What do you think of this mod to an Excel?

[jazzyvee]

https://www.bassic.de/kleinanzeigen/alembic-excel5-modded.12167/

[StephenR]

I think someone should have just bought a different bass in the first place.

[edwardofhuncote]

Well. I'm with Stephen on that one.

"Y'all watch-iss... hold muh beer... gimme' dat' router."   

[KR]

Incongruous with a tort cherry on top--lol

[BeenDown139]

ick! 🤢

[gtrguy]

It's not bad looking, but I think both parents must have suffered some in the birthing process.

[pauldo]

It's not bad looking, but I think both parents must have suffered some in the birthing process.

I’m with David.   It looks alright, but why would you ever remove Alembic electronics???

Paul (who thinks Keith should get points for using ‘incongruous’)

[jazzyvee]

Somehow i can't see the alembic staff seeing that and saying. 'Now why didn't we think about doing that?'

[BeenDown139]

I’m with David.   It looks alright, but why would you ever remove Alembic electronics???

maybe the previous owner sat in with the wrong group of fellers and somebody handed him one of these:

[jacko]

I like the contrast between the tort and the maple. Very nice. Up to the owner what he does with his instrument; maybe he liked the feel but not the tone. I remember there was such an uproar when Flea put a load of stickers on a vintage fender - his business, nobody else's IMO.

Graeme

[jazzyvee]

Having replaced the electronics in one of my alembics a few years ago, i can't sit in judgement. However that change didn't give me what I thought I would get from those electronics, ( low cost series II type of sound), so I went back to standard and used the experience wisely.

But as muso's we generally are looking for a sound that represents us so in that sense nothing is really out of bounds and I guess that worked for the owner, for a while anyway.
It's the kind of bass that could quite easily be restored at a good luthiers if you wanted to get it back to standard but may be cheaper to buy a standard used one.

[keith_h]

I can understand why someone might want to replace the electronics in an Alembic. They might really like the way the Alembic feels but prefer the sound of a different brand though not how its bass feels. Changing out the preamp and pickups becomes an economical choice in this situation. My personal opinion on doing things like this is they should be easily reversible as it is much harder to add wood back than to take it out but to each their own.   

[gtrguy]

Modding instruments is a funny thing sometimes. I recently bought a used Fender Mustang shortscale PJ bass and switched over the controls to dual pot separate volume and tone controls; big improvement. Then I noticed that a Badass bridge I had lying around was a direct replacement for the stock lightweight bridge. I installed it and the bass sounded quite a bit worse. Logic told me that a heavier solid bridge should sound better than a stock cheap production bridge, but that was not the case. There must be a moral in this somewhere...

[Glynn]

I sort of understand the temptation and wish to improve a bass but, as I am completely incompetent in these things, I take the easy route and enjoy what is presented to me by experienced guitar builders and if I don't like it then buy something else. Is that a too simplistic approach?
I have Alembic Orion 4 1999, Fender Victor Bailey Electro Acoustic, Fender BG 29 Electro Acoustic and Jaydee Custom 1986.  Not changed these for years and years. BUT......
ps. Just bought a used Hofner Violin HCT Contemporary bass for fun and to semi-shock the folk world which is a small part of my work.  Not a replacement but an addition!
Glynn     

[jazzyvee]

Got any gigs coming up that i could pop down to see?