| Author | Message | ||
| northlight
New Username: northlight Post Number: 3 Registered: 5-2004 |
I am new to the club and have finally found a little time for an introduction. Born and raised in Denmark - but now living in the US - I have been enjoying music all my life. Grew up in a home with a piano (play a little but only recently started to learn how to read notes!!) have owned guitars for over 20 years... buy have never had the time or the focus to really learn how to play. It has always been a nice way to relax - and every time I have returned exhausted from a business trip - I have dropped my suitcases and grabbed a guitar to de-stress. For years I have been promising myself to start putting real effort into learning the right techniques and start practising more focused! Over the years I have learned to appreciate good instruments, and even though my technique doesn't justify some of my instruments - the pleasure I feel when I relax and play with these wonderful instruments makes me forget about that fact! Currently I am between jobs - due to a non-compete clause - and have been using the time to enjoy my guitars and to start taking lessons in piano and bass guitar. I have only recently become familiar with Alembic company and it's products - when I started to play bass about two months ago. Many times before I have been walking by the nice (and large) selection at my local music shop (Guitar Showcase, San Jose) but have never given the Alembic instruments the attention they deserve... When I decided to start playing bass - one of the guy's in the store suggested that I tried out an used Epic 5 string... I liked the feel and the sound and ended up buying it... The following day, I stumbled into a used series 1 bass at another local music store... A beautiful instrument with a fantastic neck and Series II electronics!! The low action and the medium scale neck, just made it so easy to play. How should I be able to let it hang there alone amongst Fender's, Warwick's, etc.?? I decide to give it a new home!! This was the beginning of a serious Alembic addiction!! The used series 1 had a little chip of wood missing on the peg-head, so my guy at Guitar Showcase suggested that I'd bring it up to Santa Rosa and have them refinish the peg-head... Since I live in the San Francisco Bay Area it's only a short drive - and at the same time I could check out the factory. Visiting the Factory is a must for any alembic owner! Holding an Alembic in your hands and playing it already gives you respect for the people who makes these instruments.. however meeting the people behind these instruments and seeing where and how these instruments are being made adds a whole new dimension to the experience!! I shall never forget my experience walking into the factory and hearing the reactions - it was just mind blowing! "I remember that bass" said one of the employees "we only made 3 of them with the Moon and Start Inlays... I believe they were sold to a music shop in Kansas..." (We're talking about an instrument that left the shop 18 ago!!!) Susan - the 'Mother Elf' - reacted with: "So you're the one who bought the bass from Guitar Center... we have been discussing in the club who would be buying it..." (thereby giving me a little insight to the Alembic club and the whole eco-system surrounding Alembic...) To some of you who have been interacting with Alembic for years it might not be anything new, but for me walking into the factory and hearing these reactions was just blowing my mind! It is a rare thing these days to find a company who in that way are committed to their products and their customers, and it is a real treat to be an Alembic customer!!! Since my first visit I have been adding another couple of Alembic basses and guitars to my collection: * 4 String Rogue Fretless - dark and beautiful Coco Bolo with red side led's - smooth sound and great sustain * Used 20th Aniversary model - medium scale, wonderful neck, very easy to play with low action and great sound * Garcia Tribute guitar - beautiful Coco Bolo, easy to play with very versatile sound * 1977 New Old Stock Series 1 Guitar (yes - the one from Ebay that had been forgotten in the basement of a music shop in Canada for the last 27 years!) As you might have guessed by now - I have the Alembic bug badly! I am completely hooked on Alembic, and am excited every day to be playing these great instruments! Christian. | ||
| dnburgess
Advanced Member Username: dnburgess Post Number: 277 Registered: 1-2003 |
Great story. Welcome (from your distant in-law). | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 459 Registered: 11-2003 |
Wow, you just recently heard about Alembic and now you have six? Awesome. I'd say you have the bug. How about some photos? I'm sure everyone would love to see them. The bit about owning guitars for 20 years and never really developing technique hits home. I had to sell my first bass just over 20 years ago and picked up a cheap guitar just to have something to do. No disrespect to our guitar playing brothers and sisters but I could not connect with it. A couple of years ago I finally bought another bass and it's been so satisfiying. Sam | ||
| hasse
New Username: hasse Post Number: 6 Registered: 4-2004 |
Davs Christian, velkommen og tillykke med basserne. Nice to have another Dane in the club. But we better keep this i english. Just bought my first Alembic as well, a S1 from 78. And I hope you are just half as happy as I am. If you ever come by Copenhagen lets meet and have a beer at Charlie’s Bar. They serve the best beer in town. And that invitation goes for everybody Hilsen Hasse | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 222 Registered: 11-2003 |
Welcome Christian, This is one disease that the better you get the sicker you are! Here's to a long drawn out addiction! Enjoy (Message edited by hollis on June 03, 2004) | ||
| rklisme
Junior Username: rklisme Post Number: 36 Registered: 5-2004 |
Christian Welcome to the club! It sounds like you are hoarding some nice gear. How about some pictures to share with the group? I was just at Guitar Showcase this past weekend, I had to control myself from purchasing the Rouge that they have on display with Amber LED's. I am currently having a Mark King 3/4 body built and find myself with a urge to purchase another Alembic in the mean time. I think the group calls this G.A.S. I call it insanity but once you have been bit by the bug there is no turning back! Bottoms Up! Rory | ||
| rklisme
Junior Username: rklisme Post Number: 37 Registered: 5-2004 |
Christian Welcome to the club! It sounds like you are hoarding some nice gear. How about some pictures to share with the group? I was just at Guitar Showcase this past weekend, I had to control myself from purchasing the Rouge that they have on display with Amber LED's. I am currently having a Mark King 3/4 body built and find myself with a urge to purchase another Alembic in the mean time. I think the group calls this G.A.S. I call it insanity but once you have been bit by the bug there is no turning back! Bottoms Up! Rory | ||
| northlight
New Username: northlight Post Number: 4 Registered: 5-2004 |
Thank you everybody for your warm welcome!!! A special thank to Hasse – my fellow Dane – for the beer offering! I saw the picture of your bass at the webpage of “Musikbixen” it looks very nice (more pictures please!!!) Since I grew up with “Halbal” (dance-events) where ‘Fenders’ often played – I of course thought back at happy (and drunk!!) memories – when I read whom the earlier owner was! I have just returned from Santa Rosa, where I spend a very nice time with Susan and Mica - looking at wood and discussing designs for inlay for two new custom basses.... Needless to say that I am very excited!! Since I am new to the club - I am still struggling with the TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms…) of the “Alembic World”! Perhaps somebody could explain me what G.A.S. stands for… (I guess it's something like "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome" – but I have been wrong before!) Christian | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 466 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hello Christian, that translation works fine too, the more generally accepted version is "Gear Acquisition Syndrome". That way it does not discriminate against non-guitar playing folks, since the sickness indeed extends to all types of musicians. Valentino | ||
| taleteller
New Username: taleteller Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2004 |
Alembic Series 1 - Serial no: 76562 - Dear Mica or Valvii, please let me have the build record for the above - and if possible, reply direct to me, Teri West @ teri.west@btinernet.com - with thanks. Teri | ||
| nick_bassman
Junior Username: nick_bassman Post Number: 48 Registered: 9-2002 |
Welcome to the club Christian. I'm sure you're going to have a lot of fun here. Just sit back and wait for pic requests from Paul The Bad One !! |
