| Author | Message | ||
| andrewknight
New Username: andrewknight Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2004 |
After many years of admiring from afar, I came across a Tribute on eBay that I had to snag. Luckily I am close to the previous owner so shipping is avoided. I am so stoked I can't stand it and really feel like this guitar will inspire me to new levels of playing. I could say a bunch more but stating the obvious state of happiness I have right now is enough. I'll talk more later as I experiment with my new treasure. Glad to be here! Andrew | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 629 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hey Andrew welcome to the club. I must say you upper register guys are popping up all over. Congratulations on the guitar. Please post photos and don't wait for the uphoria because it won't. Sam | ||
| andrewknight
New Username: andrewknight Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2004 |
Sam, Thanks for the welcome! I think the upper register should be well represented here. I am really excited by this guitar. I've beat every sound I like from every guitar that I like other than my Taylor acoustic. This guitar just rocks and should be getting a lot of attention.  | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 172 Registered: 7-2004 |
Hey Andrew: Congratulations on your new Tribute and welcome to the club! There are a few of us six stringers lurking hereabouts and the more the merrier. By the way, I was watching your axe on e-bay - are you really "joyfulgirl001"? I think someone's got some 'splaining to do. I smell a good story. Bill, the guitar one | ||
| tom_z
Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 72 Registered: 7-2004 |
Congratulations Andrew - your Tribute looks beautiful. Welcome to the higher regions of the club. Enjoy the incredible tone and amazing versatility of your guitar. Tom, another guitar one | ||
| andrewknight
New Username: andrewknight Post Number: 4 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bill,Tom, Thanks for the welcome. I brought the tribute home, plugged her in and found that I am going to spend countless hours exploring the tones of this guitar before I ever put an effect on it. I am a pretty lazy effect guy anyway and I have to tell you that when I was playing around with Brokedown Palace and the pickup combos and tone controls I hit some chords that almost made me cry because it played with the subtle strength of Jerry. I could not be happier. I looked at Joyfulgirl (my wife, Sherri) and said I'm right there (sweeping my hand to show that I was beside myself). She thought that was funny. Anyway, I have some new and better pics for you all. The flame maple of the body is tremendous and I just really couldn't be more pleased. Have I said I'm happy? Oh yes, I must have. The story of why Joyfulgirl bought this guitar: pretty simple really, she has a paypal account because she bids on and wins auctions on eBay from time to time. She has bought things like Patrick Roy action figures (we love the sport of hockey and she is a goalie nut and Patrick might be able to steal her from me (not really)). Recently I finished building her an art studio as she is into lampworking (using a torch to make glass art). She is really happy with her studio, and pretty darn happy with me and she told me that although I doubted whether I was worthy of such an instrument that she felt I deserved it not only for who I am, but for how much Jerry meant to me. Stories...yah, I like to tell 'em. Hopefully you all like to listen ;-) If not, it's easy to skip on by my posts. Here's a few pictures for your trouble: darn...they were too big and I'm too tired to mess with making them smaller images...I promise to come back with them later...or if you really want them, simply let me know and we'll figure out a way to get in touch. Andrew | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 225 Registered: 1-2004 |
Hello Andrew welcome to the club indeed the more guitarists the merrier i find that the guitarist are always full of vuseful information and insight i am glad you are happy with your guitar no wonder judging by the picture. Andrew MB | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 173 Registered: 7-2004 |
