Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Fun Stories => Topic started by: goran on September 06, 2018, 07:44:22 AM
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Ok so here is how I did with my Alembic.
First I decieded that I can't carry original case around, so I got myself a gigbag, Gruvgear...
The bass fits perfectly., here are pics.
But, after few gigs I realized that I would like (If roadie, which usually happens) some kind of case/gigbag so want to share this with you.
I visited the company here in Croatia that do cases for instruments out of carbon, they are very light and sturdy. I really didn't think they do bass guitar case, but they do. What's even better they do every case like some people make basses, they do care about their stuff. When I was choosing for mine, you can decide for so many options, from how it will look inside (straps, holders, compartments, etc.) and you can chose how it will look from outside (color, shape, etc.). Btw. it's only 3.5 kg in weight!!! :)
So they measured my Alembic and started to build the case for it.
Can't tell you how great cases look in real life, just insanely great, that 3D carbon is great I'm gonna post a few pics in next post so you can see how they look like. Just saw that Stanley Clarke has one for his double bass.
Anyhow, the only thing is the price, I know that Alembic are not cheap instruments, so there is a price tag that usually makes people divert from getting one, price for one case is around 1000 euros. So that's why mostly classical player do tend to buy them, because it's not a lot of money if you have an instrument worth over 20.000 dollars, or euros. :)
you can check them out here https://www.accordcase.com/
You can also find them on Facebook, there is a post that I did how I visited the company.
So now the waiting time to build me the case, as soon as it's done, I'll post the pictures here so you can see how it looks.
Goran
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So this is my friends case old 14-15 years. still working and original buckles...
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And here is factory...
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Goran,
There are a couple companies over here making carbon instrument cases too. Calton - which used to be Canadian but is now in Austin Texas - make great cases for many standard sized instruments. They're kind of the go-to case for acoustic guitars. And they've started to make a Fender Bass case but that shell is not large enough to fit a long scale Alembic. They say they're working on a larger model, but of course the issue for these companies is that it's usually not worth laying out a custom shell for only a small number of potential customers. Same with another company Hoffee, I don't believe their rectangular bass case is large enough.
My Series II with Omega Cut is 4ft (122cm) from end to end and the body is also larger than a "normal" Fender style bass.
If these folks at Accord are willing to make a shell that would work for us, it would be a wonderful thing!! I wonder if Alembic HQ might even be interested in offering the case as a deluxe option... ??
Keep us up to date on this development! Thanks for the info.
Jimmy J
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I have a Hoffee carbon fiber case for my Strat-shaped guitars and original Canadian Calton fiberglass cases for my Further and Martin D-28. Both are amazingly protective, but the Hoffee is significantly lighter. I just checked out the new Calton site and only saw fiberglass cases. Noting on the site I could find about carbon fiber.
Bill, tgo
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I have a Hoffee carbon fiber case for my Strat-shaped guitars and original Canadian Calton fiberglass cases for my Further and Martin D-28. Both are amazingly protective, but the Hoffee is significantly lighter. I just checked out the new Calton site and only saw fiberglass cases. Noting on the site I could find about carbon fiber.
Bill, tgo
I contacted Hoffee in the past and they wouldn't do a bass case. Maybe things have changed.
I have a Canadian Calton for my Starfire and it's fantastic. However, it's also massive. I'd love to have a carbon fiber version, but at this point, I mostly use a gig bag, so I can't justify the cost for a few flights a year. Calton had been fine with making custom cases of any size back in the day, but I'm not sure of the current policy. Given that they do upright bass and cello cases, etc., they should be willing to do it.
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Hey Jimmy,
I've never heard of those companies probably because they are in US, but when the guy tried to put my bass in mold (also 122cm, I think we have almost same shape, if not the same shape), it fitted perfectly as the guy said, I was worried that some basses will fit but Alembic won't, but it actually was in perfectly.
There was 3-4 cm more room from each side of the bass and on top of headstock was around 4 cm more room... so I think that will work.
Let's wait until they finish it and then well see the whole thing, I'm actually exited about it.
Btw. Jimmy how do you travel with our bass?
