BUMP
 
What did you get this bass for its third Christmas?

fourth christmas, brian. fourth.
 
BUMP.

Austin,
 
Reading through, it's obvious that you've sent emails...  have you called and spoken with anyone at Alembic?  Just curious.  
 
I've been watching this one since it's inception and have been wondering for years what was going on.

fourth christmas, brian. fourth.
 
Ouch.  Sorry man.
 
Painful holiday bump.

BUMP BUMP
 
Greg

Austin,
 
     As a fellow Alembic owner and one who's gone through a lengthy build process to receipt of instrument, I'll offer the following ...
 
     Yes, it is very frustrating.  I will be honest and say that at one point I was on the verge of cancelling my order ... only to pull back from the brink once common sense set in.  I've learned the following over the build period for my instrument (which I now have):
 
1 - Excellence takes time.  And it is worth every minute.
2 - Family owned companies aren't like cookie cutter companies in that they have the time to dedicate to single instruments (unless you're talking custom shop instruments).  As a result, they pay attention to the slightest detail, which takes time.
3 - Customers expect a lot from Alembic since they're paying a lot.
4 - Alembic does its best to provide updates, but again, there is no one dedicated 24/7 to do that (I won't go into whether they should have someone doing that or not - that is a decision for Susan, Ron, Mica and crew to make).  Call them, and they'll be more than happy to update you, trust me.
5 - The more you change things mid stream, the more you add to the desired delivery date.  I know this first hand. ;-(
6 - Alembic will err on the side of caution when there is a build issue at hand.  In other words, they'll defer to you for input before making a change.  Again, another thing I know first hand.  This adds to the time it takes to make your instrument.  But, in the end, you get exactly what it is you tell them you want.  I know I did.
7 - Patience is indeed a virtue.
8 - Once in hand, you will have the instrument of your dreams, and all the frustration will wash away.  It did for me, anyway, when I was playing along to the Who this afternoon, a smile on my face.
9 - The look on the faces of fellow players when they see your instrument is worth the wait.  Everyone who sees (and hears) my bass is blown away by the looks and the tone.  To have bragging rights like that ... well .. the four years was worth it to me.
10 - In the end, you will get what you want, in spades.  
 
Be patient, my friend.  Trust me - good things, and I mean very good things will follow.
 
V/R,
 
Alan
 
P.S.  Bump, Bumpity, Bump Bump Bump!
 
(Message edited by ajdover on December 25, 2009)
 
(Message edited by ajdover on December 25, 2009)

Patience?
 
Don't say that, the man is waiting for 4 years! Man, I would be crazy... BUMP!

Mario,
I think Alan waited for 4 years or so as well....
Poor guys... I can't imagine how that feels...!
 
BUMP
 
Greg

Actually, I believe they are now both dead. But they are still musical - they're decomposing!
 
Nah...he/she's fine....

Actually, I believe they are now both dead. But they are still musical - they're decomposing!
 
Nah...he/she's fine....

i hope you havent paid for this yet. think of all the interest you'd have missed out on.
alan
as appropriate as your comments are for normal production- 4 years is inexcusable regardless of what austin is being told
 
it couldnt possibly take 4 years (imho)to redo electronics and a new peg design.  
considering there was nothing wrong (imho) with the original elec and peg as heard on my classico
 
what i am curious about is that chip is in the photos of early production and he has been gone for over 2 years now last i heard.  
 
as obtuse as this may sound? maybe they dont remember how to make one.

Sadly, some instruments do take a very long time. It isn't always obvious why. There are actual humans at work here, and there are times when certain projects do not receive attention, and there are times when the attention a project receives isn't obvious in the build record.  
 
2009 was quite a tumultuous year for many of the people that work here. I choose to not go into details, but it's important that you know there's a reason that some projects that need input from everyone had not received the attention they should have, including Austin's bass. I am sorry for this.  
 
I'm happy to report the circuit redesign is complete. I'm glad you had no problems with your Classico, Jeff. Since they are single coil pickups, they suffer from the same problems that other single coil pickups (like Series I/II) suffer. It's not to change the tone or to add functionality, it's to remove directional and high frequency noise from the system. So this one will sound the same, but in high noise situations, it will be quieter.  
 
The peg had been a real problem. Again, I'm glad you were happy with the peg on the your Classico, Jeff. We were not, and some other Classico owners were not. It wasn't adjustable except in 1.5 increments. It was sometimes difficult to push the little tabs in to release the lock. It sometimes got cocked so it took a good bit of jossling to right. It sometimes rattled inside the bass if it wasn't extended more that it was retracted. The new design is completed for the peg. We're just trying to decide where to place the control for the continuous adjustment.
 
As far as the building, when that gears up again, and it will in the very near future, Kris will be making it, and he is the one who taught Chip and others how to make Classicos.  
 
Austin, you have done nothing to impede the progress of this instrument. I repeat that I'm sorry for the long delay in updates and progress.

Thanks, Mica.
I really didn't mean to sound negative here, I'm just a little impatient. Of course I appreciate all of the work that everyone puts into these things, and I understand that with Alembic being the family company that it is, certain things can come up and take priority.  Thanks for clarifying, and I can't wait to see what you guys have come up with.

Thanks as usual, Austin for your kindness. I appreciate your response so much.

Flax,
 
     Yeah, four years is a long time, even for a custom instrument.  As I said, the frustration at times was unbearable.  I don't think that I said that it's a normal wait time, though.  I also think you rightly point out that some things, at least to us, shouldn't take all that long.  However, as Mica points out there are things that impact production that are out of our sight.  This doesn't excuse it, mind you, merely explains it.  Whether an individual is patient enough to wait that long is, of course, an individual decision.
 
     And yes, I waited four years for mine.  Actually, four years, 3 days, and 15 hours!  But whose counting? ;-)  The good news is I have the only near-replica of John Entwistle's Alembic in the world that is not in a museum or in private collections.  Talk about bragging rights!
 
Alan
 
P.S.  As far as I know, it took Alembic three years to make Entwistle's Exploiters.