Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: flaxattack on February 07, 2006, 02:14:08 PM

Title: February Custom
Post by: flaxattack on February 07, 2006, 02:14:08 PM

WHAT CAN ONE SAY?
its a beautiful stunning masterpiece for one of the nicest people i have ever met......
mazel tov my friend,.,,,
play long and prosper.......
i had to copy the continuous wood everything on my tribute bass after seeing this months ago...

Title: February Custom
Post by: crgaston on February 07, 2006, 02:19:39 PM

Dang it, Jeff, you beat me to it! Congratulations, Valentino, and great photos and writeup, Mica!

Title: February Custom
Post by: flaxattack on February 07, 2006, 02:32:37 PM

my only comment
i think a lighter background would bring out the bass more

Title: February Custom
Post by: lidon2001 on February 07, 2006, 02:42:37 PM

Congratulations Valentino!  So many great instruments to show, yet long overdue.
 
Tom

Title: February Custom
Post by: mica on February 07, 2006, 03:47:42 PM

I love this bass, even changed my wallpaper this month! Well, I can't do anything about the carpet, it is what it is. But just for you, Jeff, here it is on a  white background (http://www3.alembic.com/img/inst/valval_whitebk.jpg).  
 
Enjoy!

Title: February Custom
Post by: 811952 on February 07, 2006, 03:51:44 PM

Wow.  I want Val to design one for me.  I probably will need Santa Claus to pay for it though.  Nice bass.  Niiiiiice bass.
John

Title: February Custom
Post by: David Houck on February 07, 2006, 04:09:55 PM

Wow!!!!

Title: February Custom
Post by: keurosix on February 07, 2006, 04:18:12 PM

That is a stunning work of art! Absolutely breathtaking! Love the 5 point body shape, the tailpiece, the continuous coco everything....

Title: February Custom
Post by: tubeperson on February 07, 2006, 05:45:23 PM

Quite outstanding for an all around good guy.  Val, this is even better than the perfect woman, no need to fuss over diamonds or fur coats.  It gives you back unconditional love.  Play her well, often and in good taste.  You are the envy of us all.

Title: February Custom
Post by: the_8_string_king on February 07, 2006, 05:55:56 PM

Quite a stunning beauty, Val!  I especially love the precision BTC on the back!

Title: February Custom
Post by: jaysimon on February 07, 2006, 06:32:48 PM

Unreal. Just spectacular. Okay, I'll stop hitting you with adjectives.

Title: February Custom
Post by: dwmark on February 07, 2006, 07:00:08 PM

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.  Also happy that a long-standing, mature company can still find the end of the envelope and push way beyond it.
 
dw

Title: February Custom
Post by: bsee on February 07, 2006, 07:07:24 PM

Sweetest bass on the planet.  It's amazing that such an out there instrument can also be so understated.  Glad to see it finished and ready for action!

Title: February Custom
Post by: valvil on February 07, 2006, 07:13:37 PM

Thank you all, I can safely say in retrospect, that I got EVERYTHING right this time. No  I should have done this...
Of course working at the place helped a bit...
 
Playing it is truly a blissful experience.  
 
Now if can just send my Low B2  to Andy at Acme and get it back soon, (it got raided, pillaged & pretty much rendered useless by some pesky mice), things would be even better....  At least Andy thanked me for making him laugh, he hadn't heard that one yet...didn't someone in the club go through this?
 
Valentino

Title: February Custom
Post by: flaxattack on February 07, 2006, 09:46:26 PM

(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/24915.jpg)

Title: February Custom
Post by: flaxattack on February 07, 2006, 09:47:46 PM

if i only had photo shop........
basssssssssss in sppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccceeeeeee
 
ok you kids
breaks over
back to work.,...
lol

Title: February Custom
Post by: dejan on February 07, 2006, 11:59:54 PM

Ciao Valentino,great bass.Beautiful wood and original tailpiece!I would like to ear the sound,if you recorded something,send it to me.Auguri!

Title: February Custom
Post by: jacko on February 08, 2006, 01:26:40 AM

Another fantastic COTM. Congratulations Val, it really is a stunner. I especially like the tailpiece. Is this now a standard Alembic body shape?
 
Graeme

Title: February Custom
Post by: foth on February 08, 2006, 02:02:52 AM

Hey Valentino, I love this bass!  I've had the picture that you took for your FTC thread on my work computer for a long time.  Nice to see it as the February COTM.