Do you check it in the plane, or have it just in gigbag? Also if you go somewhere do roadies take care of bass? Whats the procedure?
I know probably when you play locally ( foe example Baked Potato), you carry bass by yourself in gigbag, right?
Thanks you all for comments....
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I'd love something that light! At 1,000 euros, however, it's out of my league. I wonder if there would be any discount if multiple players with the same Alembics placed an order together?
For it to actually work for me I'd need one highly customized case that could be configured and reconfigured to fit medium and long scaled series Is, short scale Stanley, and a Europa 6er. Now if they could do that, I'd have one extremely light case I could use for all my basses which I typically travel with as singles and I'd quickly drop the 1,000. Highly unlikely, but a guy can dream right...
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Goran,
Wow, cool! Is their shell a rectangle shape or more like a guitar case? I'm exited to see what they come up with.
Yes, around LA I use some ancient Reunion Blues gig bags. I'm waiting to see if I can outlast them, and I actually might. :)
When I fly I check the bass in these odd cases pictured below. They were made by Zero Halliburton, probably originally for some type of military ordinance (I don't want to know), and were sold by Gibson as guitar cases for a short time in the mid-70's. As you can see, the bass barely fits. I've been through a few of these over the years as they get bent up and eventually won't close properly. But I still have a couple unused ones so I should be able to continue this way for some years.
When I have the luxury of a crew I put two basses in these aluminum cases in a trunk with a small rack and miscellaneous strings and spare parts, and that gets shipped off for touring.
But I am definitely interested to see what Accord has to offer us, so post pics when you can. These Halliburtons are about as small a rectangular footprint as there can be, but they still are large and awkward cases and sometimes the airlines get out their tape measures and start shaking their heads...
Thanks!
Jimmy J
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I'd be interested in checking out one that fits my Europa basses so will be watching this thread especially if here is some way of carrying the case as a back pack.
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Jazzyvee, they do have that, too carry it on the back.
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Check this out. A sepcialized strap for hard cases that enable you to carry it on your back.
http://www.backaxe.com
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Jimmy thanks a lot for kind answer, we all have those problems for traveling with our basses, I really do hope that Accord is the way to go.
Not sure if I said this, but you can also choose how robust carbon is (the thickness), of course it gets heavier case if is thicker. The owner in front my eyes was throwing one case around so we can see how robust it is.... ha!
Thanks all, as soon as I have a sample, I'll keep you posted on everything that's going on.
Btw. my wife is a violin playing in local symphony orchestra, and she will also try the Accord.
We'll see, I'm keeping fingers crossed!
Goran
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Hey guys I just got picture when they put my Alembic in the mold to see if it fits
Also here is a pic of my friends two guitar cases and one pic of my other bass that Ill make the case (Fodera), they said they could easily make a case that I can fit both Fodera and Alembic in one case, but I wanted two cases for them.
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Wow! Great news that our large instruments can fit in that shell. And I like the shape. It took me a minute to figure out that the curvy side is where the feet go and the slow arc is where the handle goes. Nice!
I would recommend getting the locking latches (I believe I see one on the cello cases above). In fact, I would ask for all the latches to be key-lockable if they can do that because when handled as checked baggage they would be prone to popping open.
I am definitely interested in getting (at least) one of these but will hold off a bit to hear more about your experience with the company and the product. On their website the "Web Store" link is not yet functional but I wonder if they would be able to sell directly to US customers? I know they have a couple distributors over here on the East coast - violin stores - so maybe we'd need to go through them...
Anyway, thanks again for the great find. Keep us up to date on the progress. There's a good chance you have directed some business to this company!
Jimmy J
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must have...
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Here is a little update, case is still in progress.
Here are some pics.
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Excellent! Thanks for the update. I've been thinking about these cases quite a bit lately and I'm on the verge of jumping in and placing an order. (Lighter case / lighter wallet!) When you take delivery please post a pic of your bass in it and do a little product review for us.
Many thanks!
Jimmy J
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I will do the full review, should be done in a week or two... can't wait for it too!
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I'd be interested in checking out one that fits my Europa basses so will be watching this thread especially if here is some way of carrying the case as a back pack.
