Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Showcase => Orion Basses and Guitars => Topic started by: jazzyvee on December 29, 2025, 09:32:35 AM

Title: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: jazzyvee on December 29, 2025, 09:32:35 AM

I've just realised today that it's 20yrs this month since I bought my Orion Guitar and over that time it's covered many miles with me touring Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany,USA, Canada, UK, Italy. Not too long after purchase I changed the original bass/treble electronics for  a single filter based set instead with three position Q-switch which I much prefer. I've recently started rehearsing with a local reggae band and have been using this guitar. I'm slowly getting my dexterity back and considering making changes to the guitar.

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: DistillaMatto on December 30, 2025, 06:36:12 PM

Very nice. Was that a custom build?

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: jazzyvee on December 31, 2025, 03:19:39 AM

No it was NOS and a forgotten treasure lost in a German music store warehouse for about 10 yrs.

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: DistillaMatto on January 09, 2026, 06:02:38 AM

I wondered because of the special inlay at the 12th fret. The photo is small so it is hard to see.

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: jazzyvee on January 09, 2026, 03:31:18 PM

I had that once I decided it was a keeper.

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: adriaan on January 10, 2026, 03:44:43 AM

[Discussion separated from this Showcase thread (https://club.alembicguitars.com/index.php?topic=8829).]

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: edwardofhuncote on January 10, 2026, 04:33:36 AM

I have no recollection of this guitar Jazzy... until you posted in the thread I don't think I'd ever seen it. Maybe because most of the 12 years I've been around here you've mostly played bass, and the guitar I usually have associated with you was Dragon Magic or the modified Strat. (?)


That's an interesting Orion though... beautiful quilted maple top, and the controls after your mods mirror almost exactly what my Japanese Alembic copy guitar 'Miyagi' are. I'm sure they are the same HGR pickups. Just the basics... Volume, Filter, 3-position Q-switch and a pickup selector. https://club.alembicguitars.com/index.php?topic=26927.30

Title: Re: Jazzyvee's Orion Guitar
Post by: jazzyvee on January 11, 2026, 07:07:45 AM

Hi Greg, I was originally looking for a California special, but was always outbid on ebay. So when this NOS guitar showed up in a German store listing, I called them up and offered to buy it at the reserve price. It originally had a matt finish and the quilt was not as prominent. But it eventually replaced my strat as my main gigging guitar and over the years it has become a mostly shiny maple top. TBH, I do prefer the matt finish.
https://club.alembicguitars.com/index.php?topic=8820.msg103904#msg103904 (https://club.alembicguitars.com/index.php?topic=8820.msg103904#msg103904)