Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: pierreyves on November 24, 2008, 08:29:11 PM

Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: pierreyves on November 24, 2008, 08:29:11 PM
Hello folks,
It's simply incredible, a very big collection of Alembic vintage pictures on this website of afficionados from japan:
 Alembic Fan Club Japan (http://www8.plala.or.jp/alembic/gallery_toppage.html)
Please click on the left red links...
for example this beauty:
    

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/58872.jpg)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: elwoodblue on November 24, 2008, 09:09:23 PM
Wow...there's alot of beautiful instruments on that page.Thanks for the link!
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: room037 on November 24, 2008, 09:58:10 PM
Hi Pierre,
 
Thank you for introduce our club site.
But all descriptions are Japanese only.
Please ask me, if you have a question about it.
I will try to translate it.
 
Eiji
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: basstard on November 25, 2008, 03:22:11 AM
This one is strange - Alembic has never made bolt-on guotars...
http://www8.plala.or.jp/alembic/gallery_jaku-ren.html (http://www8.plala.or.jp/alembic/gallery_jaku-ren.html)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: dela217 on November 25, 2008, 03:26:14 AM
Interesting!  Scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and click on the Distillate Neo Guitar.  It clearly show a bolt on neck!
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: keavin on November 25, 2008, 03:29:52 AM
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/58879.jpg)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: pierreyves on November 25, 2008, 04:34:58 AM
Eiji, you are the webmaster of this site ??? Incredible... where fond you (japanese people) all these wonderful basses?? Please speak a lot about this story... Alembic have special concept to buid basses for Asia I suppose ?
 
(Message edited by pierreyves on November 25, 2008)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: adriaan on November 25, 2008, 04:47:59 AM
Hm - here's the Google transliteration (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww8.plala.or.jp%2Falembic%2Fgallery_jaku-ren.html&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en target=_blank) with the usual abracadabrarian results.
 
Looks like they took the neck and electronics from a neck-through Distillate built for the Japanese market (the brass plate is a dead give-away) and added a non-original body.
 
Of course there was a series of Japanese-built bolt-on Alembics, but the body style was very different - kind of violin-shaped.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: pierreyves on November 25, 2008, 05:02:39 AM
adriaan, thank's for the idea!!
 
 entire page (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww8.plala.or.jp%2Falembic%2Fgallery_toppage.html&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en target=_blank)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: keavin on November 25, 2008, 06:25:15 AM
wow, i wonfer if there's any bass versions of those distillates???
 
(Message edited by keavin on November 25, 2008)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: room037 on November 25, 2008, 06:44:09 AM
Hi,
 
I am not webmaster. (I am No.13 037)
Most of the members got his instruments in Japan, but we can get it all over the world now.  
Only a few members are here on the club, and trade or buy from the members.
 
Bolt on Distillate guitar has own history.
The owner seek his sound with oliginal Distillate from 1983.
The guitar was modified F.R. bridge, Red color etc.
Then finally he decided change the body construction.
New body is Maple top, Ash back, the neck is oliginal (add new maple veneer).
But he said The sound is incredibly SAME !.
 
Ha Ha !
 
Eiji
 
(Message edited by room037 on November 25, 2008)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: pauldo on November 25, 2008, 03:52:53 PM
Wow - there are some beautiful basses there!
 
Is the single pickup Distillate the norm?
I have never seen a Distillate without 2 PU's until now.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: oujeebass on November 25, 2008, 04:44:34 PM
Could the bolt-on be one of the kit guitars that I heard Alembic offered in the late 70's?
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: kungfusheriff on November 25, 2008, 05:08:45 PM
So that's where all the graphite basses disappeared to.
About eight years ago, the graphite '83 SSB with the star fingerboard inlays popped up in a music store in the western US, in Phoenix I think. Very eye-catching instrument. It was cool to see it again. Thanks for the link.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: to_81_0190 on November 25, 2008, 07:58:30 PM
Pierre,
Thank you for finding our Japanese Alembic Club website.
 
Paul,
1 PU Distillate is Japanese export model. Distillate basses can be found very often in Japanese market even now but a few guitars. Mine (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=9085) and some other 1 PU Distillates are in Showcase.
 
Wade,
The bolt on Distillate isn't kit guitar. As Eiji says, it was customed by the owner from thru neck to bolt on with new made maple top and ash back body.
 
Toshiaki as No.061-81 0190 on Japanese Alembic Club
 
(Message edited by to 81 0190 on November 25, 2008)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: pauldo on November 26, 2008, 09:38:36 AM
Toshiaki - what kind of wood is that?
 
By the way that is a kick butt demo on the link that you provided!
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: to_81_0190 on November 26, 2008, 02:54:16 PM
Hi Paul,
 
My Distillate has zebra wood top as yours. Zebra wood shows defferent grain according as cutting angle. You can see as same grain as your distillate on the side of solid zebra wood body (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8960). Normaly zebra wood shows grain like mine. The grain like yours called flat sawn zebra.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: rockandrowe on November 28, 2008, 06:09:47 PM
ARE ANY OF THESE BASSES FOR SALE??? I WAS SEARCHING FOR A GRAPHITE SERIES.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: oujeebass on November 28, 2008, 07:05:38 PM
How were those graphite necks attached to the body?
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: kungfusheriff on November 28, 2008, 07:55:20 PM
Mine is kind of set in; I heard that the neck runs about half the length of the body. Not sure if that's gospel.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: room037 on November 28, 2008, 08:14:38 PM
Hi Scott,
 
These instruments are only Gallary page.
We don't have trading info.
 
Graphite neck is deep set under the bridge.
May be you can see it under the battery.
 
Eiji  ( I am owner of 83' Graphite MSB Custom body)
 
(Message edited by room037 on November 28, 2008)
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: dela217 on November 28, 2008, 08:45:28 PM
KFS - The graphite necks run all the way through.  It is just that it's hidden.  If I'm not mistaken it seems that mine goes all the way to the tailpiece.  I too thought it was set, but it really is a neck through according to Mica.
 
I just played mine after changing strings!
 
Michael
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: kungfusheriff on November 29, 2008, 07:56:24 AM
Michael,
I once had to remove both pickups, and while graphite was visible at the bottom of the neck pickup rout, there was only wood visible in the bridge pickup rout. I took that as confirmation of the neck running only partway through the body.
What do you have yours strung with now? Mine's wearing old TI Flats, which are just the icing on the cake in my opinion. Such a wonderful bass.
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: dela217 on November 29, 2008, 07:19:42 PM
Yes.  Nice basses indeed.  Right now mine is strung with Fender Nickle Plated steels.  I had TI's on mine for a while too.  Then went to D'Addario Chromes.  They are all good, just different.  I also really like the D'addario Slo-Wounds on my graphite bass.  BUT, they stopped making them!
Title: Alembic collectors in Japan !!!
Post by: kungfusheriff on November 30, 2008, 08:39:33 AM
I had DRs on mine for a while, but got alarmed by the prospect of refretting a bass with a phenolic fingerboard. From what I've heard, it's a touchy and expensive job.