Author Topic: Alembic tour (Read 656 times)

jimbryan · « **on:** June 10, 2015, 06:14:05 PM »

Hi everyone.
I have emailed Alembic twice in the last month to arrange a tour of the factory.I have had no response.I am in staying in San Francisco on 19th June Friday afternoon and Saturday 20th june.
I need to know if a)Alembic are open on those two days and b) if anyone in the San Francisco area will also be going so that I may catch a ride with them.I am returning to the UK on the 22nd June.Thanks,Jim Bryan

Enzo · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2015, 06:28:24 PM »

Your best bet is to make a phone call, emails sometimes take too long.

rustyg61 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2015, 11:25:28 PM »

Alembic is closed on Saturday, but they should be there on Friday. Call Mica to set up a tour. Their hours are from 10-4 I believe, & they are about an hour & a half from San Francisco airport. You can rent a car at the airport & drive to Santa Rosa but you will need to get an early start because traffic going through San Francisco can be bad.

jimbryan · « **Reply #3 on:** June 11, 2015, 05:42:46 PM »

Thanks Rusty.
Looks like I wont be able to go.
I have a pre~booked tour with the holiday company in the morning.Probably wont have time to organise transport and get to them in plenty of time unless some~one else is going up there at the same time.
Shame,never mind. Jim

rustyg61 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 11, 2015, 07:13:26 PM »

Sorry you won't be able to go by the factory, it is an amazing experience seeing how these incredible instruments are made! Where is your tour going? If they take you to the wine country you will be close to Alembic, maybe they would stop off for you! The factory is one block off the freeway & easy to get to.

Have fun on your trip even if it doesn't include a stop at Alembic. At least you will see the Golden Gate Bridge, & that's pretty iconic too!

jacko · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2015, 03:14:45 AM »

At least you will see the Golden Gate Bridge, & that's pretty iconic too!

We were in S.F. for 4 days in 2012 and didn't get to see the bridge due to fog which I believe is more common than you'd hope. At least we did get up to santa rosa though. Worth dumping your work mates and going to the workshop if you can.

Graeme

jimbryan · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2015, 08:29:02 AM »

Thanks Jacko.
I dont think my wife would agree though!!
My SF tour lasts till 1pm on friday.I believe the factory closes at 4 but please correct me if I am wrong.I am still hopeful I can find a way.
Jim

gtrguy · « **Reply #7 on:** June 16, 2015, 11:00:07 AM »

It's really worth doing. I bought a nice wood box from them while I was there that I now keep my picks in. We also walked across the Golden Gate, which was an experiance I will never forget!

jalevinemd · « **Reply #8 on:** June 16, 2015, 11:47:55 AM »

When I was in San Francisco for a meeting about a year and a half ago, I went to Santa Rosa while one of my guitars was being built. While the tour is definitely a great experience and it's nice to put faces to the names, what I got most out of it was a sense of perspective. If you're doing a custom build and it's taking what seems like an eternity to get completed, the tour makes you realize that this really is a family business. There is so much attention to every detail and only a small handful of people there to do it. I left with a new appreciation for how much they are able to do. I recommend a visit for anyone who wants to see where the magic is made and if you're doing a build, I think it's invaluable for a number of reasons.

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #9 on:** June 16, 2015, 12:07:18 PM »

+1

Both of my visits have been memorable and enjoyable experiences. There is so much to see that it borders on sensory overload.

mica · « **Reply #10 on:** June 16, 2015, 01:47:27 PM »

We have had some email issues as of late. Should be fully moved over to the new ISP before the end of the week... yay!

We don't close at 4 - we just stop answering the phone then. If you can make it up to Santa Rosa by 6pm you're welcome to stop by, and it's likely we'll be here later than that. After 5pm and the weekend has pretty much no activity in shop, which is much more interesting to see when hands are working on things, but you're welcome to come. On Saturday, I could meet you here after 11:00 am.

Let me know if either time works out for you.

jimbryan · « **Reply #11 on:** June 16, 2015, 09:35:08 PM »

Thats great Mica.
I will look into the transport situation and let you know as soon as I can.
Thanks!
Jim

hammer · « **Reply #12 on:** June 16, 2015, 10:03:28 PM »

I'll third or forth that it's well worth the trouble. As long as you're not heading out there during rush hour it doesn't take that long to get there. Be warned, however... it's best as others have stated to go AFTER you have started a build (unless you've got a lot of money hanging around because after you meet the people and see the magic that goes on in the place you'll shortly be placing an order. I've lost count of those of us who have visited and within 6-months have something in the works.

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2015, 11:20:06 AM »

Yeah...I'm a victim of that as well.

Don't believe it if someone tells you there's no harm in just looking...

Because what you're looking at has more than enough power to render you completely helpless to say no to doing what you know you really want to do.

And there is no turning back should you happen to accidentally play something that you've been casually looking at...

;-)

hieronymous · « **Reply #14 on:** June 17, 2015, 01:16:42 PM »

If this weekend wasn't one of the busiest in my work-year, I would offer to drive you up. But I have to wake up at 3 am the next day, so I think I have to pass - sorry about that!

Another potentially interesting thing for you to do: Stanley Clarke at Yoshi's in Oakland all weekend!

http://www.yoshis.com/calendar/