Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: Tracey Gholson (fretted4) on November 26, 2002, 06:46:12 PM

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Tracey Gholson (fretted4) on November 26, 2002, 06:46:12 PM

Hello there, and thanks to everyone on the earlier post of the sounds of series 1 and 2. Anyways, as a huge fan of fleetwood mac and alembic, I have been planning to order the dream of my life, alembic, and ive noticed that during the 70's , john mcvie of fleetwood mac had used series 1 and 2's.  Can anybody send me some information on the basses that he had ordered? type of wood, control configuration, things like that, this is probably a question for mica,  im hoping to use this information to forward my planning of a custom bass order, maybe future john mcvie signature bass for me???? time will tell. thanks

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Derwin Moss (bassdude63) on November 26, 2002, 08:27:00 PM

An article in Bass Player magazine featuring Modulus Graphite's founder Geoff Gould, Rick Turner, and Alembic stated that John's first Alembic had a graphite neck. Apparently the bass  was the first graphite- neck bass and was featured at a NAMM show by Alembic. I also recall seeing an old Fleetwood Mac video where John was playing a beautiful fretless Series bass.

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: David Fung (dfung60) on November 27, 2002, 06:59:52 AM

There's a very nice Fleetwood Mac box set that came out a couple of years ago.  It includes a small booklet with many pictures, including many of John with various Alembics which were his main basses during the height of their success.  The one most commonly pictured is a very early model that predates the design of the body and bridge settling down and looks to have the brown pickups.
 
I have an old FM video documentary from the 70's as well, and there are pictures of him playing with a more regular looking Series I that has a zebrawood top.  
 
I've never seen a picture of it, but I believe he also has the fretless with a stainless steel fingerboard.
 
Could that tone on the bass break in The Chain be anything other than an Alembic?  :-)
 
David Fung

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Derwin Moss (bassdude63) on November 27, 2002, 08:04:10 PM

A fretless bass with a stainless steel fingerboard? I'd like to hear that in person! I wonder how well his strings held up? (Usually fretless player's are concerned about fingerboard wear-not so in this case!!)
D.M.

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Tracey Gholson (fretted4) on November 27, 2002, 11:08:10 PM

ah yes, the chain, that riff was the very first thing i learned to play on my first bass, a 70 dollar mako bass i bought at a pawn shop, thanks!

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Wally Malone (wally_malone) on January 01, 2003, 01:42:57 PM

I've got a gig with a Fleetwood Mac tribute band called Rumours at the Carson  Valley Inn, Nevada from Feb 11-16. I'll be using my Alembic on this gig, however it is a six-string.
 
Wally

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Rami Sourour (rami) on January 01, 2003, 03:04:31 PM

I'd like to see a picture of that stainless steel fingerboard!!!  Like Derwin mentioned, I guess when playing that, he didn't have to worry about fingerboard wear.  Probably wore out his strings!

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: Joey Wilson (bigredbass) on January 03, 2003, 05:42:00 AM

Susan Wickersham makes mention of the stainless fretless in the History article back on the ALEMBIC website; she wondered if it should have been termed a fretless or continually-fretted fingerboard !

Title: John McVIe Alembic Basses
Post by: metalbasscom on January 21, 2006, 11:30:03 AM

Here's a picture of a stainless steel fretless.
It's not an Alembic though.
 
http://kevincorren.com/gittler_bass.html (http://kevincorren.com/gittler_bass.html)
 
(Message edited by metalbasscom on January 21, 2006)