Title: February Custom
Post by: mpisanek on February 08, 2006, 03:36:46 AM

What a beautiful bass!!!
 
It amazes me that you can still even find a company that will work with a customer, any customer, to get them what they want, and not just try to get the customer to buy whatever it is they are selling!  It would appear that even customers have great ideas!!!!!!
 
Val, you have a truly amazing bass!!

Title: February Custom
Post by: ajdover on February 08, 2006, 05:07:54 AM

Val,
 
    Congratulations on what must be a dream bass for you.  While points, pistol grips, and omegas aren't my thing personally, I've got to admit your bass is beautiful.  I love the bridge - the ebony saddles are cool.  Enjoy it in the best of health.
 
Best regards,
 
Alan

Title: February Custom
Post by: dadabass2001 on February 08, 2006, 05:11:12 AM

Congratulations Val!
Play her in excellent health and enjoy every note.
Mike
(another jealous one)

Title: February Custom
Post by: keith_h on February 08, 2006, 05:39:12 AM

All I can say is it's beautiful (as I turn green with envy).  
 
Keith

Title: February Custom
Post by: zuperdog on February 08, 2006, 06:07:43 AM

Contgrats, Val! A beautiful companion!

Title: February Custom
Post by: kmh364 on February 08, 2006, 06:51:43 AM

Very nice, Val. Your taste is impeccable!

Title: February Custom
Post by: lowlife on February 08, 2006, 07:05:43 AM

The Bird of Prey must have an awesome sound.  Congrts Val!
 
Ellery (Lowlife)

Title: February Custom
Post by: rami on February 08, 2006, 07:24:09 AM

Val, your Bass is just spectacular.  I'm getting more of those ideas for a potential future project - after I vowed that the Black Byrd would be my last.
 
Congrats,
 
Rami

Title: February Custom
Post by: tom_z on February 08, 2006, 07:38:19 AM

Val - Your bass is stunning! What a triumph of Art and Engineering. Congratulations.  
 
I eagerly look forward to your future instruments. =)
 
Tom

Title: February Custom
Post by: tom_z on February 08, 2006, 07:42:18 AM

By the way - I'd love to see a gallery of the Valentino Series of instruments some time.

Title: February Custom
Post by: southpaw on February 08, 2006, 07:47:04 AM

Val, How does the ebony sustain bar differ from the brass one? tone, weight, sustain?...
I am interested in changing to ebony and would like your opinion.
Stunning bass Val, congrats.

Title: February Custom
Post by: rklisme on February 08, 2006, 11:00:14 AM

Val
 
Very cool, enjoy!
 
Rory

Title: February Custom
Post by: jaysimon on February 08, 2006, 01:29:35 PM

i also wonder about the ebony vs the brass, might this become a new option on upcoming instruments?

Title: February Custom
Post by: valvil on February 08, 2006, 03:36:00 PM

Well, even though I have a second bridge with brass saddles, as well as a second nut made of brass, I must confess that I've never tried putting those on to hear the difference.  
Part of the reason is that I love the sound of it as it is, the other part is that I just never got around to it. But soon I'll be taking a week off work and among other things I plan to try that combination. So far my impression ( and James' as well) is that you get a slightly woodier sound with ebony saddles and nut. Also open notes and the fretted notes sound very similar.
 
In regards to ebony saddles being available for order, the answer is yes. We already have a customer that has requested them for his bass after seeing them on mine.  
 
Paul, I'm not sure if you are referring to the saddles or the bridge block. The saddles are ebony but the bridge block is regular brass, just covered by a piece of coco bolo.
 
Valentino
 
(Message edited by valvil on February 08, 2006)

Title: February Custom
Post by: bob on February 08, 2006, 05:08:47 PM

Here's another little nudge to get you to swap out the saddles. The difference between open and fretted notes should only be affected by the nut (you know this, of course), so I'm mostly curious what difference the saddles make.
 
Of course, if future saddles will be ebony on top of brass, then this might not tell us as much, but it would still be quite interesting.
 
Much as I generally dislike pointy things, this is a beauty, Val. Enjoy.
-Bob

Title: February Custom
Post by: bigredbass on February 08, 2006, 06:50:26 PM

Over the course of the Featured Customs, there's always some I like, a few I really love, yet more than I would expect fall into the 'What WERE they thinking???' file.  No reflection on ALEMBIC, just the side effect of someone being able to get just EXACTLY they wanted.
 
