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5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 217
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Tuesday, January 07, 2014 - 2:02 pm:   Edit Post

Over the holiday break I had to take my Stanley Clarke Sig Deluxe to my guitar tech to do a little fretwork - the fret ends were protruding due to slight fretboard shrinkage.

When I picked it up, he raved about the perfection of the instrument saying "this is the finest bass I've ever seen". I consider this to be high praise as he's an ex-machinist and has worked on thousands of instruments over his 20+ year second career as a guitar tech.

He also said he looked real hard to find any imperfection and could find none.

Unfortunately, he kept referring to it as an "Olympic"...

Oh well...you say tomato and I say to-MAH-to.

At least he liked it!
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1101
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Wednesday, January 08, 2014 - 4:29 pm:   Edit Post

Nice!
:- D
cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member
Username: cozmik_cowboy

Post Number: 1650
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Friday, January 17, 2014 - 9:35 pm:   Edit Post

OTOH, tonight one of the Rockford newscasters was discussing a charity hockey game, which featured not only a lot of former Blackhawks but "an Alembic standout"!


Peter
dadabass2001
Senior Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 1784
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2014 - 12:20 pm:   Edit Post

Maybe they were thinking of Cheap Trick's 12 string bass...
;)
Mike
5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 237
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 - 11:29 am:   Edit Post

On that note, is anyone going to be watching the winter Alembic games in Sochi?

I hear fretboard gymnastics, neck diving and the bi-amp-a-thon will be new categories of competition...
alembic76407
Senior Member
Username: alembic76407

Post Number: 742
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 - 2:57 pm:   Edit Post

Yes I'm in to Alembic Curling
hankster
Advanced Member
Username: hankster

Post Number: 386
Registered: 6-2004
Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2015 - 5:34 pm:   Edit Post

Don't give the IOC any ideas. They may not be above attepting to enjoin the use of the name "Alembic" without their express permission. And a licensing fee.
5a_quilt_top
Senior Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 430
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2015 - 9:58 am:   Edit Post

But just think of the cool logo that would result if "the rings" were combined with "the cloud"!

..."The Cloud of the Rings"
dave_hardy
New
Username: dave_hardy

Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2015
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2015 - 4:09 pm:   Edit Post

Hello, forum! My name is David, and I was the last legitimate owner of the wonderful Jack Casady bass. It was stolen from me by a man in Mill Valley, California.

I have spoken with Jack about it, and he knows who I am, and the whole story.

She's a beauty. At once you notice the uniquely carved front and back. When I first bought it, I went to a leather store in San Francisco, and made my own thick strap, and decided I wanted to try to play it in the same position I'd seen Jack play it. Well, this is a bit on the TMI side, but on the back of the bass, there is a concave spot, like a very shallow bowl, carved into a central spot. Yep, guys, you feel the bass on your "stuff". That was a trip.

In the case are a blue box; a power supply. If you use that, the LEDs light up, and if you just use the 1/4" jack, it's what you'd expect.

The pick-ups are unique, cast in clear resin, and you can see the gold foil wrapped pick-up magnets inside. The two pick-ups are mounted on thin brass rods, which allow you to move the pick-ups, up to the neck or down to the bridge - completely flexible! Put them together, move them apart.

The neck has amazing inlay, with scrimshaw type work. Below the bridge, you might have noticed a violin type tailpiece. It has a small, tooled (for grip) brass knob. Turn the knob, and the whole piece comes off - to reveal a generous stash box in the body! Clever for the traveling musician!

The electronics were changed and updated during the years that Jack owned and played it. The pots are mounted on a thin piece of wood, and the cavity in the body is rather large, so a hard slap
could potentially break the wood, giving it a trip back to Ron and Alembic, which was also a good time to make any desired changes in the electronics. It had series 2, when Jack sold it, and when I owned it.
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 3898
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2015 - 4:34 pm:   Edit Post

Hello Dave , Welcome to the Alembic Club. I have read your story on the internet and I am certain that there are links on this site directing to your story as well as well as multiple threads regrading this instrument . I am familiar with 72-01 and heard Jack play it often . I have done a little research on this bass as well .

Sonic Regards ,

Wolf AKA Sonicus@ The Alembic Club


Alembic 72-01
mtjam
Advanced Member
Username: mtjam

Post Number: 260
Registered: 11-2011
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2015 - 5:37 pm:   Edit Post

Welcome, Dave! Thanks for sharing some info on this wonderful bass. I always enjoy reading about the earliest Alembics...or any Alembics, for that matter! See you around the Club!
5a_quilt_top
Senior Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 432
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2015 - 10:55 am:   Edit Post

72-01 - an amazing and enigmatic instrument.

It intrigued me for years and was the inspiration for my "Crown of Creation" custom project (Susan re-created the iconic body shape, sans carving):





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