Andrew: If I understand correctly, and my sluething is accurate, you not only bought the Tribute yesterday, but immediately drove from Sacto to San Jose to pick it up! If this is true, you are a man after my own heart. As you will discover, Alembics are an entirely different beast - the approach to the tone filters and other controls is nothing like anything else out there. As you get to know your baby, you may have questions. Please fell free to post them here. You will find that this club is inhabited with a great group of people who love and know alot about Alembics. And we all are only too happy to share. If you post the serial number, Val or Mica from Alembic will look up the file on your instrument and post the build info - woods, electronics, build date, etc. You should also go to the registration area of this site and register your guitar. You will find that Alembic truly supports used equipment as enthusiastically as new. By the way, where is the "flame maple", on the back? The top, the part showing in the picture, is cocobolo, an incredibly beautiful tone wood that is a member of the rosewood family and grows in Mexico and Central America. Hang around here and you will learn all about this stuff. Enjoy your Tribute and let me sign off by whispering "SF-2" in your ear. Bill, the guitar one | ||
| andrewknight
New Username: andrewknight Post Number: 7 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bill, The flame maple is the body wood between the cocobolo...the meat of the sandwich shall I say? The neck also has it. Your sleuthing is correct. I had to wait some agonizing hours to drive down there as I waited for the seller to give me a call back. The seller was the first owner and it came with it's wood card: Serial 02T12813 Date completed: July 20, 2002 Top Lam: Coco Bolo Back Lam: Coco Bolo Accent wood: maple & vermilion Body wood: flame maple Neck woods: Flame Maple, cherry, purpleheart etc... It'll be great to talk to people about the guitar as I am getting used to it. The tone variations are huge and sometimes just shocking. SF-2 eh? ok :-) Thanks, Andrew | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 175 Registered: 7-2004 |
Andrew: The SF-2 is a rack mount superfilter that Alembic makes. It's sort of like having Series electronics in a box. The tone shaping provided by this unit is almost limitless. As you check around this site you'll find lots of raves about it. As for the wood, the cocobolo is so outstanding that I'm surprised you even noticed the maple sandwich innards! Anyway enjoy. I picked up my first Alembic this past summer. My custom Further is scheduled to be ready by April (I hope, I hope). You lucked out. Alembic guitars are rare as hen's teeth on e-bay. Well, I'm off to Key West for the week. Life's tough, but somebody's got to do it. Bill, tgo | ||
| andrewknight
New Username: andrewknight Post Number: 10 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bill, I was looking at the rackmount gear for the past few years or so. I was looking at the F2, but it seems you think the SF-2 would be more useful for me. Andrew Have fun in Key West, I get to go to Dubai next week...a different kind of warm place. | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 11 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bill, I was looking at the rackmount gear for the past few years or so. I was looking at the F2, but it seems you think the SF-2 would be more useful for me. Andrew Have fun in Key West, I get to go to Dubai next week...a different kind of warm place. | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 13 Registered: 11-2004 |
As promised, more pics sans decal. i posted them in the showcase. Andrew | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 176 Registered: 7-2004 |
Andrew; I just checked out your pix in the "Showcase" section. I see what you mean about the flame maple - WOW!!! The SF-2 and the F2-B are very different animals. The F2-B is a stereo preamp based on the preamp section of the old Fender Dual Showman. You use it with a power amp. The SF-2 is more of a super EQ type of gizmo. While you can use it as a preamp, the preamp circuit is relatively basic compared to the F2-B. Most people seem to prefer using the SF-2 (you can bypass its preamp stage by plugging in through the back) in the effects loop between the preamp and the amp, if your amp has such a loop. (I play through a Boogie Mark III which has an effects loop). The SF-2 allows you to get just about any tone your can imagine, and a few you can't. But you might want to take your time and get to know your Tribute first before rushing out to add new variables to the sonic equation. Bill, tgo | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 15 Registered: 11-2004 |
I do believe my PA has that function, but I'll have to go check it out. I am using a Mackie FR M-800 PA with a small Mackie 1202 mixer. I'm pretty new to the electric side of things and I'm far from a gear head. I have been cheating and just using a one tool does all effects toy between the guitar and the mixer. It's a Korg. My son bought himself a nice Fender amp and I find that the sound is far superior to my set up. I feel that what I'm missing is a decent preamp and that the Korg, while nice and flexible does not put out the best sound. I was going to try a good preamp in the rig first, and then see what I need for sound shaping later. Of course, now that I am playing a guitar that has such nice tone I feel I need to get stuff that takes advantage and adds to it. The reason I purchased what I have is my acoustic right into the mixer sounds great. Nice and pure with no changes to the sound on the way through (well...minimal changes). I like that and am happy with it for the acoustic. The other reason I got this set up is that I wanted to be able to plug in the Roland drums, keyboard, bass...everything all at once. Alas, it seems like it's time to start adding to this to support the Tribute better than I can today. There...knowing all this would you still say go for the SF-2 first? Maybe I should move this thread to the thread about rigs. Andrew | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 179 Registered: 7-2004 |
