Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Fun Stories => Topic started by: 5a_quilt_top on January 07, 2014, 02:02:46 PM

Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: 5a_quilt_top on January 07, 2014, 02:02:46 PM
Over the holiday break I had to take my Stanley Clarke Sig Deluxe to my guitar tech to do a little fretwork - the fret ends were protruding due to slight fretboard shrinkage.
 
When I picked it up, he raved about the perfection of the instrument saying this is the finest bass I've ever seen. I consider this to be high praise as he's an ex-machinist and has worked on thousands of instruments over his 20+ year second career as a guitar tech.
 
He also said he looked real hard to find any imperfection and could find none.
 
Unfortunately, he kept referring to it as an Olympic...
 
Oh well...you say tomato and I say to-MAH-to.
 
At least he liked it!
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: pauldo on January 08, 2014, 04:29:04 PM
Nice!
 :- D
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on January 17, 2014, 09:35:29 PM
OTOH, tonight one of the Rockford newscasters was discussing a charity hockey game, which featured not only a lot of former Blackhawks but an Alembic standout!
 
 
Peter
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: dadabass2001 on January 18, 2014, 12:20:22 PM
Maybe they were thinking of Cheap Trick's 12 string bass...
;)
Mike
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: 5a_quilt_top on January 21, 2014, 11:29:19 AM
On that note, is anyone going to be watching the winter Alembic games in Sochi?
 
I hear fretboard gymnastics, neck diving and the bi-amp-a-thon will be new categories of competition...
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: alembic76407 on January 21, 2014, 02:57:34 PM
Yes I'm in to Alembic Curling
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: hankster on January 31, 2015, 05:34:21 PM
Don't give the IOC any ideas. They may not be above attepting to enjoin the use of the name Alembic without their express permission.  And a licensing fee.
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: 5a_quilt_top on February 02, 2015, 09:58:16 AM
But just think of the cool logo that would result if the rings were combined with the cloud!
 
...The Cloud of the Rings
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: dave_hardy on February 02, 2015, 04:09:12 PM
Hello, forum! My name is David, and I was the last legitimate owner of the wonderful Jack Casady bass. It was stolen from me by a man in Mill Valley, California.
 
I have spoken with Jack about it, and he knows who I am, and the whole story.
 
She's a beauty. At once you notice the uniquely carved front and back. When I first bought it, I went to a leather store in San Francisco, and made my own thick strap, and decided I wanted to try to play it in the same position I'd seen Jack play it. Well, this is a bit on the TMI side, but on the back of the bass, there is a concave spot, like a very shallow bowl, carved into a central spot. Yep, guys, you feel the bass on your stuff. That was a trip.
 
In the case are a blue box; a power supply. If you use that, the LEDs light up, and if you just use the 1/4 jack, it's what you'd expect.
 
The pick-ups are unique, cast in clear resin, and you can see the gold foil wrapped pick-up magnets inside. The two pick-ups are mounted on thin brass rods, which allow you to move the pick-ups, up to the neck or down to the bridge - completely flexible! Put them together, move them apart.
 
The neck has amazing inlay, with scrimshaw type work. Below the bridge, you might have noticed a violin type tailpiece. It has a small, tooled (for grip) brass knob. Turn the knob, and the whole piece comes off - to reveal a generous stash box in the body! Clever for the traveling musician!
 
The electronics were changed and updated during the years that Jack owned and played it. The pots are mounted on a thin piece of wood, and the cavity in the body is rather large, so a hard slap
could potentially break the wood, giving it a trip back to Ron and Alembic, which was also a good time to make any desired changes in the electronics. It had series 2, when Jack sold it, and when I owned it.
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: sonicus on February 02, 2015, 04:34:14 PM
Hello Dave , Welcome to the Alembic Club. I have read your story on the internet and I am certain that there are links on this site directing to your story as well as well as multiple threads regrading this instrument .  I am familiar with 72-01 and heard Jack play it often . I have done a little research on this bass as well .  
 
 Sonic Regards ,  
 
     Wolf AKA Sonicus@ The Alembic Club
 
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/206423.jpg)
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: mtjam on February 02, 2015, 05:37:35 PM
Welcome, Dave! Thanks for sharing some info on this wonderful bass. I always enjoy reading about the earliest Alembics...or any Alembics, for that matter! See you around the Club!
Title: "The Finest Bass I've Ever Seen"
Post by: 5a_quilt_top on February 03, 2015, 10:55:50 AM
72-01 - an amazing and enigmatic instrument.  It intrigued me for years and was the inspiration for my "Crown of Creation" custom project (Susan re-created the iconic body shape, sans carving):  
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/206479.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/206480.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/206481.jpg)