Author Topic: Alembic spotting (continued) (Read 296 times)

dnburgess · « **on:** April 14, 2004, 04:43:12 AM »

A customer just mentioned that he saw Flea playing an Epic on My Friends on the new greatest hits dvd. I hadn't heard of Flea playing an Alembic before.

malthumb · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2004, 06:54:34 AM »

Word on the street is that Flea recorded much of the One Hot Minute CD with an Alembic Epic. So when young kids say I gotta get me one of them Music Man Sting Rays so I can slap like Flea does on 'Aeroplane', what they're really hearing is an Epic.

Peace,

James

dannobasso · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2004, 08:09:31 AM »

Like many players who have the ability to pay for the best, they want it for free ( or darn near it).
As you know Alembic don't do endorsements.
So privately use the best and publicly use what makes the cashish. Lots of Alembics end up on recordings but not in the photo shoot.

The love of money is the root of all evil.
The love of Alembics will keep you from being tainted from too much evil if you buy them regularly enough!
Danno

basstard · « **Reply #3 on:** April 16, 2004, 04:17:51 AM »

Actually, Flea recorded Aeroplane with a MusicMan, but used the Epic on the rest of One Hot Minute.

keavin · « **Reply #4 on:** April 16, 2004, 06:13:10 AM »

im just curious ,does the EXCEL with the fatboy at the bridge position(just like the stingrays) sorta 'emulates' the stingray tone?,ive never played an excel before, i dont even believe there are any in my area (chicago!)

mint_bass · « **Reply #5 on:** April 16, 2004, 06:13:23 AM »

i new he had one but did not no he recorded with it that is very cool i am going to listen to my copy wen i get home you learn something new everyday

thanks guys

lowlife · « **Reply #6 on:** April 16, 2004, 07:15:11 AM »

To Keavin:
I don't know what a Stingray sounds like, but I can sure tell you what my Excel sounds like (MXY @ neck and Fatboy @ bridge). Using only the fatboy is great IMHO for the style of slapping that I play. A slightly nasal sound with a noticeable growl in the mids, a more pronounced growl in the lows. Kinda like a Q switch with overdrive.

Ellery (Lowlife)

keavin · « **Reply #7 on:** April 16, 2004, 08:04:23 AM »

lowlife! listen to any louis johnson& (brothers johnson)thats the stingray bass hes playin,but ide like to have a series I, with a single coil pick up in it (extra fat magnet) ala fat boy in it w/series electronics that would be slammin!!!,when i get some money im gonna get one!

dnburgess · « **Reply #8 on:** April 16, 2004, 08:16:10 AM »

Hate to disagree keavin, but check out:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002GA0.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Looks like Louis Johnson is holding an Alembic Series bass w. Omega body to me!

Thats the album w. Strawberry Letter 23!!

lowlife · « **Reply #9 on:** April 16, 2004, 08:27:15 AM »

Keavin, thanks for the heads-up on the Brothers Johnson as I haven't thought of them in years. If, in fact the recordings were done with a Stingray, then I want to hear them to make the comparason. But if an Alembic was used, then so much the better. I'm currently downloading 10 assorted tunes from iTunes. I'll let you know how it sounds to me.

Ellery (Lowlife)

keavin · « **Reply #10 on:** April 16, 2004, 08:34:53 AM »

yeah your rite,(hey you might wanna put that one on artists & their alembics) but on LPs 'after' that one, he switched to the stingray,his claim was that the stingray had more bottom & more of a funk sound & his alembic had more of a contemporary sound, ive had that same issue with groups over the years ,they (groups)wanted me to use my fender over my alembic because the fender sound was a more recodnizable sound in cover tunes & the alembic to them was a too serious sounding bass. ...i didnt like that very much!

lowlife · « **Reply #11 on:** April 16, 2004, 09:51:10 AM »

No, I can't tell what Louis Johnson is actually playing, but on the cut 'Stomp', I was (with a little amp tweaking) able to get pretty close to his sound. The ring overtone from his slap is the same as mine; my sound being slightly more metalic because of the Daddario strings that I use.
I agree that the Alembic bass sound is different from Fender (like night & day), I refer to the Alembic as more of a 'focused' sound.

malthumb · « **Reply #12 on:** April 16, 2004, 11:59:53 AM »

I met Louis (and George)on July 4th 2002 when they did a TasteFest concert in Detroit. I took my 5 string with me and had both of them sign it. (Signature wore off due to the dumb place I had them sign). Louis loved my 5 string and we talked briefly about the Omega bass that he's holding on the Right On Time album. Actually, I said something like I've wanted an Alembic since I saw the one you had on the 'Right On Time' album. He slapped the bejeebers out of my bass and responded something like Yeah, that was one helluva bass. This one is sweet too. Hey George, did you check this out?. I did not specifically ask if he recorded the album with that bass (doh!) I did not ask if he still had that bass (doh!) and I did not ask him why he switched to Music Man, then G&L, then Treker, and now something truly wierd (doh! doh!)

Peace,

James