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mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5268
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 6:10 pm:   Edit Post

The post-op care took a little more attention than I thought, so dreams of working on custom inlays during that time didn't materialize. I'm probably not going to get to dedicate time to the final drawings until next week. I found some photocopies of one of the basses with the notes. We detuned the bass, and put the thing right on the photocopier! Answered all my nagging questions, so I think you'll be really happy with the result.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 614
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 10:57 am:   Edit Post

Mica,

Thanks, I can't wait to see it.

Hope all is well on the home front, and as usual, that takes precedence over everything. Best wishes from Julie and I.

Thanks,

Alan
kmh364
Senior Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 2247
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 5:18 am:   Edit Post

Maj. D.,

That's a real beaut! Lot's o'luck with it.

Cheers,

Kevin
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 626
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 9:50 pm:   Edit Post

Mica,

Any news?

Alan

P.S. I love your picture on the "staff" section of the site. Captures the essence of who you are - a bright smile, personality, etc. as evidenced when I visited a while back.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 637
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 9:26 pm:   Edit Post



(Message edited by ajdover on July 11, 2008)
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5409
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 2:37 pm:   Edit Post

I'll bring over some photos of cut letters for you soon. I think it's looking really good so far!
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 640
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 8:11 pm:   Edit Post

Mica,

Great, can't wait to see them.

Alan
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5434
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 7:23 pm:   Edit Post

Message in a bottle:
message in a bottle

And a bass all prepped for inlays:
ready to inlay

This will probably be finished while I'm on vacation, but you can be sure I'll post some finished pictures just as soon as I can.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 642
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 7:57 pm:   Edit Post

Mica,

Wow. Just wow. It has been more than worth the wait. And I'm as giddy as can be.

Enjoy your vacation. After viewing these pics, you, James, and everyone at the Mothership deserves one!

Best regards,

Alan
olieoliver
Senior Member
Username: olieoliver

Post Number: 1902
Registered: 2-2006
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 11:33 am:   Edit Post

Looking good Alan.

OO
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 845
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 12:10 pm:   Edit Post

Looking real good Alan. I really like the tweaks to the body shape that you guys made in an effort to get as close to the original as possible. I know that was a painstaking process, but the results look fantastic.
altgrendel
New
Username: altgrendel

Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2008
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 12:21 pm:   Edit Post

Excuse my ignorance.

What's the "joke note"?
senmen
Senior Member
Username: senmen

Post Number: 783
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 12:31 pm:   Edit Post

Hey Altgrendel,
the joke note was a wrongly installed note on Johns original basses, means a wrong note put on a wrong place of the fingerboard.

Oliver (Spyderman)
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 643
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 10:08 pm:   Edit Post

Guys,

Thanks for the kind words. I do appreciate them.

Oliver is (as usual) spot on about the joke note. In fact, Mica wanted to know if I wanted a "joke note" on my bass - I told her no. John had a very unique, dry sense of humor, and I thought it best to honor him by letting his basses be the only ones with a "joke" note. My bass will have "properly" made inlays, as it were, accurately reflecting note placement. It is, in my way, of paying tribute to John by making the inlays "correct."

Alan
bigbadbill
Senior Member
Username: bigbadbill

Post Number: 443
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Monday, July 28, 2008 - 5:19 am:   Edit Post

Lots of us Brits have a similar sense of humour to John to be honest....I know Lemmy of Motorhead said it got him into terrible trouble when he first moved to the States.
bigbadbill
Senior Member
Username: bigbadbill

Post Number: 444
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Monday, July 28, 2008 - 5:21 am:   Edit Post

BTW...beautiful bass!
garethnh
Junior
Username: garethnh

Post Number: 22
Registered: 5-2008
Posted on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - 7:52 am:   Edit Post

This is just too exciting! Goodness knows how you're feeling Alan!!!! It's looking amazing.
elwoodblue
Senior Member
Username: elwoodblue

Post Number: 509
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - 11:06 pm:   Edit Post

Looks like a candidate for a COTM...
...I second what gareth says.

