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neyman
Intermediate Member
Username: neyman

Post Number: 135
Registered: 7-2002
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 10:08 am:   Edit Post

No one has posted this yet???

For shame!!! ;-)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/alembic-guitars-wickersham-grateful-dead-20141001
flpete1uw
Advanced Member
Username: flpete1uw

Post Number: 397
Registered: 11-2011
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 10:38 am:   Edit Post

Dan,
That was great! Thanks for posting!
Pete
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 3650
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 10:46 am:   Edit Post

That was a great read ! Thank you for posting it!

Alembic Inc. must prevail !
growlypants
Intermediate Member
Username: growlypants

Post Number: 102
Registered: 3-2011
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 11:25 am:   Edit Post

WOW!! Very cool, indeed!!
rustyg61
Senior Member
Username: rustyg61

Post Number: 1331
Registered: 2-2011
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 11:39 am:   Edit Post

Awesome! Is this the current issue? Thanks for posting!
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 8290
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 12:39 pm:   Edit Post

We've been wondering when that was going to be live! Thanks for posting.
tomhug
Intermediate Member
Username: tomhug

Post Number: 148
Registered: 7-2008
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 1:05 pm:   Edit Post

Hmm. The article states: "its basses used by the Who's John Entwistle, jazz virtuoso Stanley Clarke and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones on "Stairway to Heaven.""

That's impossible. Stairway to Heaven was released in 1971. No doubt courtesy of Rolling Stone journalistic wire-crossing...

Cool article all the same. A bit melancholy, but cool.

And -- Count me in the "small, ravenous cult following" !
smokin_dave
Advanced Member
Username: smokin_dave

Post Number: 392
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 1:54 pm:   Edit Post

Well glory be.A fellow Hoosier.I had no idea that Ron was originally from Richmond IN.
keith_h
Senior Member
Username: keith_h

Post Number: 2090
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 2:11 pm:   Edit Post

Congrats on the article. It is nice to officially know that you are still in business. :-)

Keith
moonliner
Advanced Member
Username: moonliner

Post Number: 271
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 2:43 pm:   Edit Post

Really great to see that. Congratulations!
slawie
Senior Member
Username: slawie

Post Number: 666
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 3:44 pm:   Edit Post

I just saw the article this morning.
I do not like the fear based negative title of the piece but I guess it does draw you in to read it.
BTW I've always wanted to be a part of a "small, ravenous cult"
Maybe this "cult" that he writes about has the the same sonic ambitions as Alembic.
Not as high priced as the writer would have you believe though. I have two Alembics and I am definitely not a rich man.
It was good to get an insight into the contents of Rons' fanny pack. I've always wondered what was in there.

The number of this post is scary! Glad to get that one out of the way.
slawie
hammer
Senior Member
Username: hammer

Post Number: 575
Registered: 9-2009
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 3:58 pm:   Edit Post

At least if Alembic closes up shop tomorrow we will know on whom to place the blame.
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1281
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 5:14 pm:   Edit Post

Ironic, a friend of mine just posted this on a different website.
http://imgur.com/gallery/Pgbat
Which we all know about . . . so it was the perfect opportunity to tell him that I was apart of a "small, ravenous cult following" and post the link to the RS article.

Kismet
flpete1uw
Advanced Member
Username: flpete1uw

Post Number: 399
Registered: 11-2011
Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 - 6:45 pm:   Edit Post

Good point Slawie, that is the current vibe over at TalkBass message board, negative or "to bad".
I must be just a Cult guy. :-)
Pete
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 4236
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 2:52 am:   Edit Post

Phew, good job. If Alembic had closed down, then it's pretty scary to realise that for 10 years plus I've been communicating with the Dead.
:-)
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 3590
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 4:27 am:   Edit Post

This was an interesting quote...
"More a doctor than a magician, Ron works with Mica and Susan to isolate and correct issues that musicians (like Fleetwood Mac's John McVie, just recently) bring to them."

