Author Topic: Oval inlays (Read 770 times)

terry · « **on:** January 12, 2004, 08:58:14 PM »

Folks,

I don't like shell inlays. But it wouldn't be an Alembic without those ovals. What to do? I thought about silver, but maybe a plain silver oval wouldn't look good - the different kinds of shell all have more texture to them than just plain metal. Any ideas?

--Terry

palembic · « **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2004, 10:49:11 PM »

Hi brother Terry,
welcome to the club!
Do you own an Alembic already? Not that it is th?t important, the dreaming is all the fun, plus the waiting of course ...however ...well ...that's DEEP!

No oval inlays?
Why not?
I 've seen georguous fretted Alembics with no inlays at all! For instance use mac assar ebony for the fingerboard with those fancy lines, or a nice Rosewood.
OTOH I think ALembic can make inlays with anything! Maybe it is possible to use ovals in maple??? Or redwood?

And of course brass or silver??

Paul the bad one

bracheen · « **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2004, 04:19:58 AM »

Good morning Terry. Are you planning on having LEDs in the inlays? If not no ovals at all look just fine. My Epic doesn't have any position markers on the face of the fretboard and personally I like the clean look. I really can't see them very well when I'm playing anyway.
http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/6646.html?1069268946

Anyway like Paul says, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Good luck and keep us up to date on any progress. If you already have an Alembic how about some photos of it?

Sam

terry · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2004, 07:31:19 AM »

Hi Paul & Sam,

Thanks for the responses and the welcome. I don't currently own any Alembics. What I'm dreaming of is a Signature Deluxe in coco bolo, with a custom body shape. I want to develop something that has the same symmetric look as the small standard, but big enough to balance a 34 scale neck. So it'll certainly have longer horns than the small-standard, but both horns will be the same.

--Terry

David Houck · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2004, 07:51:44 AM »

Hi Terry, welcome to the group. I imagine a number of Alembic owners would disagree with your assessment that it wouldn't be an Alembic without those ovals. Many owners like the look of a clean neck, fretted or unfretted. Some of the fretted basses chosen by Alembic as the featured custom of the month have a clean look with no inlays. For instance, these featured customs from 2003:
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_emw.html
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_plum.html
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_yahya.html
Additionally, there are many Alembics that have inlays that are not ovals, including of course the amazingly beautiful inlay in this month's featured custom:
http://www.alembic.com/info/featured_custom.html
And these from 2003:
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_amadablam.html
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_heartinsonoma.html
http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_rosie.html
Also, there are many great Alembics with clean necks and with custom inlays owned by members of this group pictured in the Showcase section. So while I'm sure there are many members who prefer necks with oval inlays, my guess is that many Alembic owners would not consider oval inlays to necessarily be a signature mark of an Alembic. But I do understand how that could be your personal preference, and the look of classic Series basses with their shell oval inlays certainly would support that view.

On your question of alternatives to shell. Like Paul, I too have been thinking about ovals made from a wood that constrasts nicely with the ebony fretboard. Personally, I like a clean fretboard; but as my eyesight continues to worsen, I can see the value of inlays .

palembic · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2004, 08:25:15 AM »

Terry,

take a peep at

http://club.alembic.com/Images/631/7485.html?1074010896

But ...euh ...I rent nylon stockings at hour rate basis.
The bank you have to look for yourself!

Paul the bad one

terry · « **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2004, 08:40:39 AM »

Dave wrote:

I imagine a number of Alembic owners would disagree with your assessment that it wouldn't be an Alembic without those ovals.

Hey, no offense meant, guys. Consider it a slightly tounge-in-cheek remark. I know the alembicians are justly famous for their skill with inlay, and can do much more (or less) than ovals, as desired.

--Terry.

rogertvr · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2004, 08:55:37 AM »

You could always have a Chinese Dragon inlay, Terry! Have a look at this month's featured custom to see one.

Rog

David Houck · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2004, 09:08:29 AM »

No offense taken. And I hope I didn't come off sounding a bit heavy handed; (I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet). Your ideas for your custom Alembic mentioned in your second post sound great! And I agree with Paul that the link he posted shows a body style that might make a good starting point for fleshing out your idea of a small standard with long horns.

bassman10096 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 14, 2004, 09:03:18 AM »

Terry: I was struggling to find a traditional-looking Alembic style that would balance well enough to handle a 5 string (medium scale) neck. I also wanted to start from the small standard. I can't say I was successful in redesigning the small standard to handle the neck weight AND look good to me but I'll post two (ugly) drawings to give you an idea how much that little body may have to be extended in order to balance. Mica explained the balance issue to me as follows: Balance is not a matter of weight or center of gravity ni the body - just how far up the neck the bass reaches to where the upper strap button is located. As best I recall, Mica said the 12th thru 14th frets are the minimum the safety zone for this. If you look at the Essence, the right side of the body IS the small standard, but the left includes a substantially extended horn for balance. The other difference is that the tailpice on the Essence runs close to the bottom of the body, while the small standard has enough space left there for an omega cut. My inadequate grasp of high school physics suggests this characteristic would make the small standard even harder to balance, since the neck protrudes further from the body as a result of the tailpiece location. I'm not sure the upper horn in my drawing goes far enough to balance, since I was working from a picture of the back of a bass, the only flat-on view I could find of an omega-cut small standard. Since then, I have met and fallen in love with the new and unique body shape Alembic is building for Kevin (see link Paul the bad one sent). This will be the shape I order - it combines classic looks with some really sharp variation from the norm, along with good balance characteristics. Sorry in advance if the picture doesn't post right... Good luck figuring out what style you go with. Mica and Val are very kind and willing to take time to work through body shape issues - talk to them if you haven't - they'll save you a lot of time. Bill (Sorry for the drawing quality)

terry · « **Reply #10 on:** January 14, 2004, 10:04:01 AM »

Thanks for the sketches, Bill. Actually, it may be a bit misleading of me to mention the small-standard. I don't care if the body is the size of the regular standard. I just want it to be symmetric. The attached might give some idea - excuse the extremely poor CAD work... (The neck isn't supposed to be longer than the King - that's just my poor rendition of the Crown peghead)

bassman10096 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 14, 2004, 01:36:20 PM »

Terry: Gotcha. Keep us posted on your thinking and any progress toward your choice of a design. I am fascinated by the customizations people have developed, but rarely get enough information to understand exactly what was done or how it was arrived at. Best of luck with your quest for the look you want.
Bill