Edgar worked in theater for a while. A group came through town in the 1980s, and their guitar player had a guitar that was so unusual, Edgar insisted on learning all he could about it. After a few back-and-forths, he clearly understood the brand name "A-LEM-BIC" and so would a little dream begin of one day having an Alembic of his own. He remembered the guitar, but not the band! A couple of years ago, Edgar found an Alembic guitar at Brian's Guitars, and began his Alembic collection. A Darling, Further, and an Essence later, and he began toying with the idea of getting a custom made. After discussing some general concepts with Brian, we sent some snapshots of similar instruments to what he was describing. What came next was a bit of "that's cool, but what if..." creativity. What if the lower horn was as long as the upper horn? What if the Omega was really two Omegas? What if it was Coco Bolo? What ifs quickly gelled in to a cohesive spec list, and we went on what we call a "wood safari" in these parts.

	We searched through many planks of Coco Bolo to select this piece. The idea was to find a bookmatch that would complement the strong shape. In this case, quartersawn figure near the center and flatsawn cathedral grain towards the outside edges. The colors are rich, with high-contrast striping and lots of little details. We love how the linear grain folds away from the parallel lines of the neck laminates and then wrap up in to little concentric circles on the horns.

	This is the really special place on Dragonsong. Edgar's request for a double omega grew in to this design, with one omega echoing the other in a nested form. It almost looks like the pistol grips on the horns. This is the very first guitar we've made in this shape.

	This peghead shape pairs extremely well with the Triple Omega family of body forms. Similar to the Dragon Claw peghead we have used on basses, this custom inline shape for guitars gently refers to the pistol grips on the body and the nested omega carving for a cohesive look. Don't be fooled - this is the same guitar. The back of Dragonsong is actually Myrtle, in honor of Edgar's aunt of the same name. We matched the peghead back veneer to the back of the body.

	Who doesn't like a little flash? Gleaming blue side LEDs light the way on a dimly lit stage. Each one is set in a little circular inlay of sterling silver so that even when they are not illuminated you can still see the position marker.

	A lot of flash goes with a little flash! The super bright Laser LEDs on the front of the fingerboard are true showstoppers. When turned up to their full brightness, they can easily be seen from the back row at a stadium show even under stage lighting. The LEDs are the perfect color to coordinate with the abalone oval inlays. Edgar was a complete dream to work with. He really knew exactly what he wanted, communicated it clearly to us and let us loose to do our thing! We hope that Dragonsong has a long and happy life in her new home, and please whisper to her now and again that we miss her on the west coast.

SPECIFICATIONS Custom Darling guitar Coco Bolo top Myrtle back Maple, Purpleheart, and Vermilion 25.5" scale neck Custom Scorpion body shape with Nested Omega Mahogany body Ebony fingerboard Abalone oval inlays Dragon Claw peghead shape Continuous wood truss backplates Darling electronics Blue side LEDs Blue Laser front LEDs

Wallpaper: 1600x1200 1280x1024 1024x768 800x600 Widescreen: 2560x1440 1920x1200 1680x1050 1600x900 Text and photos of guitar by Mica Wickersham Thomas, ©2013 Alembic, Inc.

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