Andrew: I just got back from a week in Key West. Yea!!!! The first thing I'd think about would be a real amp. The P.A. works fine for acoustic guitar (I plug my Godin Acousticaster through the P.A. when we use it in my band, but it just won't give you the kind of tone a guitar amp will. At minimum, I would consider a pod or some other amp modeler if you must go through your P.A. As far as amps, I'm a devoted Mesa Boogie guy. I bought myself a Mark III as a present when I graduated law school in '86 and have never regreted it. Boogie is in Petaluma, just about 15 inutes down the road from Alembic and, in my experience, is similarly as attentive when it comes to customer service - a true pleasure to deal with. If you are in the Bay Area some weekend I'd be happy to bring you by the studio and let you try the Boogie, as well as an old Fender or two that are usually laying around. Bill, tgo | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 38 Registered: 11-2004 |
I've been to Petaluma often, and sure wouldn't mind a trip to go see the factories. I just got back from Dubai, only 12 time zones away, I couldn't have gone further without getting closer to home. It was a great trip though. Anyway, I'd love to check out your studio. I'll let you know ahead of time the next time I am heading that way and will have some time. Andrew (Message edited by andrewknight on December 17, 2004) | ||
| lbpesq
Advanced Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 219 Registered: 7-2004 |
Andrew: Is that your Tribute review I just read on the Harmony-central.com site? Bill, tgo | ||
| hollis
Senior Member Username: hollis Post Number: 558 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hi Andrew, Welcome welcome welcome. What a great entrance. Your Tribute is so sweet. I'm with Bill tgo; I love the Mesa/Alembic match up. Adding an SF-2 fits nicely as well. I use Mackie boards and power for my PA, and I really like their stuff, but the amount of warmth tubes will bring into the equation cannot be over stated. That guitar of yours will thank you for it. And what the hell, you can always run everything through the PA if need be. Awwwwww the possibilities...... Enjoy | ||
| lbpesq
Advanced Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 220 Registered: 7-2004 |
Hollis: Do you run your SF-2 between guitar and amp, or in the effects loop between pre-amp and power amp? I'm still experimenting. Bill, tgo | ||
| hollis
Senior Member Username: hollis Post Number: 560 Registered: 11-2003 |
Bill, For guitar, I run it mono in the Mesa's effects loop between pre and power with the Mesa effects mix @ 100%. For the bass I run Persuader into F1-X into power, mono SF-2 through F1-X's loop. Also, if I'm switching between guitar and bass, I run the SF-2 in stereo 1st channel through F1-x for bass, 2nd channel through Mesa for guitar. So far so good, although it is a little mind bending. I'm sure there are a whole lotta other ways to apply it..... I love it. (Message edited by hollis on December 29, 2004) | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 39 Registered: 11-2004 |
Guys, I took my tribute to my local Mesa dealer and plugged it into many Mesa and other brand amps. I also have a Fender Blues Jr. amp at home that I use in tandem with my PA. The tubes absolutely do wonders for the tone and I just love the way the Tribute's tone comes through. I also tried various other guitars with the same amps while at the dealer and the Tribute frankly blows them away. So I am going to go back a few more times and compare/contrast amps with the Tribute before I pull the trigger. I figure I might as well take my time and get the amp that I feel sounds the best to me. Mesa sure did sound good! It'll be a few months before I make my final decision, I'll keep you posted. The fender amp that I am using is hijacked from my son. I have to say that for a cheaper amp, that Fender Blues Jr. has a great sound. Anyway...yep, that was my review on harmony-central. I went to see other people's reviews and was surprised not to find any other Tribute reviews. So i waited until I had a substantial amount of playing time on the Tribute, and had done some comparison with my other guitars. While the Tribute blew the other guitars away, I was pretty surprised how my Schecter performed. For a $400 guitar, it was a steal (Elite 006). The Gibson Standard is actually the guitar I bought for my son on his 16th birthday. He was getting quite good on his Squire Strat and I felt he needed the inspiration of a good instrument. It worked. He has improved by leaps and bounds since his B-day and is taking the theory much more seriously than before. Very cool! | ||