Since posting, I have found what may be a way of carrying this hard case in gig bag style. I have a coffin shaped lightweight aluminium flight case made by Scott Dixon for my Europa bass and I recently bought an Back axe http://www.backaxe.com (http://www.backaxe.com) which allows me to strap the case up and carry in on my back.
Something like this may be suitable for use with this case that goran has found which would give you way to carry this case in a gig bag manner and get the best of both worlds. Convenience and ultimate protection.
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Goran,
Any update on this subject? Have you received your Accord case?
Jimmy J
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Hey Jimmy, yep it's still in building process as far as I know, they are making two cases for me. I just called the company to send me some new pics, they told me they are so late with orders due to Christmas and end of year.
And I'm playing almost every day, so I also forgot a bit about it :)
Hope they'll send some pics today so I can share them.
Anyhow say hi to Mario Suica, I think he's your sound guy or tour manager for Steve's band, I know him pretty well :)
cheers
G.
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Hey everyone, so the day has come.
My lovely wife wanted to wait for Christmas before I get the case, so here it is!
The case is slimmer then my Gruvgear padded gigbag, Groovegear has 4.0 kg on my bathroom scale, and Accord case is 4.7 kg.
It looks beautiful, it's light and yet really sturdy, you can ware it as gig bag, as side case or as a normal case.
Here are some photos:
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Looks great i have made enquiries regarding my series europa. I wonder what kind of images can be put on the outside.
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That's a nice-looking case, and really solves a bit of the puzzle for those of us with the Omega-cut bodies. Finding a case that provides proper protection without taking up the whole backseat is quite a challenge. Well done.
As an aside, I'd just like to compliment your bass again, Goran... that is one of my favorites. ;)
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Wow! Merry Christmas to Goran! And all the rest of us too as you've found a very cool modern case that will fit our king-sized instruments. This is great!
Is this the "light" version? I can totally see it as a replacement for my gig bags which are starting to fall apart after 30+ years. And as you point out, the weight is almost the same, maybe less than my old Reunion Blues bags!
It is thinner than I expected it to be and makes me think I wouldn't leave it standing very often. I see it even has feet on the omega end of the case if you wanted to be extremely daring. Yikes! It's also so thin I may be able to fit both my traveling basses into one slot of my bass trunk. (Oh oh, does that mean I need to bring 4 basses on the road? Trouble!)
A couple questions: I'm wondering about the small feet on the flat side of the case as in the pic below (for laying the case down to open it). These are directly under the bass body so I'd like to know if you can feel these in the fabric on the inside of the case? In other words, are these hard points in contact with the bass body?
Second question, hard to tell in the pics, does the lid have any shaping to it's cushion which would hold the bass body down and leave space for the knobs? Like in the area I've circled below?
This is an exciting find Goran, thanks for checking it out for us! I have the feeling this company may be getting some good business from this very forum!
Jimmy J
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So here is a little story, so the owner wanted me to have this case under the Christmas tree, so my wife had to go and pickup the case with the car (she was telling me she is going to meet up with her friend), then she left the case in the car during night, she woke up at 5 am, went to the car, pick up the case and put it under tree. She was so out of herself because we live downtown in the apartment, so car wasn't even close our place. I did woke up when she came home during night, but she just said that she forgot to unfreeze our meat for lunch, ha! So, she did it perfectly, I woke up in the morning, my son had his gifts and I didn't even notice the big case under tree, she just said there is something extra for you down here. Man, she just made my day.
So, bare in mind I have dyslexia, so it's a bit hard to write, specially in foreign language. I'm sharing you the clip that I did, it's easier for me, and you can see the case.
So here is the clip:
And old case of my friend, for his Alembic.
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Edward, thanks a lot, I love my bass :)
Btw, here is a guitar case from my friend. Just got it too.
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Goran!
Sweet story about how your wife surprised you. That's good elf work! Thanks very much for this demo video. I didn't mean for you to be doing this kind of thing on Christmas Day! My bad!
This company is clearly making a great product. Thanks for showing how the foam cradles the bass, and that there's no intrusion from the rivets holding on the feet. With all the violin. viola and cello cases they make it's clear they understand how to protect valuable instruments. It also seems they've come a long way since making that shell-type case for your friend.
