Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: mint_bass on February 26, 2004, 07:14:49 AM
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heres an idea keep your eyes open on tv and at live gigs for alembics and we will have a list of where they can be seen
i was thinking maybe listing music videos from mtv where Alembics are present i will start taking notes wen i c them
i love alembic spotting its my second favourite hobby only playing is more fun
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I've seen an Alembic in the goofy beach band for the Univision show CALIENTE when tuning across the channel. Looks like a Spoiler four string.
Once in a GREAT while I'll catch one in a video. There are just mountains and mountains of Ibanez basses around, though.
I saw some roller rink band playing an Alembic in an awful early-80s teen slasher movie. I emailed Mica about it when I saw it but I don't remember the name. They never showed a great shot of it so I am not sure if it was a Fernandes copy or a real Alembic.
Supposedly Geddy Lee played an Epic on one song for MY FAVORITE HEADACHE - maybe that made it to the video?
EffClef
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ooohh i never saw anyone using an epic in a vidio before thanks for the info you no this could be kind of theraputic for alembicitis or maybe it will fuel the addiction ah well
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If you ever see Prince's Raspberry Beret video, Brown Mark is playing a white Spoiler.
Peace,
James
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I saw the U.S. Marine Corp band on T.V. a few weeks ago and the bass player was playing a 5 string Epic.
the video of the Allman Bros playing Whippin Post and their bass player was playing a Series 1
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EffClef
Something to keep in mind.
All (25) Fernandes Alembic copies are in Pinstripe Zebrawood with birch cores. They came in the Standard point body, medium scale only and the small body short scale version.
-Susan
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For all our Dutch readers and viewers:
There's a videoclip on The Box (Kinda MTV) which you can request,
The clip features one of the greatest, nicest, funniest, handsomest, etc., Dutch bassplayers playing his Alembic; i.e. ME and my Spoiler...... ; )
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Mathheus tDo
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James,
In the Rasberry Beret prince video you'll notice that the Spoiler Mark is playing is painted in florals to match the stage and the Alembic logo has been removed.
You can spot another Alembic in a Prince Batman video from the first movie. This one is a metallic purple painted Spoiler with a Batman logo hanging from the headstock. You'll also notice that he has removed the Alembic logo from it as well as all the other logos from the equipment in the video.
Prince bought a total of 4 instruments from Alembic including one with the first Roland synth we ever installed back in the early 80's.
-Susan
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Susan,
I've seen Alembic basses in videos and heard them on records made pre video, ie King Crimson w/Greg Lake. I don't recall any guitars except maybe Jerry Garcia. Are there examples of Alembic guitarists that we can look/listen for?
Thanks
Sam
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I can be wrong but I thought I once saw an Almebic Series I or II guitar (you know ...it's the shorter scale instrument with 6 strings that sounds hard and loud and high and can go screaming ...yes???) in a David Bowie video. Let's dance???? I'm NOT sure about that. There was 1 bassplayer and 2 guitarplayers in a row. The black guitarplayer in the middle had an Alembic.
Oh yeah ...and that something ant farm dude ...with the six string?? He was on video too with an Alembic 6 string bass no???
Paul the bad one
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Sam,
Sometimes my mind goes blank when asked that question, don't ask me why. I keep meaning to make a list of players of both basses and guitars but keep putting it off in favor of making them. Offhand and in no particular order except how they popped into my brain here is a list of guitars and some utillizing the electronics:
David Crosby Guild with Series Electronics since 1970 & F2B preamp
Donovan 6 & 12 string Series guitar since the 70's he still uses them & F2B preamp
Carlos Alomar 70's Series long scale guitar and F2B preamp played with David Bowie, now a record executive
David Gilmore Blastors and F2B preamp since the 70's
Jimmy Page 70's Series 6 string guitar & F2B preamp, He also owns a Series I bass
Johnny Winter 70's custom guitar carved openwork Dragon guitar with abalone flames coming from mouth
Richard Betts 6 string custom Series from 70's with 1 high Richard Betts inlaid up the fingerboard in mother of pearl, heart shaped peghead with sterling nails & F2B Preamp
Bo Diddly Alembic electronics installed in his guitar
Stevie Ray Vaughn some Activator electronics as well as Blastors in some of the guitars
BB King Series electronics installed in one of the Lucille's
Steve Miller 13 years ago featured them on the album Wide River bought
Spectrum-6 Baritone in coco bolo long scale w/side LEDs
Spectrum-6 long scale coco bolo w/side LEDs
Spectrum-6 Baritone coco bolo w/ side and front Laser LEDs
Spectrum-6 long scale in coco bolo w/side and front Laser LEDs
California special-6 long scale flame maple with clear Emerald green with tremolo
Orion-6 flame maple, he bought this one as a gift for a friend of his
Oh yes, he also bought an upright Classico-5 string bass for his studio.
