Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: FC Bass on July 26, 2006, 05:50:49 AM

Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: FC Bass on July 26, 2006, 05:50:49 AM

(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/30191.jpg)
  Definitely Alembic styling... Posted on a Dutch forum, with the question if it is an Alembic. I would say no, but I'm not sure...  Also found this on the site mentioned in the pic. Epic with EMG's
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/30192.jpg)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jagerphan84 on July 26, 2006, 06:38:38 AM
I believe the top one is called the Hideous Beast or  Hideous Claw or something to that effect, and was built as a gift for a pro bassist (possibly Alain Caron?).  IIRC, there was a very long thread on talkbass about it, in which the owner stated that he cannot disclose the builder.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jagerphan84 on July 26, 2006, 06:40:14 AM
Ok, now after breathing and looking again, it's the Hideous Claw, and probably belongs to Jean Baudin.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: FC Bass on July 26, 2006, 06:55:48 AM
It's Jean Boudin, you can find the info on the site, but there's no info about these basses... at least I couldn't find it
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jacko on July 26, 2006, 08:04:11 AM
Ha! my eyes must be on their way out. I thought it said 'hideous cow';-)
 
Graeme
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jacko on July 26, 2006, 08:08:00 AM
Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen Mica post somewhere that Alembic aren't licensed to install Fanned frets.
 
Graeme
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: dadabass2001 on July 26, 2006, 11:13:39 AM
I believe Jean Baudin's band is Nuclear Rabbit. Both these pix came from Jean's personal site as credited on the first photo.
He's doing a clinic/show in Colorado in August.
Mike
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: george_wright on July 26, 2006, 11:39:31 AM
Here's the  talkbass thread (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212098).
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jazzyvee on July 26, 2006, 12:47:22 PM
see post below
 
(Message edited by jazzyvee on July 26, 2006)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jazzyvee on July 26, 2006, 01:06:05 PM
Here is a bloke with one of those instruments, No idea who he is. May be the builder, owner or model or all three.
I had the photo on my computer a while ago.
I doubt if its an alembic as I can remember a while ago in a thread that Alembic had not made any basses with the fanned frets due to the cost of the license from norvax for doing it.
 
 
 
Jazzyvee
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/30204.jpg)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: keith_h on July 26, 2006, 01:21:23 PM
From what I remember reading in Jean Baudin's thread about this bass he said many parties were involved in the construction. He does say Michael Dolan did the final construction and the gloss finish. This allows for the possibility that someone with an Alembic background could have been involved (i.e. an employee or ex-employee project).  
 
Keith
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 26, 2006, 01:41:39 PM
Looks like a definite Alembic footprint on that thing to me -- besides the fanned frets.  
 
But come on -- look at that guy's hand. How do you play the lower strings on that thing?
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hydrargyrum on July 26, 2006, 01:55:40 PM
Double post, sorry.
 
(Message edited by hydrargyrum on July 26, 2006)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hydrargyrum on July 26, 2006, 01:55:59 PM
Well,  
 
I am certainly no expert here, but I am guessing the lower strings are played using touch or tapping styles, ala Chapman stick.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: valvil on July 26, 2006, 05:09:34 PM
I am fairly sure the fellow above is Michael Dolan a former Alembic employee back in the 70s who has his own shop now.
That bass does not officially belong to any company. I think I was told Michael Dolan put the finish on the bass. Couple of other guys, at least, did a lot of work on it, like the hardware and the assembly itself. I think Jean provided his own woods.
 
Valentino
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: FC Bass on July 26, 2006, 05:35:35 PM
ok ok, the 11 string is spectacular  
But what about the Epic? No comments yet...
Cheers!
F.C.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 26, 2006, 06:05:05 PM
Nice Epic. I like the pickup mounts....
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 26, 2006, 06:08:05 PM
I believe one plays a Chapman Stick with the left hand held normally and the right hand inverted. Inverting the left hand -- and maybe someone can correct me -- it seems to me would be highly counterintuitive, even moreso than normal on a Stick. With the left hand held normally your impulse would be to hold the neck up, whereas inverted the impulse would be to push it down. I guess you could reach over and tap the lower strings with the right hand will hammering on with the left, but that seems like one crazy reacharound.  
 
(Message edited by hb3 on July 26, 2006)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: bigredbass on July 26, 2006, 06:14:46 PM
If these things catch on, I'm going into the string business ! ! !
 
It's hideous, alright, but hats off to anyone who can play this beast.
 
J o e y
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 26, 2006, 06:15:37 PM
Beautifully hideous. It's well named.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: FC Bass on July 26, 2006, 06:23:39 PM
Yeah! Check the dude's frethand in the picture, imagine that hand fretting a note on the lowest string...  
I think we have here a potential new category for the Olympics! (sorry if I offended anyone by using the 'O' word)
 
(NO really, Im sorry...)
Cheers!
F.C.
 
(Message edited by fc_spoiler on July 26, 2006)
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: David Houck on July 26, 2006, 09:17:43 PM
Here (http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/24126.html) is a previous thread from our forum about this bass.
 
And here (http://www.archive.org/details/jeanbaudin_mario) is a video of Baudin playing a similar bass.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 26, 2006, 09:33:59 PM
Now that's just wrong.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: jazzyvee on July 26, 2006, 11:55:22 PM
I notice he's got a Phil Jones Bass Briefcase combo next to him. Nice little amps those.
 
Jazzyvee
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hb3 on July 27, 2006, 09:53:29 AM
And that Epic's got EMG pickups! Gah!
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: hankster on July 27, 2006, 10:30:01 AM
I think hideous cow pretty much sums it up.  Thanks for that Jacko.
 
Rick
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: FC Bass on July 29, 2006, 01:11:06 AM
You can hardly call it a bass... No more than 4 strings for me! If someone would give me one of those for my birthday, it would end up as wall decoration or on ebay...
Cheers!
F.C.
Title: What is this? 11 String with 'wave' frets
Post by: the_mule on July 29, 2006, 11:19:10 AM
I think you need a hideous claw of a fretting hand to play that thing, hence the name...
 
;-)
 
Wilfred