All -
Thanks for the kind words & feedback. It's a real joy to be able to share my excitement with others like you who appreciate the nuances of these amazing creations.
Rusty - YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY, you have chosen wisely and it will be well worth the wait. The Europa body style and electronics package (+Fatboy in treble position) has more than exceeded my highest expectations.
JV - agreed, IMO, it looks more Alembic to expose the neck lams on the backside. The bookmatch on the top was due to the quality of the wood.
Dave - that bird's eye maple fingerboard is a story unto itself. It took as almost as much time to get it (and the finish on the rest of the neck to which it is laminated) just exactly perfect as it took to build the remainder of the bass. But, anything less than just exactly perfect can't leave the mothership - so it is worth every minute spent on it.
To everyone - many apologies again for the poor quality of the photos. Cell phone camera + really poor lighting = what you (can't) see here.
I promise to take some better pix soon.
Had planned to do so this weekend, but wound up spending my limited time playing her instead.
Speaking of that, I got an unexpected chance to A/B her to Crown of Creation during an impromptu jam last night - first public appearance for both of them. Brought them over to a friend's house (with no bass rig) just to open the cases and do a little show & tell and wound up getting talked into plugging directly into a PA mixer (!) despite my protests.
Aw com'on man, how bad could it sound? Here, just plug in & we'll play a little.
It actually sounded pretty d*mn good...
In this context, Royale, with her brighter, punchier and more focused tonality had the upper hand. The nuances of COC's darker, thicker and more complex tonality did not translate as well when plugged directly into the PA.
Side note: the stock Europa electronics package is a total breeze to navigate when playing live or in an uncontrolled jam setting. It's very simple, intuitive and effective. Very easy to switch between a spanky slap tone and a deep, authoritative heavy tone. I'll plug the Fatboy again here - it really adds punch and girth to the treble position and allows the bass to stand out a bit in the mix.
