Bradley's Once Signature, now Series II

[Bradley Young]

Crackberry got me.
 
It kept the update in cache, and I accidentally clicked the scroll wheel.
 
It was worth posting twice, though. =)

[Bradley Young]

Mark,
 
Compliments from you are high praise indeed.  Before I decided to pull the trigger on this bass, I remember looking wistfully at your bass.  Very over the top-love it.
 
Brad

[the_8_string_king]

Thank you sir, and best of wishes on your beast! It is, of course, in the VERY best of hands. By the way, my vote for the inlay would be think!
 
There's also some new pictures of MY beast (but only I can call her that) on my recent introduction thread.
 
It'll be worth the wait.
 
By the way, I forgot to comment last time, that little mini-omega on the headstock is really cool! Did you come up with that? I bet a lot of people will incorporate that into their design. I know I'd like it if I was getting another bass.
 
Did my neck influence yours in any way, I'm just curious? It's very similar. Both our necks are made of maple, purpleheart, and ebony; but mine have every other laminate being ebony and the others alternating between maple and purpleheart, where you have maple for every other laminate, and alternate between ebony and purpleheart. If you had two more (outer) laminates of purpleheart, you'd have the exact same pattern of 13 laminates that I do, but just with a transposition of woods. As it is, this is still the case with respects to my inner core.
 
It really looks awesome!
 
(Message edited by the 8 string king on October 24, 2005)

[Bradley Young]

Mark,
 
I was actually going to go with 5 ebony laminates,  2 vermillion, 2 purpleheart, and 2 maple (alternate those 6 with the ebony in that order-- kinda rainbowy), but Valentino talked me down off the edge every time I tried to put something other than 6 maple lams in the neck (and more ebony would have been cost prohibitive, at the time anyways-- before things got really out of control, i.e. once Signature, now series II)
 
I did not think of the omega headstock, that credit goes to our friend Valentino, who continues to build one sick (y'know, in a good way) instrument after another.
 
You can't see it in those shots, but the headstock will be completely carved like Rory's 6-string (as seen in his F-T-C thread).  The omega will be carved as well.  You can see this effect by looking at Rory's bass and Gary's balance K (carved omega).
 
I've decided on the inlay, and we're finalizing details.  It isn't any of the above-- we'll see it when the elves do their magic.
 
Brad

[the_8_string_king]

Brad, I'm sorry I missed your response earlier, and again... what a schuhh-weet bass! Hey, I saw on another post that you wanted to have custom rotory switches or something for bass and treble controls.  Are you getting separate bass and treble controls for each pickup ON TOP of Series II electronics? If so... I salute you, sir.  What are you planning, 4 position switches with something like -6, 0, +6, +9 dbs or something similar? Mine go +/- 12, and they work very well. I occaisionally use the bass at maximum when using it in balanced stereo mode, but I never use the treble at maximum.
 
I'll tell ya, the little 3 position quick change MID RANGE boost/cut switches that they made custom for my bass are really useful. I've found that it can be useful to utilize the cut for the neck pickup, especially when boosting the bass and having a slight q boost in the upper treble... it creates a really cool sound that sounds like two simultaneous sounds (even from one pickup): a crisp high and a booming low. Even more significant, engaging the mid boost on the bridge pickup gives an incredible boost, and also seems to emphasize the enhanced sustain of the ebony and purpleheart-fortified neck. I virtually always use my mid-boost on my bridge pickup.  Perhaps this might be a option that would interest you. I don't recall where my original quote was, but I don't recall it being terribly expensive... I think it was a couple hundred bucks... I remember two numbers, $500 and $250... and I'm thinking maybe it was $500 but I paid $250 'cause I got the custom electronics half off (special of the month).
 
But since they have the specs, maybe it would be cheaper... then again, inflation, who knows? Anyway, maybe something to consider.
 
One other thing that I only recently realized that is really cool, and says something really cool about Alembic: my custom stereo switch allows me to assign either of my two independent sets of tone controls to the role of MASTER TONE CONTROL SET. Recently, I discovered when using it that each of my custom mid-range controls is set to a different frequency. I have concluded that Ron must have tested them individually and selected frequency ranges that were subtly different and specifically suited to the idiosyncratic tonal characteristic of EACH PICKUP... SPECIFICALLY... and DELIBERATELY. (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen deliberately. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.)
 
This is just so cool. I didn't ask for it. I might have, if I'd thought about it.  But I didn't. They could have just made one circuit or whatever and duplicated it... but they obviously had a higher standard in mind, and did the extra step of attenuating -or whatever the proper word is- each mid boost/cut switch -to each pickup.
 
Thanks Alembic! What attention to detail! What a great company! What nice, great, people!
 
You are SO going to love your bass! Hang in there, tiger! It'll be worth the wait and the price tag! Of this, there can be no doubt!

[mica]

Your continuous wood backplates, siiiir:
 

 
These are getting the inside sealer coats, so you're looking at parts you won't see once it's all put together. In fact, the Coco Bolo ones will be covered in silver.

[the_8_string_king]

For some reason, I can't access my previous post to edit an error.
 
 (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen deliberately. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.)  
 
SHOULD say:
 
 (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen ACCIDENTALLY. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.)  
 
Just wanted to clarify/correct this error.
 
I find editing/error correcting on internet sites in general to be difficult. I just accept errors as a given, as editing is often challenging for various reasons.

[Bradley Young]

Hey,
 
You can't call me sir, I work for a living!  
 
Beauty. I can now stop drifting off into reverie thinking about what that coco bolo is going to look like under finish (and start drifting off about the assembled instrument, playing it, etc.)
 
Brad

[Bradley Young]

I think that slice on the right might've been cut from a pair of Valentino's pants!
 
Thanks for taking one for the team, Valentino.
 
 
 
Brad

[mica]

Peghead in the setup room, getting the hardware ready for plating:
 

 
Now, I'm not sure if Jon or James is going to be doing your inlays, but we've all been working on the artwork, and I take a special interest in letter inlays. More soon!
 
(Message edited by mica on January 04, 2006)

[811952]

Sweet!

[Bradley Young]

I'm dying.  Trying to remember how to breathe.  These teaser shots are making the wait worse, I think.
 
The carved headstock is perfect!  That pic almost looks like the edges are bound.
 
Super, super excited.  Would it be possible to get a pic of the whole bass, and a closeup on the body?
 
If you don't have time, I understand.    You can just email me the full jpgs if that is simpler.
 
Brad

[rklisme]

Hey Brad
 
This is going to be one very cool bass. I don't even mind that you got most of the ideas from me. If I sound a little jealous it is because I am. Can't wait to see this thing when it is done.
 
Rory

[hb3]

I was baptized in northern Iraq during the first gulf war.  
 
so you're, like, 12?

[jlpicard]

Congrats on a beautiful 6'er! Looking at the photos makes me think that we share similar tastes in wood. It looks alot like what I would do if I was going to build a 6 string. In fact, I was going to have a Heart omega carved into the headstock but I just plain ran out of money! Just wait till you see a shot of your body with the finish on it! You are going to freak out. I went totally beserk when I saw mine! The grain which looks mellow right now is going to jump right out at you! Best of luck and many years of bass bliss  Mike  
Oh yeah, and good decision upgrading the electronics. There really is nothing like a Series bass!!