| Author | Message | ||
| angelboy
New Username: angelboy Post Number: 4 Registered: 1-2004 |
IT'S STILL NOT HERE!!!! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!!! I'm still waiting for my bass to arrive and it's killing me! I've been sat watching UPS tracker for three days now. (It's probably a bit sad that I can remember my UPS tracking number by heart now!) The last reported sighting was Philly at 8 this morning.....it's gotta be close to England by now. I bet it's sat up front in first class with a nice cool beer. D'ya think it's got a pair of headphone on and tried to plug them into itself, only to find that he needs a twin jack!!!(read the earlier posts or you will think I'm nuts)............Don't mind me I'm just going mad with waiting! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!........sigh...... | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 132 Registered: 11-2003 |
Was that 8:00EST or 8:00GMT? I know that's a long, long wait. I was at work the day mine was due and it was raining that day. All I could think of was my new Alembic sitting outside in the rain. Nerve racking. Maybe you should have a nice cool beer to relax. Better yet two or three. Then you can bang the bottles when it shows up. Are all your band mates gathered around with you? Sam | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 905 Registered: 9-2002 |
Free gift from the online-Alembic shop when you order a bass: ... ...A BOX OF VALIUM!!!!!!!!!! But ..although ... WITH the Alembic logo ! And signatured by all the Alembicians Let's go nuts in style! Paul the bad one | ||
| dela217
Advanced Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 260 Registered: 6-2002 |
I understand too that the wait is difficult. I waited a couple of extra weeks for a bass because it was lost in shipment. It was torture, I know what you feel! All this talk of beer does nothing for me. Valium - Now you're talking!!! PS. I have the patience of an oyster. | ||
| angelboy
New Username: angelboy Post Number: 6 Registered: 1-2004 |
............did someone just say...........no.......can't have...........wait a minute...........yes some.........one.........said...........LOST IN SHIPMENT...........AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHH! Let me at 'em let me at 'em put em uuuup! | ||
| kayo
Junior Username: kayo Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2002 |
Paul Yeah - it's grueling!!!! When I ordered my Custom Rogue, I had selected acoco-bolo top (book match to center). Mica was kind enough to post pics of the different wood samples that were currently availble at that time and I had initially not seen anything I liked. I was a bit embrassed because I sensed that Mica and Mary (I think that's Mica's mother's name) were getting a bit frustrated with me because I was so hard to please (but then again - $6,000 was a lot for me). Anyhow, it got to the point where I jus settled, and picked a piece that I really was not happy with. I had ordered from a dealer in Wisconsin, and they would not put the order through without at least a deposit - so I had to sell my only bass (A Music Man Sterling) to come up with the balance of the deposit. I was told that my bass would take about 4 months once ordered... well about 2 months into it I was advised by Mica that the coco-bolo top had cracked in the curing process (apparently a common event with coco-bolo). They were going to have to start the top from scratch!!!! They placed some more pics on the website of coco-bolo, and lo & behold - there was the IDEAL piece I had been dreaming of!!! I was lucky - but it sucked because it added another 2 months time to the delivery of my bass. In the end it was all worth it.... but I hated the wait. Mica later told me that Stanley Clark saw my bass and liked my coco-bolo top so much that he had them laminate the back of his bass that they were building with the same slab of coco-bolo. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 908 Registered: 9-2002 |
he ...oh ...is there a doctor in the audience? We have a Paul going over the red line here. Paul the bad one It's Brother Paul the balled one BTW. ***sigh*** it always happens to hardest first. (Message edited by palembic on January 16, 2004) | ||
| angelboy
New Username: angelboy Post Number: 7 Registered: 1-2004 |
Its landed 'yeah' in the UK....'crap'!!!!! So it takes a day from Seattle to Louisville, KY. A day to Philadelphia, PA. A matter of about 8 hours to Derby in the UK..............and that's were it'll stay for about a week while some spotty arsed youth training kid tries to work out if it just arrived from 'A...mer...i...er.....A...mer..i...ca', or its just going!!!! I'm not always so irrate!..........Sometimes I skip thru meadows and smell puppy dogs....aaah... | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 912 Registered: 9-2002 |
Suuuuuu-ure ...I can see you running in slow motion, in nice pastel tints and "flou artisitique" , through the pastures ...an Alembic Rogue wobbling on your back (BTW ...do you speak elf too by any coïncidence). Paul the bad one | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 134 Registered: 11-2003 |
Paul (the stressed one), just a thought. Did you happen to pick up a voltage converter? If you bought your bass used from the US the voltage for the power source may not work in the UK. I know your wall plugs are different. Sam | ||
