Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: BeenDown139 on August 02, 2024, 07:58:52 AM

Title: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: BeenDown139 on August 02, 2024, 07:58:52 AM
i am the proud owner of a shop night fretless bass that is affectionately known for various reasons as the A-Bass.  i got a serial number lookup a while back that i thought told the whole story:
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=27789.0

last night i got an email from a fellow clubber (alembican? alembizen?) who stumbled across the rest of the story:

http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/2056.html?1370671523

so, apparently this bass is more special than i ever knew.  i had no idea.

obtw, thanx, rob!

🗿

Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: jon_jackson on August 02, 2024, 08:42:10 AM
Really strong bloodlines in your "A-Bass," especially now with the Val connection bing known.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: adriaan on August 02, 2024, 09:04:40 AM
That's a link to the old Club, best not to use those as the old links will not remain accessible indefinitely.

The current location is https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8604.0
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: BeenDown139 on August 02, 2024, 10:30:43 AM
Quote
especially now with the Val connection bing known.

ok i did a google on Valentino Villevieille with ambiguous results.  please fill me in on who this is/was.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: BeenDown139 on August 02, 2024, 10:44:31 AM
also btw here she is all lit up on a summer day hanging out with her more expensive cousin who has her own tale of transformation to tell.  two very remarkable basses if i say so myself.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on August 02, 2024, 10:57:50 AM
Quote
especially now with the Val connection bing known.

ok i did a google on Valentino Villevieille with ambiguous results.  please fill me in on who this is/was.

Maybe try the "Search" function at the top of the page?  he was active here once upon a time.

Peter
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: BeenDown139 on August 02, 2024, 01:54:06 PM
Quote
Maybe try the "Search" function at the top of the page?  he was active here once upon a time.

tried it.  no soap.  🛀
(apparently that's a boomer expression i shouldn't use anymore because it denigrates the unwashed 🤬 )

btw the A-bass is riding the bench because i have some pretty tuff 5-string fretted songs to learn for an audition tuesday.  looks like the MKDeluxe is going dancing with me again.  yay!
🗿
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: jon_jackson on August 02, 2024, 04:09:03 PM
Valentino was active on the club for many years in the early 2000s. He was a moderator and worked (I believe) at Alembic for a while. Kind of an interface to the club / customers. If you search "valentino" while in a specific topic (such as Showcase, Alembic Basses and Guitars, Owning an Alembic, etc.) you can see his threads, comments, etc. For some reason they don't show up if done while on the home page, at least for me.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: gtrguy on August 02, 2024, 04:40:54 PM
Yes, he gave us a tour some years back of the mothership. Very nice person.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: edwardofhuncote on August 02, 2024, 05:04:53 PM
I have noticed several of his Alembics for sale recently, including the single-pickup Distillate he had converted to a long-scale. I hope something unfortunate hasn't happened.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on August 02, 2024, 09:14:29 PM
Quote
Maybe try the "Search" function at the top of the page?  he was active here once upon a time.

tried it.  no soap.  🛀
(apparently that's a boomer expression i shouldn't use anymore because it denigrates the unwashed 🤬 )

btw the A-bass is riding the bench because i have some pretty tuff 5-string fretted songs to learn for an audition tuesday.  looks like the MKDeluxe is going dancing with me again.  yay!
🗿

Just searching "Valentino" got me this:  https://club.alembic.com/index.php?action=search2 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?action=search2)


Peter
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: adriaan on August 03, 2024, 12:35:52 AM
Just searching "Valentino" got me this:  https://club.alembic.com/index.php?action=search2 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?action=search2)


Peter
One quirk of the forum software is that the url of the search results does not include the criteria, so you cannot share the link. It does however take you to the Search page, so that's a (non-)start.
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: BeenDown139 on August 04, 2024, 08:34:48 AM
well we're under the heat dome again (and again) in the mile hi today.  gettin too hot to even walk the dog so might as well post up...

Quote
I have noticed several of his Alembics for sale recently, including the single-pickup Distillate he had converted to a long-scale.

i bought the bass from a dealer in san diego.  it came in the crappy dean gig bag complete with broken handle as described in the previous owner's post:

"...Then one day while at an Airport the strap of the gig bag I had it in snapped from its ring because it was a  cheap plastic hook, and the bass, which was on my shoulder a moment before, went down smack on its head."

since i don't plan on gigging this bass unless something exceptional happens, i made a new paracord handle that should do until it shuffles off to its next owner. a bass like this really needs a case.

this bass has tone like no other fretless i've played. it's stereo, which is a requirement in hte house O'BeenDown.  same with LEDs.  very skinny neck, narrow close string spacing like a jazz bass without the taper.  my left hand likes it a lot.  righty, not so much.  here is a fragment from my hand rehab project.  i'm mostly in hte left channel.

Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: rv_bass on August 04, 2024, 01:39:04 PM
Bass sounds great, Tim 😊
Title: Re: the mighty A-Bass history redux
Post by: Quasar1 on August 04, 2024, 06:10:17 PM
Fabulous Sir !!