It's too cool seeing a fine instrument being created...thanks to Alan and Alembic for letting us see behind the veil.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 646
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 06, 2008 - 7:15 am:   Edit Post

COTM - I should be so lucky!

Thanks for all the kind words. The real credit, as always belongs to the elves at Alembic. Amazing folks, that lot.

Alan
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 5454
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 4:47 pm:   Edit Post

Look what happened! Here's the mother of pearl pieces getting glued in position for scribing:
inlay

James routing the recesses:
inlay

Dry fit of the pieces:
inlay

Shrouded in Ebony dust and glues:
inlay

And released from the shroud and fretted:
inlay
garethnh
Junior
Username: garethnh

Post Number: 31
Registered: 5-2008
Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 5:06 pm:   Edit Post

Holy S***! I want one!
James is one talented dude.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 647
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 5:21 pm:   Edit Post

Incredible. Beyond words. Unglaublich. Fantastisch!

James, Mica, everybody - incredible job. Words don't even come close. I can't wait to get my hands on this beauty.

Alan
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1939
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 1:40 am:   Edit Post

Seems like there were joke notes at the 3rd and 15th frets - at least for a short stretch of time.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 650
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 5:29 am:   Edit Post

I'm not sure where the joke notes were, but I was asked about this and decided against having them put in. As I saw it, there was no way I'd ever be able to have an exact replica made - all of John's Exploiters, to my knowledge anyway are in private hands now. I'd have to have one to make an exact copy, and that simply isn't possible. What I set out to do was get very close, and make it more playable for me. After all, I'm the one playing it, not John or anyone else.

All this being said, I felt that not having a joke note was a tribute to the man - he was one of a kind. So were his basses, and I felt that it should be left that way, joke notes and all.

In the end I think Alembic has created a very close replica for me, with certain changes. During the design and construction, Susan and Mica both told me that certain things may have been mistakes on the originals, e.g., placement of the controls near the bridge, etc. As I felt John would have opted to fix these things had he ordered another Exploiter, I went ahead and made those changes I thought necessary from both an aesthetic and playability point of view. The end result, I'm sure, will be the bass of my dreams.

Alan
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1941
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 6:06 am:   Edit Post

Small joke on my behalf, sorry if I offended you.

In the first and third picture, the flat signs had not yet been added to the B's on the 3rd and 15th fret, as they are in the final picture.
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 651
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 6:43 am:   Edit Post

Adriaan,

No worries, no offense taken. Just wanted to clarify why I chose to go the route I did, that's all.

On the flats and sharps, Mica told me they went with sterling silver wire. Had they gone with mother of pearl, it not only would have been more difficult, but it wouldn't have come out as distinct looking. Apparently, the inlays on John's basses weren't as defined in this respect. Oliver also seconded this, and I've been relying on his sage judgment on all things Ox throughout the build process. He even sent Alembic some pictures he had of John's basses to Alembic for me! Thanks Oliver!

Alan
tbrannon
Senior Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 867
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 7:16 am:   Edit Post

It's looking very good Alan!
senmen
Senior Member
Username: senmen

Post Number: 801
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 10:56 am:   Edit Post

Alan buddy,
you are welcome! It was a pleasure helping you with the fingerboard inlays and the general shape of the bass.
So now I have the problem where to find that small bunch of money to have its sister buildt, maybe the one with the V-headstock.
Do you know a good bank where I could get the money without giving a signature..... :-)
Oliver (Spyderman)
ajdover
Senior Member
Username: ajdover

Post Number: 652
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 1:26 pm:   Edit Post

Oliver,

If I knew of a bank that gave away money, I'd be there already! ;-)

Alan
briant
Advanced Member
Username: briant

Post Number: 223
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 1:41 pm:   Edit Post

Uhhhh... oh my. I want one. Badly.

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