I like your choice of "3D brown" with matt finish too. Very cool. I understand they can do almost anything graphically under the finish so I was thinking about some old flight labels, security tape, etc., make it look like it's already been around the world. A new old case. Ha!
I'm going to have to reach out to these folks about placing an order. Having recently had new in-ear monitors made from digital 3D scans of my ear canal impressions ... we're almost to the point where the entire instrument could be scanned and emailed off for a perfect fit. But in lieu of that, I expect I'll be doing some paper and pencil tracing work.
Thanks again! Enjoy that new case!
Jimmy J
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Thanks, I will enjoy it, I'll do a small review after some days on the road.
also, I talked to guys in the company told them about this group, the Alembic forum, he said we could do a discount for the group, told him a lot about alembic and you guys, so any of you are interested please you could send me an p.m. and could arrange something. Btw. all this is still in learning proces process for them between Accord company and bass players to see what we need/like/want.
I'll keep you posted.
cheers all
Also my wife is violin player in symphony orchestra, and this is her's case. It's not mat finish, and it's different color inside.
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Just found this on youtube:
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Hey guys, so after months of using this case, I can't tell you how it is. you can carry it as normal case, or as a gigbag (check pic).
The only drawback is that the shell is little longer than standard gig-bag. It's as long as Gruvgear gigbag. Also I talked to people that made it, they said that if I ever change the bass, so it has different shape, that there is no problem of changing the inside of the case, so new bass can fit. But, that's why the shell is longer than some gigbags, you can really put any bass inside.
It's just a really great case.
P.S. and yes I'm doing the modeling...
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Yeah, a superb bass needs a great case.
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Nice job of modeling!
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Goran,
I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying your Accord case because they're currently building a pair for me. :D These will be for local gigs as replacements for my worn out Reunion Blues gig bags. If I enjoy them as well as you do I'll probably order one of their heavier flight cases.
I'll jump back into this thread when I get my hands on them.
Jimmy J
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@Jimmy wow, that's great. You gonna love them. Did you send them the measurement of your bass?
I'm just about to make another one for my other bass!
@David yea was going on a gig, and have to say I hate doing that (not going on gig, but modeling) :)
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I went to the London Guitar Show this afternoon and found a company here in the UK making carbon fibre instrument cases. They are called Wiseman and based in London. Fortunately I had my Europa 5 bass with me so he could draw around it for a template and take measurements. I expect to get a quote from them sometime towards the end of next week. They have not done an electric bass case before so this is going to be their first. We discussed about having a compartment inside that will hold the DS-5 power supply, power and bass cable spare strings and the strap and he has some interesting ideas for those. https://wisemanlondon.com
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I just got another case for my other basses, because inside of my Series 1 only that bass can fit in.
@Jimmy did yo get yours?
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Hey Goran,
Yes I did get my cases, two of the lighter weight models. Quite an ordeal having them sent directly to me with no US distributor involved. That made ME the importer which involved signing a "Power Of Attorney" for the customs broker, paying import duty, "destination terminal" charges and money wiring fees... They ended up being quite expensive by the time they got here. But I'm not using them at this point because the fit isn't really as good as I had hoped for and the case is so narrow that having feet on the bottom seems senseless.
Don't get me wrong, they are making great products. I love the shape of the shells and they do a great job with the hardware. They also did the best they could from the drawings I mailed them and without having seen my instruments.
And my cases are not totally wrong, they close with the basses in them and would serve the purpose of local transportation. They're just not a great fit. My plan is to see if I can modify the insides myself, or maybe find a case maker here who could. In the meantime my ancient Reunion Blues gig bags are still my mode of travel for local gigs.
I wrote a long note to Accord about my experiences and suggested they offer an electric guitar and bass case with deeper shells, or at least a deeper bottom shell. Something that might stand on its edge. I hope they do that someday.
Jimmy J
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Oh, so sorry to hear that Importing stuff is such a drag. Too bad they don't fit as great, but I'm sure you can send them an email about it, maybe they can send you the thicker or thinner foam that goes around the body (pic), so it fits better...