My wild dreams...

[Jarek Michalski (basstard)]

I thought I might share some of my Alembic dreams with you. None of these will come true anytime soon, but maybe in some further future...
 
1. Europa 5 with Essence body shape (slightly modified - with belly-cut for increased comfort) and Cone headstock. I want something VERY punchy and powerful sounding, so I think I'd go with a maple body and (of course!) cocobolo top. I'd love a beautiful piece of flame maple for the body core, like in the 8 strings of Power June '99 Custom of the Month (http://www.alembic.com/info/8string.html) so it would be as beautiful from the back as it would be from the front (no back laminate). I've never played an Alembic with purpleheart or ebony neck laminates - which do you think would be better for nice, round mids? Elecs - of couse Europa/Rogue. As for the body and the headstock, I might also consider Elan body shape and Elan 3 + 2 headstock. Oh, and nickel plated hardware!
 
2. Custom neck-thru 4-string with Spoiler body shape, old-style Cone headstock, 34 scale and Excel elecs (single p-up) with added low pass filter and Q-switch. Neck glued in as far as possible for better balance. Ash body with zebrawood top. Chrome or nickel-plated hardware. A slapper's delight! ;-)
 
3. Series I fretless 4 with modified Vector body shape (more rounded bottom, like in Spoiler, and deeper cut, slimmer waist). Very dark walnut top and back. Unlined fingerboard with side fretlines like in the Growling Tiger March 2002 Custom of the Month (http://www.alembic.com/info/FC_tiger.html) - pretty much the same thing Paul would like in his Humble Bass. Chrome plated hardware.
 
These are my 3 main ideas. I have some more (Triple Omega MK Deluxe 8-string with walnut body core, burl maple top and back, Knobby headstock and black hardware, translucent dark green fretless Rogue 6...), but I don't want to get too wild here...
 
So... How do you like my dreams? None of them will be fulfilled soon, I'm afraid. But it's always nice to dream...
 
For now, I'm still saving for a used Orion 5. These things are a bit more reasonable as far as prices are concerned, but still very, very sweet. After all, they're Alembics, too, aren't they? ;-)
 
J.

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Jarek,
 
nice dreams. I'm even part of it!
It's good to express those dreams. You will see that when you do that. those dreams realise themselves quicker than you imagine. It's always kinda magic with Alembic guitars. However: when you realise one dream there will always be another in birth!
Keep the dream alive!
Be Alembicious!
 
Paul

[Jarek Michalski (basstard)]

As for my dream fretless, I took the Vector body outline and modified (Spoilerized) it a bit. It's more or less what I'm thinking about. Here it is:
 

 
Sorry for the poor quality, but my computer drawing skills are *rather* low (and I don't have apropriate software).
If any of you likes the design and would like to use it on his own custom Alembic, you're more than welcome to do it. It would be a great opportunity for me to see how the design looks like in real life long before ordering it! ;-)

[mica]

Nice! I love the Spoiler shape, it's so curvy and pretty. One thing to consider on the design above is that the Vector usually had a smaller roundover along the edge than the Spoilers (or just about anything else we make).  The smaller the roundover, the bigger the bass looks.

[Jarek Michalski (basstard)]

Thanks Mica, I'm happy you like my idea! :-) I have one question though: what's a roundover (you know, I'm not a native speaker and all...)?

[Jarek Michalski (basstard)]

I browsed through my older drawings and I found something I think I'd like even more than the modified Vector. It's a customized Distillate shape with longer upper horn (better balance with 34 scale) and a point. Here it is:
 

 
Sorry for the poor quality, but I'm not a visual artist type... ;-)
 
For now, I think the modified Vector shape would be great for my dream fretted 5-string (instead of the Essence shape). As you can see, things tend to change in my head pretty rapidly... ;-)

[mica]

The roundover is the shape along the edge of the guitar, in other words, how round it is.  
 
In your last drawing, I think I'd fatten up the upper horn slightly on the inner surface of the curve (facing the neck), but otherwise this is a nice combination as well.  
 
Jarek, it's much better to get these ideas out before you place the order, rather than calling me after it's started to change the shape. I went through much the same thing with my bass. Originally I wanted a Europa shape (still one of my favorites) in Quilted Maple with a rich Emerald Green clear color and lego shaped inlays.  
 
Then I changed my mind to the classic Standard Point Bird's-eye Maple and Purpleheart combo. Years later (I still hadn't ordered my bass) I found a piece of Kingwood and that decided it for me. It's my all-time favorite wood, and this piece was only wide enough for an Essence (which is big for Kingwood) so that settled it and I could finially decide to order my bass.  

[Jarek Michalski (basstard)]

Mica - no worries! I'm sure I'll have made up my mind long before I get well-off enough to order such a work of art! You know, it's the Dreaming... for now section, afterall... ;-)
 
And yes - I definitely like your idea of fattening the upper horn.

[Wayne McLemore (wayne)]

Mica-
 
I remember you telling me about the Lego bass years ago.  Didn't you consider inlaying actual clear plastic Legos with LEDs behind them???  If I recall rightly, I thought the idea of using Legos for the control knobs was pretty cool.
 
C-Ya............wayne

[mica]

Oh I had all sorts of crazy ideas. Yeah, I wanted to make the clear legos recessed with the bumps facing out then fille dup with epoxy with the Laser LEDs behind it, 4-block legos for control knobs and a green lego playing field for the backplates. Maybe I'll still buy  that bass someday.

[sauron2k]

Hmm - I'm just dreaming of playing an Alembic.  
Maybe one day I'll own one of these great Bass-Guitars for my own.
 
Maybe you're wondering now, why I wrote this, but I love this Basses for my whole live. They look and sound great. )  
 
Best regards from Germany  
See you soon  
 
Holger

[jaurigemma]

Mica, my god, you and I must somehow be linked!!! I am a LEGO fanatic too!!!!  I have them at my desk at work, and I still have all of mine from being a kid.  My next bass (after I finish paying for the Excel you are building now!) is going to have to have LEGO block inlays......   That is absolutely the coolest idea I have ever heard of.
 
Would the plastic mess with the tone much?