| Author | Message | ||
| 2400wattman
Advanced Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 269 Registered: 11-2005 |
It seems ther are no pics of John Mc Vie, I sure can't find any. I was reminded of this as I watched my first installation of DVD's from the Midnight Special. Fleetwood Mac was on this one performing "Rhiannon" and I noticed John was playing an early Series-1 ,the p/ups mounted with two screws and the bridge not quite as refined as the one we know and love so well. Still a beautiful bass but I don't think the sound man got the tone of the bass happening. It sounded like a P bass w/flats, arrrgh the soundman. However Lindsay's tone was fantastic and remarkably clean & transparent for using a Les Paul Custom. The overall performance was great(nobody was bad) as was the other performances of the other artists. The Midnight Special review will be for another thread, especially if there are more Alembics to be seen. Don't want to take away from this being a John Mc Vie thread, where's those pics!! | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1007 Registered: 12-2002 |
scroll to the bottom of this page & there's john with alembic#27!.http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/john.htm | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 61 Registered: 11-2002 |
Does anybody have any details on john's basses? Does he still have this bass? Ive been trying to find out some info on the particular bass pictured in the link for quite sometime, thanks! | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 62 Registered: 11-2002 |
Here are a few pics that I FINALLY was able to locate, the first one appears to be an early model series1, I would love to know more about this bass, the second picture appears to be the same bass mentioned in the alembic "long version" history with the stainless fingerboard...   (Message edited by mica on June 15, 2009) | ||
| 2400wattman
Advanced Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 385 Registered: 11-2005 |
Ah, very nice indeed. | ||
| extraterrestrial
New Username: extraterrestrial Post Number: 7 Registered: 4-2007 |
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=john+mcvie&sp=1&fr2=sp-top&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&ei=UTF-8&SpellState=n-98690814_q-7XijnJ/hqpc0Er5yL.77OAAAAA@@ | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 331 Registered: 10-2003 |
Judging from most of the interviews with John I've read, a "P-Bass with flats" would seem to be pretty close to how he wants his bass to sound; he's remarked previously that a P Bass is the benchmark by which all other basses are measured. He's one of my favourite bassists, BTW. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1277 Registered: 12-2002 |
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHXUQR-e2cE&mode=related&search= | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1324 Registered: 10-2002 |
There's not enough bass in that clip keavin. John doesn't appear until 1'22;-( too much stevie nicks if you ask me. Graeme | ||
| chuck
Advanced Member Username: chuck Post Number: 204 Registered: 3-2005 |
Of course Stevie gets most of the face time.As she is A lot better looking than John(my hero).As for his current basses he mostly uses Rick Turners products but always has a P Bass laying around .Flats have always been his strings of choice.I have read somewhere that he lost his older Basses when he went bankrupt but that could be just rumor, He has also had some stolen. Chuck | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 1265 Registered: 11-2003 |
I saw a Fleetwood Mac documentary on VH1 Classic that had a lot of John/Alembic footage. Not as much as Stevie but more than I would have thought. Several of the people in the show were very complimentary towards John's playing. Mick called him a monster IIRC. I think it was part of their Classic Albums series that featured Rumours. Sam | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 388 Registered: 10-2003 |
John was the first guy that turned me on to Alembic (well, JPJ was prior with his 8, but as his was a Becvar I'm not sure if it counts). I remember seeing the pics on FM Live and freaking out over his fretless (shown above). | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 68 Registered: 11-2002 |
Here is another great pic of McVie with his series 1 with the stainless steel fingerboard!  | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 70 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hello there again folks, stumbled across a few more rare mcvie-alembic photos.... This bass however kinda stumbles me, as far as i know, john only had 3 alembis, the early series 1, the stainless fingerboard fretless, and the first graphite alembic. Anyways, this one resembles the early series 1, but the pickups are black, and the master volume is gone. What do yall think?  | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 71 Registered: 11-2002 |
And found another pic, this is a good one and shows the details of number 27!  (Message edited by mica on June 15, 2009) | ||
| pauldo
Intermediate Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 165 Registered: 6-2006 |
Stainless steel fretless eh? I would be interested in hearing an isolated bass track of that! Or any track - what albums did he use it on? Was that an Alembic modification or did it happen 'after market'? | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 72 Registered: 11-2002 |
Here is john in action with the stainless steel fingerboard alembic, the bass track is not isolated, but in the middle of the song, he perfoms his famous chain bass solo, it shows some excellent close-ups and decent sound quality. enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0Dq_SXaWc | ||
| serialnumber12
Senior Member Username: serialnumber12 Post Number: 468 Registered: 12-2004 |
Antique alembics...............Yessssss!!!!!!..... | ||
| peoplechipper
Intermediate Member Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 114 Registered: 2-2009 |
