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Alembic Club » Alembic Basses & Guitars » Archive: 2008 » Archive through November 01, 2008 » BIG Thanks to the folks in Santa Rosa « Previous Next »

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lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3227
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2008 - 9:41 am:   Edit Post

I just want to take the opportunity to offer a HUGE "Thank You" to everyone at Alembic for the wonderful work they did on "The Other One", my '76 Series I medium scale guitar. Ever since I found it on ebay 2 1/2 years ago, I've been blown away by it's tone. The neck, however, was a different story. More of a "D" profile, it always seemed a little wide and chunky compared to the "C" profile necks on my favorite guitars. So I brought it up to Alembic for a neck re-shaping. I must admit, it was a little unnerving to watch Bob clamp my stripped down guitar face down on a bench and start planing wood off the back of the neck! He made it look really easy, though, and calmed my fears.

Anyway, I recently got the finished guitar back and had the first opportunity to take it down to the studio and play it with my band Stonetrout. WOW! WOW, WOW, and WOW!!!! Now I LOVE the tone AND the neck! What an amazing guitar! It's kind of like driving an old MG or Triumph that's been completely restored. It's got me thinking about Series electronics for my Further (I'll have to ask the elves if this is possible).

So a BIG thanks to Susan, Ron, Mica, Mary, James, Bob, and everyone else at the mother ship. Your bank account of Karma must be overflowing!

Bill, tgo
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6962
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 8:23 am:   Edit Post

Congrats on the "new" guitar!! New pics?
bsee
Senior Member
Username: bsee

Post Number: 2010
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 6:54 pm:   Edit Post

Oh, to live so close that it would be that easy to get the little tweaks that such an instrument might occasionally require. There are a few I'd like to get that I'm sure they would have no trouble with, but I don't want to risk my bass traveling across the country in the hands of heathens twice.

Congrats on a successful surgery, and kudos to the surgeons!
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3231
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 9:28 pm:   Edit Post

Yes, it is nice to live in the Bay Area. I owe thanks to Jerry & the Boys.

Bill, tgo
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1879
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 4:57 am:   Edit Post

Bill. I don't need to have anything done to my Alembics, they're all perfect. However, since you brought up the subject, here's a pic of my old MG just before I started a total restoration..

midget

I've now got it to the stage where I've welded in new inner and outer sills, a new floor and replaced loads of metal elsewhere underneath. This week I'll be spraying the underside and getting it back the right way up to start fitting new wings and doors. Get back to me in a year or so to see how I got on ;-)

Graeme
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3232
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 7:31 am:   Edit Post

Graeme:

I once brought an Austin Healy Bug-eye Sprite back to life - though it started out quite a bit more together than yours. (First thing I did was build a new wiring harness). Good luck with the project and please do post pics when it's done.

Why do they drink warm beer in England?

Lucas refrigerators! hehehehe

Bill, tgo
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1881
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 7:41 am:   Edit Post

Bill. That's a spare bodyshell I bought to rebuld my own midget onto. It's turned out to be in worse condition than my own shell but I've come too far in the project to turn back now ;-)

We don't drink warm beer in England. Come over and see for yourself.

Graeme.
p.s. in a recent survey in the daily telegraph newspaper, the frogeye sprite (bugeye in US speak) came 100th in the top 100 ugly cars! i guess the reporter has never seen one in real life.
bsee
Senior Member
Username: bsee

Post Number: 2011
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 9:13 am:   Edit Post

Maybe not warm beer, Graeme, but warmer beer than Americans tend to drink. Shannon Airport, admittedly not England, had two taps for the Guinness. One is for the locals and the other is for the Americans. I would characterize the temperatures as "pleasantly chilled" and "ice cold".

It's sort of like wine, though. Temperature is very important to the flavor of the beverage. Drink either beer or wine too cold and you taste very little. Get it too warm and the alcohol comes to the front. Every beer and wine has a "right temperature" where the flavors balance most pleasantly.
bracheen
Senior Member
Username: bracheen

Post Number: 1388
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 11:02 am:   Edit Post

That's true Bill, they don't drink warm beer in Scotland either. You should take Graeme up on his offer. He makes a hell of a good host. Debi and I are both ready to go back.

Sam
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3233
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 8:29 pm:   Edit Post

You guys trying to ruin one of my best car jokes? Next you're going to tell me that Lucas really wasn't the Prince of Darkness! lol

Bill, tgo
82daion
Advanced Member
Username: 82daion

Post Number: 206
Registered: 5-2005
Posted on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 8:49 pm:   Edit Post

I'm glad that they fixed it up right for you, Bill.

Someday, I hope to take/send my '75 SI back to the Mothership and have it freshened up, but that's a long way out for a college student. Someday...

I don't think that a neck shave will be in order, though-I love the beefy neck on my bass.

Chris
bracheen
Senior Member
Username: bracheen

Post Number: 1389
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 - 8:51 am:   Edit Post

Boy do I feel dumb. I didn't even pick up on the joke, sorry Bill. Lucas refrigerators! Excellent! I can remember many a night smacking my voltage regualtor with a wrench till the headlights came back on.

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