Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => For Sale & Trade => Topic started by: Soilandstone on August 18, 2018, 01:00:27 AM
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If interested, PM for more info.
I am having trouble resizing the images to post, but am happy to email them.
Story/Explanations are longer than makes sense for a post.
-Named ‘Bodega’ (or ‘Hole in the Head’).
Body/Neck sat unfinished since 70s with the original builder. Never drilled for any parts.
Originally a standard point, the builder knocked it in a doorway at the Factory.
After trying to reshape the point it became to short.
So, he decided to cut an Omega out of it.
I acquired the Husk in 2012-2013, and immediately had it ‘Rehabbed to playable’ at the Mothership.
All parts made/installed by Alembic, with receipts.
Never left the hands of Alembic Employees during the ongoing 40+ year build process.
•Lefty body, right handed parts.
•34”Scale length.
•Beautiful Birdseye Maple top/Lacewood back.
•Frets in GREAT shape (Only played for 5 of the 40+ years).
•Dramatic finish checking-most is stable, with an area of finish flaked off in a patch at the bottom.
This is how I received the Husk, the original builder stabilized certain spots with a bit of CA Glue.)
•AXY pickup connected to a StratoBlaster and fed directly to the output jack.
•Brass On-Off switch for the StratoBlaster.
I just used a volume pedal when needed.
Never had a problem plugging straight into any amp.
I experimented with pedals and preamps between this bass and various amps with great results both live and on recordings.
This Bass runs on ONE 9v Battery for over a year.
Named “Bodega” and “Hole in the head” by Mica Wickersham.
Derived from the unique hole cut into the headstock of the bass (original).
Referring to the Bodega Bay nuclear power plant which was abandoned and considered a keystone of “the birth of the anti-nuclear movement”.
The pit for the foundation was abandoned and over time it filled with water, making a small pond informally called “Hole in the head.”
Beside the threat of nuclear power, local citizens said they did not want their “simple isolated lifestyle” to be disturbed.
Similar to this bass being stripped down to the bare essentials.
Heavily used case, still functional.
Right latch is broken.
This is the condition it was received in.
Case was gifted to protect the instrument when I was at the factory to pick it up.
I hope to find the person who will truly appreciate this unique instrument for what it is.
Currently open to offers.
I welcome helpful suggestions concerning possible worth and asking price.
Much more Information and Pictures available upon request.
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Welcome Chris. (and Jen) ;)
I would be happy to post the pictures you sent me of this unusual instrument, as I still have them - already sized to fit the forum limit here. Wish I could help you out with a home for Bodega there, but another project just isn't in the cards for me anytime soon.
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I'd love to see pictures!
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I'd love to see pictures!
Per Chris & Jen's request, here are a couple pictures of their bass, "Bodega"... I had designs on this sweetheart for a time, even hatched a slick plan to seamlessly convert it to right-handed by an inlaid wood pickguard like FC "Bat-Bass" or mavnets '76 Custom Series II. It almost seems a shame to monkey with it, especially if somebody out there wanted a left-handed Series I.
But I digress... here she is:
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Cool, wish it was a righty. :)
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I did too... and laid awake many nights mulling over how to do it without destroying its integrity as-is. Came up with this:
She was built as a Series bass, so theoretically both body wings are hollow, making a second electronics cavity in the lower wing a fairly simple matter. Having a secondary one isn't a big deal either even left empty. I've seen this on a couple 70's Alembics, where everything wouldn't quite fit in one cavity.
So what to do about the holes - Wood inlay on both halves of the top. I was thinking either purpleheart or cocobolo. A creative pattern in mirror-image, maybe with an ebony border to highlight it. For thought, something along the lines of these two- http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=7000.0 http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_batbass.html
It could be converted back to lefty by replacing the wood inlays. Not a quick and easy, but not a huge job either.
What it doesn't solve is the symmetry problem, and that's where I ran it off the rails. I could easily have made the horns match, but being a long scale bass, the balance would forever be ruined without a radical strap extension. I thought about ways to do that too, and just never settled on anything I thought was aesthetically compatible with an Alembic. I guess it could be a sit-down bass. Or mounted vertically like a Classico, if you really wanted to think outside the conventional.
Not sure if any of that is helpful... just tipping my hand to anybody here who might be considering a D-I-Y. I'd still love to adopt this one, but I should probably hold my horses a little tighter for now.
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I Love it!.
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That would be perfect for my new act where I play my right handed bass whilst standing on my head and this left handed beauty with my toes ;) Of course I will be playing in counterpoint as well . " Toccata and Fugue For Two Hands and Two Feet"
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http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575378759&campid=5338273189&customid=&icep_item=163221233457&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg&toolid=11111
Click link for more pictures.
Decided to put it up on eBay as it's time for us to let it go.
Hoping someone from the club ends up grabbing it.