1/22/2024 0 Comments Epiphone thunderbird bass caseAs you’d expect, it has some serious low end, but it’s not a giant flabby glob of mud. I really enjoyed the sound of the neck pickup on its own. They’re quiet, too, even when soloing one pickup or the other. The ProBucker 760 pickups are inspired by the original Thunderbird and Embassy pickups from the ’60s, and, in all seriousness, they do sound very good. Wait, what? It costs $400? The Embassy PRO bass sounds pretty amazing when you figure that price point in. I plugged into a 1965 Ampeg B-15 and the bass sounded pretty good. I also feel the Embassy PRO would be a good fit for guitarists who double on bass and are accustomed to a smaller instrument. My initial impressions made me think the bass would be a great choice for players of a slighter stature, or those who are just tired of big, heavy basses hanging around their necks. I had no neck-dive issues, so if that was indeed the reason why Epiphone changed the headstock from the original-mission accomplished. It has a slim, D-profile neck, ergonomic body contours, and is very light at about 8 pounds. Even though it’s a standard 34"-scale instrument, it just feels small and is therefore easy to play. Played standing or sitting, the bass cries out comfort. I did, however, find the output jack to be sunken pretty deep into the body, which didn’t play nicely with the 90-degree L-jack cable ends I prefer to use. The frets were all perfectly dressed, the paint job looked flawless, and all the hardware was in place-tight and solid. It’s not uncommon for basses in this price range to have some sloppy finishing, but that wasn’t the case here. Despite this, I was still able to adjust the action the way I wanted without any trouble. One minor gripe is that the bridge does not have individual height adjustment available for each saddle, but rather a screw on either side of the strings that tilts the entire bridge. The subs aren’t out of control, it delivers some nice midrange growl to keep things focused, and has a very pleasant top end that gives definition without getting harsh or tinny. I love that it’s designed so you don’t have to pull the whole length of the string through when changing out strings. Not only does the claw-style tailpiece look great. The big, shiny nickel-silver pickup covers add some nice retro bling, and the body shape definitely nods to the bass’ space-race-era roots. The trio of knobs is configured-from front to back-for volume, blend, and treble roll-off. My sadness over the headstock was somewhat alleviated by the fact they retained the super-cool barrel knobs as found on the original. This aside, the bass has a very cool, vintage look. I’m assuming this was to address the alleged propensity for the vintage models to neck dive. When I first opened the case (which is sold separately), I must say I was a little disappointed to see that Epiphone replaced the awesome batwing headstock from the original model with a two-tuner-per-side version. Blending the best of the original model along with some modern-day design improvements, the new Embassy PRO is a well-executed reissue that keeps budget-minded players in mind. Now Epiphone has gone back to their time capsule of U.S.-built instruments to draw inspiration from the classic Embassy solidbody bass, which was introduced in 1963. For the past few decades, the company’s primary focus has been on overseas production and delivering solid instruments with an easy-to-digest price point. Second half of clip is neck pickup only.Įpiphone has been making instruments for over 140 years, so they’ve certainly had ample time to figure out how to do things right. Second half of clip is neck pickup only.Ĭlip 2 - Pick with distortion: First half of clip is neck and bridge pickups blended. Fulltone Bass Drive used for distortion track (Clip 2).Ĭlip 1 - Fingerstyle: First half of clip is neck and bridge pickups blended. Recorded using 1965 Ampeg B-15 with a Heil PR 30 mic, BAE 312 mic-pre, and a Purple Audio MC77 compressor into an Apogee Duet interface.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |