| Author | Message | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1847 Registered: 6-2000 |
Found Tony carving your neck a few days ago:  and a couple more while in carving:   I believe this is the first Balance K with the Fan peghead variation. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1439 Registered: 9-2002 |
Beau ...tiiiiiii- fuuuuuuul People now this has STYLE | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 80 Registered: 6-2002 |
Good Golly, Miss Molly! It's a good thing this is a print medium, because my jaw just fell onto the floor! Mica, you must have been reading my mind, because this afternoon at 3:30 PST I called you guys for an update. Valentino, you don't have to return my call now! LOL Thanks boatloads for the pix, I'm stoked! And thank you Paul BTO for the compliment! | ||
| the_mule
Intermediate Member Username: the_mule Post Number: 182 Registered: 1-2004 |
I really start to LOVE that body style, very impressive, and the fan headstock works great visually! Wilfred | ||
| groovelines
Intermediate Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 184 Registered: 4-2003 |
Okay, I've got to find somethig better to do at lunch than check this site. You're killing me. I was just wondering what the K body and a Fan peg would look like and lo and behold I find one! Great looking combination.  Mike | ||
| malthumb
Advanced Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 266 Registered: 5-2002 |
Leave it to Alembic to use a maple / purpleheart lamination set as a fixture holder. If you're gonna do it, may as well do it with class!! Peace, James | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 285 Registered: 11-2003 |
Wow! | ||
| senmen
Advanced Member Username: senmen Post Number: 337 Registered: 7-2003 |
The new body style is really great. Normally I donīt like the off-set fenderish design that much, but this one looks real great. Oliver (Spyderman) | ||
| malthumb
Advanced Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 267 Registered: 5-2002 |
What's interesting about the Balance K is it looks great with any headstock option. I can't imagine the large standard bodies with anything but a crown or a knob headstock. The small standard needs to have the crown. Rogue and Essence basses look best with a cone. I never liked the fan headstock. Until I saw it on this Balance K. Every headstock I've seen on the Balance K basses looks great. If I were to go for a Balance K anytime soon, I'd be hard pressed to decide between crown, cone, or (gasp) fan headstock. Since I already have 2 with crowns, I'd probably flip a coin....cone or fan. Peace, James | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 81 Registered: 6-2002 |
I received email from a club member and in part of it he mentioned that he never liked the fan headstock, either. I always liked the fan, so "Why?" I asked myself. Well, it is simple and elegant, and next to the knobby and narrow cone, it is the smallest Alembic headstock I know of. That, of course, means less weight. But all of that is way too much thinking, basically, it caught my eye and I liked it from the start! :-) This headstock will be plenty busy in the end because, I'm having the bass finished in Wineburst and the logo will be the gold plated with mother-of-pearl and abalone inlay type. "Simple and elegant" turned "gaudy as hell!" LOL Malthumb, I was amused by the maple and purplheart retainer, too. Makes you wonder what other mundane wood-type items around Alembic have been upgraded! ;-) Have fun all, Reid | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 82 Registered: 6-2002 |
As a follow-on to the previous post, I am the proud owner of an Alembic standard-point maple cutting board. It befuddles the heck out of non-musician types that come over for parties! Have fun, Reid | ||
| basstard
Intermediate Member Username: basstard Post Number: 106 Registered: 3-2003 |
Wineburst Fanhead Balance K??? Now that will be a one-of-a-kind bass! Please, please, when it's ready - PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!!! ;-) Me, when I order a Balance K Alembic (and I'm sure that day will come... somewhere in the future) it'll have a cone headstock. | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 83 Registered: 6-2002 |
Cone is good! | ||
| malthumb
Advanced Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 268 Registered: 5-2002 |
Gots me one o' them cuttin' boards, too! I'm sure that doesn't surprise anybody. Peace, James | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 518 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hey Reid, Sorry to jump in late, but your bass is amazing. I love the fan headstock too. I was considering it for my bass but decided to keep with the crown and go "traditional" since the K body was itself a big change. But it really works well. Congratulations on a great choice of wood, body and head design. I can't help thinking that when I recover sufficiently from paying for this bass, I'll want a maple 5 string K to keep it company (with the fan top, too!). Bill | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1442 Registered: 9-2002 |
