Anyone With All Black Alembics? Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Alembic Club » Alembic Basses & Guitars » Archive through January 07, 2011 » Anyone With All Black Alembics? « Previous Next »

Author Message
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 2040
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 7:20 am:   Edit Post

I know there are a few like Dannobasso & FC, I think Rami has at least one and I guess I can count myself in that group now. But anyone got a black Alembic? Let's see it here. See through black is ok too.

I'll start the ball rolling and will post some clearer pics once it arrives from Austria.



Jazzyvee
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 9458
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 8:56 am:   Edit Post

Congrats Jazzyvee!!!! That's a beautiful bass!
dannobasso
Senior Member
Username: dannobasso

Post Number: 1277
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 9:57 am:   Edit Post

Here go!
tmoney61092
Senior Member
Username: tmoney61092

Post Number: 404
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:30 am:   Edit Post

Danno.....that's awesome!!!!!!!!

~Taylor
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 2041
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:39 am:   Edit Post

Thanks Dave, I'm a confirmed fan of naked wood on Alembics I have to say but I couldn't let the colour put me off buying a bass that in all other respects is just right up my street.

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this bass very soon.
Jazzyvee
rami
Senior Member
Username: rami

Post Number: 922
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 11:50 am:   Edit Post

Hi Jazzyvee,

I don't have any black (painted) Alembics. Mine are of the Macassar Ebony variety. Danno's Basses are beautiful, but it still seems a little sacrilegious to put a solid colour over an Alembic. But "to each his own".

Cheers,

:-)
charles_holmes
Member
Username: charles_holmes

Post Number: 51
Registered: 3-2009
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 3:42 pm:   Edit Post

Yo Danno,
Book em baby!
Slammin'!!!!!!
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 1439
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:48 pm:   Edit Post

JazzyVee, cool bass. Lot to be said for piano black and gold. (Those action specs I sent you were for this axe) I have a five-string Elan like this, except with PJ Activators in see-thru green. You WILL like it!

J o e y
harald_rost
Intermediate Member
Username: harald_rost

Post Number: 199
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 2:42 am:   Edit Post

Looks like the new Featured Custom would fit this topic:

http://www.alembic.com/info/featured_custom.html

The reverse of "whiter shade of pale" ;-)

Cheers

Harald
dannobasso
Senior Member
Username: dannobasso

Post Number: 1279
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 7:45 pm:   Edit Post

Praying in bed is "sack" religious. I should get a pic with all the black guitars in it as well. Or wait til the 10er arrives. This thread could go on until that happens I think.
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 2042
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 11:38 pm:   Edit Post

Is that an oversized sustain block you have on that bass? I'm sure they are usually have a slightly smaller face area than the bridge.

Jazzyvee
dannobasso
Senior Member
Username: dannobasso

Post Number: 1283
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 11:51 am:   Edit Post

It appears so. This one is 31 scale with side leds. I had it refinished by Alembic. If I didn't have my 10 in the works I would have gone for yours. congrats, its a beauty.
hieronymous
Senior Member
Username: hieronymous

Post Number: 805
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 - 8:35 am:   Edit Post

Love the look of all these basses! I don't have an all-black Alembic, but I've got a couple of "jetglo with black trim" Rickenbackers:

JGBT
tmoney61092
Senior Member
Username: tmoney61092

Post Number: 413
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 - 10:00 am:   Edit Post

i'm loving that 8 string Ric!

~Taylor
mario_farufyno
Senior Member
Username: mario_farufyno

Post Number: 456
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 - 11:42 am:   Edit Post

Hey Danno, why those inclined PUs?
alembic83
Member
Username: alembic83

Post Number: 59
Registered: 9-2004
Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 5:00 am:   Edit Post

Yes, my black Spoiler:



And not to veer too off topic, but I also have a thing for black Aria Pro basses - two of which have been Alembicized:
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd117/vintagejapanbass/Aria%20Pro%20II%20Black%20n%20Gold%20II/arialineup.jpg
dannobasso
Senior Member
Username: dannobasso

Post Number: 1285
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 7:54 pm:   Edit Post

The bass came like that with the slant pups. It does have a deep sound for a smaller scale. A better blackness shot of Kay.kay_upviewM.jpg
slammin
Member
Username: slammin