Suggest to me that John, like Phil, is planning to return to the fold :-)

Graeme
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 3591
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 4:28 am:   Edit Post

This was an interesting quote...
"More a doctor than a magician, Ron works with Mica and Susan to isolate and correct issues that musicians (like Fleetwood Mac's John McVie, just recently) bring to them."

Suggest to me that John, like Phil, is planning to return to the fold :-)

Graeme
rustyg61
Senior Member
Username: rustyg61

Post Number: 1332
Registered: 2-2011
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 9:04 am:   Edit Post

Jacko, I believe it was referring to John's "Continuously Fretted" Alembic that was recently at the factory for repairs. I had the pleasure of playing it while I was there!

5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 366
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 12:26 pm:   Edit Post

I played it, too (quite poorly) when I visited Santa Rosa and San Rafael in late May. In short, it was a humbling experience.

Action was so high you could drive a truck under the strings - virtually impossible for me to play. I have no idea how he does it, he must have a grip of iron.

It sounded great, tho.

Re: RS article - also part of that same visit (the BEST vacation EVER) was my encounter with the concertgoer at the Phil & Friends show ("too bad they went out of business") that resulted in the guitar sale (a Tribute) referred to in the paragraph under the workshop photo.

I was the guy wearing the Alembic T-shirt - just like the one Rusty's wearing in the pic above!

You have exquisite taste, my friend!
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1283
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 1:09 pm:   Edit Post

The more I see that 'continuously fretted' bass the more GAS i get.

I sinfully lust after that creature!

Rusty did you play it plugged in?
How did she 'mwah'?
rustyg61
Senior Member
Username: rustyg61

Post Number: 1333
Registered: 2-2011
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 2:42 pm:   Edit Post

That is such a cool story David! I also try to sell everyone I meet on Alembic! They make the best instruments on the planet & the shirts are pretty awesome too!

Paul, I didn't plug it in, but acoustically it sounded pretty much like any other fretless. It may have had a slightly brighter edge to it with the stainless fretboard, but it played like any other fretless I have played. I'm not a fretless player so I fumbled around on it, but I did play the bass break from "The Chain!" It's not every day you get a chance to play an iconic bass line on the bass it was written & recorded on!
5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 367
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 3:02 pm:   Edit Post

Pauldo - she sounded great plugged in, just like a Series instrument should. Mica also took it for a spin and played "the riff" - yup - sounded "just like that".

If my fretless technique would've been better (and the action lower), it would've been a near religious experience...
jimmyj
Senior Member
Username: jimmyj

Post Number: 542
Registered: 8-2008
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 4:05 pm:   Edit Post

An excellent write-up of our favorite family business!! Congrats to Susan, Mica and Ron!

Jimmy J
wfmandmusic
Intermediate Member
Username: wfmandmusic

Post Number: 114
Registered: 1-2012
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 8:47 pm:   Edit Post

Great read!
dead_head
Junior
Username: dead_head

Post Number: 47
Registered: 5-2014
Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2014 - 9:51 pm:   Edit Post

Also happy to be a part of that "small, ravenous cult following." Many congrats to the Wickershams!!
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 2245
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 8:00 am:   Edit Post

I think more to the point for me, I didn't know ROLLING STONE was still in business; it's a far cry from the old quarter-fold days where I used to read Ralph Gleason and H S Thompson, I guess I don't give a rat's ass about Kanye and Kim, and it's hard to fathom Jann Wenner has gone from the firebrand of those days to a gate-keeper at a so-called 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' . . . .

I totally understand just how truly humble and self-effacing the Wickershams are, but to me Ron and Susan are pioneers AT LEAST on a level with Leo Fender and Les Paul, and I'm glad they can get SOME ink once in a while. Ron's electronic 'outside the box' wizardry and Susan's unique artistic vision (never under-estimate how hard it is to build a design language) set the stage for virtually every custom solid-body builder to follow, and the Series electronic system has never been matched.

