What other basses do you play?

[rklisme]

Hey Guy's
 
It is pretty obvious that we all play and love our Alembics but I am sure like myself some of us have other instruments we play. What other basses do you have and why do you use them? While you are at it what style of music do you enjoy playing? I can think of many reasons to buy a bass but a few might be price, sound, investment, looks, or maybe your favorite bass player plays one!
I personally have in my collection, One Black Fender Jazz Bass with maple neck, 6 string Ken Smith Bubinga with hard rock maple and Pau Ferro fretboard, two 5 string Ken Smith basses with quilted maple and maple neck with rose wood fretboards, two band and four band electronics, Red Essence 4 string with Europa electronics, maple top with ebony fretboard.  
I mainly play through a Gallien Krueger combo amp with 1-10 and 70 watts but my main rig consist of Eden 6-10 setup. Most of the gigs I do are replacement bass player gigs so my style varies however I probably do most of my work out of the fake/ real books!
It seems sometimes when you show up to a gig that nothing will do for that particular gig but a Fender. I often hear I want that Fender sound, blah, blah, blah, so I bring it and change to my Alembic later! Anyway I would love to hear what everyone else is doing!
 
Rory

[smokin_dave]

Over the years(tooo many)I have owned a Crestwood,a 77' Fender P,a 72'Rick,an 84'Fender J,a '93 Musicman Stingray which I sold a few months later one fateful day to buy my 94'Alembic Epic 4.Nine years later I bought a 03'Rogue 5.After I bought the Epic,I swore I would own no other bass but an Alembic.I've played but never owned Ken Smith's,Zon's,Yamaha's,Steinberger's,ect...but nothing,so far,even comes close to an Alembic.I run my Alembic's through an SWR sm400 with an Alembic SF-2 in the effects loop and into 2 Eden 410XLT's.I would love to own however,a setup like Paul's Tweak Peaks.I WANT GLOCKENKLANG POWER/SPEAKER'S AND ALEMBIC PROCESSING.NOW!  

[dannobasso]

In addition to my family of 9 (soon to be ten) Alembics I just picked up a Gibson Ripper L9S to replace my first bass. I also picked up a Jetglo Ric 4003 stereo. I replaced the pickguard to make it all black. My bro has a rare dark walnut 4001 in the 70's. I didn't have any cash to buy it from him. So now I play my Yes, Rush, etc in my studio. I'm even dusting off my PK5 pedals and synth modules to rattle the foundation! I only gig with Alembics. The others are for sentimental reasons and severe GAS while waiting the past 15 months for #10!

[keavin]

A De,armond pilot bass is my other axe,but it's in the closet,my alembic (old#12)is my best friend and has been for 25 yrs.

[bracheen]

Around about 1968 I convinced myself that Jack Bruce is some form of deity, hence my Warwick Thumb Bass.  That's my only other bass besides the Epic.  I sold the Fenders to get the Warwick and never looked back.  Not that they were bad instruments but I'm much more satisfied with what I have now.
I'm bidding on a Guild B302 that's on ebay.  This is for sentimental reasons only (see the regrets thread).  That was my first bass and I'm getting soft in my old age.
Any new serious aquisitions though will be Alembic.  There is just nothing like them in any catagory, tone, playability, workmanship, etc.
Twin Peaks is awesome as is Bonnie.  There isn't a Glockenklang dealer anywhere near me.  The only place I know that I've heard them is Twin Peaks herself on the Drive website.  Very much worth the visit BTW.
 
Sam

[rami]

 
 
 
(Message edited by rami on July 24, 2004)

[rami]

Hey Danno,
 
I remember the Ripper!  I had a thing for it at one time - I particularly liked the fretless one.  Although I feel it's unfortunate that Gibson never seemed to put the same  effort to developing and marketing their basses as they do their guitars.
I have one Gibson Bass - an SG-Z I found used.  It's in perfect condition.  They only made it for a short time (1998-2001) until like most Gibson Basses (except of course, the legendary Thunderbird)- it was discontinued.  I paid $600 for it.  I was shocked to find out it was selling new for almost $2300!!!!  Probably explains why it never sold.  I'm thinking about sending it to Alembic to upgrade it, or maybe I'll just keep it as is...  A cool looking SG Bass that was too short lived and WAY overpriced.

[kmh364]

I aquired a  Gibson EB-3 (vintage '68 or so) from a friend back in the early '80's for a song. I fixed a guitar tech's A/C in his old Buick in exchange for him setting up the thing (neck needed to be clamped, etc.). My brother still has it. Unfortunately, even though it has two p/u's plus the five-position Varitone p/u selector switch, it has five sounds,: mud, mud, muddy, muddier, muddiest, LOL! The weird scale limits your choice on strings as well...no Rotos for this bad boy, LOL!
 
As a long-time Gibson fan and an owner of a Custom Shop Les Paul: Gibson should spend Les money on marketing, and more money on making their instruments better. I used to think their stuff was quality, until I saw Alembic's stuff up-close and personal: no comparison. Just my $0.02.

[the_mule]

Besides my 3 Alembics I enjoy an all original 1977 Fender Precision with maple neck for some vintage passive sounds. In the living room hangs my first bass, a customised 1977 Guild B-301, that gets picked up occasionally for some 'acoustic' plucking on the sofa. You can see that strange phenomenon on the picture in my profile BTW. I also have a DeArmond Pilot Deluxe that I'm looking to sell, great bass but just no comparison to my Alembics.
 