Henry Kaiser Series custom-6 from the 70's see Custom archives Bloodwood guitar
Buckeye Beauty Baritone guitar custom archives and pretty much every guitar Henry owns has Alembic pickups and electronics in it
Henry also has a custom Tribute neck through in Pink Ivory wood and Macassar Ebony
Marmaduke Series- 6 string Long scale guitar New Riders of the Purple Sage
Neil Young Series I from the 70's
Stephen Stills Series I from the 70's
Jorma Kaukonen- electronics, Blastor & F2B
Todd Rundgren Series-6 string since the 70's & F2B preamp, the guitar was stolen sometime in the 80's
Katsumi Watanbe Series-6 string Japanese jazz guitarist & F2B preamp
Peter Frampton Series 6 string & F2B preamp
Chet Akins- first bought a bass for his bass player then a Series guitar for himself
Stanley Jordan- used Series I 6 string
Monte Montgomery Orion Baritone 6 string in coco bolo. He's currently Ron's favorite guitar player, he actually goes to his concerts and he never goes to concerts. You can check Monte out at montemontgomery.com I agree with Ron and Mica, he's an awesome player and singer.
We have made a couple thousand guitars but you rarely see an Alembic guitar for sale. Their owners just don't part with them.There are also thousands of Alembic Activator pick up electronics sets as well as Alembic Blastors that are in guitars.
Oh yeah, last year Paul Reed Smith bought two Alembic Blastors for a personal project. He sent me an email later stating he really liked them and was using them in a project. Wonder where that will lead?
BTW-Many times if the sound you hear live doesn't quite match what is on the recording, it's probably because endorsements aside (which we don't do) when it comes to laying down the tracks that prosperity will remember you by, that old Alembic comes out of the case and goes into the studio. This is true for basses as well as for guitars.
Uh, guess the offhand list is a little longer than I thought.
-Susan
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Wow, that's a pretty good list, thanks. I guess it didn't occur to me that non Alembic guitars could have Alembic electronics. Makes sense. Sometimes I just don't connect with the obvious.
That would explain why my Strat doesn't sound the same as David Gilmore's or Stevie's. That and the talent thing.
Sam
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Susan, I remember one of the guitar players in Cher's band back in about 1976 played a Series I. I forget the name of the band, but he was from North Attleboro, Ma. He bought it from one of your early dealers, Tony at R.I. music in Pawtucket, R.I. That is where I also got my Series I bass. The store is long gone as is Tony, a wonderful man, may he rest in peace. He was a Leo Fender type of guy, couldn't play a note, but, you would not want anyone else to set-up your instrument.
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Do DVDs count? If so, there's all the Who stuff, of course.
Led Zep DVD, Knebworth concert, JPJ plays 4 & 8 string Alembics. James Taylor, Pull Over concert - Jimmy Johnson.
Any other DVDs?
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Do DVDs count? If so, there's all the Who stuff, of course.
Led Zep DVD, Knebworth concert, JPJ plays 4 & 8 string Alembics. James Taylor, Pull Over concert - Jimmy Johnson.
Any other DVDs?
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Being rather redundant since I mentioned this in another thread, but since we're talking Alembics and DVDs The Dead's recently released Closing of Winterland features Jerry Garcia's Tiger guitar and Phil Lesh's custom Alembic Orange Osage (I think) not to mention his highly Alembicized Guild. I'm sure someone could supply more details than I, but I believe a great ddeal of the equipment was Alembic or Alembic modified as well. And its a great performance and great DVD set.
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Got a second hand spot, Maybe. I have Feb. Featured Custom as wallpaper on my laptop at the moment and yesterday a friend of mine remarked that she had recently seen a bass that looked very similar at a Lionel Ritchie concert. Don't know if this is a verifiable sighting, but...
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Susan, THANK YOU for the Fernandes info, and I found the guitar player info especially interesting.
