Your neck is underway now:

  And up close:

  Lookin' good.

oooooo La La!  Beautiful!

WOO HOO!!!
 
That is one fabulous looking neck!  Thanks a lot for that shot, Mica!
 
I've been patiently checking the FTC threads pretty much every day for a while now, but figuring it would be weeks from now!  And tomorrow's my freaking birthday, so happy birthday to me!
 
It really looks fantastic... just like what I'd hoped for.  Thanks so much!!!

It recently occured to me that the Omega cutout must affect the reach of the lower notes... the 1st and 2cnd fret, in particular, y'know...
 
Now, I'm totally sold on the aesthetics and functionality of the Balance K body in general, and of the Omega cutout variant in particular.
 
But... part of the concept of THIS bass is to contrast 8 Strings of Power by being a smaller, lighter, and easier-to-play bass.  I don't want to have to reach farther than I do on my 8-String for the low notes.
 
My 8-string Europa is a 35 inch scale instrument, as you know; and the tailpiece is close to the edge of the instrument; now since this 6-String will be a 34 inch scale, that should give me an inch less reach; but then the Omega cutout would seem to make it longer... to stretch the 1st fret even farther away from me.
 
Is this so?  Or am I missing something?  I'm wondering if maybe I should switch to the point (which I'd probably either have shaved down or altogether off).  I REALLY love the Omega on the Balance K... it's a large part of what's sold me on the shape/bodystyle.  Without the Omega, I'm not sure if I like the Balance K Point any better than the Europa -which I love.  (But I definitely love it a little more WITH the Omega.)
 
I want this bass to be about function more than form; if it comes down to an either/or, I'll go with function and sacrifice the Omega... or maybe go with a Europa body if that would still be an option.
 
What are your thoughts on this?  I'll defer to your expertise... but so you Alembic Doctors can give the best diagnosis, again, my concern is that I want the 1st fret to be easier to reach/play than it is on my 8-String Europa.
 
What should I do?  Would the 34 inch Balance K Omegas' 1st fret be harder/the same/easier to reach/play as my 1st fret on the Europa.
 
My intuition is that the Point variation would require less reach, as the tailpiece would presumably be mounted right near the edge of the bass (whereas this is not possible on the Omega variation -due to the absence of wood/Omega cutout displacing the tailpiece and pushing the fingerboard/lower frets further out).
 
What's the scoop, Doc(s)?

Well, Happy Birthday Mark!!!!!
 
That is quite a neck recipe! Aside from Walnut & Cherry, there's a little bit of everything to chew on!  
 
Nice to see you're off to a good start!

Yes indeed, it is QUITE a schuh-weet neck recipe!
 
Since the neck is the largely the heart & soul of a bass, I really dig the idea of having a neck that is both unique in appearance & beauty AND highly functional.
 
Structurewise, every other laminate is extra stiff, dense hardwood... this neck follows their standard lamination pattern (on the mid/high end basses) of every other lam being Purpleheart -except the middle one being swapped for Ebony (which is even stronger).
 
Then I've swapped out 4 of the standard Maple lams for 2 Mahogany and 2 Vermillion laminates.  I'm told that I'll still have plenty of highs from the remaining Maple laminates; and Valentino told me that actually the Vermillion, and even the Purpleheart and even Ebony actually contribute some highs as well; but they've told me the Mahogany will really round out the sound significantly, and add noticeable warmth, roundness, and richness to the sound.
 
Mica's told me that the lone Ebony laminate will actually still be the biggest contributor/determiner of the sound -and then after that, the Mahogany.  Since Vermillion is said to sound much like Mahogany, only a little more brilliant & with a mellow warmth, I'm figuring it should be largely subsumed within the Mahagony sound -while adding a touch of it's own flavor.
 
I'm confident this blend of 5 proven tone-woods will rock -and will also be extremely compatible/complimentary with/to the Coco Bolo top and back!
 
Yeah, I had to go to the computer and check it out again first thing this morning, to make sure I hadn't just dreamed it up!
 
Thanks again for the pictures, Mica & gang!!!  I'm really excited!  Did'ja'll get the E-mail I sent with updated Coco Bolo details (sent to Val on 12/12)?  I'll post 'em on a thread here in Changes/Additions.  (By the way, I don't expect more than a few, at most... I've got a real clear idea of what I want, and the specs I've provided should about cover it.)
 
The neck is totally awesome!!!  I really can't wait to see the Coco Bolo you come up with!  You really COULDN'T have done a better job than you did with the Bocate top on my Europa... it was EXACTLY what I'd hoped for/imagined... only better.  Everyone who sees it always flips over the top (and everything else, to be sure!)!