| hollis
Senior Member Username: hollis Post Number: 561 Registered: 11-2003 |
Man, Ya just gotta love a family that ROCKS together! My family is also in that category. These days when we crank it up even the neighbors don't seem to mind.... Rock around the block! Enjoy | ||
| lbpesq
Advanced Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 223 Registered: 7-2004 |
Our family musicial holiday haul: My wife got a Pearl Rhythm Traveler Drum set, my 9 year old got a 3/4 size Johnson Strat (a truly AMAZING deal for only $99), tuner, stand, and an Alembic T-shirt, and I got a Moody Strap, Alembic coffee mug, Alembic hooded sweatshirt and a bag of picks with my band's name printed on them. Partridges, watch out!!!! Bill, tgo | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 40 Registered: 11-2004 |
Sounds great all around! Well my son and I play guitar, my middle daughter plays some keyboard but isn't too serious. My youngest daughter is a naturally talented vocalist, and she wants to be a musician/poet but I've yet to see any serious work...hopefully someday she'll put the effort in. My wife was going to learn the bass but ran into a problem. She is digitally impaired (as in her fingers). They are so short, and the bones in her hands get so short that there is no physical way for her to cover two frets. Sounds weird, but after much trying there just isn't any possibility of it happening. So our bass just kinda sits around unless I pick it up for some fun. Also sitting around unless I pick up the sticks is a Roland TD-5 drum set...bought for my son who gravitated to guitar and forgot about the drums. They are handy when my brother comes to town as he is an incredible drummer. Go get them Partidges! Andrew | ||
| richbass939
Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 86 Registered: 11-2004 |
Andrew, As far as your wife's limitation with her hands, I can completely relate. It is similar to what I experience with my upright. Its scale is somewhere around 42 1/2. The proper way to play it is to put your 4 fingers on the 1-2-3-4 "fret" positions. I can barely reach it anyway, not to mention the fatigue that sets in very quickly. What I ended up doing is moving my hand more than I'm supposed to and using my stronger fingers, mainly the index and ring fingers, to hold the longer notes. It's not how I SHOULD do it but at least I can play the thing. People have been doing it the right way for centuries but I don't put the time into upright to build and maintain the required hand strength. Usually, when I have time to play I spend it with my Alembic. I'm still on my "honeymoon" with my Epic but I LOVE playing it. Rich | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1857 Registered: 9-2002 |
Brother Rich, please allow me to correct you a bit. 4 fingers on the 4 "fret" positions on a upright 42 1/2 scale is physically impossible for I think 99% of the bass players on this planet I guess. MAYBE (just MAYBE) a man as SC can do it -seen his giant hands- but even that I doubt. If I learned my lessons well in classical upright class: index finger = first note (A flat on G string) Ring finger = second note (A on G string) Pink = third note on (B flat on G string). The 4 fingers on the neck starting at the A-flat and reaching to the B-flat with the pink is called the "first position" in playing upright. My teacher of electric bass always said that he could recognize upright players with no formal lessons playing electric because they play with "the fist" = covering from a-flat to b-flat on an electric withfour fingers gives the impression to play with a fist because the scale is shorter and the notes closer to eac other. Although the inverse is also true: when one studies electric bass you'll be learned to use your four fingers: one for each fret: starting at A-flat up to B. Believe me: that is hard for everyone (except for the already mentioned SC) except our Brother and Alembic collectioner "par excellence" Rami who practices scales and arpeggio's on the Evil Twin and the Dark Prince which are 36" (yeeeeks to play but fabulous sound) basses one of them fretless. So I would say: please play how you play your upright. It's only theory based on best practice experience. Isn't there a bassplayer (Abe Laboriel??????) who misses some fingers on his left (neck side) hand?? I am not sure. Though I know that the Belgian/French/Gitane guitarplayer Django Reinhardt had only a thumb an 2 or 3 fingers left on his left hand. Ever heard what incredible voicings and chords he came up with? I bet that creativity is hidden in your wife too!!! Well ...oh ...huh ...oin het BASSPLAYING I mean of course! Paul the bad one | ||