Post Number: 56
Registered: 10-2009
Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 9:12 pm:   Edit Post

"Perfect Blossom"
clarkybass
Member
Username: clarkybass

Post Number: 68
Registered: 4-2010
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 7:20 am:   Edit Post

I have an all black '88 Spoiler that looks identical in all respects to alembic83's. I have a couple of questions - first, mine weighs in at 11 pounds whereas my previous '82 flame maple Spoiler weighed 9.5 pounds - why such a big difference ( does the chrome hardware contribute)? And second, there are a fair few surface scratches on my bass above the playing area (I presume a previous owner wore a metal watch band on his right wrist) and I wondered if there's a way of removing or reducing these? To be clear, none are deep but there are so many it's slightly matte on that part of the bass. Thanks, as ever, for your thoughts
fc_spoiler
Senior Member
Username: fc_spoiler

Post Number: 1157
Registered: 5-2006
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 7:32 am:   Edit Post

Take a look at the truss rods cover (and I bet yours has the alembic script under the logo) ;-)
Lots of differences :-)

The newer Spoilers are thicker (at least the headstock is) than the older ones, hence the weight difference.

Here are my Black beauties:

'83 Spoiler, refinished by myself:

1983 Spoiler Koa, refinished
(Weight: 4,180 Kg, 9.2 lbs)

And still under construction, Custom Elan 5:

Extremely awesome bass
clarkybass
Member
Username: clarkybass

Post Number: 69
Registered: 4-2010
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 7:41 am:   Edit Post

Mine has a bigger TRC but no Alembic script underneath compared with yours FC Spoiler. Guess it's just down to thickness of the wood as you say. Any ideas about removing fine scratches? I don't trust myself sanding but wondered if T- cut or a similar product would work here (and save me the exorbitant cost of a re -fin!)
clarkybass
Member
Username: clarkybass

Post Number: 70
Registered: 4-2010
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 7:55 am:   Edit Post

Ps. Beautiful Elan 5 FC Spoiler. I saw that on your website when I was reading up about Cliff and Jason's Alembics (thanks!) I have an incoming Elan 5 in walnut which I am tempted to re-fin in black, although the wood fans will cry sacrilege!
mario_farufyno
Senior Member
Username: mario_farufyno

Post Number: 509
Registered: 9-2008
Posted on Wednesday, September 08, 2010 - 9:24 am:   Edit Post

I remember reading somewhere about using Polishing Car Wax to remove fine scratches on gloss finishes...
mavnet
New
Username: mavnet

Post Number: 6
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 1:19 pm:   Edit Post

Had this made in 77. Rick Turner told me back then that the ebony was from the same log as one of Stanley Clarke's basses they'd just made.
mavnet fretless
mavnet fretless 2

(Message edited by mavnet on September 14, 2010)

(Message edited by davehouck on September 14, 2010)

(Message edited by mavnet on September 14, 2010)
elwoodblue
Senior Member
Username: elwoodblue

Post Number: 1085
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 1:27 pm:   Edit Post

Wow, that's some dark wood.
I can only imagine how good she sounds,
serialnumber12
Senior Member
Username: serialnumber12

Post Number: 819
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 3:00 pm:   Edit Post

Wow beautiful SC bass,whats with the toggle switches?
mavnet
New
Username: mavnet

Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 3:39 pm:   Edit Post

The rotary switch by the master volume chooses pickup - neck to one preamp and bridge to the other, reverses which pickup goes to which preamp, both neck, or both bridge. The toggle closest to neck is switchable hi/band/lo pass for one of the preamps (the other is just low pass, and small rotary between the volume and freq on each preamp is a variable Q), next switch puts the preamps in series for some interesting tone shaping, third takes the filter out of the second preamp, and the last one flips between stereo or mono (summed) out.

I've got a fretted bass also made at the same time, same small scale body, long scale neck, but very different body woods.

