Author Topic: "Almost Gone With The Wind" - a tale of Karma and renaming the "Rogue Rogue" (Read 1276 times)

sonicus · « **Reply #30 on:** September 29, 2014, 12:00:21 PM »

Congratulations !

lbpesq · « **Reply #31 on:** September 29, 2014, 12:05:00 PM »

Gorgeous top!

Bill, tgo

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #32 on:** September 29, 2014, 03:29:11 PM »

The wood almost looks like staring into a fire. Beautiful!

funkyjazzjunky · « **Reply #33 on:** September 29, 2014, 06:05:13 PM »

Spectacular looking bass

David Houck · « **Reply #34 on:** September 29, 2014, 07:14:23 PM »

Beautiful!

Congrats!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #35 on:** September 30, 2014, 08:35:09 AM »

Thanks guys!

FYI: her back side is just a nice.

Just checked UPS and out for delivery is the message.

I'll try to post some pix upon arrival.

coop · « **Reply #36 on:** September 30, 2014, 12:26:27 PM »

Awesome! Congrats on the new bass.

Her twin sister shouldn't be too far behind and I'm itching to get her here to Florida. Did you stay with the Ruthenium hardware or go to nickel or chrome?

In any case, she looks gorgeous and we can't wait for a full report! And happy b-day!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #37 on:** September 30, 2014, 02:31:45 PM »

Thanks!

Nickel hardware.

I've got that on two of her siblings, gold on another and the basic brass on two others.

BTW: SHE'S HERE - !

Unfortunately, I'm working in a construction zone right now, so no real good place for playing or pix. Gonna have to wait 'til I get home to do all of that and provide a review.

But, despite that, I can say with 100% certainty that SHE'S PRETTY AND PRETTY D*MN LIGHT.

mtjam · « **Reply #38 on:** September 30, 2014, 03:24:01 PM »

Congratulations, she's a beauty! Have fun playing it, and don't forget to take a picture break!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #39 on:** October 01, 2014, 09:00:48 AM »

Coop - if you like the SCSD neck profile, you will love this.

She's light & balanced sitting or standing - no neck dive at all - and very resonant.

Neck is slim & FAST. Slap is effortless (and I need all the help I can get there). 32 scale adds a bit of twang (subtle) over the SCSD and is almost as easy to play as the shorty.

And, like the SCSD, she's very articulate, notes jump off the fretboard. No lack of low end due to the ebony & purple heart lams in the neck.

Range of tones from the standard Europa / Rogue package is impressive and the rock tones in particular benefit from the Fatboy in the treble position.

Sustain is impressive, but not quite as good as my Europa 5, Spyder or Crown of Creation. I suspect the smaller neck may be a factor coupled with the fact that Scarlet is significantly lighter.

Bottom line: if you need a light, balanced, comfortable bass for stage work, this wood recipe and body style will get you there. I chose the standard electronics package for simplicity / ease of use, but Signature or Series would work as well (or better) and provide a little more versatility.

Add'l pix forthcoming.

coop · « **Reply #40 on:** October 01, 2014, 10:47:45 AM »

Thanks for the report. Now my anticipation is even greater (if possible).

Your review validates the decisions that Susan and I made in the original design, but your pup and electronics certainly make a different sounding bass than what I'll eventually get with standard Signature electronics. I'm also really happy to hear about the playing comfort. My SCSD is a balancing act sometimes, and your report gives me a good feeling that my bass will have the same characteristics as her sister.

I'm glad you got your beauty and rescued this bass! It's a win-win-win for all of us!

(Message edited by coop on October 01, 2014)

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #41 on:** October 01, 2014, 01:06:45 PM »

Out of all of my Alembics, this one is the most comfortable. It will be easy to do four sets standing with her.

I know you'll be pleased with that and I'll be interested in your impressions of the impact of the Signature electronics package on the tone.

coop · « **Reply #42 on:** November 12, 2014, 08:05:47 AM »

Well, I'll get to find out next week. UPS estimates delivery on Tuesday. Mica hasn't sent me the final pics yet, so I haven't seen the finished bass yet. Can't wait!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #43 on:** November 12, 2014, 09:07:15 AM »

I know, I spoke with her on Saturday at the Grateful Dead symposium in San Jose and she mentioned it was ready to ship.

BTW: she's got a new camera so your pix should look +++ amazing +++!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #44 on:** February 06, 2015, 11:32:47 AM »

5 month update:

Upon arrival, Scarlet was suffering from a bit of climate shock, so I waited awhile and tweaked her truss rods a bit and dropped the action. Presto, everything has fallen into place nicely and has stayed put since. Sustain has improved dramatically and is now on par with my other Alembic kings of sustain.

I've been using her regularly in one of my projects and during rehearsal last night one of the guitarists decided he could stand no more of seeing my constant silly this F'kn rules grin as I was playing her so he demanded to play bass for a few songs and handed me his Les Paul.

Needless to say, I got to watch the same silly-a$$ grin spread across his face as he had an up-close and personal encounter with his first Alembic.

His remarks were priceless:

I can't believe how easy this is to play. Look - I can play leads on this thing just like on a guitar! And the sound is so clear - I can hear every note! No normal bass muddiness like on every other bass...

My inner voice:

Thank you very much, my work here is done. Now give me back my Alembic so I can get back to business as usual.

And - I did drop the hint that Alembic also makes guitars as I returned his LP.