Can I blame Rusty?

[jazzyvee]

Watching Rusty's build of his first custom alembic and seeing the finished product has raised the desire in me yet again. However unrealistic the idea is at the moment, it still is eating away and this is a Dreaming .... for now thread.  
 
I'm not into vintage instruments (yet), so I think it's the a wonderful thing for a musician to be able to specify a personal musical instrument that fits their personal requirements specifically. For me, my series II bass has, apart from a few of things, everything I would want in a custom bass. The only things I would choose differently if I could afford it are:
 
a) Cosmetics:I would have a led backlit Alembic logo in the headstock and a personal inlay at the 12th fret and one alembic logo back-lit n the body on the upper body just above the 24th fret or  between the tailpiece and the strap button.  
b) Woods: some burl or dramatic Coco bolo with madagascar ebony on the back
 
c) I'd want the lower frequency of the low pass filter the same as an SF-2 but operated by a switch so that I can keep the current range, but the switch allows me to add in the lower range portion when I need it or an alternative would be a three position switch that I could switch in a boost at specific frequencies of around  200Hz and 100Hz, maybe Internally set via a trim pot.
 
Although the bass can be really heavy sounding there is so much of the higher frequencies in the bass that, there are times when playing reggae I want to drop the bass tone a bit heavier dub style and the 350Hz cutoff is too high for me to emphasise the lower frequencies I want with the Q control. So for those gigs I prefer to  use my series I bass or my maple Europa signature.

[David Houck]

I like the idea of backlit logos.  There have been a few, but not as many as I would have thought.  Personally, I think it would be cool if it were subtle, so that someone looking at the instrument wouldn't immediately notice that it was backlit.  I would think it would be on a separate circuit from the side LEDs, perhaps with its own internal control knob.

[terryc]

jazzy..SIMS can backlit your logo on your existing bass if you want, how he does it is a mystery to me, he did my front facing LED's some years ago and I tell you there was some trepidation of sending my MK Signature to him but after talking to him on the phone he assured me that I will not even know they have been done apart from the the bright light when I switch them on!
What he does he gets a courier to pick your bass up (in the case), does the work, keeps it for about a week to 'soak' test(which is leaving the LED's on continuous) for about a week so any failures will show, sets it back up and sends it back to you via courier.
I tell you, at local gigs it is a show stopper!
Go to his web site
http://www.simscustom.com/html/00ledgallery.htm
On the gallery first page mine is the 4th row down, far right.

[rustyg61]

Hey Jazzyvee, I'm just now seeing this thread! I guess I've been too busy playing my new Europa! You have commented to me in the past that you weren't sure that you knew enough about all the possibilities that can be done to build your Dream Bass but it sounds like you have some very good & definite ideas now! I can tell you from my experience that no matter what you build, there will always be something you think of later that you could have added to the build. I also know that anything that Alembic builds for you will be the most amazing bass you have ever had! So I will give you the same advice several people gave me when my wife & I were considering having children, if you wait until you think you are ready, you will never have them! No one is ever completely prepared to build the perfect instrument for themselves. There are just too many options and variables that there is no way to consider them all. Most companies would give you a menu of custom options to choose from, but Alembic gives you a blank sheet of paper with the simple, yet daunting instruction to Dream Big!  
 
There is nothing like having your own custom built! When I got my SCSD I thought it was the best bass on the planet & the perfect bass for me. I still love it, but I'm In Love with my Europa! There is a difference! When I used to race dirt bikes there came a time when I no longer felt like I was riding the bike, I felt like I was a part of the bike, like we were one. That's when I got faster & started winning races. The same is true of my Europa. I play my SCSD & it feels & sounds incredible, but the Europa feels like it is a part of me. From the body style to the wood choices to the neck dimensions to the string spacing to the headstock to the color selection to the hardware plating to the electronics, all pieces of the puzzle that I selected, come together to form an organic bond between me & the bass which translates into the most incredible playing experience of my life!
 
So, I say all this to tell you to take the plunge! Sell some gear or a kidney or whatever it takes to build your dream bass & have no doubts that it will be worth the sacrifice, worth the wait, & absolutely be the most incredible instrument you have ever laid your hands on! You can build The One that is equally at home doing reggae or jazz! The possibilities are endless! All you have to do is Dream Big!
 
I don't mind if you blame me for stirring the desire to build in you! You & Steve Wood are most definitely to blame (or thank!) for my Blue Orca!
 
Rusty
 
(Message edited by rustyg61 on February 17, 2015)

[jazzyvee]

Hi TerryC I had a chat with the sims guys recently at a guitar show and that firmly put me off having the logo back lit. What they do is remove a circular section of the headstock where the logo is and re-mount the logo in some sort of frosted material. So I'd loose the shell and abalone and get a wedge of plastic in there.... Not gonna happen.