| angelboy
New Username: angelboy Post Number: 9 Registered: 1-2004 |
Your walls are different as well!!! Our walls are 2ft thick (a mtr....I can't be bothered converting feet to metres for the sake of a joke......although I could have done it by now with the amount of text I've just written!) coz we all live in castles!! But yes it's cool, I phoned up the other day and asked if the power supply had a 110/240v switch.......which it has. I just need to stick a new plug on it. | ||
| eastcoastepic
Junior Username: eastcoastepic Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2003 |
Don't let those slackers in customs hold you up...tell them it's an ALEMBIC, and release it pronto!! If they don't, tell them that you will inflict the full fury of the Alembic Club upon them, and they will be sorry that you did! Let us know the moment it arrives... Cheers | ||
| bob
Intermediate Member Username: bob Post Number: 125 Registered: 11-2002 |
Dela, that was quite tactless of you to mention the lost-in-transit incident. I mean really, he's practically just a kid, obviously hasn't had time to study up on his Buddhism (or oysters), so we need to be gentle and supportive. At least you didn't mention the time where UPS nearly broke off the peghead on one of Wayne's - EEuuwwh, darn, I didn't mean to say that. Well nevermind, I happened to see that one while it was being spliced back together, and (though it was taking a while) it was clearly going to come out so close to perfect that you'd have to be within inches to see any traces, and it was going to play and feel as good as new. (No link here, it's not for the faint of heart.) Someday we might have a further discussion on the different kinds of waiting. Clearly there are at least two major categories: waiting for Alembic to finish building, and then waiting for delivery (with variations such as coming up with the cash to finally pay for it, not having another bass in the meantime, and so forth). As Kayo points out, having Alembic take a longer time is often not a bad thing. In my case, it meant refining the electronics (a major cause of further delay), getting the fancy new Switchcraft jack they introduced in the last few months, and at least one other innovation (in due course) - things I wouldn't have ended up with if I'd gotten it as early as I'd hoped. The extra build time really worked out very much in my favor. This appears to be a very mysterious process, and I'm convinced that not even the folks at Alembic understand it. At one point, I switched over from asking when it would be ready, to "how long can you be sure it won't be ready?", which was quite a bit more pleasant all around. As I think I said elsewhere, once you accept the fact that you really have no way of knowing when you'll get it, it becomes much easier to live with. I'm one of the lucky ones who didn't have to deal with the agonies of shipping, Alembic being less than a two hour drive from me. But I admit (despite my alleged patience) that I've spent some time tracking other UPS or FedEx shipments (why is it stuck in Pittsburgh???). This is clearly a different class of waiting/anxiety, because you don't know the people involved, and you may have some reasonable grounds to be suspicious or concerned, and nothing that happens in this phase is going to improve the final result. But it's still totally beyond your control. As long as we're on the subject, I might as well dribble out a bit more of my own story... Once upon a time, there was an email from Mica saying, "I'm really sorry, but it just isn't going to be ready for Christmas. Looks like it's going to be a News Years bass." We had already missed Thanksgiving (a long shot, but originally possible) because the first neck turned out to be a reject, so we had a do-over. Well, trying to manage my expectations, I emailed back to clarify, "Does that mean I'll actually be able to play it on New Year's Day - week after next - or that it will be done sometime early in the coming year?", and as you've probably guessed by how long this is dragging on, it was the latter. And to jump ahead a bit, this was the end of 2002 (a year ago). Okay, fine. Time passes, and eventually I start thinking it would be nice to be done by my birthday, in early April. Nope. Well then, maybe the planets will align, and it will be done by Mica's birthday, which by coincidence was the same day as my very first visit to Alembic (vaguely end of May). After that, Doc (my official dealer at Guitar Showcase) very generously offered me the use of his birthday, late June or early July. But alas, it was not to be. Time passes, and the arc of the sun gradually migrates from the north to the south... and that annoying late-afternoon glare returns to my kitchen once again. We bandy about the notion of being ready for Thanksgiving, but that's clearly not realistic. Then I'm on standby for the last few weeks leading up to Christmas, we reschedule at least a couple of times, and (though I truly am incredibly patient, really), I'm at the point of saying "let me just borrow it over the holidays, even if it doesn't have any electronics!". Finally, I get the word to come up late Wednesday, week before Xmas. I arrive, curiously peering around the showroom expecting to get my first glimpse, everyone's being