass tha comes out is suspect. many players in this town go for a very very basic tone.  
 
Most of the negativity I have encountered comes from bringing an extended range instrument to a gig. I think this stems mainly from bassists not fulfilling the the bass function job and simply overplaying on their extended range instruments instead of playing what the job calls for.
 

Hey godoze
Nice to hear from another Alembic player from Philadelphia. Thats where I'm at. Do you play out around here? I'll come hear how that bass sounds. Saw your post about your rig and I must join the Pauls in saying wheres the pictures?  
Willie

Willie,
Yes, My trio plays around quite a bit but most of my high profile gigs come from the belly dancer i play solo with.
 
I think I have heard of your band.

You get to play solo with a belly dancer COOOOOOl
Where & when that would be interesting, hearing an Alembic live & getting to see a belly dancer at the same time. I dont remember metioning the name of my band but I've played with several, ever hear of Strange Kreek Whats the name of your trio
Willie

I looked at your profile and saw the band name...

Godoze - I agree 100% on overplaying - nobody wants to hear slapping, tapping and harmonics on Proud Mary.

dnburgess
Did you ever hear Victor Wooten play Norwegian Wood or Amazing Grace? He does some things there that are definitely different than the original studio versions. Obviously you can overplay a song and turn it into #@%^, but sometimes its nice to hear someone take a song and play it a whole new way as long as they do it Justice.
So godoze, when are you playing around Philly again
Willie

I played in Doylestown Saturday night... A duo with an accordion player. Hemingway sounded very good with the accordion. I cannot wait to install the filter and Q.

Something else that comes to mind from personal experience is that most engineers have an easy time mixing the Fender tone in recordings while many have difficulty trying to incorporate a high fidelity bass. They are just not sure how to deal with a basses tone that is not meat and potatoes.
 
I have experienced this with my Smith basses on several occasions.

The last recording I did, the engineer was pleased to see an Alembic (he is old school San Francisco 70's stock).He ran me from a Countryman DI to a Summit tube pre and got a huge sound right out of the box. Much more satisfying than all that Guitar/Vocal interference you hear on recordings today! Yes, it IS all about me.
 
Larry

Just by experience...
 
Many engineers like the Fender bass because they have been EQ'ing them for so long they kind of know what to do to get a sound, whereas with Alembics, there is such a robust tonal signal that they are easy to work with.  
 
As far as Ken Smith basses, I think they are beautiful and have a unique tone- which is rare when you think of how many other basses sound so much alike (not to include boutique basses, which tend to have unique audio signals, add to this the basic and unique tonal qualities of the P bass, J bass, Ricky basses and Stingrays). Funny thing is I have heard others comment about having to work to get a sound in the mix on Ken Smith basses. Why? I don't know. I found a freaky K. Smith that I am totally in love with. It's a BSR7EG- yes 7 string! I don't need 7 strings, but the bass is so beautiful, that I can't get it out of my mind!
Don't worry, my intention, should I find the dollars, is to use that bass a platform for solo performance, perhaps accompanied by hand percussion. Just imagine the reaction you'd get for pulling out a 7 string!!!! Talk about discrimination!
Tonally, they seem to have a strong midrange presence. maybe that is what troubles engineers, who knows.  
 
Again, who's to say what is right when they see what we are pulling out of our cases?  
 
Alemboid

I guess the right ones are either the people that hired us or ouselves...

I have been playing bass for over 25 + years, my first bass was a copy of a Fender Jazz, and others were Ibanez Musician, Destroyer II, Washburn B-40 EQ, Kramer Ferrington II, Yamaha RBX 5, RBX 765a, Peavey TL-6, they all have been retired/sold as my tastes changed over the years, now I use Alembic, Conklin, Fodera, Pedulla, Tobias (pre Gibson), Hamer, Zeta, Guild Ashbory, Michael Kelly, still have a fretted and fretless Ibanez Musician basses (till my new Alembic comes!! ) then they will be retired and a Ibanez  Studio 8 string , as well a a Fender P I got used someone put in EMG's and a Kahler whammybar. No one has ever complained about my bass sound, the only comment was from an studio engineer who thought the Washburn sounded like a Rick ! and when people see my Conklin 7 string, they ask what make it is ans LOOK at the size of the neck..How do you play that ? All my basses were a very personal choice,  purchased for what I could afford, the way they look, sound and play, not for brand name, or who uses one, I like unique looking instruments ( I still have one of those Roland GR-77B bass synths ;o)........ bottom line is now days with how far bass building and electronics have come, 5 different people can pick up the same bass, play through the same amp and all sound completely different,  it doesn't matter how many strings are on your bass or what brand it is, I bring up to 5 instruments to a gig and switch for different songs, fretted,fretless, but I play for what the song requires.....original or cover, Dream Theater to Jimi Hendrix, stage or studio.