| Author | Message | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 753 Registered: 12-2002 |
 http://cgi.ebay.com/beautiful-alembic-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ7396621121QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3401 Registered: 5-2002 |
An interesting feature of this guitar is that from the front it looks like a neck through and from the back it looks like a set neck. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 754 Registered: 12-2002 |
YEP!!!  | ||
| longhorncat
Junior Username: longhorncat Post Number: 49 Registered: 8-2005 |
Nice looking guitar. Do notice the excessive shipping charges - $200 | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 303 Registered: 7-2004 |
Good call Bill - check the back of this Furhter. http://store.yahoo.com/alembic/further2.html | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1065 Registered: 3-2004 |
It is odd, though. I'd like to see a side view of the guitar. Usually, to see something like this there is a bookmatch to center back. I suppose that is what is going on here, but it is hard to tell for sure from these pics. Just guessing, but it looks like a shorter scale as well. Maybe it's just perspective. I am a little concerned if this guy claims to have picked out everything and refers to the three toggles as "effects" switches. I wonder if it is a standard Europa package? | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1066 Registered: 7-2004 |
This one looks like a Mahogany body with a maple cap - no back. As such, I think it much more likely that it is a set neck with cosmetic racing stripes on the front. I find the ad a little strange. For someone who allegedly went to the factory and picked out his own woods, the seller seems to know surprisingly little about the details of this guitar. I've emailed for info on the "3 effects swithes" and inquired about the electronic set up in general. I'll report on the response. Bill, tgo | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1067 Registered: 3-2004 |
Bill, I was thinking the same thing about the construction. The back photo looks like mahogany to me as well. I was wondering where Oakdale was relative to you trustworthy Bay Area guys, but it looks to be a couple hours inland. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3404 Registered: 5-2002 |
Tom; thanks for the link to the Further! He's answered some questions in the listing and it sounds like there are bass and treble boost/cut switches, and it sounds like he's willing to be reasonable on the shipping. Bob's right; we need a side view to see what's going on with the body woods. The front picture seems to show more than just a body and a top lam. But the back picture does look like a Mahogany body with no back lam. But I am inclined to think (or hope) that it is actually a through neck rather than a set neck. And I suppose it is possible that it's a book match to center Mahogany body. Perhaps if someone gets the serial number from the seller, a post to the serial number section might get some answers. Still nine days to go on this one. | ||
| jalevinemd
Advanced Member Username: jalevinemd Post Number: 351 Registered: 12-2003 |
Would anyone actually go through the trouble (not to mention expense) of making a faux neck-thru instrument? | ||
| jagerphan84
Advanced Member Username: jagerphan84 Post Number: 227 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well, Ken Smith does on most of his bolt-ons, so it can't be too prohibitively difficult or costly. | ||
| keith_h
Advanced Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 361 Registered: 2-2005 |
It looks like a set neck to me. If it were a neck through I would expect to see the neck come into the heal and straight side lines through the core to the back laminate. It could be the perspective that makes it look this way. I think I've seen another Alembic guitar that was a set neck with racing stripes on the front so this would not be the first time it has been done. Keith | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1068 Registered: 3-2004 |
He claims to me it's a neck through, but who knows. He also says there are over two dozen people watching this one, so it probably won't go cheap. I asked for scale length and he said 26", so he probably either can't read or ruler or do math, one or the other... It looks like a really nice guitar, but I have a feeling the price is going to get up there. If you're interested, I would absolutely get confirmation via photos or serial number that it is neck through before paying a neck through price. Good luck to all- | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1069 Registered: 7-2004 |
"Would anyone actually go through the trouble (not to mention expense) of making a faux neck-thru instrument?" Vantage did  I've seen a few others over the years also. This one looks like a set neck to me. I know the seller claims it's a neck-thru, but I suspect he really doesn't know. I stopped by Alembic this afternoon. Mica & I were discussing this guitar and she thought it looked like a set neck also. Bill, tgo | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 69 Registered: 7-2002 |
Jaydee here in the UK does it too with his basses. I have a GA24 which from a distance looks like a very nice multilaminate neck-thru. But if you look closely, the neck is actually glued into a pocket. Check out this link and you'll see what I mean: http://www.jaydeeguitars.com/html/ga24.asp Note the carefully-worded 'Five piece laminated neck and body centre with Brazilian mahogany outriggers': ie. the neck and the body centre are separate. Very pretty and all, but you wonder why Jaydee doesn't just make real neck-thrus - surely that's easier? K. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1079 Registered: 3-2004 |
I am now 99% sure it is a set neck guitar. The black truss rod plate made me wonder so I zoomed in on the picture of the back. The serial number appears to be on the back of the headstock, and I have only seen that on set neck models. I can't read the number, but it's there. -bob | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1080 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hmmm - the case pic looks like the semi-rigid cases that were shipped with set neck basses for a while as well. I wonder if the guitar is an upgraded Orion made to look neck-through? | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 791 Registered: 6-2002 |
It also seems to have a volute, again suggesting it's a set-neck instrument. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1081 Registered: 3-2004 |
Good point, Adriaan. That slipped past me. | ||
| jalevinemd
Advanced Member Username: jalevinemd Post Number: 354 Registered: 12-2003 |
I'm confused. My understanding with regards to volutes is that they strengthen the part of the neck near the headstock that is most vulnerable to a break. It is most beneficial in an instrument that does not have beefy neck lams. I didn't think it had anything to do with set neck vs neck thru, other than the former (like my Orion) tend to have thin walnut pinstripes which don't offer much added strength. (Message edited by jalevinemd on March 10, 2006) | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1085 Registered: 3-2004 |
Got the serial number from the seller and put a request on the serial number board. Maybe we can find out about the construction for certain. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3440 Registered: 5-2002 |
Jonathan; as far as the basses are concerned, the set necks come standard with volutes, the neck throughs come standard with laminates on the back of the headstock. However, as far as the guitars go, looking through the Showcase it appears that pretty much none of the guitars there have volutes. This is the first one I've noticed. | ||
| jalevinemd
Advanced Member Username: jalevinemd Post Number: 356 Registered: 12-2003 |
Dave, My Orion has a volute which I thought was for the added strength. For the most part, the volute would be redundant on any instrument with solid neck/headstock laminates - be it set neck or neck-thru. As an example, the Tributes do not have volutes...do they? And they aren't neck-thru. Though just looking at Steve's Europa shows that even the strongest neck lams can break. The Cripe guitars (and my Big Bear as well) are neck-thru with multiple solid neck/headstock lams. They have volutes as well and Tim guaranteed me that headstock would NEVER break off. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3451 Registered: 5-2002 |
I guess I'm wrong then; maybe the Orion guitars, like the Orion basses, come standard with a volute. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1097 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, the answer is here. Mica checked the files and said the following: ---------------------- Here's what's in the instrument file: Custom Orion guitar (so it is a set-neck) top: Bird's-eye Maple accent: Purpleheart pinstripe body: Mahogany neck: Maple and Purpleheart, 25.50" long scale fingerboard: Ebony with pearloid inlays pickups: 2 HG electronics: Europa! finish: satin natural polyurethane (same as the original Epic finish) originally made for: Custom order birthday: March 2, 2001 It was originally going to have a back laminate, but that was changed about a week after construction started. The front inlay of the "neck" is a fall out piece from the back of the neck. It has only had one registered owner in UT. ---------------- For those still interested, bid accordingly... |