friendly, saying Hi, all that - and then Mica explains that they're having some last minute problem with one of the pots, so it might be a while yet... can you say AARRGGHHH? But no, I wasn't at all stressed at this point. I was there, they knew I wasn't leaving empty handed, and I could tell that at least half a dozen of them (some just for moral support) were determined to stay all night if that's what it took. In fact, as it turned out, Ron had less than four hours sleep the night before, trying to get it finished in time. So I had a really wonderful chat with Susan, Mary made us all some coffee, I got to see a bunch of other beautiful instruments in progress, and finally - after two hours - got the first glimpse of mine (though it was a bit longer before I actually got to touch it). And if I hadn't been so damned hungry by the time I finally left, I probably would have pulled over somewhere on the drive home to stop and take another look (an odd twist on the "shipment" style of waiting, no?). But we'll save the rest of it for chapter two. So Paul - "the allegedly angelic but ARRGHING Alembic anticipator" - think of this as a character-building experience. It will come (possibly even before I finish rambling, given the time difference, who knows), and it will be wonderful. I'll just suggest that the more you can relax before then, the better you'll be able to appreciate it. Good luck. But by all means, let us know the moment it arrives :-) -Bob | ||
| bassman10096
Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 68 Registered: 7-2003 |
So, guys... Here I am weeks from ordering my first custom Alembic, telling myself it will just take time - but predictable time. Then I read this and...there come the demons! Oh how many things COULD go wrong? At this stage, without the perspective of having waited on a new Alembic before, I'm thinking the choosing designs and options part MUST be the worst it gets. Now (silly me) it becomes clear that while deciding on your bass, you have lots of good and helpful company (on the club) and the Alembic folks to sooth your nerves with information and advice (= the feeling of being in control always returns). Paul - I share (or at least am soon to share) your pain. Just remember, it's all worthwhile in the end. Best of luck when your new friend arrives. Congratulations. (In the meantime, keep a stiff upper lip.) Bill | ||
| dela217
Advanced Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 261 Registered: 6-2002 |
Bob - You really should break into comedy! I can only imagine when we finally have an Alembic club meeting, we will all be laughing at ourselves. We all have the same disease. | ||
| kenbass4
Junior Username: kenbass4 Post Number: 49 Registered: 10-2003 |
Paul (The ARRRRGH One?) Apparently Bob and I are neighbors (I'm about 2 hours drive from Alembic, ordered mine through Terry at Guitar Showcase) and while mine doesn't SEEM to be taking as long as his did (although, it isn't actually done yet...) my 8 to 10 weeks were up mid December...and my bass is " a week or two away" from completion. Even if that's true...this will be the longest two weeks of my life... Ken (TEO) | ||
| angelboy
New Username: angelboy Post Number: 10 Registered: 1-2004 |
........I don't think I should complain anymore. I feel I have matured somewhat like fine wine. I will savour the taste of my musky Cuban and delighting in the tantalizing taste of the 1820 Yquem whilst my two hunting hounds bask in the warmth that is thrown from the open fireplace. There's a knock at the door, echoing through the cavernous hallway dying at the foot of the stairs. 'Who could it be at this un-godly hour?' I ponder to myself. 'Could it be..........?’ No it couldn't be coz it's still stuck in f-ing DERBY!!!! | ||
| alembic76407
Advanced Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 229 Registered: 5-2002 |
Paul (The ARRRRRGH One) If it helps , I hurt for you big time, it kills me to wait for a movie I have ordered much less a bass, hang in there, by next saturday this will just be a a thing in the past and we will be screaming PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!!!!!!! | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 137 Registered: 11-2003 |
Paul (The ARRRRRGH One), isn't Derby only about 1.5 hours south of you? Saddle up. Put down the uisce beatha, leave the warmth of the fire and go pound on their door. Patience and maturity are not all they're cracked up to be. Sam | ||
| angelboy
Junior Username: angelboy Post Number: 12 Registered: 1-2004 |
Your right it's not far from me but there's a reason I havn't picked it up......UPS is shut for the weekend and I can't fit the bass in my car.....there are two reasons I havn't picked it up, UPS is shut and I can't fit the bass in my car.........and I have an appointment tomorrow there are THREE reasons.......I'll start again........ | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 138 Registered: 11-2003 |
Don't you hate it when the realities of Life interfer with obsessions? It just doesn't seem right somehow. You painted such an idyllic picture with your hounds and your hallway that I forgot about the business of daily life. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 914 Registered: 9-2002 |
