| Author | Message | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2506 Registered: 6-2000 |
Last week I found this little piece of wood with your name on it:  It's the core of your soon to be Series II. It's the only chance you'll get to see before the top and back are in place. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2507 Registered: 6-2000 |
Cool! I was hoping to locate the picture I took when you visited of the top laminate mapped out:  | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2513 Registered: 6-2000 |
Here's your neck before the peghead veneers are glued on:   Really nice combo in the neck woods | ||
| byoung
Member Username: byoung Post Number: 76 Registered: 12-2004 |
Mica, Thanks for posting these. That core looks almost too good to cover up. The neck is exactly perfect. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd love to have a shot of the body woods pre-gluing. Brad | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2523 Registered: 6-2000 |
I bet you'll want to see the body laminates - sinec the one I took a picture of while you were visiting was changed later ;) Here's the top and back as of today, with a complete compliment of official shop dust:   This should look more like you recall | ||
| byoung
Member Username: byoung Post Number: 77 Registered: 12-2004 |
I had faith. 3755 really looks like a butterfly to me. 3754 (the right side) looks like a raptor on perch. Brad | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2660 Registered: 6-2000 |
Fingerboard getting clamped:  Peghead cut:  Bookmatch to center assembly:  | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 126 Registered: 12-2004 |
One word: w00t! Brad | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 127 Registered: 12-2004 |
Alright. I'm trying to decide between two different inlays: 838 in silver at the 12th fret in a silver oval (like the initials). Or "Think" in ebony with a mother of pearl background at the 24th fret. What think ye? | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 128 Registered: 12-2004 |
I'm looking for club feedback. I've narrowed my inlay ideas down to two: Both would be a block of mother of pearl at the 24th fret with black lettering. 1) Acts 8:38 This has a lot of personal meaning to me; I was baptized in northern Iraq during the first gulf war. Long story short, we prayed for rain (a distinct lack of baptismal facilities at the time...), and it rained so hard that the desert floor filled up. I always felt this verse sort of parallelled my experience. 2) Gaudeamus igitur Latin for "let is rejoice, therefore" | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2691 Registered: 6-2000 |
Looks almost good enough to route:   Mom's been mulling over the inlays, since we're approaching inlayland. She's got a couple other ideas to bounce off you, including some other locations. You two should speak / email soon. Any particular time better? | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 130 Registered: 12-2004 |
Valentino said it was beautiful, but oh wow. Brad | ||
| the_8_string_king
New Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 10 Registered: 9-2005 |
Wow, nice bass! It reminds me of my own (custom of the month June 1999 -in the custom archives)in a couple of ways. The bookmatched-to-center... it looks like coco bolo... wood has similar figurings (liney in the middle -which helps disguise the centerline- and more detailed away from the center). The neck also reminds me of my own, with the alternating laminates of maple, purpleheart, and ebony. You are going to positively love the sound and sustain your neck is going to give you! It's gonna rock your world. And the coco bolo won't hurt either! (Message edited by the 8 string king on October 18, 2005) (Message edited by the 8 string king on October 18, 2005) | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 131 Registered: 12-2004 |
Valentino said it was beautiful, but oh wow. Brad | ||
| hydrargyrum
Intermediate Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 153 Registered: 3-2004 |
echo? | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 132 Registered: 12-2004 |
Crackberry got me. It kept the update in cache, and I accidentally clicked the scroll wheel. It was worth posting twice, though. =) | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 133 Registered: 12-2004 |
Mark, Compliments from you are high praise indeed. Before I decided to pull the trigger on this bass, I remember looking wistfully at your bass. Very over the top-love it. Brad | ||
| the_8_string_king
Junior Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 19 Registered: 9-2005 |
Thank you sir, and best of wishes on your beast! It is, of course, in the VERY best of hands. By the way, my vote for the inlay would be "think!" There's also some new pictures of MY beast (but only I can call her that) on my recent introduction thread. It'll be worth the wait. By the way, I forgot to comment last time, that little mini-omega on the headstock is really cool! Did you come up with that? I bet a lot of people will incorporate that into their design. I know I'd like it if I was getting another bass. Did my neck influence yours in any way, I'm just curious? It's very similar. Both our necks are made of maple, purpleheart, and ebony; but mine have every other laminate being ebony and the others alternating between maple and purpleheart, where you have maple for every other laminate, and alternate between ebony and purpleheart. If you had two more (outer) laminates of purpleheart, you'd have the exact same pattern of 13 laminates that I do, but just with a transposition of woods. As it is, this is still the case with respects to my inner core. It really looks awesome! (Message edited by the 8 string king on October 24, 2005) | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 134 Registered: 12-2004 |
Mark, I was actually going to go with 5 ebony laminates, 2 vermillion, 2 purpleheart, and 2 maple (alternate those 6 with the ebony in that order-- kinda rainbowy), but Valentino talked me down off the edge every time I tried to put something other than 6 maple lams in the neck (and more ebony would have been cost prohibitive, at the time anyways-- before things got really out of control, i.e. once Signature, now series II) I did not think of the omega headstock, that credit goes to our friend Valentino, who continues to build one sick (y'know, in a good way) instrument after another. You can't see it in those shots, but the headstock will be completely carved like Rory's 6-string (as seen in his F-T-C thread). The omega will be carved as well. You can see this effect by looking at Rory's bass and Gary's balance K (carved omega). I've decided on the inlay, and we're finalizing details. It isn't any of the above-- we'll see it when the elves do their magic. Brad | ||
