Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: southpaw on January 29, 2007, 06:38:20 PM

Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: southpaw on January 29, 2007, 06:38:20 PM
Given the large number of jazz / upright fans that contributed to the Upright CD thread, it made wonder why we don't hear much about the Alembic Classico.  There is not even an area for Classico in the Showcase section.  The FTC area has a  beautiful coco bolo one being built, that will be something to see and hopefully it will be the first showcase entry.
Anyone ever play one? hear one? Any double players please chime in, electric upright vs. acoustic upright?  We need to give it some love, after all it is an Alembic.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: alembic_doctor on January 29, 2007, 06:47:15 PM
My Dad and I went to see The Alan Parsons Project live several years ago.  John Giblin, his bass player, has (I believe)the first one that was made.  He let me play it.  How cool is that.  
 
Right now the song If I had a Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies is running through my head.
 
Cocobolo one sounds really nice
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: jacko on January 30, 2007, 12:57:22 AM
Cool story Doc. John has been a favourite of mine since the early Brand X days playing fretless Wal duets with Percy Jones. He's also appeared on alot of Kate Bush's work and she's easily my favourite female artist;-)
 
Graeme
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: paulman on January 30, 2007, 12:50:04 PM
Is Robin Sylvester of Ratdog a Classico player?  
 
I saw them last fall, and for Big Iron and A Hard Rain's gonna Fall he was playing a thinner solid looking upright.  Can't find much equip info online.  
 
Sweet looking one in the Showcase!!  Thanks for pointing that out.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: southpaw on January 30, 2007, 01:47:07 PM
Paulman, my old eyes are not so good, where did you see a Classico in the Showcase?
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: bassjigga on January 30, 2007, 01:59:40 PM
I think he's talking about this one:
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/631/29686.html?1167456599 (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=7116)
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: worldfamousandy on January 31, 2007, 07:12:26 AM
Hank Futch, of the Blue Dogs, plays a Classico.
 
Andy Calder
www.andycalderbass.com (http://www.andycalderbass.com)
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: hb3 on January 31, 2007, 10:28:25 AM
He's also appeared on alot of Kate Bush's work  
 
Oh, that's who that was? On the Hounds of Love album?
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: southpaw on January 31, 2007, 12:04:35 PM
Maybe Dave Can help start a section in Showcase for the Classico and find an owner or two to send some pictures.  I'm not a double bass guy myself but I have great respect for the jazz players, it's truly a challenging genre of music to learn. The Classico seems to be the forgotten model of bass here at the club, I'm interested in learning more about it.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: paulman on February 01, 2007, 01:13:19 PM
Yeah that's the one, in the FTC forum.  Sorry for the mix up.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: haddimudd on February 02, 2007, 01:37:20 AM
Hugh,
 
John Giblin played some of the greatest bass parts of the Never For Ever album (I believe Breathing was one of them). I like him much better with Kate Bush than with his Brand X performances. Especially on the duo with Percy Jones he doesn't seem to get off well. It was almost a mean step by Percy to have the follow up song called Not good enough, see me! on the original vinyl record, which is an impressive Percy Jones solo. Probably for that reason they must have changed the title orders when the album was released on cd, so that solo title doesn't immediatlly follow the Wal to Wal duet and thus doesn't discredit John anymore in the way it did before.
 
It seems John never could keep up with Percy's innovative style (which would have been a hard task anyways) and instead laid down some of the more solid bass grooves with Brand X. There are some brilliant Brand X titles nevertheless on which he plays bass.  
 
I dig him most for his work with Kate Bush, there his talent and innovation really fires off. Brilliant stuff. Having said that I must admit that I don't know any of his other works which I assume aren't any less than great bass work as well.
 
Uhm, back to the original topic now...
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: hb3 on February 02, 2007, 02:22:33 AM
Oh really? That's interesting. Is he the guy playing the fretless bass on The Morning Fog, the last song on the Hounds of Love album? It's sort of a combination between Jaco and Pino Palladrino -- like Jaco, but more pungent, or piquant, as Zappa might say.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: jacko on February 02, 2007, 02:41:36 AM
According to Gaffaweb, the best online Kate Bush resource, He plays bass on the songs Babooshka, Breathing, Love and Anger, Deeper Understanding, Rocket's Tail, Rubberband Girl, Constellation Of The Heart, Top Of The City, And So Is Love, Eat The Music, Lily, and You're The One. He didn't play on the Hounds of Love and I can't find a listing for a bass player on The morning fog.
 
Rubberband Girl is one of my favourites, in fact, the Red Shoes is my favourite Kate album.
 
I've searched the web but can't find any pictures of John with a classico. He now plays and endorses ZON. If you check out wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Giblin) his list of credits is longer than just about any other session bassist.
 
Graeme
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: haddimudd on February 02, 2007, 05:26:55 AM
You may find  Del Palmer (http://gaffa.org/diction/p.html#palmer target=_blank) playing bass on The morning fog and many other great ones.
 
Playing upright bass there is also  Eberhard Weber (http://gaffa.org/diction/w.html#weber target=_blank) performing on albums like The Dreaming, Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: mica on February 02, 2007, 05:03:05 PM
I added a  to the Showcase section. I started things off with the 5-string we have in our Showroom now.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: southpaw on February 02, 2007, 07:39:21 PM
Thanks Mica, I can't play upright at all but I do remember seeing that 5 string Classico in the lobby last time I visited, it was stunning and deserves a little publicity. I seem to remember the bass player for Julio Iglesias having one built a few years ago. Hopefully the final pictures of the coco bolo one now in production will be in the Showcase soon.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: garyhead on February 03, 2007, 07:42:36 AM
I have a 6-String Classico.  Quilted Maple & Ebony Fingerboard.  MAN!  That-a-chunk-o-ebony!
 
Will post a Pic soon along with the 2 Spyders.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: southpaw on February 03, 2007, 06:38:02 PM
Welcome Gary! Pictures of all your Alembics would be great, we love bass porn around here.  
I see by your profile that you have a weakness for 6 string Alembics & an 8 string Spyder.  
Welcome again and I look forward to seeing you collection.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: Bradley Young on February 03, 2007, 09:33:16 PM
It looks like  this (http://www.deliriumfix.com/Rook/band.html) has a shot of Gary's Classico, but it is somewhat obscured.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: garyhead on February 04, 2007, 08:20:21 AM
byoung!  How did you find such an obscure photo?  Amazing!  I forgot that I brought it to that photo shoot.  That Classico has quite a history....too long to post here....but, I am the original owner.
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: Bradley Young on February 04, 2007, 09:16:31 AM
I followed your profile to your current band, then found the rook website.
 
Bradley
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: inthelows on February 06, 2007, 03:55:17 PM
Lookie what showed up!
 classico thread (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=12397)
NLP
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: dadabass2001 on February 16, 2007, 04:49:06 PM
TV sighting!!
This week (well, the last two days) Wheel Of Fortune has been on location in Nashville. They have been going to the first commercial break with a country quintet playing, with the bass player playing a maple topped Classico.  
Mike
 
(Message edited by dadabass2001 on February 16, 2007)
Title: Any Classico players / info.?
Post by: paulman on February 21, 2007, 12:44:46 PM
Good eye Mike!