I'm still president of the anti-cone league. Sorry buddies but I don't like that shape. But hey ...as I said, difference is a most beautiful thing. Can imagine all the bass players in the world having a strandard point Alembic ...yuk. (Oooh ... I can imagine two things: more earthquakes and Fender would be a high end brand LOL). Sorry: I saw a picture with a six string bass large body with balanced point and omega cutout with a cone headstock and THAT WAS beautiful and VERY stylish. Essences and Europas are ok with cones. Rogues and Elans have slanted bodies so I think they are better with "slanted" headstock. Back to topic: the fan headstock REALLY works with this design. Paul TBO | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 88 Registered: 6-2002 |
As usual, the kudos for this bass's design ultimately go to Susan. I called to place the order, I had planned to order a Std. Pt. body - with the Fan peghead - and in Wineburst. In no time at all, Susan had me convinced that I should go with the Balance K body-style. Man, was she ever right! | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1481 Registered: 9-2002 |
Susan is right most of the times and in th emost unusual woodworks: try "staircase" on her! HA! Paul TBO Mmmm ...that internal joke could be to deeply hidden. | ||
| bob
Advanced Member Username: bob Post Number: 299 Registered: 11-2002 |
No, I think I remember: at some point, Susan designed a staircase, or perhaps a well (area containing) for a staircase... and I'm kind of wishing it was spiral, but I don't think that was the case. There may be a picture somewhere (not here), but I've never seen it. I suppose I could search, but that's really slow and I'm working again tonight <sigh>. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1487 Registered: 9-2002 |
Brother Bob, hang in there man... we know you can do it! We are all backing you up. You know ...you should start a website with alll those funny graphs to indicate were precisely you are located in the sea of work on you trip to completion. Wink-wink. Paul the bad one | ||
| adriaan
Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 282 Registered: 6-2002 |
This is a bit off-topic, but since someone mentioned spiral staircases ... My grandfather was a carpenter, and apparently he was rather good at staircases. He left us a scale model of a spiral staircase, which is very nice - though it is collecting dust in my parents' attic, I'm afraid. Also a scale model of a big ocean steamer (S.S. Oranje) that he built from scrap pieces - this was in the depression years, when he was out of a job and money was short - nothing short of amazing. Plus he built a mandolin, which isn't tremendously playable but has a nice butterfly inlay near the soundhole (a la Gibson) and a 6 string banjo. There's also a violin lying around somewhere, but I'm guessing that was bought in a shop. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1883 Registered: 6-2000 |
Here's the Wineburst on:   I don't remember doing continuous wood plates with a burst finish before - it looks cool! The staircase must be the one in my parent's house. It's got 2 ninety degree turns (so four of the steps are cut at 45 degree angles). The carpenters did not think we could fit a staircase there - but my mom designed it and they built it! Adriaan, maybe you can give those pieces a vacation from the attic and share them with a local woodworking group for an evening. Right now at our Sonoma County Museum there's a show of "Artistry in Wood" so see if there's any wood shows around your area that could appreciate your grandfather's work. | ||
| adriaan
Advanced Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 285 Registered: 6-2002 |
Good grief - I thought the bass looked just spiffy in bare maple, but that's an amazing finish! Mica, thanks for the suggestion. I do not dwell in carpentry circles, and don't know if there are any wood shows here in Holland. Sure sounds like a nice idea for a family outing. | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 320 Registered: 11-2003 |
Reid, This project keeps getting cooler and cooler.... The pictures are awesome, and as we all know, they don't even come close to the real thing! Wow! | ||
| rraymond
Member Username: rraymond Post Number: 98 Registered: 6-2002 |
Uhmm, Mica, Susan, Bob, et al - I don't know what to say... how about, "I'm astonished." Reid | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1497 Registered: 9-2002 |
GReat idea that wineburst on the maple!!!!! subtle and I keep saying ....now this HAS STYLE!!!! Paul TBO | ||
| the_mule
Advanced Member Username: the_mule Post Number: 229 Registered: 1-2004 |
That's looking very well indeed! The burst on the continuous wood plates is perfect! Definitely one of the best examples of a wineburst Alembic I've ever seen. Reed, you're such a lucky man! Wilfred | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 408 Registered: 9-2003 |
Very nice, Reid! | ||
| 4stringer
New Username: 4stringer Post Number: 2 Registered: 8-2004 |
beautiful work, folks! I love the burst scheme I had to post just to also comment on the neck laminate used as hold-down fixture ... I think I will try to commission Alembic to build me some maple / puple heart wood clamps! I would be the envy of every woodworker I know! | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1900 Registered: 6-2000 |
It's getting reeeeeeal close, Reid:  Even got the logo fitted today. I bet I'll be posting a finished shot on Monday, just hope you can stand it 'till then |
