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smichaels
Junior
Username: smichaels

Post Number: 47
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 2:54 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 3:07 pm:   Edit Post

Nice... Wow...
John
jetbass79
Intermediate Member
Username: jetbass79

Post Number: 101
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 3:08 pm:   Edit Post

Looks like a Guild M70...
smichaels
Junior
Username: smichaels

Post Number: 48
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 3:12 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 3:16 pm:   Edit Post

davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 2389
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:13 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:19 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:38 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:41 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:52 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 7:47 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 4:50 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 9:43 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 11:02 pm:   Edit Post

Here's a rather old photo of Steve Kimock playing Banana's Bluesbird (pictured above) and a little quote from Steve regarding the guitar.

Kimock playing the Alembicized Bluesbird

"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
Posted on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 6:28 pm:   Edit Post

An historic instrument for certain

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