All,
I received my bass today.
Words fail me at this point, but I'll do my best to describe her. If I had to sum it up, I'd simply say absolute perfection.
As a previous Spyder Limited Edition owner, I note big differences between my bass and that one. I'll list them separately.
Body - huge difference. Entwistle's basses were more pinched at the waist, and it's got a huge impact on comfort when seating and standing. It's not that the Spyder is uncomfortable, far from it. It's just that this bass is more comfortable to me. The position of the upper horn where it joins the neck is the most notable difference. With the Spyder, my arm was almost fully extended to reach first position. With my bass, it's nowhere near like that and far more comfortable (to me at least). And the wood backplates significantly lower the weight - anyone pondering a bass like this should seriously consider wood backplates. They make the instrument significantly lighter.
Neck - Another huge difference. I spec'ed out a Jazz Bass like neck, and this one is perfect for me. The Spyder's neck is certainly wider at the nut, which is OK if you like that kind of thing. I grew up playing Rickenbackers and Jazz Basses, so wider necks aren't my thing. Access to the 24th fret is perfect as well, sitting or standing.
Electronics - They're Series II, which blows away the electronics in any of my other Alembics (and they're no slouches either - that's why I own them). The CVQ is a must if you ask me. Control positions are exactly where I wanted them and they are completely comfortable and easy for me to use. And now I know why Entwistle had two master volumes on the lower horn - it really does make it easy to make volume changes without having to lug around a volume pedal. I love this feature.
Fit and Finish - perfection. Absolute perfection. I could not find a single flaw with this instrument. The inlays alone are a thing of beauty.
Yes, it took a long time to build. Yes, I got frustrated waiting. But as many have said before me and will say after me, it was worth every minute of the wait. Perfection doesn't come easily nor fast ... but when it does, it truly is a thing to behold. I now have the bass of my dreams. My very humble thanks to Mica, Ron, Susan, everyone at Alembic, Oliver Baumann, Beaver Felton at Bass Central and everyone here at the club for helping me to make this dream come true.
Alan
P.S. I'll post pics shortly
