Author Topic: "Feral" Fenders? (Read 842 times)

gbarchus · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2005, 04:23:29 PM »

Is this about basses only? My favorite bass AMP has always been a Fender Showman. I love the sound of 6L6 tubes. When I need more power, which is most of the time, I use an F2B with a Mesa Boogie power amp (6L6s again, eight of them!). Isn't the F2B patterned after a Fender? Hmmmm.

57basstra · « **Reply #16 on:** July 21, 2005, 07:31:16 PM »

It's all about the headroom, man. My rig moves the air in the room (no matter the size) and you can still hear people talk.....I play it all and have played it all. I plan to play more. I also have an Upright Engelhardt. I play with Bluegrass musicians who can tear it up and won't go near an electric bass....Don't think I don't have 'em and more....I also have An Aria Pro II 900 (SB) SuperBass that I haven't mentioned and she talks.

dela217 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 21, 2005, 08:04:18 PM »

I am guilty. I have a real problem with Fender too. I know I am just closed minded about it, but I just don't get it. I personally never really understood the Fender mentality. Sorry but that is just my opinion. Fender makes great stuff I am sure, but not for me. In fact I never even owned one. My first bass was a Ric. I sold it right away. My next bass was an Alembic. I was ruined.

And lidon2001, I like to think that Alembic's first INSTRUMENT was patterned after Guild and not Fender. Yeah, yeah,... I know Fender Showman. You're right there, and I love my F2B.

j_gary · « **Reply #18 on:** July 21, 2005, 08:29:31 PM »

Hello gb, do you run your Alembic through your Showman? If so how old is she and what speakers? Reason I ask is I use to run an old Showman years ago which as I recall had a twin 12 load. She sounded great but was a little tender. At the time I was running a Gibson EB-3 through her, a fairly tame instrument. My thought is with the punch an Alembic throws one would have to be gentle with the old Showman. The first time I fired up an Alembic through my old Trace gear, I darn near fired the speakers into the cheap seats.
As a young budding rock star I use to think the old Showman and the monster Duel Showman were nectar of the Gods. They just looked like a amp was supposed to look. When you add the Boogie do you also add cabs?

j_gary · « **Reply #19 on:** July 21, 2005, 08:47:11 PM »

Hey dela217, how in the world did you select an Alembic as your second bass? Man that is like Jennifer Aniston becoming your second girlfriend. Do you realize how many women, er, I mean basses I had to go through to find an Alembic? I kept my Rick for years. Oopps, still have her. What was the Alembic that caught and seduced you?

jetbass79 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 22, 2005, 01:24:24 AM »

I am to Rickys as Dela is to Fenders. Though I owned a 4003 for a few months and then I dumped it. I couldn't play it. It's the only bass I owned that I couldn't play, and it had nothing to do with poor setup or my playing ability. It just didn't work for me. Some instruments just rub people the wrong way.

dela217 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 22, 2005, 04:17:15 AM »

J_Gary - It was the 70's. Lots of hype in the magazines about Alembic. Alembic report...wall of sound...the mods they were doing to instruments, etc... Plus, there were lots of local heroes using the Alembic stuff. I opted for the Ric because of the price. I think it was something like $280 brand new. We just never got along. Especially since I had already tried out Alembics at the local music stores. Had the Ric for a very short period of time. I guess around 3 months or so. Then saved up a bit of money, sold the Ric, and that's that. I bought a new series 1 in 77 for $1550. It was purple heart topped bass, medium scale, and a large body. I couldn't get used to the large body, so ended up swapping it for a short scale standard body style bass with the same body woods. I often wonder where that 1st Alembic ended up.

