Paul, I just happened to be celebrating my birthday today and decided to treat myself to a new Roland D Bass amp. While playing through it with the Raging Bass I decided that I hadn't checked in with you for a while and lo and behold new pictures of your baby!! WOW  I love the Vermillion in the neck with the quilted Cocobolo. you make me want to build another one! Unfortunetly, I still have a few years left on the loan for this one. To tide me over, I have been working on a home bass project of my own creation. It is almost done and when I finish I will post  a pic or two probably in Micellanious so keep your eyes peeled. It is very Much an Alembic inspired design. In the meantime, heres another Raging photo like you asked for. Mike

Oh Boy, what a nice surprise!
 
First of all, Happy Birthday Michael! We are celebrating a birthday right here in our house all weekend as my son just turned 4 yesterday and we are having the party tomorrow so it's just a weekend event! Anyway I wish you many many more healthy years of great bass playing!!!
 
Let's get right to the meat of things, tell me about your Roland first and then your bass when you have time of course! I know it's late so when ever you get a chance to get back.
 
I should be seeing my bass soon. I know the shop was set back with the flu virus but mine should be on the top of the list as this is what my dealer has told me.  
 
What a beautiful beautiful instrument you have. It must be so nice to wake up in the morning, sip on a few cups of java while just starring at that beauty and enjoying the smell that arises from the case. Of course maybe this isn't your agenda, just a fantasy of mine! Especially with my favorite Kona coffee! I hopefully will be doing this soon. Although I keep reminding myself that expectations often turn into premeditated resentments!
 
I've already seen it happen in here many times so I figure when it's in my hands I'll play it!
 
Anyway I am really honored by your post and please return whenever you have time.
 
Thank you very much Michael, and by the way my son's name is Michael Angelo,  
 
Aloha, Paul the plumber.
Mauna Kea Plumbing Company, Big Island, Hawaii

Hi Paul, It's getting so close to the birthday of your new baby!! Your gonna love it!
Anyway the Roland D-Bass210 is an impressive amp. For it's size and weight,it really puts out! The sound is real phat, really meaty if you know what I mean. Not in the same way as an SVT but very clear and tight. It never loses that fattness and stays clean even at high volume. It has Rolands' COSM amp modeling so that with the turn of a knob, you can get a vintage or a modern sounding amp or a third setting which will give you a totally flat preamp settting which will faithfully reproduce the sound of your bass in all its glory! I've gigged with it twice already in a cover band that plays every thing from Patsy Klein to Van Halen and never had it up higher than a bit over a quarter of the way up. (10:00). I'm also using a Bose T1 Tonematch Engine for effects. That is a cool unit. Effects from compression to modulation to delay to reverbs, a tuner and a digital 4 channel personal mixer that will remember all your settings. All kinds of settings for custom EQ's designed to change with the particular instrument you are using. They have even offered to make a custom patch for the Raging Bass if I bring it to one of their Bose owners' conventions! How cool is that?!
The bass I'm worknig on is a 5 string with a cocobolo top (of course) with a 1/4 maple accent strip and a mahogany body core. I'll have it done soon so I'll post when its ready. No where near Alembic quality, building gives you a real appreciation of what masterpieces every Alembic truly is. It looks easy, it really takes practice and developing many skills to turn out a fine instrument. Anyway, that's all for now , Best of luck to you Michael DeVincenzo

Hey Michael,
 
Nice to hear from you. I am looking at your amp on musiciansfriend right now. That is a nice little amp. Perfect for gigging! Roland has always been a favorite of mine. They maintain alot of class. I have the little Roland Micro Cube which is excellent and I also have the Roland Edirol USB audio capture UA25 which I will get out when I get my bass.
 
I especially have heard alot about the Bose system and it sounds great. Actually my friend has one and it is nice.
 
I am really stoked as my bass is promised for shipping on the 12th which is a week from Monday. So I will be getting back to you soon with some  
pictures and sound bytes.
 
Thanks for getting back and take er easy.
 
Aloha, Paul

Your bass is getting the last bits of finish sprayed. But for now, here's a photo of the logo rays as they get inlaid:

Hooooooo!  Wow, Paul!
 
Even where you live you should be able to appreciate something this beautiful!  :-)
 
Peace,
Jim

Thanks for the picture Mica,
 
Good job on the inlay Jason!
 
