| Author | Message | ||
| sjhoffma
Advanced Member Username: sjhoffma Post Number: 219 Registered: 5-2008 |
http://www.tuneyoursound.com/collection/alembic-early-70-jerry-garcia-bill-spooner-tubes Looks more like an oasis guitar to me, but clearly has the Alembic logo inlaid in abalone, and the headstock shape looks right. Was this an early Alembic? Was this an early oasis? The site says it was one of the first 30 Alembics ever made, but I don't recall ever seeing binding on an Alembic body. Please someone enlighten me here. | ||
| sjhoffma
Advanced Member Username: sjhoffma Post Number: 220 Registered: 5-2008 |
You have to click on the photo gallery section to pull up the photos. Is it the same guitar Ed Roman is seen with here? ...  | ||
| serialnumber12
Senior Member Username: serialnumber12 Post Number: 956 Registered: 12-2004 |
Dude is just gettin fugged up with his Old Alembic........i can relate. (Message edited by serialnumber12 on April 25, 2012) | ||
| sjhoffma
Advanced Member Username: sjhoffma Post Number: 221 Registered: 5-2008 |
hah I think a lot of us can relate ;) (everything in moderation) lol | ||
| afrobeat_fool
Senior Member Username: afrobeat_fool Post Number: 450 Registered: 7-2009 |
Yeah, it looks the same. The headstock inlay looks dead on Bill's #10. I would sell a kidney for that guitar. Damn. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 10670 Registered: 5-2002 |
[Edit: ok, "I" looked at the logos closer; and I do see the resemblance now.] (Message edited by davehouck on April 25, 2012) | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7701 Registered: 6-2000 |
I'm not entirely convinced on this one. There are lots of things that look close, but then others that look way off. Without a serial number, I can't tell what record to compare the pictures to. From the front only, if I saw a small picture of this, I would probably think it was an Alembic. But, up close and seeing the back gives me doubt. Here's the things that don't seem all that convincing when you look closely: 1. pickups - we don't have a mold this shape* 2. switches - wrong shape* 3. bridge - not our manufacture 4. tailpiece - not our manufacture (but cool looking!) 5. body back / heel construction just doesn't look quite right 6. logo looks almost right, but again, there are little nagging things on it If the logo wasn't on there, I would guess more of a Gary Cooper (Oasis) vibe to this guitar. If anyone gets a serial number I'll investigate what I can. *I've seen old guitars with the guts changed out, so the presence of these parts alone doesn't concern me as far as "is it an Alembic?" goes. | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1201 Registered: 10-2006 |
"In 1987, a former Billy Graham employee, acquired this Alembic guitar from Bill Spooner (the Tubes), who previously acquired it from Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead." If it was Jerry's that would explain the non-Alembic p/ups; he was known to do that once or twice. I'm just curious about the Billy Graham employee - was this played at one of the Crusades?  Peter | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 5140 Registered: 7-2004 |
The logo is actually quite different from #10's. Look at it closely, it looks like a poor copy of an Alembic logo. Especially the lower portion which is just a round abalone inlay inside a circle. And the back looks all wrong to me. Bill, tgo | ||
| bluplirst
Intermediate Member Username: bluplirst Post Number: 145 Registered: 12-2004 |
Ed Roman has been known to copy famous guitars and pawn them off as the real thing. He's done it with PRS and Steinbergers so I would be suspicious here. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1848 Registered: 9-2002 |
'Ed Roman' and 'authentic' in the same sentence . . . Ancient Alembic history, Rick Turner, whatever, to me there's more things that say NO than yes. It's layered alright, but so are lots of axes that aren't Alembics. Bound with a flat bottom? UhUh, says I. J o e y | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1837 Registered: 11-2004 |
Still it's a nice piece of woodworking though with some good detail. | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 1110 Registered: 6-2002 |
I am with Mica on this one. Some of that stuff just don't look quite right. The logo is not inlaid, but sits proud of the surface of that headstock. Sure it looks a lot like Afrobeat's Series II logo, but not quite. I would say that it also looks like a set neck to me. From the front it looks neck through, but check out the detail on the back. Someone sure went through a lot of trouble with that heel design. Did Alembic do a set neck back in the 70's ? Maybe. As far as the electronics goes, I guess someone could have changed out all of that. But I would think that if it was originally Alembic, it would have more holes in the body. Where are the holes for the filters, trim pots, Q switches, etc... Cool piece though and I really like that little cameltoe at the bottom of the body. | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 1382 Registered: 6-2002 |
It has a raw Becvar vibe to me. ...maybe not the best Becvar for comparison- Met museum link ...The tailpiece is similar , though the bridge looks to be a Stars Guitars bridge(?), while the mystery guitar has more of a beefy Mosrite design to me. Looks like the guitar had other pickups and rings on it, notice the lighter 'frisketed' area below the bridge pickup ring-  | ||
| byoung
Senior Member Username: byoung Post Number: 1354 Registered: 12-2004 |
Elwood-- thanks for that word (frisketed), it's a keeper. | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 1383 Registered: 6-2002 |
I knew that'd raise an eyebrow, That came from my experiences in danish water marbling. According to legend...the first friskets were unfortunate moths that would find their way to be floating on the surface of the tank. | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2445 Registered: 5-2009 |
Didn't Rick Turner partially influenced construction features during the original building time period of this guitar ? Take a look at the back of this Rick Turner Bass ; http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-EARLY-ISSUE-1980-RICK-TURNER-ALEMBIC-FOUNDER-MODEL-1-BASS-/120901096815?pt=Guitar&hash=item1c2644556f#ht_1188wt_1147 See what I mean ? _____Just thinkin' ________ | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2446 Registered: 5-2009 |
Here is another Rick Turner Model 1 detail shot;  | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 1384 Registered: 6-2002 |
Well there ya go...Wolf takes the cake (vegan double chocolate??) nice work, | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2447 Registered: 5-2009 |
Thanks , maybe ? ( a bit of chocolate cake and a cup of coffee is OK once in a while) | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 520 Registered: 2-2011 |
"This guitar with an early abalone Alembic logo has according to Rick Turner not been built by himself for Alembic. According to Rick this could have been a Gary Cooper pre-Oasis, but it is not and never was an Alembic, no matter what the logo is. A lot of parts "escaped" the shop and wound up in quasi-illegal employee guitars. Could have been one of those... " | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2454 Registered: 5-2009 |
Yes ,as per quote and fact. Might there be influence and emulation in build style ? (Message edited by sonicus on April 30, 2012) | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 521 Registered: 2-2011 |
That quote was from the http://www.tuneyoursound.com/collection/alembic-early-70-jerry-garcia-bill-spooner-tubes website, "The Story Behind > About The Guitar" |