| the_8_string_king
Junior Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 20 Registered: 9-2005 |
Brad, I'm sorry I missed your response earlier, and again... what a schuhh-weet bass! Hey, I saw on another post that you wanted to have "custom rotory switches" or something for bass and treble controls. Are you getting separate bass and treble controls for each pickup ON TOP of Series II electronics? If so... I salute you, sir. What are you planning, 4 position switches with something like -6, 0, +6, +9 dbs or something similar? Mine go +/- 12, and they work very well. I occaisionally use the bass at maximum when using it in balanced stereo mode, but I never use the treble at maximum. I'll tell ya, the little 3 position "quick change" MID RANGE boost/cut switches that they made custom for my bass are really useful. I've found that it can be useful to utilize the cut for the neck pickup, especially when boosting the bass and having a slight "q" boost in the upper treble... it creates a really cool sound that sounds like two simultaneous sounds (even from one pickup): a crisp high and a booming low. Even more significant, engaging the mid boost on the bridge pickup gives an incredible boost, and also seems to emphasize the enhanced sustain of the ebony and purpleheart-fortified neck. I virtually always use my mid-boost on my bridge pickup. Perhaps this might be a option that would interest you. I don't recall where my original quote was, but I don't recall it being terribly expensive... I think it was a couple hundred bucks... I remember two numbers, $500 and $250... and I'm thinking maybe it was $500 but I paid $250 'cause I got the custom electronics half off (special of the month). But since they have the specs, maybe it would be cheaper... then again, inflation, who knows? Anyway, maybe something to consider. One other thing that I only recently realized that is really cool, and says something really cool about Alembic: my custom "stereo switch" allows me to "assign" either of my two independent sets of tone controls to the role of MASTER TONE CONTROL SET. Recently, I discovered when using it that each of my custom mid-range controls is set to a different frequency. I have concluded that Ron must have tested them individually and selected frequency ranges that were subtly different and specifically suited to the idiosyncratic tonal characteristic of EACH PICKUP... SPECIFICALLY... and DELIBERATELY. (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen deliberately. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.) This is just so cool. I didn't ask for it. I might have, if I'd thought about it. But I didn't. They could have just made one circuit or whatever and duplicated it... but they obviously had a higher standard in mind, and did the extra step of attenuating -or whatever the proper word is- each mid boost/cut switch -to each pickup. Thanks Alembic! What attention to detail! What a great company! What nice, great, people! You are SO going to love your bass! Hang in there, tiger! It'll be worth the wait and the price tag! Of this, there can be no doubt! | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2710 Registered: 6-2000 |
Your continuous wood backplates, siiiir:  These are getting the inside sealer coats, so you're looking at parts you won't see once it's all put together. In fact, the Coco Bolo ones will be covered in silver. | ||
| the_8_string_king
Junior Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 21 Registered: 9-2005 |
For some reason, I can't access my previous post to edit an error. (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen deliberately. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.) SHOULD say: (Obviously, it's NOT something that would happen ACCIDENTALLY. The obvious default would be to make a switch, and then make an idenitical one; but this isn't the case; they each affect different frequencys, and this must have been/clearly was deliberate.) Just wanted to clarify/correct this error. I find editing/error correcting on internet sites in general to be difficult. I just accept errors as a given, as editing is often challenging for various reasons. | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 138 Registered: 12-2004 |
Hey, You can't call me sir, I work for a living!  Beauty. I can now stop drifting off into reverie thinking about what that coco bolo is going to look like under finish (and start drifting off about the assembled instrument, playing it, etc.) Brad | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 143 Registered: 12-2004 |
I think that slice on the right might've been cut from a pair of Valentino's pants! Thanks for taking one for the team, Valentino. Brad | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2937 Registered: 6-2000 |
Peghead in the setup room, getting the hardware ready for plating:  Now, I'm not sure if Jon or James is going to be doing your inlays, but we've all been working on the artwork, and I take a special interest in letter inlays. More soon! (Message edited by mica on January 04, 2006) | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 611 Registered: 10-2003 |
Sweet! | ||
| byoung
Intermediate Member Username: byoung Post Number: 166 Registered: 12-2004 |
I'm dying. Trying to remember how to breathe. These teaser shots are making the wait worse, I think. The carved headstock is perfect! That pic almost looks like the edges are bound. Super, super excited. Would it be possible to get a pic of the whole bass, and a closeup on the body? If you don't have time, I understand. You can just email me the full jpgs if that is simpler. Brad | ||
| rklisme
Advanced Member Username: rklisme Post Number: 272 Registered: 5-2004 |
Hey Brad This is going to be one very cool bass. I don't even mind that you got most of the ideas from me. If I sound a little jealous it is because I am. Can't wait to see this thing when it is done. Rory | ||
| hb3
Member Username: hb3 Post Number: 60 Registered: 2-2005 |
"I was baptized in northern Iraq during the first gulf war." so you're, like, 12? | ||
| jlpicard
Advanced Member Username: jlpicard Post Number: 309 Registered: 7-2002 |
Congrats on a beautiful 6'er! Looking at the photos makes me think that we share similar tastes in wood. It looks alot like what I would do if I was going to build a 6 string. In fact, I was going to have a Heart omega carved into the headstock but I just plain ran out of money! Just wait till you see a shot of your body with the finish on it! You are going to freak out. I went totally beserk when I saw mine! The grain which looks mellow right now is going to jump right out at you! Best of luck and many years of "bass bliss" Mike Oh yeah, and good decision upgrading the electronics. There really is nothing like a Series bass!! |
