Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: afrobeat_fool on February 16, 2010, 11:08:22 PM
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Sounds like a movie, Right? I have acquired an unfinished, unplayed, sat in the closet for 30+ yrs, Hyak. Here is the story. MY Hyak was taken a few yrs ago, by a guy who was supposed to do a refinish job on it. Never got it back. Attornies letters, and consistent e-mails have gotten me nowhere. So... I let it go. What else could I do, but hunt him down and stake him to an anthill. Then I see Dan posted a Hyak for sale in Seattle. I take a look, It's not mine and I call the guy. A few other club members call him, but I win the day. Probably due to proximity. So, as I am talking to the seller he tells me his Grandfather helped make the bass. He G-dad did the graphite work and installed a lot of the electronics. For those not familiar with Hyak's the black lines between the Laminates and under the fingerboard are thin graphite laminates to keep the neck from moving. There are no truss rods in these axes. This particular bass is one of the last ones made, and was never finished before Mr. Smith shut down the whole rodeo. I plan on finishing this bad boy. I will be getting parts as I go along and hope to get it up and running soon. Fortunately the electronics were installed and are looking brand new. Here are some pic's, enjoy!
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76552.jpg)
headstock
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76553.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76554.jpg)
back shots
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76555.jpg)
electronics
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76556.jpg)
Full body
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76557.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76558.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76559.jpg)
(Message edited by davehouck on February 18, 2010)
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Wow, Beautiful.
Shes going to be wonderful. It's good to see the electronics were completed.
Will an Alembic bridge fit with the sustain block?
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Stunning! Hopefully you can find some appropriate pickups. It looks similar to a Series I, but I can't see any hum canceler.
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You're right Edwin, there is no hum cancelling circuit. It is more like Signature electronics with 2 separate pre-amps and filters. The pickups that go into this bass are unusual due to the fact that they are quite shallow depth-wise. Their dimensions are more like Series pickups from the earlier basses with the single screw per side. I think that Alembic finishing this bass is quite do-able. They can easily install one of their bridges as they mount the same. But to do it right they will have to mold some pickups based on the shape of the holes.
I will be watching the progress of this one for sure! Those electronics look great! The electronics in my Hyak no longer work. Hopefully I will be able to send mine to Alembic too someday.
Michael
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Hey Nick,
Congratulations! That control cavity looks great and a carbon copy of my Hyak scroll. I too will be watching the progress. Wishing you great success with getting it into action!
Art
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An Excellent Acquisition ! Congratulations Nick!
Perhaps Alembic can make you the correct parts for a faithful completion of this instrument. I think it would be worthwhile to have these missing parts made custom to fit rather then modifying the instrument other then perhaps an Alembic adjustable string nut installation.I agree with Michael in his post #1023.
Sonic Regards ,
Wolf
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Any ideas on the wood type here fella's?
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Maple core, like an Elan? Walnut, maple, ebony neck lams with the reddish main wood and neck lam being?
Cool looking bass!
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Maple core, like an Elan? Mahogany, maple, ebony neck lams with the reddish main wood and neck lam being?
Cool looking bass!
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Nick,
Just curious does this bass have a serial number. It is usually stamped on the inside of the cavity cover. I've also seen them stamped in the battery compartment, or both.
Michael
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Hey, Dave! Yeah, your right. Maple core, Neck lams are walnut, maple, graphite. Back of headstock is walnut.Fingerboard is Ebony. What is the top and back? I can't play for a few weeks after an accident with a bread knife so I hope to be able to take it to the Mothership this month.
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Cool... the bass is in much better shape than the Ebay pics indicated.
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Hi Michael, the serial # is 790468. I take it to mean April, 1979. 68th bass built. Still trying to figure what the face and back are? I will be taking my time with this as I won't be playing for a bit. Here is a reminder to be careful with knives!(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/76682.jpg)
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I'm guessing mahogany for the top and back.
Keith
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SOB, that had to hurt. I was going to ride along in Dec. with the sig other to Calif. and take my fretless in for a refinish estimate, but the weather was too scary to drive for her.
That is a nice looking bass. The top wood is ringing a bell with me, but I can't put a finger on it. It's a lighter color for mahogany, but Gibson SG's came out kinda similar. Still, it looks like something else to me.
Dave
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It is Paduk!!! I took it to Gilmers today and the owner called it. Then he took me to a pallet of figured, and beeswing Paduk that was just breathtaking! I bought a piece of Amboyna burl cut for headstock. Unbelievable. I am saving it for a future build
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afrobeat I had a similar injury in a situation crushing the the tip of my left ring finger. During the time of the injury colors seemed brighter,sound was stereophonic etc. Directly after that I immediately went to a desk job. Playing bass is far to important to damage one's fingers. May I suggest staying out of the kitchen,get a girlfriend/wife to cook. If not switch to fork split muffins! I hope you heal up well and that is one killer bass. I live close to New York so music row 48th street had one Hyak dealer and one Alembic dealer. I could'nt make up my mind. I actually had an extra $50 to pay one of the store managers to bring one of the basses into one of the stores so I could do a fair A B comparison through one amp in one room etc. The Hyaks seemed to be more organic in sound and feel to the then brown pick up zebra wood series 1 I was comparing it to. The filters seemed to go farther in either direction range wise. In the end I ended up with the series but I never forgot that Hyak. It does appear to be Paduk. Which is amazingly bright for it's age. Paduk oxidizes rather quickly compared to other woods. I'm thinking there must be a sealer coat or something preserving the bright color. Alembic PU's might fit. Maybe they could send you a dead PU or a cover to test fit.If not find something that you like or that fits as close as possible and then you could put an inner pickup ring in say maple around them to close up the gaps. Also elsewhere on this awesome site Alembic actually restored some lucky persons Hyak for them. The bridge is fairly easy to machine up. They used channel brass with rounded shoulders on the ends. Drilled and tapped the webbing for the tension screws. Solid brass blocks for the saddles with fine thread tapped hole for the screws. Compression springs where used. Local machine shop or Alembic. If I can find the Hyak brochure I'll scan it and sent it to you. Good luck with that bass. If you want to sell it contact me first!Ha!
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How do you think that bridge will work out for you?