| Author | Message | ||
| coop
New Username: coop Post Number: 6 Registered: 1-2014 |
Basic intro first. I'm a Florida native (a rare beast), raised in the paranoia of the Cold War and when maps of Viet Nam were on every classroom door. I'm the son of two high school trombonists who instilled in me a love of music and a beginning vocabulary of Southern Baptist hymns, country music and Bossa Nova. I discovered rock and soul and, by age 14, I wore out my copy of "Play Guitar With The Ventures" playing the bass parts on an old Silvertone guitar. Since then, the music I've played is all over the map, from rock and blues, to Peruvian folk music, to country, to eclectic original, to jazz. Right now, I'm playing with 2 blues bands and a guitarist that performs mainly his own 70's style compositions. I've loved Alembics forever. From first hearing them played by Greg Lake and Stanley Clarke, Alembics have, for me, always represented the pinnacle of construction, tone, and playability. However, I always felt somewhat...unworthy...of such a bass. I started with a '70's Univox Hi-Flier (Mosrite copy), moved to a P, then traded that for my go-to for many years, my '76 StingRay. After a few other basses over the years, I discovered the joy of a custom instrument when I ordered a Warwick Thumb to meet my specs. When that door was opened, I finally decided to take the plunge and find out if the Alembics were really as transcendental as I imagined them being - I mean how much better could they be? I found out when I picked up a used Exploiter off eBay, a '96. Not the ideal neck for me, but the price was right and it would look great on stage. It was a revelation. The sheer artistry of woodwork on the instrument was amazing. The tone (once I got used to the filter concept) was incredible and more versatile than the B/M/T controls I was so slavishly linked to. This bass encouraged me to head to Orlando and check out Bass Central's stock of Stanley Signatures - the paragon bass of my early bass playing dreams. The one I selected is a rare bird, even for a Signature Deluxe. It's got a top and back of Macassar Ebony with Purpleheart accents. Hard to capture on camera, but breathtaking in person. The tone is, of course, amazing. With two pups and two filters, I can get any tone I need easily. Awesome. While the SCSD is an amazing bass, I recently decided it was time to get *the* bass, a truly custom beast. A bit longer neck, a bigger body, different woods. So, after a great call with Susan Wickersham, I have a Rogue on order. The construction progress will be documented here in the Club. I'm glad there's a forum for Alembiholics here, where we can share our passion for these amazing instruments and support each other with advice on basses, amps, and all the other flotsam and jetsam we surround ourselves with pursuing our love of music. Plus, the war stories are great! | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1090 Registered: 2-2011 |
Welcome the the Club Bradley! You followed the same path I did! I also bought a SCSD from Beaver at Bass Central & now have a custom Series II Europa being built! I'm hoping my Factory To Customer thread will be posted this week! Congratulations on your Rogue! I look forward to following your build! | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 233 Registered: 6-2012 |
Welcome! +1 on an SCSD from Bass Central as the gateway instrument to the Alembic universe. Mine is S/N 1014089 and can be seen in the "Showcase" section. In addition to tons of eye candy, there is also a wealth of technical and practical advice stored here in this forum. It is a great resource. Enjoy your custom build - the Alembic creative process is unique, interesting and rewarding (and sometimes surprising). | ||
| dead_head
Junior Username: dead_head Post Number: 20 Registered: 12-2013 |
Hi Bradley, welcome to the forum! There's lots of interesting stuff going on here. And lots of interesting people to chat with. Best of luck with your build! Rob |