I've seen pictures on this Club someplace of a non-Alembic electronics cavity - the control layout looks like a Series but the wiring is very sloppy... I imagine that was one of the Fernandes instruments.
I guess for this reason if Alembic ever offers logo merchandise (pins, etc.) it will never be ones which are the actual instrument logos.
EffClef
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This is just a minor Alembic spotting but as I was drinking my coffee this AM surfin' the channels for something amusing, BTW have you ever noticed as soon as you start surfin' every channel has 10 min. of commercials on at the same time.
Anyway, there's an MCI commercial currently running with Keifer Sutherland as the narrative voice and James Taylor as the musical background but then they brought James up singing and playing and whoops Jimmy Johnson's Series bass came into the picture, you only see the neck with Jimmy's hand playing, no body or peghead shots just the oval inlays-but I know my own.
-Susan
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Thank you Susan! I saw that commercial but the shot with the neck was quicker than my brain and I wasn't sure that's what I saw.
Sam
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I've seen that spot with the Alembic once; and ever since I've been trying to sit through those MCI commercials in hopes of getting a better glimpse of the bass. But I have to admit my disappointment that James is selling MCI.
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i see that commercial all the time and to me it looks like the neck of a rouge,.(because of the ovals).(and the head stock).
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I believe the bass is a Series, standard body with omega cut, and cone headstock. Here is the best pic I've been able to find.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/8729.jpg)
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Here's a better one.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/8732.jpg)
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Thanks Dave, I looked at some James Taylor websites and found nothing.
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The James Taylor DVD Pull Over, released to support his October Roads CD has some good shots of Jimmy and wonderfull sound as well.
Mike
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Jimmy has always played Series II 5 string basses all in Burl Walnut.
In fact the first 5 string bass ever made was for Jimmy. It was burl walnut and had a Fan Headstock in maple, not too many of them around. The problem at the time was getting strings for them. Luckily he was a GHS endorsee and they made the low B's happen for his bass. Unfortunately it was stolen from him while on tour with Alan Holdsworth in Poughkepsie New York. The entire equipment truck was stolen.
We have since made Jimmy two sets of 5 string fretted and fretless Series II basses all with Burl Walnut Tops and Backs and Omega cut. Now he has a back up pair just in case a mishap should occur. He says he doesn't ever want to be without his tools again. Two years ago he brought two of them to the factory and had Ron do the upgrade to them. He really could hear the difference and scheduled his other two for the same.
In the picture notice how Jimmy always has his belt buckle over on his hip. He plays them almost non-stop and yet his basses never seem to show any wear-he's a good daddy-they're his babies.
-susan
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Sister Susan,
I am am Jimmy Johnson a long time already.
Even in bass-history JJ is quoted (WITH Alembic) as the first bass-player ordering (so Alembic was the first) and playing a multi-string bass. Oh yes ...I hear you guys saying: and the Fender VI and I think there was even a Danelectro VI (IFF I remember well)? Well ... a bass in that book was considered as having a different string spacing (see 4 string) as a normal guitar. If I remember the article well Jimmy placed his order for his first Alembic 5 string inspired by his father bass-player who actually owned a upright-five string bass. As classical trained bass-players beyond us will confirm: you need a 5 string bass to play for instance Wagner. But even older there were basses in Rennaissance using the 5 strings and even more.
But: JJ was the first -and Alembic- to produce the electric 5 string bassguitar we are used to see frequently now.
The only video I have from JJ playing with James Taylor is in the leasts one barn for as kind of video registred rehearsal for a tour.
Maybe you al know the video?? Really nice!
JJ uses a SII Alembic with a pointed (bw?rk) headstock.
Paul the bad one
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One of my favourite bands is Type O Negative. Peter Steele (lead singer/bassist) has a black Spoiler with green fretmarkers. I can be seen on My Girlfriend's Girlfriend (just for a moment) and Love You To Death videos. He's a real goth type - he wears his bass on a chain instead of a strap. ;-) He still records with it, but gigs with custom-made Fernandez basses (he said he was too afraid to take such an expensive instrument as the Alembic on tour).
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also weard al yankovich, bassplayer plays alembics,theres lots of photos on (al,s)web site of the band ,he uses series & sig,models .