McVie with the infamous Acoustic 4x15" folded horn cab; blasting if you can get 30' away from it...and so darn big! bass player in my old band had one; got rid of it when bandleader got a minivan as it was almost as big as the van...Tony | ||
| pauldo
Intermediate Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 166 Registered: 6-2006 |
Tracey - thanks for the video link, gotta love the Gypsy!!! Wouldn't the stainless steel fretboard add a lot of weight? Any specs on the instrument? Fretboard thickness? It doesn't seem to have a real powerful "mwahh" factor to it... I'm not trying to be difficult just VERY intrigued by the idea of a stainless steel fretboard. | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 73 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hey there, I believe he ordered this custom instrument around late 1977 according to the alembic history and probably didnt recieve it till 79, due to the fact that I cannot find any other videos before or after that year featuring this bass. I also believe it was used for the tusk album. What stumps me is that I cannot find out what happened to this and his original alembic-he switched to a red and black hamer cruise bass around 1980 and the alembics were never seen again....anybody have any clues? | ||
| dluxe
Member Username: dluxe Post Number: 82 Registered: 11-2009 |
 | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 76 Registered: 11-2002 |
Well after some searching on youtube, it seems that around 1975 John had sent in his series 1 for some modifications. The changes being a master volume control, a change in the tailpiece, and at the time, updated the pickups from the black ones to the tan pickups. I wonder if Alembic has any info on these.... | ||
| dluxe
Member Username: dluxe Post Number: 88 Registered: 11-2009 |
Good eye there! I can see a difference between the tailpieces. I would have thought that the tan pickups predated the black ones though. Maybe Alembic had some old stock pickups left and fitted them in his bass. Very cool info. | ||
| jseitang
Advanced Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 291 Registered: 6-2002 |
anyone know what the scale length of his bass are? | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 2710 Registered: 6-2002 |
Here's a pretty early clip of "Over My Head" with the early Series bass - nice quality audio and video. (Some comments suggest there are some overdubs.) | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1462 Registered: 5-2009 |
The Bass cuts through the mix well just listening with my Sennheiser headphones at the moment. Nice EQ. Good tune. Thanks for posting . | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 80 Registered: 11-2002 |
Just keepin this thread alive, anybody know how I could get more info on his alembic 73-27? thanks | ||
| jseitang
Advanced Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 308 Registered: 6-2002 |
 whats the gear john's using on the right? it looks like two power supplies, and what looks like an alembic input module with a graphic eq enclosed in a head?? | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1983 Registered: 5-2009 |
A metal rack cabinet within are from top to bottom an Alembic IN-2 / A single rack space device unknown , (perhaps custom made) / a (looks like perhaps 2/3 octave) graphic EQ , perhaps UREI or maybe Klark-Teknik DN27A or ????_______  | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 82 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hello folks! Here is John again and is that Lindsey B on an Alembic guitar?!?!?!  | ||
| jseitang
Advanced Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 328 Registered: 6-2002 |
wow! | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3456 Registered: 6-2002 |
The fretted bass has a similar shape to #12 Jazzyvee | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 3457 Registered: 6-2002 |
The fretted bass has a similar shape to #12 Jazzyvee | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 3032 Registered: 6-2002 |
This compilation was releasd in 1992 ...  | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 83 Registered: 11-2002 |
Im gettin curious again, I wonder if Alembic has the build sheet or info on the Stainless steel fingerboard alembic?? Mica?? | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 1010 Registered: 9-2008 |
Does someone know one music recorded with this SS fingerboard? I would love to hear how it sounds like... (Message edited by mario farufyno on September 25, 2013) | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11183 Registered: 5-2002 |
Mario; as mentioned further upthread, it's probably the bass in this video. | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 1012 Registered: 9-2008 |
thanks, Dave | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 84 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hello again folks, seems like John's original graphite necked alembic thats been missing all this time has popped up on ebay!!! Could this be the very first graphite necked Alembic?? Check it out! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alembic-Series-one-bass-1973-John-McVie-Fleetwood-Mac-/171145471120?pt=Guitar&hash=item27d910a490#ht_253wt_1141 | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11198 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thanks for posting; very cool bass! | ||
| malthumb
Senior Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 550 Registered: 5-2002 |
Anybody else notice that the J McV pix posted by fretted4 and dluxe are nearly identical except for the outfit? Very consistent posture. | ||
| moonliner
Intermediate Member Username: moonliner Post Number: 183 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yes, I've noticed that. Fingers or picking, gaze down and to the right :-) | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 3447 Registered: 10-2002 |
reports on the BBCthat fleetwood Mac have cancelled the rest of their tour as John is being treated for cancer. My thoughts are with him and his family Graeme | ||
| edwardofhuncote
Junior Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 29 Registered: 6-2014 |
