Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: Mission Control on July 06, 2020, 07:24:40 AM
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Ok folks, As promised, here is the Osiris Bass Document in progress. This is a labor of love. I do not claim or presume it's 100% accurate, but it's pretty close. Additions and corrections are welcome. Enjoy!
Osiris aka Mission Control Bass Document by : Jason Scheuner
Alembic Custom Bass Guitar called “Osiris” aka “Mission Control” aka “Osage Orange” aka “The Omega”, built by Rick Turner for Phil Lesh not just for, but as part of the Grateful Dead’s legendary Wall of Sound. Started in 1972, completed in mid 1974. Serial Number 74 00008.
The Osiris bass debuted on stage June 16th 1974 and was played at almost every show until
7-1-79, but was occasionally spelled by the Alembic modified Guild Starfire known as “Big Brown”
250+ shows
Additional Notes:
Featured in Rolling Stone article about Alembic Sept. 27th 1973
6 Channel Bass. Neck pick up, Bridge pick up, Quad pick up (individual output for each string)
Part of Legendary Wall of Sound 1974
Featured in Grateful Dead Movie 1974
Played at Grateful Dead’s return from hiatus show (by invitation only) at GAMH 1975
Day on the Green 1976
Played at GD’s most famous show 5-8-77 Barton Hall, Cornell University
Played at the Great Pyramid in Egypt Sept. 1978
Played at first performance of the Grateful Dead at MSG in NYC 1979
Still has original Guild Starfire guitar case that was used from 1974.
With the bass are also the Metal plates, Aluminum Receptacle block, Pickup and two knobs added by Tom Smith as well as the last strings played by Phil Lesh on the bass. And from the first stage of restoration; Gruhn shop built pickups, and jigs, Alembic Series I tailpiece.
Features Alembic Superfilter installed by Gruhn guitars (confirmed by George Mundy to do the exact same thing as the original electronics with a lot less noise, and each knob still does the exact same thing it did in 1974)
One of the first instruments ever built with LED dot markers on the neck, and they are still all original and functional.
Original groundbreaking electronics were by Ron Wickersham and George Mundy that lead to Parametric EQ’s and Alembic Superfilter, etc.
Materials:
Top and Back: Koa
Core: Mahogany
Neck-Thru: 7 piece Osage Orange, Walnut, and Maple
Brazilian Rosewood Headstock veneer overlays front and back sandwiched over Koa, Osage Orange, Walnut and Maple.
Accent Stripes: Maple and Walnut
Fingerboard: Ebony
24 Frets
Scale Length: 32”
Inlays: Mother of Pearl, Abalone, Brass, Opals, Lapis Lazuli, Hashish.
Nut: Scalloped Brass
Bridge: Brass Alembic
Tailpiece: Brass and Walnut “Batwing”
Tuning Machines: Schaller
10.75 pounds (heavier in the 70’s due to the weight of the electronics of the era)
Timeline:
Started in 1972 at Alembic “Chicken Ranch” workshop 9850 Old Redwood Hwy. in Cotati, CA.
Played from 6-16-74 thru 7-1-79
Modified by Tom Smith 1981 (pick ups and electronics removed)
Returned to room #4 Front St, studio 1982ish
Moved to storage Unit in Windsor, CA. by Kidd Candelario 1995 (after Garcia’s death)
Storage Unit default sometime between 2012 and 2014
Sold to Gruhn Guitars 2014
First stage of restoration by Gruhn 2016-2019
Purchased by Scheuner Family Dec. 2019
Original Neck and Bridge pick ups found an acquired from Fred Hammon Jan. 2020
LEDs in the Koa top replaced by Rick and Eli Turner 2-20-20 (signed inside by Rick Turner and Eli Turner)
Last stage of Restoration completed ?/?/20 Original Neck and Bridge pick ups installed, historically accurate hum cancelling coils built and installed, historically accurate batwing tailpiece built and installed, historically accurate quad pick up built and installed.
Sources: Rick Turner, Jason Scheuner, Mica Thomas, George Mundy, Stu Nixon and Deadbase, Fred Hammon, Gruhn Guitars, Warwick Stone, Andy Logan, Grateful Dead Gear Book, Rolling Stone Magazine September 23rd 1973, Videos, Photos,
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Duplicate of the above post. Along with some replies, moved here from the Showcase thread for "Phil Lesh's Custom Omega Cut Alembic" (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8076).
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Posting the same long post in two different threads will split the discussion. In order to keep all of the discussion in one place, perhaps you could edit your post in the Phil Lesh thread, taking out all of the text and replacing it with a link to this thread.
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Or just link to this one in a new post and ask that people post here?
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... Alembic Custom Bass Guitar called “Osiris” ... built by Rick Turner for Phil Lesh ...
Personally, I think it more reasonable to say that the bass was built by Alembic. It has been Alembic's view that all of their instruments have been and are a team effort and that no one person builds an instrument.
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In a word - WOW. That's the most information I have ever seen documented on that bass. Thanks for posting here Jason. :)
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Jason that is really an exemplary documentation ! Thanks or posting that here.
As well , I should mention that I saw this bass ; Osiris aka Mission Control Bass , on the work bench
of Mr. George Munday while he was working on my old Guild Starfire , back in the 1970s .
http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8984.0 (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8984.0)
Thanks ,
Wolf
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Ok boys and girls. The restoration and minor corrections are done. The bass is basically back to where it was when it was new. Rick Turner installed the Original Neck and Bridge pick-ups recovered after over 40 years. (Thank you Fred Hammon!!!!) Historically accurate Hum Canceling coil, and Quad pick up built and installed by Rick Turner as well. Historically accurate "Batwing" Brass and Walnut tailpiece also built and installed by Rick. Rick also provided me with a vintage, donor, U-channel bridge from another 1974 Alembic bass to finish off the corrections that were needed. We even corrected the overlay material for the buttons on the bass side of the top for the correct look. The original electronics were basically a super filter, so by installing a Super Filter into the bass during the first stage of the restoration , we were able to get the exact same functions on each and every knob as it was in 1974. Osiris aka Mission Control aka The Osage aka The Omega is BACK!!!!!! ....and Ready to rock!!!!! Professional photos coming soon. HUGE thanks are due to Fred Hammon for providing me with the Original pick-ups, Mica and Alembic for all their information and support, and Rick Turner for all the excellent work, info, and insight during this project...not to mention leading the build on the instrument so many decades ago!!!!! First chance I get, I will take Osiris to visit the Mothership and get the ole once over twice. :) Mucho Garcia! Weir GratePHIL!!!!!
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That is awesome. looking forward to pictures. :-D
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So glad it ended up in the right hands!
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I hope this helps answer a few questions. Enjoy!
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Thanks for posting. Agree with Edwin... for so many ways this could have gone wrong, to have that bass restored to this degree, and played, and appreciated... just doesn't get much better.
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Mission Control bringing the thunder… on stage with Kevin Scott, Gov’t Mike’s new bass player, in San Diego 6.10.2023!
(http://club.alembic.com/blob:https://club.alembic.com/06596567-5614-401e-9637-d588c218b0f0)
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Cool! Woody would approve.