| Author | Message | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Intermediate Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 147 Registered: 6-2012 |
As promised, here are some additional photos showing the incredible Alembic craftsmanship and attention to detail. Enjoy! FRONT: BACK: Note the purple heart veneer on the back of the headstock. 3/4 w/ LEDS: POINT & BODY CONTOURS: This is a great photo and really captures the essence of this detail. Note the vintage-style "top hat" control knobs. VERMILION, FLAME MAPLE & PURPLE HEART CORE HIPPIE SANDWICH DETAIL: HEADSTOCK CONTOUR: NECK / BODY CONTOURS: I tried to show the complex curves of the body carving - especially the area where the neck meets the body. This is difficult to show in photos and is truly breathtaking in person. TURQUOISE & STERLING SILVER OVALS: In reality, these glow as if lit from within. TURQUOISE, MOP & STERLING SILVER ALEMBIC LOGO: Contrasts nicely with the rich warm orange/red of the vermilion veneer. | ||
| fmm
Advanced Member Username: fmm Post Number: 374 Registered: 6-2002 |
I saw this bass when I toured Alembic in April. Truly stunning. | ||
| artswork99
Moderator Username: artswork99 Post Number: 1880 Registered: 7-2007 |
Another beauty, great looking recipe all around! | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Intermediate Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 153 Registered: 6-2012 |
Let's try this again - for some reason, the photos have vanished, so I'm re-posting them. As promised, here are some additional photos showing the incredible Alembic craftsmanship and attention to detail. Enjoy! FRONT:  BACK:  Note the purple heart veneer on the back of the headstock. 3/4 w/ LEDS:  POINT & BODY CONTOURS:  This is a great photo and it really captures the essence of this detail. Note the vintage-style "top hat" control knobs. VERMILION, FLAME MAPLE & PURPLE HEART CORE HIPPIE SANDWICH DETAIL:  HEADSTOCK CONTOUR:  NECK / BODY CONTOURS:  I tried to show the complex curves of the body carving - especially the area where the neck meets the body. This is difficult to show in photos and is truly breathtaking in person. TURQUOISE & STERLING SILVER OVALS:  In reality, these glow as if lit from within. TURQUOISE, MOP & STERLING SILVER ALEMBIC LOGO:  Contrasts nicely with the rich warm orange/red of the vermilion veneer. | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 336 Registered: 4-2009 |
Gorgeous bass, congrats! Did you choose to have the p/ups this close for a particular reason? | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Intermediate Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 183 Registered: 6-2012 |
Thanks! Yes - COC pickup placement was a conscious decision. 72-01 originally had movable pickups that slid on brass rails. This provided a great deal of tonal flexibility and allowed Mr. Casady to fine-tune the "sweet spot" between pick-up placement, fingers and strings. Since I did not have the budget (or patience) to explore recreating that feature, I opted for the next best thing - permanently placing the pickups where I thought they'd work best for me. The unorthodox locations were a bit of a gamble, but I trusted the fine folks at Alembic to determine the exact best placement after I provided them with a rough idea of where I thought they'd work best. As it turned out - it was perfect for me (and for the 32" scale of this bass). The larger gap between bass pickup and fingerboard accommodates my rudimentary slap/pop technique and the bass pickup is placed just slightly behind where I naturally play most of the time. As a bonus, I can rest my thumb on the upper edge of the bass pickup when necessary. Since this bass is heavy / dense (vermilion and purple heart are dense woods) and has ebony in the neck - there is no lack of low end or sustain and the Fatboy treble pickup allows me to dial in even more girth when needed. I think of both pickups placed closer together as a kind of "super humbucker" and the blend / filter controls of the Signature electronics as tone controls that allow me to approximate how I think the sliding pickup system might have sounded. |