Thanks for the compliment Jim! Believe me, when you live in Hawaii after being born and raised in California, California seems like a much more beautiful State. And it is in it's own way. Anywhere you go, it's just the change that we all crave after being in our own space for too long. But I loved being born and raised in the Santa Clara Valley when it was all orchards. And hanging around in the Santa Cruz/ Montebello Mountains and going up Hiway 1 to camp out, then go skiing and backpacking in the Sierra's---Now that's living! Oh-Surfing in Santa Cruz and fishing off the wharf! How about artichokes 10 for a dollar in Castroville, those are the good ole' days.
 
I could go on and on from the redwoods to the trout fishing, none of the previous mentioned can be done in Hawaii.
 
Anyway, back to my beautiful Alembic Series II which I always dreamed of owning and the Awesome Alembic Family who has made it possible-
 
It's getting there. I'm preparing for recieve mode.
 
Thank you, Paul

From what I've read I know you've been enjoying the experience Paul.  How exciting, receive mode!!!  That is a gorgeous bass!  The figuring is BEAUTIFUL!  Real nice neck lams.  Incredible workmanship throughout and I'll bet you can't wait to get your hands on your bass!  Breathing exercises and meditation will probably help at this point.
Play it healthy!
Art

Probably only 1 or 2 more coats of finish to go:

Wow,  just wow.......

I like your saying,
 
I will never own my Alembic, I will simply be intrusted with it and have the rights to it until it gets passed on to the next player.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And that is ONLY if I ever get it!!!! Hahahaha
 
Just kidding, it's almost on it's way!
 
Love the picture!, Paul

Dear friends,
 
As the time has almost arrived for the completion of my Custom Series II Mele Aloha I want to make a few confessions and give credit where credit is do.
 
I have to admit that if it hadn't been for changes that I made to my bass, Alembic would have been on the way to a record completion. But do to me making the changes that were all do to the help and information in this forum, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to build the bass of my dreams.
 
I have to get off of my chest a small but hopefully helpful bit of criticism that some of the options that are on my bass were not readily available on the Custom Build Section. These are things like custom inlays, custom neck design, Quilted Coco Bolo top and back wood, pistol grip, and that may be about it. But!, the good news is that because of all of you and this very helpful forum I was able to realize these things and come up with a very custom and very much more pleasing result.
 
Again, this is not a bad thing as by obtaining the info that you all freely gave to me in helping me and (putting up with me) I was able to 1., Build the bass of my dreams, and 2., provide the leeway for Alembic to build a truly custom instrument with the freedom to make the neccesary decisions that they already knew from their experience therefore overriding some of my suggestions.
 
Some of these items that you all helped me with are Bradley helping me decypher the different body styles. This lead to my decision that Michael's Raging Bass was the body style that I wanted which was a standard instead of Special K body type.
 
Susan helping me keep Koa wood in the bass which was my first choice of top wood but changed my mind after Valentino had helped me realize that Koa isn't the best sounding wood. Susan suggested the Koa laminate under the Quilted Coco Bolo by seperating it with a thin veneer of Maple. I then decided on the Maple body wood like Michael's Custom Further in which not only could I maintain a crispy high's in the sound but also a beautiful look to the bass.
 
I also saw some of your custom inlay work in the F to C thread and learned that I could have custom inlay work done.
 
The custom neck wood design was also influenced not only by Michael's Raging Bass but many other of yours.
 
There were many other things that you guys helped me with and you know who you are.  
 
But my main point is that I didn't come down to the final decision until May in which if I had stuck to my original build, Alembic would have finished it.
 
So not only am I thanking all of you but I am thanking Mica and Susan for helping me stick with the changes as they had already cut some of my laminates out before I requested the changes as well as some other things.
 
I am also making a public apology to Mica and Susan for putting undo pressure on them to finsih the bass when I really didn't understand all of the things that goes into and especially a Series II detail. Thanks to Susan, she really explained to me all of the detail that goes into the bass including the amount of spray that goes on them until they will take no more. Details like letting the instrument cool down after it has been buffed out before another coat can go on.
 
There are many details that go into these instruments that I now understand that are the reasons that they are miles above most other instruments.
 
Thank all of you for your help and patience!
 
Aloha, Paul

HELP!!!!
 
I'm dying to play! Is Mele ready for shipment yet?
Please ship soon!!!
 
Love, Paully

We're working hard on your bass. It's been especially temperamental in the finish department, really soaking it up. But your bass is to be rubbed out on Monday, so we're ever hopeful to get you a very Merry Christmas

That sounds very hopeful to me!!!!
 
Hummm!!!!!!!??? A thirsty bass, just like it's Daddy! What a coincidence!LOL
 
I hope I can have a Christmas Cheer with it and play Christmas Carols just in time to open presents.
 
Thanks Mica and crew, Paul