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can you spot mine...?
www.midus.net (http://www.midus.net)
(http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/8997.jpg)
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can you spot mine...?
www.midus.net (http://www.midus.net)
(http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/8999.jpg)
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Ok MIdus ...I went and looked and ...liked it!!!!!
Again ...great to have you here!!!!
NOw I understand that you are backing up Mel C.
Well ...can any of the more professional guys take over from me because this is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY out of my league!!!!
PTBO
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Saw an ad go by on Univision for some sort of Iglesias concert coming up. Only saw 4 seconds of it but with the people jumping around on stage I am going to have to guess it was Enrique not Julio. Anyway there was a shot of a bassist playing a point body Alembic and there was a six string something on a stand which had the distinctive Alembic ovals on the fretboard. Perhaps it was even a guitar instead of a bass.
Maybe someone more familiar with Enrique can pipe up and speak.
Meanwhile - Basstard: I like Type O Negative also. I have to laugh at one of their early albums though...Steele says check this out! and proceeds to do a very BORING solo run on the bass. Really sounded funny at the time! Though with a band who puts out a best-of compilation called LEAST WORST OF, I am guessing he was just being humorous in the first place.
Do you know which songs or records may have been recorded with his Alembic?
EffClef
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Hi Midus! I remember videotaping one of your performances with Mel C off the t.v. because you were playing an Alembic, the same Orion as above I believe. I have this strange addiction which means that if I see an Alembic on the t.v. I have to tape it for posterity; I have quite a bit of Level 42, some Rose Royce, a bit of Genesis, a little James Taylor, Stan the Man, Armand Sabal-Lecco with Paul Simon, the Who obviously, a bit of John Lodge and a few other bits and pieces. Even if it's only on for a minute or two, I try and get a record. Between that and the Elvish I guess there's really no hope....is there an AA (Alemboholics Anonymous) for this?
My name's Shaun and I'm an Alemboholic...
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Something about AA I never understood. If it's anonymous why do they make you stand up and tell your name?
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Peter Steele bought 3 Epics shortly before Bloody Kisses, so I guess he used them on that album. Before that, he had a Spoiler (which I beleive he still has). Funny thing, he bought the Epics all unfinished and painted them himself. And the keyboard player liked Peter's basses so much he ordered an Essence to start learning bass.
My favorite Type O is the cover of Summer Breeze.
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hi i think the bass player in earth wind fire is playing an alembic but i am not sure i may be wrong
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I believe Peter Steele used his Alembics to record October Rust (my favourite Type O album of all), but yeah, he might've used them on some of the Bloody Kisses songs, too.
My favourite Type O songs are Christian Woman (from Bloody Kisses), Love You To Death, Green Man, and Wolf Moon (from October Rust)... But I really like all the rest, too. I have yet to hear the entire Life Is Killing Me (their latest album) - I Don't Wanna Be Me and Electrocute are the only 2 songs I've heard so far.
I've been to their gig in Warsaw last July - very cool show. Unfortunately, Peter played his Fernandez... :-(
Oh, and welcome Mindus! Sweet Orion you've got there - I'm during the process of saving for a 2nd hand Orion 5, so I hope I'll be in the Orion club in a year's time or so...
(Message edited by basstard on March 26, 2004)
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I've seen Peter Steele play an upright bass in the horizontal position, that was interesting.
Bloody kisses is my favourite Type O album.
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On the Enrique bass, that's a custom walnut Spoiler 6 bass. I had ordered it but there was a mix up with the pickups. Mica made me another one, took my initials out of hat one and now it is traveling the globe. I love the second one they made. Waiting on my latest bass from Mica and Susan.
Danno
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I went to a jazz brunch today, and to my surprise (and pleasure) the bass player was playing a beautiful 76 Alembic Series I. Enjoying the sounds of a fine player and his Alembic made brunch that much better! :)
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Hope you were wearing your Alembic sweatshirt. ;)
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No, but I was wearing my Alembic hat :)
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Great!
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I wen't to a gig on Saturday night and the bass player was using a lovely black Europa 5 string Alembic with signature electronics. I walked over to compliment him on such a lovely bass and bumped into myself in the mirror.....
I'll get my coat.
In reality the chances of me seeing or hearing an alembic live over in my part of the country is really slim basically if Geepee (George Price) or Stanley Clarke are gigging close by. :-( There are a couple of local bass players I know who have an epic and an essence bass but I haven't had a chance to get to any of their gigs for a while.