Bravo !

J o e y
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1284
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 9:59 am:   Edit Post

"Cult's" really don't need affirmation from 'the ouside world' for them to understand their value.

Sure being acknowledged in print is great for one's ego - but at the end of the day I am willing to bet the Wickershams are fufilled everytime they hear a recording (or live performance) with their hand crafted delicacies.

Each instrument and electronic device leaving their hallowed halls contains a small piece of all the Alembic employees that were involved with the build! What a truly satisfying feeling that must come from such a career . . . .

Mica - you guys hiring?
:-D
pace
Senior Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 1074
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 3:51 pm:   Edit Post

Did this make it to print, or online only?
susan
Moderator
Username: susan

Post Number: 115
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 8:12 pm:   Edit Post

As far as we know on-line only
susan
Moderator
Username: susan

Post Number: 116
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 8:23 pm:   Edit Post

As far as we know on-line only
peoplechipper
Senior Member
Username: peoplechipper

Post Number: 484
Registered: 2-2009
Posted on Friday, October 03, 2014 - 10:32 pm:   Edit Post

I'm happy to spread the word of our 'cult'; everyone I've let play my bass goes something like 'oh, wow, I think I just found my new favorite bass...uh, where can I get one? and how much...' and of course, no, it's not for sale...Tony.
serialnumber12
Senior Member
Username: serialnumber12

Post Number: 1092
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Saturday, October 04, 2014 - 3:48 am:   Edit Post

Alembic E320
pace
Senior Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 1075
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Monday, October 06, 2014 - 6:45 am:   Edit Post

Jeez..... You guys gotta get with the times!... When's Ron gonna design some modular synth components and step sequencers?!? ;)
5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 369
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Monday, October 06, 2014 - 2:04 pm:   Edit Post

I read this article last week and have discussed it with several others since. It seems to have generated quite a bit of interest - which is never a bad thing (there’s no such thing as bad publicity!). In addition, it offered a good basic overview of Alembic today, a fairly concise company history, some nice photos of Ron AND a great photo of Susan wearing a hat!

The overwhelming opinion (mine included) is that the basic attempt of the piece is to present the hand-crafting of sophisticated high-end instruments as a process associated with a soon-to-be bygone era (ie: horse & buggy) - with Alembic being chosen as the poster child for this theory because they are the pinnacle of the craft and are also associated with older musicians who appeal to an older generation.

On the surface, this theory would appear to have some validity. In today's world, the creation and appreciation of music along with the tools traditionally used to create it are not revered in the same way that they once were when Alembic began. Music has become a background "soundtrack" to daily life and computer technology has allowed virtually anyone to cut, paste and manipulate various sonic snippets into "original" compositions - no technical proficiency on any instrument required. Couple this with an economic downturn (instruments being a discretionary purchase), a slight dip in the birthrate a few years ago and the current lack of a youthful guitar hero, or popular guitar-based band and the result is inevitable.

I have seen the impact of this trend first hand at the small guitar store where I work - electric guitar sales (especially high-end instruments) to younger people are down and it's mainly the wealthier aging baby boomers who are able to fund their dream music gear purchases. Given all of that, it would be easy to agree with the basic premise of the article.

However the article doesn’t treat it as a trend - and like all trends, this one will be cyclical. Recently, sales of acoustic guitars have been increasing slightly as budding singer/songwriters are beginning to rediscover more traditional methods of expression as a backlash to the use of technology. Soon these musicians will want to collaborate with others, which will eventually mean they will need amplification and electric guitars (especially if percussion is involved) and a “new” trend will emerge. What comes around goes around...

And, although it wasn’t mentioned directly in the article, I think it's interesting to note that while many larger instrument makers have chosen to alter either the quality of their products or their business model (or both) in response to the current trend, Alembic has not. They remain committed to their original vision and business model - build the highest quality instruments without compromise and sell them through a limited network of carefully chosen dealers who understand, appreciate and support that vision.

