Blondie

[Reid Raymond (rraymond)]

'97 Epic 5 string in Bird's Eye Maple

[Charles David Tichenor (alembic76407)]

I love your Epic, I wanted a lite color wood, but I ended up with dark wood, Mine is the other epic photo with the series 1 behind it

[Reid Raymond (rraymond)]

Thanks for the compliment. Yours is also very good looking, it appears to be a bubinga top? I've got an Orion with bubinga, and love the color, both visually and sonicly that it imparts. Nice Series 1, too! I've never played a neck-thru Alembic, I'm almost afraid to!

[Steve Smith (alembickoa)]

Reid...you have not lived until you have played a Series bass...

[Reid Raymond (rraymond)]

I was afraid someone was going to say that! Actually, it's my wallet that's afraid! Man, you must keep a nice tan just from the GLOW of that Koa topped beauty you play!

[Charles David Tichenor (alembic76407)]

Reid, I'm with you, It looks like bubinga to me too, but the paper work that came with the bass said it is bocate. I hope you get to play a Series 1 or 2 bass,and I hope your wallet feel's nice and fat because you will want it. I have started to play my Series alot more lately in the Studio, It records so well (but its still to heavy)I have a bad back!! I'm insearch of a ultralite Alembic!!
David T

[James L. Martin (malthumb)]

David, The good news is an ultralite or at least moderately light Alembic does exist.  My 4 string Omega Series one weighs in at about 9 pounds.  Maybe slightly more.  By contrast, my 5 string cocobolo weighs in at 13 plus.  The specs on the Series I are: Walnut top and back, either mahogany or vermillion semi hollow core.  I think it's mahogany, but compared to the core of my 5 string, which I KNOW is mahogany, it is visually lighter in color.
 
Mica, if you're reading this maybe you can chime in regarding the core wood for 87-4431.  I don't have the wood card, and the appraisal letter doesn't identify the core wood.
 
Peace,
 
James

[mica]

I agree with Charles and Reid - that other bass sure looks like Bubinga to me too. It wouldn't be the first mistake in an instrument file or wood card.
 
An Essence 4-string can get down to just under 8 pounds. You could put Series II pickups in it and rackmount the controls for the lightest weight Series effect. The Essence body is so small that the Series I and II electronics (along with several others) won't fit.
 
Of course, if you build your Essence out of heavy woods like I did, it can tip the scale at nearly 11 pounds!
 
4431 is recorded as a Mahogany core.

[mint_bass]

this is a buetiful epic i have a bubinga top on mine which i love due to the stripy pattern it has but yours is a very very pretty bass

[rraymond]

Thanks mint_bass, I'm still gonzo over this bass after owning it for nearly 6 years. I'm a big fan of bubinga, too, so I'll ask the obligatory question, Got pix?

[mint_bass]

no pictures yet but i will post them as soon as possible talk to you soon
 
andrew

[effclef]

Mica, what you say about putting the S II pickups in the bass and rackmounting the electronics - has that been done? What would you call that option? I presume by rackmounting the electronics, it would be to simply plug into an SF-2? That was the idea I emailed you about some time back -- a Minima model, which had only pickups, and ships with an SF-2. Imagine using the whole top for the beauty of the wood.  
 
I don't know offhand but I wonder if Switchcraft makes a stereo 1/4 phone jack which also has an integral switch contact for turning on the power -that way you could just have the pickups and any line driver board in the bass and not need controls, and can side mount the jack.
 
If this is indeed do-able, I'd like to hear more. We can move this to an appropriate board.)
 
What's the difference between S1 and S2 pickups, btw?
 
EffClef

[57basstra]

I've always liked blondes..