Hi gang!  I'm just taking advantage of the FTC medium to post my Coco Bolo request details/specification here for mutual reference.
 
There actually isn't anything new here, at this point.  I'm just going to copy the previous info I'd E-mailed Valentino on 12/12.
 
(Excerpt copy of E-mail sent to Valentino on 12/12)
 
In the e-mail on 12/1/6, I gave a list of 10 specific examples to use as guidelines for what I?m looking for.  Now, I?ve amended and shortened the list to 5 examples.  I went over the various threads, and found 5 examples that?ll give you a perfect idea of what I want.   Here they are: my VERY FAVORITE ?EVER- Alembic coco bolo sample can be seen in the FTC thread ?Matt?s Coco Bolo Stanley Clarke?, posts 2059 & 2147 (and others) show this awesome example of what I?d like with respects to figuring, ?concentric-ness? (the little swirl on the lower body edge), and color, having lines in the middle (to disguise a BTC) and awesome swirls and figuring.  This example is an unsurpassed example of what I?d like.  I?d flip if you could get me something like this.  A very close second is found if you open the (FTC) ?archive through December 31, 2003?, and look at ?John?s Coco Bolo Skylark? ?and this example is actually BTC?d.  I love this example, and it stands second only to the previous mention/example.  My third favorite example of coco bolo on an Alembic bass is also on this same page: see the FRONT of ?Barry?s Custom Coco Bolo Bass??I love the color/range of color, I love the figuring, and most especially, I LOVE the little concentric pattern on the lower body edge, by the electronics? IT?S SO AWESOME!!! I REALLY would LOVE to have something like this on my bass!!!  Finally, tied for 4 and 5, are Rick?s Dragon Wing and Graham?s Rogue ?both of which are on the main/current FTC page.  I love the figuring and color/color range on both these basses, and both look like they have liney figuring in the center to disguise the BTC; and they each have a little ?concentric-ness?? Graham?s bass has it below the electronics (it?s not quite as awesome as Barry?s) and Rick has a little of it in the smaller horn.  By the way, I believe I rated ?Thunder and Lightning? as my favorite example.  I would now revise that and place it after the 5 examples I just described.  These 5 examples should give you a pretty clear idea of what I?d like.  I?m figuring that since I?m getting coco on front and rear, I hopefully should be able to get some concentric patterns somewhere!
 
(That completes the excerpt/E-mail)
 
I've VERY THOROUGHLY gone through most if not all of the FTC and showcase threads looking for references of finished Coco Bolo Alembics... and I stand behind these 5 examples as being perfect examples of what I'm looking for, with respects to figuring, concentrics, and colors.  Hopefully this will be sufficient to help to select/narrow down wood choices!  I'm not too picky... I'll defer to your experience/recommendations... this is just to give you the clearest idea of what I'm looking for.  I'd be absolutely ecstatic to get Coco Bolo like any of these 5 fabulous Alembics -especially the first 2... but they're ALL AWESOME!
 
Just one more time, I want to emphasize the single most important detail is to have the figuring disguise the BTC (on both the front and the back) as much as possible... to make sure the center line isn't noticable... to make sure there isn't side-to-side figuring that doesn't line up as it crosses the center line.  This is why having liney figuring at least in the middle seems like the way to go.  Okay, I won't say it again!!!  Just had to say it one more time, since it's the most important thing!
 
Thanks again for building the best bass(es) in the world!
 
 
(P.S. Graham, please forgive me for referring to your most awesome and inspiring Rogue as less awesome than Barry's... it was just in the context of describing MY personal subjective preferences AND focusing on THAT specific detail... the concentricity detail of that bass.  Your Rogue is in fact one of my top 5 Alembic Coco Bolo basses ever!)
 
(Message edited by the 8 string king on December 27, 2006)

Lookin good 8SK

As you know, I've already spec'd a comprehensive list of details regarding my 6-String custom -in the E-mail confirming my purchase on 12/12/06.
 
That list covers virtually everything.  There are just a couple little things that've popped up.  Very short list.
 
(1) Most importantly, I saw a thread recently that showed an Alembic tailpiece/bird that was significantly off-center.  (In Showcase, in Pierreyves Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe 2004 thread.)  I don't recall ever seeing noticing another Alembic with an off-center tailpiece like that, and I assume it's a rare anomoly?  But one of my character flaws is that I'm picky about stuff like that, and, even with the BTC, it'd bother the heck out of me if the center didn't like up with the join-line (even though it will hopefully be invisible or near-invisible).  So please keep this in mind.  Now I would really like/love/prefer the bird -which is what I've spec'd.  However, if you're not certain you can nail it, I'd ask to switch to the block -which I'd still want to be centered too, but which would not be a noticable if it were slightly off-center (since it doesn't have a little pointer in the center).  Also, I'd really like it if we could put 5 screw holes in the tailpiece, if it's not too much trouble; it would give me a lot of emotional security.
 
