Author Topic: Alembic with an SG shape. (Read 288 times)

tbrannon · « **Reply #15 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:12:18 PM »

I've never had any problem with the EBO/EB3 body style from Gibson- in fact, I kind of like it.

But the picture that Blazer posted just looks 'off' to me. I can't tell you why I don't like it and why it looks off, but it looks like something I'd whip up if you left me in a workshop for half a day (self-depreciating humour mode ).

crobbins · « **Reply #16 on:** April 09, 2007, 08:17:53 PM »

Yeah, it looks kinds stretched-out in the waist.

lidon2001 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 09, 2007, 08:57:05 PM »

The body looks like it is shaped properly, IMHO. Alembic pictured above attaches at the 20th/21st fret. Gibson at about the 17th.

I like it alot. These unique shapes just never seem to stop showing up.

(Message edited by lidon2001 on April 09, 2007)

hieronymous · « **Reply #18 on:** April 09, 2007, 10:01:41 PM »

We need more pics of the Alembic one!

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #19 on:** April 10, 2007, 06:08:38 AM »

Some of my favorite bassists spent at least some time on EB0s & EB3s, and I've always loved the body shape, but they sound like farting into a pillow. I really like the idea of that shape with actual tone.

Peter

kmh364 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 10, 2007, 07:43:13 AM »

I picked-up an EB-3 with non-OEM HSC for around $250 in the early '80's for my brother. Looks like the one Craig shows above, dark brown translucent color, but that one was in better shape and had the chrome p/u covers and brown knobs. I traded an A/C repair job on an early '70's Buick for the set-up on the thing (set-neck needed straightening a few times).

Peter's description of it's tone is certainly appropos...how muddy it was depended on the position of the Vari-tone selector. Unfortunately, none of them was good. The medium scale never felt right to me, and string selection was always limited.

The both of us got more use out of his first bass, a 34 scale Aria Pro (don't remember the model) with a single fat p/u...nice tone and action...with a maple neck/rosewood FB and a red satin-finish real wood double-cut body...well under $200 with HSC brand-new at the time.

Aparently, my Bro got $1200 for the EB-3 on EBAY a few years back, and he says the neck was all wacked-out again.

I love Phil and Jack, but I don't love EB's, unfortunately.

Cheers,

Kevin

(Message edited by kmh364 on April 10, 2007)

edwin · « **Reply #21 on:** April 10, 2007, 07:53:38 AM »

Let's not forget that Phil's EB bass was by no means stock. The good folks at Alembic had preamped it, added Guild/Hagstrom Bisonic pickups (similar to today's Dark Star pickups) and added a much better bridge tailpiece setup. I have an EB3 with Dark Stars and it is considerably better sounding to my ears. No fart pillow tone at all. Some people really like the mudbucker, but I'm not one of them.

Edwin
PS Isn't it odd how the EB0 has one pickup and the EB3 has two? Why not just call them the EB1 and EB2? The EB2 has one pickup and the EB2D has two. Very weird.

hieronymous · « **Reply #22 on:** April 10, 2007, 07:58:35 AM »

I guess I'm the only fan of the sound of the infamous mudbucker? Those pickups are said to have something like 12,000 windings, and they put out hellacious bass and sub-bass frequencies - and not much else!

But in my own experience, I have found that they push overdrive and distortion pedals differently than regular pickups, and in turn, distortion/overdrive adds upper frequencies that weren't originally there. A marriage made in heaven! IMHO anyway, it looks like a lot of ya don't love the mudd (farting sound - how rude! JK - Jeff Berlin and Frank Zappa said the same thing about Jack Bruce's sound)...

Here's a track I made with drums from GarageBand, almost all the rest is the Gibson Melody Maker I posted a pic of above. (The bass under the octave solo is a Fender Japan Mustang Bass RI)

over there

bigideas · « **Reply #23 on:** April 10, 2007, 08:04:24 AM »

As a point of interest, the EB1 is a little violin shaped bass that came out before the EB0, and the EB2 was a 335 style semi-hollow body. Production of the EB2 also started before the EB0.

bracheen · « **Reply #24 on:** April 10, 2007, 09:08:32 AM »

Another point of interest, Jack now plays an EB1 while Warwick's $9k Cream Reunion EB3 looking bass sat on the RAH stage untouched.

bigredbass · « **Reply #25 on:** April 11, 2007, 08:23:54 AM »

With all due repsect to those of you who LIKE these things . . . . I'm with 2400w and KmH, these things are irrevocably linked with that God-Deliver-Me-From-Ever-Sounding-Like-That tone in my mind, I could NEVER warm up to one. I think those 'Devil Horns' cutaways are no accident . . .

J o e y

hieronymous · « **Reply #26 on:** April 11, 2007, 08:37:17 AM »

Am I evil?

yes I am...

2400wattman · « **Reply #27 on:** April 11, 2007, 10:37:15 AM »

Sam, I read in an interview that Jack had claimed that the bass was'nt up to snuff. Those are my words not his, but that was what he was alluding to. Kind of like it still was'nt finished.

bracheen · « **Reply #28 on:** April 11, 2007, 12:07:45 PM »

Adam, I guess you're referring to the Warwick? I think I may have heard that also but can't remember where. It sounds familiar.

2400wattman · « **Reply #29 on:** April 11, 2007, 12:50:35 PM »

Yes I am referring to the Warwick. Maybe Jack did not like the clunky necks Warwick has been producing now.