Hey Will, welcome to the club!
They tell me you're getting/got the exceedingly awesome Burl Redwood Balance K Signature bass I saw... quite a beauty.
I respect and appreciate your endeavor as an Alembic dealer; as I recently committed to purchasing a new custom 6-String (see Factory to Customer, Mark's Custom 6-String Bass), I'm unfortunately not in a position to consider supporting you as a customer; but I wish you the very best of luck with it.
As far as my thoughts on your new bass...
well, if you take a look at my customer 8-String -COTM in the Custom Archives, June 1999- you'll get a sense that we're apparently at opposite ends of the spectrum in some ways.
I can't conceive or ordering a bass with any less than 5 as an absolute minimum, and really, 6 as a preferred minimum. My perspective is, the more strings and frets, the better...
at least, to a point.
For me, my 8-String (BEADGCFBb) with 31 frets provides total contentment with range -and also with the tone controls (INDIVIDUAL bass, mid, treble, filter & variable Qs for each pickup).
My new custom 6-string is much more conservative, with merely Europa electronics w 3-position Q.
Hmm. Well, you're obviously not me, and if you actually don't use a G-string -that thought is profoundly alien and somewhat un-processable to me- then it makes since insofar as a 4-string is cheaper than a 5-string.
You indicated you're a smaller guy, and that that's part of your choice. Have you carefully considered the scale length and the fingerboard dimensions? I'm sure you know how important that is. Have you considered adding at least one Ebony neck laminate? It has an incredible effect on the sound, which I'm sure you'll note if you play the Burl Redwood Balance K. My understanding is that it'll help a shorter scale bass have a better sounding low B... so if you want a smaller/lighter/shorter bass... you might ask 'em about this strategy. Are you getting a 34 inch scale, 33, 32, or something else?
Why ditch the bass & treble boost/flat/cut switches? They're very useful, and add tremendous additional control and flexability.
Is it just a whole minimalist paradigm? Because going from 3 knobs and a toggle to 3 knobs and 3 toggles doesn't significantly reduce minimalistic and/or aesthetic values, but quite significantly increases functional value.
Personally, I regard Europa electronics with a 3-position Q as the perfect MINIMAL electronics setup... from there, you upgrade, either by upgrading the tone controls to VARIABLE controls, AND/OR having individual tone controls for each pickup. (For clarification, by minimal, I mean, for Alembic. A standard Europa is at least equally versatile electronics-wise -to any other non-Alembic I've ever seen/played/heard.)
The wood choices sound great, and remind me of my custom 8-String. The body and outer neck laminates are Flame Maple (literally the SAME PIECES of wood...) and the Bocate top looks similar to Coco Bolo, and has fooled a few people. So I know from experience that combo looks great.
The only other thing I can say is, again, Ebony neck laminates are awesome, and very practical. If you could find a way to get them in your neck, they'd pay off. I appreciate the beauty of the standard darling neck, and could see how you might just be totally sold on that formula, and unwilling to consider changing any aspect of it. But if you were willing, you could consider swapping the single Vermillion lam for an Ebony lam, or swapping the 2 Purpleheart lams, or even swapping the maple pinstripes for 2 slightly wider Ebony laminates.
Again, welcome to the club, Will, and best of luck with your endeavor as a dealer, and with your upcoming custom! I'll look forward to seeing it!