(2) I think I'd like to have that ferrite bead thing... the thing that reduces interference from cell-phones and stuff.  Is that extra?
 
(3) As mentioned in the original and subsequent E-mails, I'm interested in the welded palladium Switchcraft jacks.  Are these extra, and if so, how much?  Depending on what you tell me about the Omega/reach issue, I may switch to a Balance K Point body or a Europa (if still an option) and apply the $300 from the Omega to a Switchcraft and/or side-mounted jack.
 
That's pretty much it!

Normal placement for the upper horn reach is between 14-15th fret on the Europa and between 13-14th fret on the Balance K, so they are very similar.  
 
While a bass with a point can have the tailpiece mounted closer to the bottom of the bass, it usually isn't because it would interfere with upper fret access without modifications to the lower body half. Here's an example of a Balance K with a point carving, so you can see where the tailpiece falls.
 
Eliminating the point will reduce the weight some.

1. The tailpiece placement entirely depends on playability and its position is determined by the person doing the setup for playability. I'm certain that we won't nail it - if you look closely at the tailpieces, they are not perfectly symmetrical, they are rarely dead-center. It's rare for them to be as off as it was on the bass you refer to (which I note in my reply on that thread).  
 
Here's something to consider - if the strings are placed correctly, they will be straight. If you center the tailpiece to the joint on the BTC, and the strings come in crooked, that would look more distracting.  
 
I feel that the minor amount most tailpieces are off center shouldn't be a concern in your case - especially since you are bookmatching to center and you've requested straight grain near the center to make the joint less visible. If you like the overall look with the bird shape, then go for it.  
 
If you don't want the point indicator, then choose either the bar shape (like Rogue) or the half-moon (like Epic).
 
2. There is a ferrite bead installed in every non-Series Alembic, so that's already a given. It's primary function is to make it possible to use wireless. Sorry, your cell phone will still interfere, so don't wear it while playing.  
 
3. The welded palladium jacks are the side-mounted jacks we use. If your order has a side-mounted jack, you will automatically get one. If you are using a face-mounted jack, they are welded solid silver contacts. Both versions are awesome.

(1.)  I DO like the look of the bird overall... got's the classic Alembic look I want this bass to have.  So, bassed on your comments, I'd say lets stick with it.
 
(2.)  The ferrite bead comes standard, but it's function is to give me the option of wireless... okay, cool!
 
(3.)  I got the impression on some previous thread that the welded palladium jacks were a new option that is a big upgrade from whatever else you use; but if this is not so, if the face-mounted jack is comparable or virtually as good, then I'd probably just stick with what I have, to keep it simple (which is having the jack on the front, for the sole reason that it's less expensive... $200 retail, I think?).
 
So I guess at this point, I'll just stick with the plan, unless for some reason something would cause you/the builders to think that the tailpiece would be SIGNIFICANTLY off-center.  In the absence of any reason to expect this, let's just stick with the bird.
 
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, so I can mentally rest in this area, and not think/worry about it any more!

So (forgive me if I'm dense/slow) the Point and Omega variants BOTH have the same bridge/tailpiece placement?  It seems that is what you're saying, and the picture you provided -as well as the Dragonfly bass in FTC- make it look like it IS in the same position.
 
So, then, how would the reach required to access the 1st fret of my 34 inch Balance K Omega compare to the reach required to reach the 1st fret of a standard long scale 34 inch Europa?  Would it require MORE reach, about the SAME, or LESS REACH?  As long as the reach required to access the 1st fret is equal or less to that of a standard 34 inch scale Europa (which would logically be less than my 35 inch scale Europa) then I want to stick with the plan... with the Balance K Omega variation I've spec'd.  If for some reason, the reach is greater, than I might want to talk to you about switching to a Point or Europa and/or burying the fingerboard as clubmember Tom mentioned you did for his ET bass.
 
Please clarify at your convenience whether the reach required to access the 1st fret on a 34 inch Balance K Omega is more or the same or less than that of a 34 inch Europa.  If it's equal or less, then I can just forget about it and kick back.  If it's more than I need to get your input to figure a way to make it equal or less, be it switching to a Europa, or to a Point, and adjusting the tailpiece placement!

Now that I think about it, however, I REALLY much prefer to have 5 screws instead of just 3.  Now it might be the case that it would be easy/easier with the block tailpiece, but harder/impractical/impossible/not recommended with the bird.  In such a case, I'd prefer the block with 5 screws.

hello folks!!
May have a translation in french pleeeeaaaase ?