Guys -
First off - thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts and wishes. We say it a lot here, but this is really a special place. We should take pride in that.
And seeing as how I hijacked my own thread, it's now up to me to stitch it together.
First - cancer update:
Stitches come out day after tomorrow. It's a pretty nasty little gash - runs from a little beyond the corner of my left eye to a little ahead of my left ear and it's not a straight line. But, I was told that they got it all.
Now, onto waaaay better things:
She showed up yesterday as scheduled. Delivered to my office. Had no time whatsoever to unpack her (first day with a new boss compounded by wall-to-wall meetings). So had to wait until I got home to explore (TORTURE!!!). Had about 1/2 hour last night and 45 min. this am to get acquainted.
Fit and finish are superb as usual. Weight not as bad as I was expecting ? didn?t weigh her, but I assume around 11 lbs. Balance is good, no neck dive seated or standing.
She is visually stunning and the elves are correct ? there IS a lot of red in the cocobolo that really doesn?t show up in photos! So her moniker - Framboise Flambe' - is appropriate (trust Susan, she always knows..)
Neck is a custom spec (see post above) and is very comfortable for a 5-string, but the string-to-string spacing is closer than Royale, so slap is a little more challenging for me.
Was able to figure out the Series II controls pretty quickly ? more quickly than I expected. Using the stereo mode really helped here as I was able to use the pickup selector to isolate each pickup through a separate amp and then dial in the tone.
Wow - there are an INFINITE number of subtle tonal shades that can be accessed. And the best part is, there ain?t a clunker in the bunch ? it just depends upon what would be appropriate for a specific purpose.
FYI: I really like the separate volumes for each pickup and the global master volume.
Compared to non-Series Alembic electronics packages, Series II low end is richer and ?rounder?, the mids are fuller and clearer and high-end detail is always present - even in the lowest tonal registers. All of the notes from top to bottom of the range of the instrument are clear and defined. Didn?t think the typical great Alembic tones that I?ve enjoyed over the last three years could be improved, but I was wrong.
Just fooling around at low volume for a short time with two small amps, I was able to dial in some absolutely amazing sounds ? some of them are easily the best bass tones I?ve ever been able to achieve in a home practice situation.
Can?t wait to see what she can REALLY do in a group setting at proper volume?