This vision and business model will never appeal to the masses. But fortunately, there will always be a small group of discerning individuals (“a small ravenous cult following”) for whom only the best will do. This is what keeps companies like Alembic, Ferrari, etc. in business. If you are consistently recognized as being the best at what you do, you will always have customers. If you compromise your standards in response to a trend in order to attract a broader group of customers, you risk alienating your current customers. If you compromise too much, you will lose them.

And, as the article unintentionally points out, Alembic has chosen to weather the current trend in music and musical instrument manufacturing by doing exactly what they’ve always done for over 40 years - be the best at what they do, without compromise.

As such, they will not only survive, but they will be more than ready to respond to the new challenges offered by the next generation of ravenous cult members for whom only the best will do.
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 1289
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 3:45 am:   Edit Post

David,
Brilliant and eloquently stated.
5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 371
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 10:28 am:   Edit Post

Thanks, sir.

FWIW: I've been trying - without success - to post a slightly edited version to the RS Comment page associated with the original article.

Maybe a size limit or software glitch...?

Don't know, but will try again today.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 5841
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 1:48 pm:   Edit Post

One thought I've had is that the market for certain vintage electrics will decrease as more time passes. For those of us growing up in the 60's and 70's, most of our guitar heroes played one of what I call the Big Five: Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG, and ES-335. (Ricky 360 would be #6). (This, of course, doesn't apply to bass players who, for the most part, had their choices limited to a Fender Precision or a Jazz). As we aged and earned more money, our generation naturally gravitated to the instruments our rock heroes played. People who grew up in the 80's, 90's, and this century, saw pros playing a wider variety of guitars, and a lot of instruments other than guitar, or no instrument at all (can you say Rap - an art form mischaracterized as "music", IMHO, and more accurately defined as rhythmic poetry). As us old farts die off, the demand for the instruments of our youth will decline. We've already seen prices come down quite a bit on old Strats and Les Pauls from 6-8 years ago. Sure, some of it has to do with the general economy, but I also think the decline is the result of our aging which, I am reliability informed, will continue. lol

Bill, tgo
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 11544
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 1:52 pm:   Edit Post

David; I saw your comment there yesterday. At the time, it was right above mine. Strange that it disappeared. But I see you've reposted it.
5a_quilt_top
Advanced Member
Username: 5a_quilt_top

Post Number: 373
Registered: 6-2012
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 3:31 pm:   Edit Post

Dave -

Yeah - I tried to post it twice yesterday. Both times it lasted for about 10-15 minutes and then "poof" it vanished.

I began to wonder what was going on...but I'm happy to report that it's still there after 3 hours today.

IMO, today's edit is a little better than yesterday's attempts, so it all worked out for the best.

I also liked the positive comments that you, Trevor and Mark and several others have posted.

Based on these sentiments, our little ravenous cult following is alive & well and quite happy with their leadership - thank you very much!
pace
Senior Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 1076
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 5:36 pm:   Edit Post

I hope you're right, Bill. But on the other hand, the generational cycle driving demand for pre-war Martins and L5's should have come and gone.... I was born too late, but still have the same reverence for the guitars you mentioned, and then some!.....
peoplechipper
Senior Member
Username: peoplechipper

Post Number: 486
Registered: 2-2009
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2014 - 10:41 pm:   Edit Post

I've worked in music stores with guys 10-15 years younger and we all still want the same good stuff; they can't afford it now but one day they will, so the demand will stay for some time but will sag; there will always be a market for 'the best' of anything so Alembic will always be there but the question will be how big that market is...crap they're selling tons of guitars with Floyd Rose whammy's on them these days; I figured his head would've been paraded out on a pike long before now in anger but trends obviously come around, and a new generation haven't been properly enraged by dealing with these horrible things...Tony

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