I'm actually surprised there's that many pictures of John McVie... given his infamously camera-shy nature. I think maybe the quality I admire most about the guy, right after his inimitable playing style (which is another post altogether) is the quiet, supporting role he's played in Fleetwood-Mac all these years. I hear reliable reports he's made a recovery from cancer, laid down bass tracks with Mick this past Spring on the new Fleetwood Mac album, and is in rehearsal for another World Tour beginning next month, this time with Christine McVie back on board. Haven't seen him with any of the Alembics lately, but during the 2013 Tour, I got to meet his bass tech, who let me check out his road rack... there is one very interesting Turner Electroline in there that bears an uncanny resemblance to a quilted maple Alembic we used to see him play... I'm hesitant to post that here, but here's another I haven't seen on this thread:  | ||
| jseitang
Advanced Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 339 Registered: 6-2002 |
funny you say, im actually getting a bass made that is inspired by the one above..its gonna have the same scale and body shape. | ||
| mtjam
Intermediate Member Username: mtjam Post Number: 187 Registered: 11-2011 |
Cool bass! That will look and sound great! | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 86 Registered: 11-2002 |
I had to steal this thread pic for this section....But I had to post it....John's stainless steel fretless series 1!!!  (Message edited by mica on October 20, 2014) | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 87 Registered: 11-2002 |
Here is a pic from another thread, sorry guys!!! This one really stumps me....I thought I knew everything there was to know about his basses, guess not....Whats the deal with this bass??? **the upload attachment is not working...click on the link**** http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/199036.html?1413629148 | ||
| fretted4
Member Username: fretted4 Post Number: 88 Registered: 11-2002 |
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| edwardofhuncote
Member Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 74 Registered: 6-2014 |
That's awesome Rusty! If there's anything in the world that might get me on another airplane... that might do it. =) Regarding this other bass that once belonged to McVie... having always wondered what bass was pictured on the box set, I too am anxiously awaiting the rest of it's story. That unusual (string-thru?) tailpiece almost reminds me of the one on The Godfather. Totally an uneducated guess on my part, but I wonder if John had the Elves do some mods on an older bass (maybe a secondhand victim of broken neck) for the purpose of touring without risk to #27 or the stainless steel fretless. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11552 Registered: 5-2002 |
The thread at the ball-end of the strings suggests that it is not a string-thru tailpiece. And the combination of that beautiful top wood (I'm guessing Rosewood), neck inlays, tailpiece, and full superfilter, suggests that this is a custom build. The only thing that seems (to me) out of place is that unusual peghead and the tuning pegs. However, although it's hard to tell in the pictures we have at the moment, it does look like the peghead may have the same top wood as the body. Another unusual feature is the truss rod cover. | ||
| edwardofhuncote
Senior Member Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 571 Registered: 6-2014 |
Spotted this one of Mac with #27... looks like this picture was made before the bird tailpiece and master volume mods. Pickups look like the black ones too. (didn't it get the caramel-colored ones later?)  | ||
| edwardofhuncote
Senior Member Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 671 Registered: 6-2014 |
Ran across this picture of McVie with post-mod #27 while looking for something else...  Here's a little mystery I've been trying to figure out about John's Alembics. As far as I've even known, he's had four of them... the early Standard Point known to be #73-27. Then there's the Stainless Steel fingerboard Omega body, and the graphite-necked small standard body, both reportedly made in 1976 according to the History page. http://www.alembic.com/family/history.html Lastly, a dark colored, mysterious Standard Point body with a Fender-shaped graphite neck, with custom inlay and possibly a super-filter. (as seen/discussed in this thread: http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/199036.html?1413629148 So I'm reading Ken Caillat's book, "Making Rumours", and the fretless Alembic is mentioned several times as being used during the recording of the album, which began early in 1976. But he also mentions John's Alembic #33. Huh?! So which one is being referred to? That dark Standard Point with the complex electronics is almost certainly newer than #73-33. I guess it's possible/likely Caillat (or his ghost writer) didn't know any different. Is it also possible Mac's been holding out on us? =) Anybody know? Just curious. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 12002 Registered: 5-2002 |
Interestingly, #33 is in the Showcase three times, with three different owners. http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/1908.html?1033755887 http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/5494.html?1117685470 http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/210516.html?1449866073 | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 4640 Registered: 5-2009 |
Very interesting ! A popular instrument ! | ||
| edwardofhuncote
Senior Member Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 714 Registered: 6-2014 |
Ah. <smack> I knew #73-33 was Todd's bass... right next to Wolf's, and the only one of the small-bodied basses McVie ever had (that I know of) was this graphite-necked prototype from 1976.  This may be a simple case of the author taking an artistic liberty. Hard to say, since of the 4 Alembics he's had, I have never read provenance of any other than old #27. |