Michael

j_gary · « **Reply #22 on:** July 22, 2005, 07:10:13 AM »

Michael, Michael, why do you hurt me so? $1550 for a new Series I? There goes my lunch! I just gave up twice that for a tired 1980. You were fortunate to have Alembic in the area. I live in the metro Detroit area and was whoring around the bar curcuit for years, five nights a week, and never saw an Alembic. My date was a Rick 4001 and a two ton Acoustic.( Ampeg SVT/810,ha!,I can lift with one hand)I do not recall seeing them in the many music stores I hung out at during the day. Mr. Clarke was the first I heard or saw of an Alembic. In fact today there is no dealers in Michigan. On occasion I take the Rick out for a one night stand, as I think my body morphed over the years so as to fit against the back of a Rick. I completely understand how some basses just do not fit. God I miss the 70's. In fact I am fairly certain I missed the 70's, for I lived like a vampire, rarely saw daylight. Do you still favor the small body short neck? I have a SC and a large body, medium scale Series I. I find I prefer the Series feel. I looking for a Series II and am thinking long scale. Have you run a long scale? If so what were your thoughts? Your Honor, the defense rests!

dela217 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 22, 2005, 08:20:24 AM »

J_Gary - I guess I was in the right place at the right time. In the late 70's through the early 80's it seemed that every bassist in New Orleans was playing an Alembic. I could walk down Bourbon street and go from club to club and every bassist was wearing one. There was even a left handed bassist with a series II. I have even traded Alembics with local guys more than a few times. That definately was the good old days!

Anyway, I think that all of the Series instruments are great! I personally don't use the large bodies because as you say, they don't fit. I am 5' 6 tall and I find the bodies just too big for me. I use only the small basses, but scale to me don't really matter. I have had short, medium and long scale in the small body style with no problems. From what I understand Alembic will not make a small body in long scale any more because of neck dive. It never bothered me.

I did have a large body with an omega cut that I regret getting rid of. I remember it was figured Koa with a maple core and a rosewood looking fingerboard and medium scale. I really liked that bass a lot. I am going to try to find some pics of it and post it if I can. It was truly beautiful. I traded it for a zebrawood series 2 with a small body. Of course I no longer have the series 2 and I have no idea where either one is today. I don't even remember their serial numbers. I have been through a lot of Alembics.

bigredbass · « **Reply #24 on:** July 22, 2005, 09:09:57 PM »

I've n-e-v-e-r owned a Fender bass.

I'm fifty years old. When I took up the bass in the late 70s, Fender was still reeling from the CBS ownership and all of them (new ones)routinely felt BIG and THICK and CLUMSY in my hands. A friend let me try his early 60s PBass (which had this mysterious aftermarket pickup installed bearing the name 'EMG Overlend') and then I understood . . . just how bad the new ones were. Original Fender basses were as dearly priced in 70s money as they are now (I went to the first two Dallas Vintage Shows) and I had no intention of shelling out that kind of money for an 'old bass'.

Fast forward to the mid-80s. I was working in a music store and held the Squier PBass reissue that LISTED for $179, tortoise pickguard, 3-color sunburst, rosewood fingerboard. Great neck, right weight, it just felt RIGHT. I was fortunate to work with a great guitar tech, and we promptly installed an EMG PJ set and tone network. TOO cool for school, we sold it the next day for $795 with a tweed case. Little did I realize that series of Squiers was the vanguard of the revolution at Fender under Mr. Schultz that continues to this day. They have done a remarkable job of resurrection and growth and kept their prices reasonable. I agree with JETBASS that they have gone overboard to build one to every price point there is.

But as H. Peavey points out, this is one more well-known brand name that has gone through several sets of hands. Ironically, Mr. Fender and his products went through several sets of hands (Fender, MusicMan, G&L). But of course I've said that to reinforce just how potent was the lightning he trapped when he invented the Broadcaster/Tele, Strat, Jazz, and PBass, and the amps.

Of course today, the industry offers hundreds of clones, cousins, copies, and nephews of these designs. Just imagine how many Jazz-inspired basses there are to choose from. I suppose if I had to have one, I'd part it out through Warmoth and the aftermarket for parts, pickups, etc. It reminds me of customizing Harleys, they're all alike, but no two are identical. I'd spec it just with the stuff I'd want. I mean, they do screw together . . . and to think the removable neck was meant to be removed to make it easier to transport!

I met Mr. Fender at NAMM in the 80s and will always remember the Dickies kahakis and the pocket protector. This was in the early days of G&L, and he was so very modest and unassuming I'm sure someone must have asked him to get a mop!

J o e y