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2400wattman
Advanced Member
Username: 2400wattman

Post Number: 269
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 7:29 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, December 14, 2006 - 6:30 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 1:19 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 10:31 am:   Edit Post

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...

first 1

the stainless series 2?

(Message edited by mica on June 15, 2009)
2400wattman
Advanced Member
Username: 2400wattman

Post Number: 385
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 11:24 am:   Edit Post

Ah, very nice indeed.
extraterrestrial
New
Username: extraterrestrial

Post Number: 7
Registered: 4-2007
Posted on Sunday, May 27, 2007 - 7:26 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2007 - 5:42 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 10:01 am:   Edit Post

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHXUQR-e2cE&mode=related&search=
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1324
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:41 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 9:02 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 8:50 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 12:29 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 9:28 pm:   Edit Post

Here is another great pic of McVie with his series 1 with the stainless steel fingerboard!mcviestainless
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 70
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 1:54 pm:   Edit Post

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?unknown alembic
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 71
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 1:56 pm:   Edit Post

And found another pic, this is a good one and shows the details of number 27!

early1

(Message edited by mica on June 15, 2009)
pauldo
Intermediate Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 165
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 3:40 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 4:38 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 8:06 pm:   Edit Post

Antique alembics...............Yessssss!!!!!!.....
peoplechipper
Intermediate Member
Username: peoplechipper

Post Number: 114
Registered: 2-2009
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 11:32 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 6:12 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:40 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 2:51 pm:   Edit Post

fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 76
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Friday, March 19, 2010 - 4:32 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 12:04 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2010 - 3:40 pm:   Edit Post

anyone know what the scale length of his bass are?
adriaan
Moderator
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 2710
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, December 06, 2010 - 11:51 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 12:17 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 1:22 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 8:11 am:   Edit Post

jpeg
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
Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 10:35 am:   Edit Post

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 ????_______DN27A
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 82
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Monday, April 22, 2013 - 5:12 pm:   Edit Post

Hello folks! Here is John again and is that Lindsey B on an Alembic guitar?!?!?!John and Lindsey
jseitang
Advanced Member
Username: jseitang

Post Number: 328
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, May 02, 2013 - 7:22 am:   Edit Post

wow!
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 3456
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, May 02, 2013 - 8:43 am:   Edit Post

The fretted bass has a similar shape to #12

Jazzyvee
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 3457
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, May 02, 2013 - 8:43 am:   Edit Post

The fretted bass has a similar shape to #12

Jazzyvee
adriaan
Moderator
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 3032
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - 11:58 pm:   Edit Post

This compilation was releasd in 1992 ...
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 83
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 4:52 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - 2:52 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 3:58 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 11:06 pm:   Edit Post

thanks, Dave
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 84
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 4:34 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, October 10, 2013 - 5:32 pm:   Edit Post

Thanks for posting; very cool bass!
malthumb
Senior Member
Username: malthumb

Post Number: 550
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 3:53 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Friday, October 11, 2013 - 6:27 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, October 28, 2013 - 4:55 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2014 - 12:13 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2014 - 8:28 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2014 - 10:15 am:   Edit Post

Cool bass! That will look and sound great!
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 86
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2014 - 10:39 pm:   Edit Post

I had to steal this thread pic for this section....But I had to post it....John's stainless steel fretless series 1!!!

here it is!!

(Message edited by mica on October 20, 2014)
fretted4
Member
Username: fretted4

Post Number: 87
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2014 - 10:54 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2014 - 11:12 pm:   Edit Post

mcvie2.jpg
edwardofhuncote
Member
Username: edwardofhuncote

Post Number: 74
Registered: 6-2014
Posted on Monday, October 20, 2014 - 8:47 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Monday, October 20, 2014 - 2:48 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Friday, September 11, 2015 - 5:24 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 8:32 am:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Saturday, December 12, 2015 - 7:10 pm:   Edit Post

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
Posted on Saturday, December 12, 2015 - 7:57 pm:   Edit Post

Very interesting ! A popular instrument !
edwardofhuncote
Senior Member
Username: edwardofhuncote

Post Number: 714
Registered: 6-2014
Posted on Saturday, December 12, 2015 - 8:49 pm:   Edit Post

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.

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