Brother Paul the balled one. THat's a common problem with us Alembic players: "why the f***()(__^"">?/*** theis bass doesn't fit into my car???" I always wonder how Brother Paul the fake one manage to do it with his Harley? Maybe with a van behind it??? How does EVH manage to do it with his Lamborghini Diabolo??? Brother Rami must sure have a problem to get his basses in his Corvette?? And now Brother Werner has an Alembic more he will be in trouble with his Porsche. Aaaaaargh ...life can be SO hard!!!! Paul the bad one | ||
| angelboy
Junior Username: angelboy Post Number: 13 Registered: 1-2004 |
My Stingray only just fits in the back, at an angle but I have to pack each side of the case so it doesn't damage the leather! Don't be drummer I thought, too much gear to drag around. Be a bass player and buy a 911 I thought......................Bastard!!! If I'm gigging I have to borrow a works car which isn't too bad but it's all about the image...................I am............a victim!! | ||
| thebass
Member Username: thebass Post Number: 93 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hi TBO-Paul, I wish you were right when you assume that I have a Porsche. Due to my job in the automotive industry I was only driving a Porsche 911 Bi-Turbo test car for a few days. Unluckily I don't own it. I need the money to spend for more Alembics ;-) Back on earth I am driving a Renault Laguna Grandtour. But the case of my MK is indeed the largest and heaviest bass case I ever saw. I guess only the Exploiter style case are larger. Sometimes I wish Alembic would use a lighter material for their cases and make them a little bit more "thight fit". | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 918 Registered: 9-2002 |
huh ...Brother Werner ...I was kiddin' but admit ...it's a nice sight. Picture: you with the flashy sunglasses, fancy sharp clothing, ready to leave to a gig with your cool sportscar ...with a van hooked up behind LOADED with Alembics, amps, speakers, racks ... HA! Paul the bad one I'm still comfortable with my 7 years old Audi A6 stationcar. | ||
| thebass
Member Username: thebass Post Number: 94 Registered: 3-2003 |
Yeah, cool man. I luv' it ! Especially with a Bi-Turbo. This nice little puppy has more than 500hp and goes easily over 300km/h (approx. 200MPH). I was driving this on Sunday morning 5am on a completely empty autobahn. Believe me, your adrenaline reaches absolutely spectacolous levels. When you come back to 120km/h you get the impression as if the car is almost parking. But we had that in another thread. BTW: I didn't forgot the EPIC pics but I have a little trouble with my digicam. They will come soon .... | ||
| alembic76407
Advanced Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 230 Registered: 5-2002 |
Did somebody say Porsche? My Series 1 fits in my Porsche along with my Epic, a Mesa/Boogie 400+ and a 2x10 speaker box, you guys are just not driving the right Porsche. David T (in the mode, THE NOT AS LOUD ONE) | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 919 Registered: 9-2002 |
Huh ...oh ...Brother David. ok ...but not all that LOUD stuff from your garage? Sorry to ask but ...did you get my mail with the Jack Cassidy question?? Paul the bad one | ||
| alembic76407
Advanced Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 231 Registered: 5-2002 |
Paul (TBO) no I didn't, please send again David T (OK , THE LOUD ONE) | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 920 Registered: 9-2002 |
Ok ...just did! (the e-mail adress on your profile is the good one I presume??) PTBO | ||
| angelboy
Junior Username: angelboy Post Number: 14 Registered: 1-2004 |
It's getting close.........I can smell it! | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 922 Registered: 9-2002 |
Now wouldn't that be a good new thread: "How smells your Alembic"?? Whou-ha LOL ...about 1200 people all over the world starting sniffling their bass. Picture: senior management coming into the room "Aaaaaaaaaugh ...honey ...what are YOU DOIN' with that guitar (most of the time they can't tell the differnece between a bass and a guitar)???" Paul the bad one PS 1 Mmmmmmmm ...I heard once that Zebrawood rather stinks. Oh ...huh ...Paul the Aaaaaargh one (ok ..let's call him that way and not the Balled one) I suppose your bass is in Zebrawood? LOL PS 2 oh BTW how is your banging on tables with empty beer-bottles?????? | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 140 Registered: 11-2003 |
Paul TBO, so it's the Zebrawood I smell? When I first got the bass it stunk pretty bad. The bass and the case. I just figured that the previous owner was a smoker. It's been airing out for a couple of months now and still is slightly musty. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 926 Registered: 9-2002 |
Brother Sam, well ...that's what I HEARD. I've never smelled it in fact. Paul the bad one | ||
| kenbass4
Member Username: kenbass4 Post Number: 53 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sam and Paul (Both TBO and TAO) When I was talking to Susan about wood choices at the factory, she said that the crew hated working with zebrawood, because when it's cut, it smelled "like a dog kennel". Ken (TEO) | ||
| bracheen
Intermediate Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 143 Registered: 11-2003 |
Well that bit of information will help with future choices. I wonder what causes that? Zebrawood sure does look good. |