They both sound great. Recently using black nylon wrapped flatwounds on the fretted, and am going to try them on the fretless, which will increase the "black factor" (and also sound different).
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 9597
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 4:12 pm:   Edit Post

Very cool electronics on a beautiful bass!
hieronymous
Senior Member
Username: hieronymous

Post Number: 841
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 4:18 pm:   Edit Post

Wow - very cool! I've thought myself that a high pass filter on the bridge pickup would be very cool. Are the electronics original by Alembic or did you have them altered later?
mavnet
New
Username: mavnet

Post Number: 8
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 5:02 pm:   Edit Post

It's a very special instrument (at least to me). Ron asked what I wanted and suggested this config based on that. In hindsight, I probably should have asked for each preamp to be switchable hi/band/notch/low, and then all the other modded stuff, but I opted for the low-pass only on the 2nd pre. So they're original, and still working and sounding great (although I wonder what it'd sound like with new capacitors; some things don't necessarily age well). The basses probably could use a tuneup and lube - if I could figure out how to set up a service visit, I'd do it. Can't find that info online. Might have to, gasp, make a phone call :-)
artswork99
Moderator
Username: artswork99

Post Number: 1284
Registered: 7-2007
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 5:15 pm:   Edit Post

Very unique bass Mark! Beautiful!

A lot of beauties here... Nice thread!

(Message edited by artswork99 on September 14, 2010)
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 6936
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 5:58 pm:   Edit Post

Mark, you can email or call me to discuss servicing your lovely bass.

I ran across an old file of my dad's a couple of weeks ago with a letter from you dated 1979 about some possible interface changes to the bass.
darkstar01
Advanced Member
Username: darkstar01

Post Number: 272
Registered: 6-2005
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 10:03 pm:   Edit Post

wow. that may be my new all time favorite alembic, Mark. that is just..... wow. want.
peoplechipper
Advanced Member
Username: peoplechipper

Post Number: 216
Registered: 2-2009
Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 11:33 pm:   Edit Post

Wow, I've been away from the site for a bit and forget how many pretty basses there are here; even prettier than mine, and I'm biased...really, as much as the wood is always awesome, black shows the form so well...kinda like women...

The Ricky 8-string reminded me of something; I used to work at NJAMS in Vancouver (sadly demised) and they had a Hagstrom 8-string bass...alas when I played it I wasn't playing bass at the time, but I do now...I am quite intrigued by the idea of bass/rhythmn at the same time(especially since my guitar player is a noodle king...) so I wasn't trying to hijack this thread, but I really need some input as it could entail some serious cash outlay in the future...Tony
terryc
Senior Member
Username: terryc

Post Number: 1352
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 8:37 am:   Edit Post

mavnet..how come you haven't joined us before?? especially with such a wonderful unique Alembic that you have.
We are glad you have joined us with that history of your bass... so welcome!
It reminds me of Stan's bass on the front of 'I Wanna Play For You' which has the Bigsby unit attached.
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 1284
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 10:40 am:   Edit Post

mavnet, WOW ______Your bass is really incredible .
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 2132
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 11:49 am:   Edit Post

Yeah it's a really beautiful bass. I can only imagine how it sounds.

Jazzyvee
cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member
Username: cozmik_cowboy

Post Number: 774
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 2:38 pm:   Edit Post

If you hang around motorcycle street-racing types at all, you're guaranteed to hear the phrase "It's basically stock; I just (list replacement or modification of every part on the bike)". I get that feeling around here a lot - "It's basically a Series II, but...." The variety of these instruments never ceases to amaze me. Welcome, Mark, and in case you haven't noticed, that's a really sweet bass!

Peter
mavnet
New
Username: mavnet

Post Number: 9
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Friday, September 17, 2010 - 4:07 pm:   Edit Post

Glad to be here - I did post something back in 2003, I think, when I first joined, put a few pictures up. I check in from time to time when I want to be inspired. Yeah, it's a sweet sounding and playing bass - I don't play it as much as I should, mostly using the fretted, but after posting this the other day I've been really enjoying fretless again :-)

cowboy - I agree, I think the variety of "basically a..." instruments speaks to one of the reasons we all chose Alembic - not just an amazing instrument, but something we co-create. And that's really special.

Mica - thanks for the invite, I sent you an email.
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 9775
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 6:15 pm:   Edit Post

Jazzyvee has posted some action shots of his black bass in the gigs section.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration