| Author | Message | ||
| smichaels
Junior Username: smichaels Post Number: 47 Registered: 6-2002 |
After doing some investigation into Alembicized instruments, I came across this really cool example courtesy of Lowell Levinger (Players Vintage Instruments - www.vintageinstruments.com) formerly of the Youngbloods. Enjoy!   | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 516 Registered: 10-2003 |
Nice... Wow... John | ||
| jetbass79
Intermediate Member Username: jetbass79 Post Number: 101 Registered: 2-2005 |
Looks like a Guild M70... | ||
| smichaels
Junior Username: smichaels Post Number: 48 Registered: 6-2002 |
yes...it's a Guild Bluesbird. I have some more photos of the cool inlay work. I will try to post them. | ||
| smichaels
Junior Username: smichaels Post Number: 49 Registered: 6-2002 |
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| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2389 Registered: 5-2002 |
Wow!! Compare this with the two modified Guilds in the Instruments Customized by Alembic section of the Showcase and with Michael's '72. | ||
| smichaels
Junior Username: smichaels Post Number: 50 Registered: 6-2002 |
I wonder what made Guild hollowbodies the preferred platform for early Alembic experimentation/modification... (Message edited by smichaels on September 22, 2005) | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2391 Registered: 5-2002 |
Sean; you might want to post this instrument in the Customized by Alembic section. | ||
| jetbass79
Intermediate Member Username: jetbass79 Post Number: 102 Registered: 2-2005 |
I'm guessing the Guild guitars and basses represented a really good foundation to modify but they didn't have the starpower that a Fender or Gibson but they made great chop shop axes because they were actually better instruments than the contemporary Gibsons and Fenders. That would make sense to me. | ||
| smichaels
Member Username: smichaels Post Number: 51 Registered: 6-2002 |
I am going to request that the moderators move this thread to the "Customized..." section. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2392 Registered: 5-2002 |
I hope Michael Delacerda gets a chance to see this soon; I think he would get a kick out of it. | ||
| smichaels
Member Username: smichaels Post Number: 52 Registered: 6-2002 |
I actually emailed a couple of photos to Delacerda before I posted them. I know he loves this kind of stuff. | ||
| ed_r
New Username: ed_r Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2005 |
It was the pickups! Guild basses had the best-sounding bass pickups known to man at the time( mid to late '60s ) , and they were why the early Guilds were and remain highly sought-after instruments. I seem to remember hearing long ago that the Alembic Series 1 pickups were loosely based on the old Guild Starfire pickups too, but that may just have been rumor and hearsay. | ||
| tom_z
Intermediate Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 199 Registered: 7-2004 |
Here's a rather old photo of Steve Kimock playing Banana's Bluesbird (pictured above) and a little quote from Steve regarding the guitar.  "That's Banana's old Guild Bluesbird. So if you're unfamiliar with the Bluesbird, it's a Les Paul sized and style body, entirely hollow. This one much reworked and modified by Rick Turner at Alembic back in the day. It has Rick's active electronics and the pickups are trapezoidal shaped magnets with the wire wrapped right on the magnet, low impedance, an unbelievably good sounding guitar through an amp or direct. This was also the instrument playing the modal A chord rake in the introduction of the Youngbloods hit 'Come on people now, smile on your brother...'" SK Tom (Message edited by tom_z on October 20, 2005) | ||
| 57basstra
Advanced Member Username: 57basstra Post Number: 375 Registered: 4-2005 |
An historic instrument for certain |
