Well, the Last Bass arrived last Monday. UPS came by my work, didn't leave the bass, then sent me a notice that it had been delivered. The driver had left it on his truck and marked it as delivered! After a few phone calls and 4 long hours, it finally showed up. It has met my very high expectations. Some sweat induced finish checking on the back, but otherwise very clean for a 17 year old bass. The brass covers for the battery and control cavity still had the protective paper coating on them! At first I was somewhat mystified, thinking they were some odd composite replacement covers that the seller had forgot to mention. I had never seen covers like these on any Alembic. Underneath was brand new brass! It's been a busy week and I haven't had much continuous time to play it, until tonight. I was messing around with and old Roland bass pre, with really pungent compression built in, and exploring the filter and pan settings when it just leapt out at me, without any warning or hint. A very distinctive tone, that immediately made me think of the late, great, Mr. Entwhistle. I've never had a sound like that come from any instrument I've played, not even my Epic. I got goosebumps. I'm 50 years old, and I'm as giddy as a little school girl. So whether or not it holds true over time, this has been named, Last Bass.
Oh yeah, the output jack is snug and stable. It is an Alembic replacement, and seems to have a thick rubber washer on the outside of the body. Maybe the washer is supposed to be on the inside? Regardless there are no functional issues at all......
Here's a link to my photobucket.
http://s312.photobucket.com/albums/ll349/jbybj/Europa/ and here are a few previews.
(Message edited by jbybj on April 23, 2009)
(Message edited by davehouck on April 24, 2009)