Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: rv_bass on August 27, 2017, 02:31:33 PM
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Expensive, but nice to look at :)
https://reverb.com/item/6414168-alembic-series-graphite-john-mcvie-actual-bass
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Not paging edwardofhuncote and jimy, seriously - not paging http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=22859.0 and http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=21998.0 (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=21998.0)
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Definitely has loads of unobtanium built in. Thinking what a new one would set you back. Hm.
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I got drool on my laptop...
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I'm sitting at a Waffle House about 50 miles outta' home right now just thinking... I can be in Murfreesboro, Tennessee by daylight if I get moving quick. ;D
Seriously, I've always wondered about that bass. I cant help but think it was a rebuild/experimental project. And I've never seen any footage of John playing it... so maybe this super-filtered monster was built for the studio? So many questions. ???
Anyway, several years ago, Mr. Mac parted with a few of his surplus basses, and I bought one of them. This one, and the walnut Small Standard with the graphite neck were for sale at the same time. If I recall correctly, that was the asking price back then too.
I'm still a little short... maybe Jimy and I could go in together on it... ;D
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It says it's the bass from the Chain. Is that true?
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It says it's the bass from the Chain. Is that true?
My understanding is that this one is the one on The Chain:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4348/36064335383_4c4759c801_z.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4385/36476521950_1500b365b9_z.jpg)
It's the fretless with aluminum fingerboard - I never thought it was fretless but if you listen you can hear him slide one of the notes - and of course it gets that fret attack because the whole fingerboard is basically a giant fret! The pics are from when it was back at the mothership for repairs.
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Stainless steel, iirc.
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They mean it's the bass featured on the cover of "The Chain - 25 years" box set. ;)
To my knowledge, there are no other pictures of John with that bass, but I'm happy -if not eager- to be corrected on that.
This picture:
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Better picture, from the ad:
Honestly, I hadn't noticed before seeing these pictures, but that bass has a couple issues... the most obvious is the action. That bridge can't go down much more at all. It might be perfect right there, but if not, setting that neck back might be a little tricky. I wonder if that boat-shaped heel piece isn't part of the joint... may even be bolted in, which would make things a lot simpler.
If it's still there next month, when I get a weekend break, I'm gonna' make a Nashville run and see for myself.
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Got it. Yeah, I thought the Chain was played on the "continuously fretted" bass. That neck heel is definitely strange looking.
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Yep, the "continuously fretted" bass as Harry pointed out, has a very distinct sound. I've heard it on a couple out-take tracks from Rumours and Tusk albums... I strongly suspect it was used on "Silver Spring" and maybe "Oh Daddy" too. "Over and Over" also sounds fretless to me, but the tone is slightly different.
On this bass, I'm really curious about the electronics... it looks like Series I in all the usual format, but with a master volume like John's other basses, but then there's a whole other array of knobs and switches underneath them. Just reading in the description, there's a bit from Rick Turner (which is another classic RT stream of consciousness post, one should not miss btw... :) ) he seems uncertain as to what these extra controls are for too, and suggests maybe a passive treble cut.
Could this be something else other than a superfilter? Band pass? Mellow/bright switches?
I still just can't imagine McVie twiddling with all that stuff on stage. ;D
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Price dropped a couple grand on this one... still nothing really concrete on the controls.
https://reverb.com/item/6414168-alembic-series-graphite-john-mcvie-actual-bass
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If things go well tomorrow I may be able to answer some of these questions soon. Im a big McVie fan and an even bigger Alembic fan. If my offer gets accepted I will let you know about the electronics soon.
Edward, as I know youve got a great eye for things, I already know to inquire about the action, what else do you see with this? One of my terms for the sale will be a review period, I know what I like - this would be my first graphite bass though, any tips?
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I stopped by the Low End Bass Shop last November to check it out. It is basically a Series II on the top controls, then a switch activates the lower controls, which are like a Series I as best as we could figure. We could have spent days playing around with it. Still has a great sound. My big take away was how heavy it was. But most interesting, was the case. It was like piecing together the history of a world tour, from all the stickers. I think we spent as much time looking at the case, as the bass. The owner has posted on the forum, so maybe he could chime in for a better explanation. Best of luck on your offer.
Joe
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.this is an oops. Pleas delete. Thanks!
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Thanks for the insight on that Joe, and great to see you here. Im playing that wineburst elan (thanks very much!) And still turning heads and getting compliments about it. I dont get out as much as Id like these days, but Im getting ready to move up north anyways. Enough about me though, back to this bass... To edwards point, is the action good? Any other issues with it?
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...But most interesting, was the case. It was like piecing together the history of a world tour, from all the stickers. I think we spent as much time looking at the case, as the bass.
That's the thing... you'd think if this bass made that many trips there'd be some pictures or video somewhere other than the cover of an anthology. Judging by the dates on the tour stickers, I'd guess the case predates the bass. (didn't graphite necks come about in '76 or so...?)
Good luck Mr. Bill... that is a fascinating instrument surrounded by some good ol' Alembic mystique. Hopefully if it becomes yours, you can coax the secrets out. ;)
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Mr Bill, to Edwards point, the bass was not an exact fit inside the case. And for a bass this old with a touring history, it was in amazingly good condition.
As far as string height, there did not seem to be an issue. First thing I checked, since it was a graphite trough neck. If the height does not suit you, you can take Geoff Gould's advise, and use a lighter gauge or open core strings to lower the action.
Since this bass is made of graphite and ebony, it is high density, and has very clear high end harmonics. But that comes at a price, in the weight department. But if the wineburst Elan 5'er works for you, this bass should not be a problem for you either.
If you end up getting this bass, there is one suggestion I would make. Draw a template of the controls, and make several copies. If you find a sound that suits you, mark the positions of the controls and switches on your template, like we used to do with the Mini Moog's, back in the day. Other wise, you would go insane trying to get it back. The electronics were quiet, and everything seemed to work as it should.
Hope that helps, and happy bidding!
Joe
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I wonder if the extra knobs are mellow filters.
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Hey Bill...
What a small world! I was the owner of the 5-string Wineburst Elan you're playing, and I sold it to Joe. It's a great ax for sure. I keep trying to be a long-scale 5-string player, but I'm a short-scale 4-string guy. I'm also the guy who owns the 5-string Caribbean Blue Burst 5A Quilted Maple bass you commented on yesterday... the one you said "got away." :-) I'm checking out a short-scale bass that Joe has right now, and would need some cash to make that happen, so email me at bctviking@yahoo.com if you're interested in my Caribbean Blue Burst. This graphite bass is pretty cool, too!
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Man, the Alembic world is small and interconnected, thats for sure! It reminds me of living here in Delaware, where if you know 3 people one of them knows one of the other 2.
I spoke to them at the Low end Bass shop today, and unfortunately I wasnt quite able to get to where they needed to be with it. It looks like that beautiful guitar will need to wait for someone whose pockets are a bit deeper than mine.
Thanks for the extra info Joe, Brian remembered you and spoke very highly of you.
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No problem Bill. Brian at Low End is a great guy, and very knowledgeable. He knows Alembics really well.
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...the "Penguin & Porpoise" bass remains at large. :)