What other basses do you play?

[palembic]

Hi Brother Shawn!    no ...TI flats are not possible on a Rob Allen. The guitar simply would snap in two pieces.  Only La Bella's 760n XL scale, and Rotosound Trubass 88 XL scale are allowed. They have a light steel core and are black nylon wrapped. The action on a Rob Allen is fairly high and so they are strung with low-tension strings (and consequently are -in 5 string- 35" scale fingerboards).  I think -but I am NOT sure- that brother Rami use the La Bella's also on  the fretless part of his  evil twins.  



    Paul TBO    PS: Rob Allen -who is a great guy- learned his "thing" with Rick Turner and build the Turner piezo basses with him. He left the Turner company to build for his own. Hehehehehe ....sounds familiar no? The main difference between the Turner and the Allen is that in the former is a relatively extended tone control and electronics to get the well known "mwah" sound. Allen only uses a volume knob and starts by buidling a bass were the woodcombination on itself has to sound good. Well ...sounds familiar too no???  (Message edited by palembic on August 06, 2004)

[palembic]

OH BTW,
 
Alemboid I went to see your homepage and really liked the stuff. The mp3 are very nice. Nice fretless tone.
 
Paul TBO

[kungfusheriff]

Hello, Bad One,
I was fortunate enough to find myself with a Turner Ren in my hands a few years ago, but remember it as feeling kind of flimsy, at least to me. Does the Allen have a more substantial feel?
And yes, I was aware of the master/apprentice connection, though as I heard the story, there is some friction between them.
Bro. KFS the Giggly Gossip

[alemboid]

Dank U zeer, Paul TBO!
 
The fretless is my Orion 5 fretless. Other tunes are either the Sadowsky or the Clarke deluxe. Funny thing is that the fretless sounds better now than it did then. I'd guess 4 years have passed and I've changed strings once!
 
Your Rob Allen is incredible. The top wod is so gorgeous- it looks like it's in motion! I love their tone, too. I think they sound more like an upright bass than most EUB's do. I also noted that when you dig in, they can take it and respond very musically. It is a very elegant instrument- simple, functional, light in weight- heavy in sound.
 
As soon as I can get a digicam, I'll post some decent pictures of my babies.
 
Tot straaks,
 
Alemboid

[palembic]

Mica heeeeeeee-elp,
 
those US-dudes are goin' internationally.
Shawn: I am not sure what flimsy means. I guess more like a toy? The bass IS light but it's very ...ohoho ...huhuhuh ...comfortable-sweet - but in the same time substantial to hold. A minor inconvenience is the absence of a flattened part of the body where you can rest your arm (there is a name for that but ...sigh ...) ...help!!!  
Yes I know they didn't part as good friends. I guess Rick didn't left Alembic as a good friend either.  History repeats itself!
 
Paul TBO

[stoney]

Other than a somewhat home made Frankenstein fretless that I put together I've played nothing but Alembics since 1989.  This year my wife bought me a really nice tobacco sunburst Fender American Jazz Bass for my upcoming (ahem....)50th birthday. I preveiously played a 1962 Jazz Bass but sold in in '89. (BONE-HEAD !!!!) but found a really nice 1981 Series I the same day for 800.00 (got 1,000 for the Fender for which I originally only paid 150.00)  Sold the Series I a few years ago (MORON !!!)I'd like to find another older small body Series I.
 

[bracheen]

Have you ever tried to explain mwah to someone?  My wife and I were out listening to a jazz group with the bass player using a fretless Samick.  Debi asked how I knew it was fretless and I told her by the sound.  First I said think of how Jaco sounded.  That got me a blank stare so I said listen for the mwah. That wasn't much better. Finally she picked up on it after a few minutes of me sitting there going mwah, mwah.
 
Sam

[the_mule]

Paul, prachtige bas, die Rob Allen!
 
Where did you purchase that one, if I might ask? Was it a European deal, or did it come from overseas? Maybe someday... (G.A.S.)
 
Wilfred

[palembic]

Broertje Wilfred,
 
nee ze worden niet ingevoerd hebt zelluf gedaan.
Brother Stoney -the hidden Italian that just outed himself as a stupido selling basses 3 posts ago- knew that I was looking for a Epiphone Jack Cassidy. He gave me a hint for the website of another (Canadian) clubmember who as selling some stuff. The JC's were not for sale and, anyway I fell in love with the Rob Allen.  And with some help fro, a friend and UPS I got the bass a couple of weeks later.I am the third owner I guess.
There IS a EU dealer in ...Finland ...of ALL places (sorry Brother Jan the Boat one).
 
 
Paul the bad one
 
PS: Speaking of GAS ...I'm dreaming of a Dingwall Prima or Z1 6 string.
GAS ...whoooooooo ...bad thing!

[rraymond]

I'll pitch my hat into the ring of Wow, that Rob Allen looks amazing! Way to go Paul! And KFS, you're the winner of one US greenback. I've owned two Stingrays and a Stingray-like Carvin and have sold them all. I certainly love what guys like Tony Levin and Paul S. Denman do with Stingrays, but I could never get a sound I was truly happy with - they are too crispy in the high-end for me. The high-end on Alembics is just so pleasing to my ears, and very easy to arrive at! Plug and chug!

[rami]

 
 
(Message edited by rami on August 07, 2004)

[rami]

The only Stingray I have left is my 20th Anniversary.  I had a chance to buy one with a Rosewood fingerboard to go with my Maple one, but I was turned off by the condition the guy kept it in - Gotta show it some respect!  
 
In hindsight though, I wish I would have bought it anyway - it is after all, a collector's item.
 
(Message edited by rami on August 08, 2004)

[lbanks]

deleted
 
(Message edited by lbanks on August 07, 2004)

[lbanks]

Sometimes, I don't like to use the Orion in 'high risk' situations. Then I use these two...   a Squire P-Bass  

 Lightwave Classica

[the_mule]

I now have only one 'non-Alembic' bass left, which is actually my first bass, and it went through a lot of (D.I.Y.) changes since I first purchased it as a heavily modified 1977 Guild B-301 bass guitar!  Wilfred