Kevin - What a gorgeous instrument! Congrats. Can't wait to see the snaps of the whole bass.

Thanks, Tom.
 
That makes two of us. BTW: congratulations and good luck on your new custom. You WILL wait, but you will get to follow the progress right here, which is a very cool thing. You also get one of the finest instruments on the planet, bar none. It makes you feel special for sure. How often do you get that kind of satisfaction from a purchase, regardless of price?

Kevin, if we'd have anything to say about it, this would definitely be my #1 candidate for a Featured Custom showcase. Very beautiful bass, the Orion body shape is one of the best Susan and/or Mica have ever designed IMHO (I just love mine also) and the knobs works great visually. Congratulations from a fellow Orion owner!
 
(consider yourself lucky for not being able to hear me actually SING this!)
 
JETHRO TULL - ORION
 
Orion, won't you give me your star sign
Orion, get up on the sky-line
I'm high on my hill and I feel fine
Orion, let's sip the heaven's heady wine
 
Orion, light your lights:
come guard the open spaces
from the black horizon to the pillow where I lie.
Your faithful dog shines brighter than its lord and master
Your jewelled sword twinkles as the world rolls by.
So come up singing above the cloudy cover
Stare through at people who toss fitful in their sleep.
I know you're watching as the old gent by the station
scuffs his toes on old fag packets lying in the street
And silver shadows flick across the closing bistro.
Sweet waiters link their arms and patter down the street,
their words lost blowing on cold winds in darkest Chelsea.
Prime years fly fading with each young heart's beat
 
Orion, won't you make me a star sign
Orion, get up on the sky-line
I'm high on your love and I feel fine
Orion, let's sip the heaven's heady wine
 
And young girls shiver as they wait by lonely bus-stops
after sad parties: no-one to take them home
to greasy bed-sitters and make a late-night play
for lost virginity a thousand miles away.

Mule:
 
Thanks. I think there are a lot of other more worthy candidates than my Orion for Custom 'O Month. I just took two COM's and made one decent bass out of it. That it turned out as nice as it did can be mostly attributed to the artisans at Alembic: I just spec'd it, and away they went. I do appreciate your vote, though. It did turn out very nice, especially for a lowly Orion, LOL!.

Mica: any news on my case yet?

I suspect that Stanley's new bass will be the featured custom for whatever month it is finally delivered and available for public viewing.  No one will be able to compete with that one.  Any other month, this beautiful bass would have a shot.

Thanks, Bob. Another vote for East Copies West, LOL! You guys are too much!

Kevin, It's a beauty.  In hindsight, I might have gone for more purpleheart in the knobs with just a maple cap, but I am a fan of contrast.  Maybe some purpleheart pickup covers, too?
 
Of course, I wouldn't want to pay for any of those upgrades.  Heck, I'm going for the plain black plastic knobs when I order one of these things.  For my bass, I just want function, and don't worry so much about the appearance.  Everyone else should have a work of art, though!  It gives me pretty things to look at while I am playing my sweet-sounding beater.
 
-Bob

Bob: Just having a little fun with everyone. Sure, I think my bass is very nice and I am justly proud of the way it turned out. I just don't think it's all that compared to what others have done/are doing with their Custom's. I appreciate all the positive comments and am actually quite surprised that a derivative copycat design such as mine is garnering such praise.    
   
I did think about contrasting knobs: Mica had suggested them months ago. Roger from THG also suggested different woods, and sent me several pix of mock-ups of different ideas. In the end,  I just wasn't crazy about sharp contrasts, nor did I want the knobs to command center stage. I wanted them just to kind of blend-in and compliment the gorgeous AAAAA (Master-Grade) Quilt top, not overpower it and draw attention away from the top. I would also have loved to do wooden pick-up covers (along with a gold-plated brass bridge sustain block, wide PH neck lams and maybe some fancy inlays, etc.). The reason(s) I refrained were: A) Additional Cost - I had already spent a lot on this thing, so I didn't want to go THAT far over the top cost-wise; B) Schedule - I ordered the thing over seven mos. ago.....any additional options, especially time consuming ones like wooden P/U covers, would have prolonged the completion date considerably.    
   
I'm at the point in my life where I can afford to splurge a little more on quality stuff than ever before. Since I have a number of guitars already (not basses), I decided that I'd rather have one ultra-high quality bass than a room full of OK instruments or beaters. Just a personal choice, and no reflection or comment on anyone else's gig.
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on July 24, 2004)

Hi Kevin,
 
I've been down at a conference in SF most of this week, so I hope you aren't upset that I couldn't reply to you before now.  
 
The report from the casemaker on Wednesday was that one case shipped on Monday and the other case on today. We haven't seen either case yet, so we called and left a message. Will let you know when there's news. Also, I will be at the conference all weekend, so it's not likely I'll be able to reply before Monday.
 
Hope you have a good weekend.

https://club.alembicguitars.com/Images/393/6188.html
As I posted earlier,I really like the layout for your knobs.I did pretty much the same thing with the knobs for my bass as you can see by keeping with the wood layout for my Rogue.Purpleheart,ebony caps and abalone markers.I'm still trying to get pics posted but I want to do it myself.I downloaded Photoshop to resize the pics to the proper dimensions but I'm still not able to post.I'll never give up though.

Hey kevin, what's the electric layout of those beautiful (knobs?) vol,pan ,Q,Q, filter,filter,led,???

Keavin,    
   
Looking at the bass as if it was being played by someone else, from right to left:    
   
Top row - Master Volume, Pan/Blend, Bass Boost/Cut    
   
Bottom Row - Side LED On/Off Switch, Q Switch, Filter, Treble Boost/Cut    
   
This is the same exact custom electronics package and the control layout of the East Meets West Custom Of the Month (with the addition of the LED switch in front of the Q switch).
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on July 24, 2004)

Dave: Your THG knobs look awesome! I wanted to do the position marker line all the way down the side as well. On my knobs, however, instead of shell he used real 12K gold bar stock for the inlays, and to go all the way down the side more than doubled the price of the knobs. I had to wait as it was to get the gold for the inlays, so we kept it the way it was.  
 
I'd definitely be interested in seeing the way the knobs compliment the whole bass. Please post pix when you can.

Hi Mica,    
   
Thanks much for the update. Mad at you? No way: I figured you'd be mad at me for being a pest, LOL!    
Hopefully, you'll get the case next week and we can get the thing shipped. I certainly wouldn't mind if you took some more pix before shipping as well.    
   
I hope you're enjoying your conference and find some time to relax and have a good time. Frisco is awesome. Man, even though I haven't had my morning coffee and/or breakfast yet, I'm thinkin' about Boudin's clam chowder in the sourdough bread bowl down @ Fisherman's Wharf. Wish I was there.    
   
You have a good weekend yourself.    
   
Cheers,    
   
Kevin    
   
BTW, Did you ever go to Haight/Ashbury and get your pic taken @ the intersection street sign a la the infamous Warlocks/GD pic ca. '65-'66? I've been to Frisco a bunch and had great intentions of doing same, but I never quite made it. Go figure: another DeadHead tourist from Joisey, LOL!
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on July 24, 2004)