| lbpesq
Advanced Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 227 Registered: 7-2004 |
Paul, tbo: you wrote: "If I learned my lessons well in classical upright class: index finger = first note (A flat on G string) Ring finger = second note (A on G string) Pink = third note on (B flat on G string)" What about the middle finger? Oh yea, that's right. It's guitar players that have evolved with five fingers on each hand! LOL Sorry, couldn't resist the opening. Seriously though, is this a mistake or are upright players taught to ignore a finger? Bill, tgo | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1858 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hi Brother Bill, well ...more or less! Indeed we are taught to NOT use the middle finger to play a note. Try to follow this(it's easier showing but my hands are not passing the internet leave alone an upright): index finger comes down = first note (A flat on G string) Middle finger + Ring finger are coming down and ring finger = second note (A on G string) Pink comes down = third note on (B flat on G string Pink slides up 1/2 of a note = B So in upright playing what we call "the first position" covers (on the G string) from G (open) to B. And you do that with "three" fingers (giving the fact that middle and ringfinger are acting as one) 3 times "down" and 1 "slide". "The second position" starts with the C on the G string. So you got: index finger comes down = first note in second position (C on G string) Middle finger + Ring finger are coming down and ring finger = second note in second position(D flat on G string) Pink comes down = third note in second position(D on G string Pink slides up 1/2 of a note = fourth note in second position (E flat on G string). So you can go to third, fourth, fifth position. These positions are of course here indicated for the G string but are intended for the whole neck: (B) E - A - D - G (C) string. (The brackets in the case you play a 5 string upright - they exist you know ...already a long time. I think even in the Barocque period and there is for instance NO WAY to play most of Wagner without a 5 string upright) NOW WATCH OUT: the POSITION-RANGE is identical forplaying electric but, by fingering the notes you don't need the last "pinky-slide". You can use -if YOU WANT AND CAN- the guitar technique of "1 finger = 1 note". Well ...oh ...huh ...after all it IS called a bassguitar no??? Paul the bad one Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeez ...did I wrote all that??? | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 672 Registered: 11-2003 |
Brother Paul Thanks for that detailed description. I’ve often heard about position playing but never had a good understanding of it. My electric bass teacher has a degree in classical bass and has explained about the two fingers on one note. This also helps me understand some of his philosophies about moving the fingers up and down the strings, either vertically or horizontally as single unit as much as possible and keeping fingers down on the board. Sam | ||
| richbass939
Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 89 Registered: 11-2004 |
Paul, tbo, I stand corrected. Maybe Abe has had a recent accident, but a picture in Bass Player from 1996 seems to show all his left fingers. Rich | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1859 Registered: 9-2002 |
Brother Rich, correction accepted. Abe misses "only" the top cm's of one of his fingers as I was just told. Brother Sam I DON'T want to show off in the sense of "look what I am doing" but some of the pictures shown here of me playing indicates that I indeed shift my left hand as a kind of "template" over the neck. I kept that of my classical training. Though I use the "template" with 4 fingers = 4 notes. Paul TBO | ||
| dgcarbu
Member Username: dgcarbu Post Number: 85 Registered: 6-2004 |
Hey andrewknight, Nice Tribute! I noticed you're in Orangevale, CA, I'm not too far from you in Sacramento. Cool, another fellow Alembician close by. Darrell | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 42 Registered: 11-2004 |
Darell, Thanks! Yep, you are close to me then. My office is even closer to you; Watt and 50. Are you a guitar, or bass player, or both? Andrew | ||
| dgcarbu
Intermediate Member Username: dgcarbu Post Number: 112 Registered: 6-2004 |
Andrew, I live off Watt & El Camino. I'm a bass player. Darrell | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 47 Registered: 11-2004 |
Darrell, Know a drummer? Andrew | ||
| andrewknight
Junior Username: andrewknight Post Number: 48 Registered: 11-2004 |
Darrell, hmm, we have a few things in common. Alembic, USAF, Telecom history, location, and age (1 year apart). Perhaps we should see how our Alembics sound together. What music do you like to play the most? |
