FLEETWOOD MAC: PROPERTY FROM THE LIVES AND CAREERS OF CHRISTINE MCVIE, JOHN MCVI

[jazzyvee]

https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass




The famous continually fretted bass is there too.
https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass

[size=inherit]LOT #442[/size][/font][size=inherit]JOHN MCVIE: PROTOTYPE 1976 ALEMBIC SERIES 1 GRAPHITE NECK THROUGH ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR[/size]https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196238?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass

[edwardofhuncote]

There it is... hadn't seen that graphite-necked short-scale in almost 10 years. Looks like it's in great shape. According to the History page, Stanley Clarke had the other prototype.

[edwardofhuncote]

Couldn't help but stew over the serial number. I'd wondered for years if it was some variation on the fabled Alembic #33 John is reported to have had during the tracking of Rumours. I was guessing 76-AC-033 or something. Wrong!

 A76-057A

Wait... What?! Or is that first character a V... ? The mystery continues. But my, oh my, that is a handsome bass.

[rv_bass]

Those alpha-numeric numbers are a mystery for sure

Do you know what the effect is on the tone with a metal fretboard?

[adriaan]

IIRC, this is the bass you hear on "The Chain".

[edwardofhuncote]

That's the one. And quite a few more tracks from then on. I'm pretty sure he used different basses for different takes of the various scratch tracks and demos that became "The Chain", but this is that bass we hear. I believe that the bridge pickup is favored, the filter is mostly closed, and the Q is wide open for the solo.


Anyone ever see an Alembic with a letter code at the end of the numbers?

[jazzyvee]

Continuously fretted went for $100,000
https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196237?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass

 And the shorty $28k
https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196238?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass



Anyone here the winning bidder of either or both?

[geepee]

Sadly no! What a price though...I wonder who bought them both! I'll be keeping an eye out.

[paujones]

I picked up a couple of John's basses, his Orange / Ampeg bass rig, and many of the Orange, SWR, and Ampeg speakers in road cases. 


Planning on keeping these employed with my band, Fleetwood Mask.   


I will be "thinning the herd" - aka - selling a few Alembic and other nice basses to offset my recent buying spree.  Stay tuned on the for sales board. 

[paujones]

There were many other interesting items at the auction.   A few highlights:
 - Mick Fleetwood's balls - as seen on the cover photo of the Rumours Album - and something he wore on ever Fleetwood Mac concert - sold for $128K
 - Christine's dresses - the one on the cover of Rumours went for $50K.   Another from a 70's award event was $25K
 - Christine's chopped stage Hammond organs - $25 - 30K  - the Leslies were about $30K too
 - Christine's accordians - played on Tusk and on stage for years - $8 - 15K


 - John's other basses:
     - Hamer Cruise bass from Mirage Tour - $25K
     - The Dance basses:  Tobias Killer B and RT Renaissance - $20K range
     - 60's and 70's Fender basses - $12 - 15K
      - Other Hagstrom, Armstrong, Ibanez and Heartfield basses - $4 - 6K range. 

[edwardofhuncote]

Nice catch on that Tobias Signature, Paul. I hadn't seen that one before, only the maple-winged Basic (?) he played often. I had seen another Tobias bass on The Dance, but couldn't identify it... I had read in an old-old gear page about a Growler he had, but it could be this bass, or the Killer B you pointed out.

*and Thanks for keeping these basses out playing Fleetwood Mac music!

[gearhed289]

Wow, the celebrity connection added about 300% to that Hamer's value! Excellent basses BTW. I had one in the 80s, and more recently a Blitz, which is the same thing with an Explorer body.

Surprised there were no Guild Pilots. I seem to recall him using those in the early 80s.

[StephenR]

Nice scores Paul!

Curious, did Mick have more than one set of wooden balls? He was already wearing them onstage the first time I saw the band in late 1968. The Rumours cover turned them into an icon.

[edwardofhuncote]

I seem to remember that they were part of the flushing mechanism of a toilet. He got them from a place they were playing -as Stephen remembers- in the very early days, maybe even with Mayall/Bluesbreakers. London?

[paujones]

This is true… Mick’s balls were toilet flush pulls from a European club with the toilet tank mounted high.
I always wondered if he had multiple sets.


There was a symbolic value that he refers to in the auction catalog, about having the balls to play the blues.   Seems like they worked well for Mick considering his 60-odd year career in Rock and Roll.