Wilfred

[rklisme]

Hey Guys
 
It is interesting to hear so many of you own or have own Gibson Basses. To me it almost seems like they are the exact opposite of what Alembic is all about as far as tone and sound are concerned but, what do I know?
Rami, you probably have more basses than all of us combined, how did you first get started with Alembic? What style of music do you play? What would be your all time favorite Alembic?
Keavin,will you retire #12 anytime soon or will you wear her like a Timex? Might be time for #12 to have grandkids!
I would like to thank everyone for chiming in on this subject, I am sure it has come up before in the past but I have only been around a short time. Most of you did not mention styes I would also be interested in what style of music you play!
 
Rory

[rami]

Hey Rory,
 
My first Alembic is a '98 fretless Excel 4 Walnut top.  I found it (it found me) one day as I was browsing my local music store for a fretless Bass.  It was only $1499.  Totally blew me away!  The salesguy knew enough to leave me alone with it long enough until I fell completely in love with it.  I held it in a full embrace as he was preparing the bill and calling for it's case from their stockroom.  Until I played that Bass, I never truly heard a Bass sing.  That kinda says it all for me and Alembics - they're simply the best, the Stradivarius or Rolls Royce of Basses.
 
That one will always hold a special place in my heart.  My current favorite(s) have to be the ones designed by myself and Mica, The Dark Prince, Evil Twin and (currently being completed) Black Byrd.
 
As for the type of music I play on them, Everything and Anything!!!  They sing!

[hup]

I got my first and only Alembic Spoiler 5 (coco bolo) back in 94, it has been the best bass ive ever played, before this i had a 91 Fender p bass lyte, and i still have a 76 Fender Musicmaster great little bass but it just sits in the closet, My next Alembic will be Spoiler 5 (coco bolo) with led's, series II electronics - the style of music i play is all original heavy alternative rock with female vocal - can be heard at www.songramp.com band name White Iris - you may have to join songramp to hear us but join cause its free and you can post your own music there and hear some great other songwiters and bands
cheers
Hup  
ALEMBICISE THE WORLD

[malthumb]

In addition to my 4 string Series I and 5 string Series II, I have....(in the order I acquired them)
 
* a 6 string fretted Hanewinckel
* a 6 string fretless Hanewinckel
* a 5 string Marchlewski
 
My Series II is my main bass and is featured at all gigs.  The fretless Hanewinckel goes with me on gigs and gets played on some of the more mellow tunes or on stuff that moves so fast that I want to eliminate noise from me banging against the frets.
 
Peace,
 
James

[ajdover]

My herd is as follows:
 
1973 Fender Jazz Bass, with Badass Bridge and Seymour Duncan pickups.  Has black block maple neck.
1994 Fender Jazz Bass 1975 RI, set up as above.
1974 Gibson Ripper, and it's beat to ?hit.  But it plays and sounds great!
1976 Rickenbacker 4001, Autumnglo.
1979 Musicman Stingray, Maple.  Got it off of ebay, and I think it's been refinished.  Just had the neck refretted (same on the '73 Jazz).
1987 Gibson Thunderbird that's about to have Bartolini pickups and electronics dropped in it (stock TB pickups suck, IMHO).
2003 Alembic Spyder, #7 of 50.
2003 Alembic Europa 4, with LEDs.
2004 Ovation Celebrity Acoustic bass (bought it yesterday in the Nakwon market in Seoul, South Korea).
 
The Ripper, Thunderbird, Musicman, and Alembics I bought because I always wanted them when I was younger, but couldn't afford them.  The Jazz Basses and the Rickenbacker is what I grew up playing.  I also had Guild B301 (my first decent bass), but I haven't been able to find one in good enough condition to bid on on Ebay.  
 
Favorites?  The Alembics, of course.  But I do love the Jazz, Rick, and the Ripper as well.  I find myself playing my Alembics more than the others, but I play all of them.  I'm not a collector - I play my stuff.  I really like some of the funky sounds you can get out of a Ripper, and the Jazz sound is kind of a standard for me (it's why I bought the Europa).  
 
Alan

[rogertvr]

I have my beloved 1980 Rickenbacker 4001 in azureglo. I got it new in 1981 - takes a while for these things to reach the UK!
 
I also have a Westone Thunder 1A fretless, which cost something like ?200 when I bought it new in the mid-80's. I bought it because it was hanging in the shop in the town I used to work in, it had been there a while and no-one seemed to want it.  When I played it, I couldn't understand why.  It played really well and still does - yep, it's on the basic side and it didn't cost a fortune (I struggled to afford it at the time) but it responds well to different strings and I really enjoy it.  Along with the 4001, it's the only bass I've bought and kept.  Plenty of others have come and gone along the way.
 
You might seem amazed by this, but I still play them both regularly even though I have the Dragon's Wing.  Obviously it can't replace a fretless but it also cannot make Rickenbacker sounds.  Nothing can except Rickenbacker.
 
I've also got a whole collection of synthesizers - basically I need to win the lottery and give-up working for a living so that all of my instruments can have the attention they deserve.  If you're not interested in synths, stop reading now...the list is:-
Moog Mini-Moog
Moog Source
Moog Taurus II Controller
Roland Jupiter 8
Roland D-50
Roland PK-5
Novation KS5
Roland TR707 rhythm composer
 
Cheers,
 
Rog