And I'm very 'old school'; some of the new shapes are I'm sure necessary, but I could NEVER warm up to some of them.
 
But . . . leave it to an Italian ! !  Double V, I am just dumbstruck looking at this bass.  The 'tailoring' if you will is just so precisely balanced among the colors of the woods and the woods you selected.  And I'm really not usually inclined towards the dark woods.  I really like the tailpiece, and the idea of ebony nut and saddle echoes the idea of a brass nut to match the sound of the metal frets.
 
I would like to suggest that this become a Signature model in fretless only.  I can only imagine what Alain Caron or Gary Willis would sound like on this remarkable instrument, not to mention you, paisan!  I'm really amazed at the shapes you've conjured up, and just how much they 'hit' me.
 
I can scarcely imagine the line that would have formed at NAMM to see this bass.
 
J o e y

Title: February Custom
Post by: jeff on February 09, 2006, 07:05:23 AM

Valentino,
 
Ever since I first saw the pictures you posted of this bass on the club website, I have been in awe. Your bass has to be one of the most beautiful Alembics ever made and is truly inspiring.  I'm so glad that a good guy like yourself is the proud owner.  Congratulations my friend.
 
Jeff

Title: February Custom
Post by: jack on February 09, 2006, 12:01:32 PM

Really dig that tailpiece.  Awesome.
 
What does this mean:
 
Since the string nut and saddles are made of Ebony (more on that later), the tailpiece needed that little Ebony shim under it.  
 
Is that because the ebony is a bit more delicate than brass, so less of an angle to the tailpiece?  Does that effect tension?  Why not make the tailpiece taller rather than slip a shim under it (unless the brass was already machined, I guess)?  Or did I misunderstand shim?
 
-Jack

Title: February Custom
Post by: mica on February 09, 2006, 12:14:36 PM

I need to reword that - it's referring to the decorative feature of the Ebony shim. On some of the models, the tailpiece is made from a chunk of Ebony with a brass overlay. Many of the early instruments we build were made this way out of necessity. Now we do it only for decoritive purposes.

Title: February Custom
Post by: kenbass4 on February 09, 2006, 12:20:56 PM

Jack,
 
I may be mistaken, but I think the need was an asthetic one, to give it a more balanced appearance.  
 
Valentino - Congratulations on the FC. And thank you for letting me play it when I visited. It made me order my current Series 2.
 
HEY!!! I guess I was right! It happens occasionally.
 
(Message edited by kenbass4 on February 09, 2006)

Title: February Custom
Post by: jack on February 09, 2006, 12:44:25 PM

I got it.  needed that ebony shim not as in required but demanded.  Like my girlfriend 'needs' a new handbag to go with a new dress (and new shoes, and new jewelry...).
 
Thanks for clarification.  I checked it out on the original Factory to Customer thread too.  What a bass!

Title: February Custom
Post by: lbpesq on February 10, 2006, 07:16:23 AM

Hey Val, Congrats!  Beeeeeeeauuuutiful bass.  I got back from NY last night.  For some reason every time I checked the site on my mom's computer in NY, the FOTM was still Owl (no slouch either).  I was reading all this stuff about your bass, but the only picture I saw was Scott's Further.  I just went on line at home and voila there's the Bird!   Awesome.  I especially love the headstock omega.  May you play it in good health for many years to come.
 
Bill, tgo

Title: February Custom
Post by: jacko on February 10, 2006, 07:18:55 AM

Bill.
You may just need to click refresh on the explorer bar. Sometimes all you're seeing is the cached images.
 
Graeme

Title: February Custom
Post by: lbpesq on February 10, 2006, 09:06:21 AM

Graeme:
 
I tried that, but it didn't work.  My mom uses AOL, so maybe that had something to do with it.  
 
Bill, tgo

Title: February Custom
Post by: Bradley Young on February 10, 2006, 02:15:15 PM

Bill,
 
AOL uses caching pretty agressively.  This has been known to cause problems; fortunately, it saves on their bandwidth bills so they can let more spam in.
 
Sarcasm aside, you were viewing a cached copy from AOL's servers, rather than what was on the actual Alembic site.
 
Brad

Title: February Custom
Post by: lbpesq on February 10, 2006, 02:23:13 PM

Brad, thanks for clearing up the mystery.  I was hoping it wasn't my mother's fault!  LOL
 
Bill, tgo