Author Topic: WE MUST STOP THIS GUY!!!!- PEOPLE (Read 549 times)

flaxattack · « **on:** May 02, 2004, 08:37:42 AM »

(Message edited by flaxattack on May 02, 2004)

palembic · « **Reply #1 on:** May 02, 2004, 09:10:22 AM »

Brother Jeff,

I sympathise with your effort but ..alas ...for some people playing bass is a job and their ARE bills to pay. If Fender makes a nice proposition to those people ...well ...how do you expect them to react???
In most of the cases the Alembic is used from there on for studio work (cfr. Flea and many others) and the Fender-Ernie Ball - etc ...for live and pictures. Susan told us recently some stories about it.

My good friend and our Brother Paul the fake one (the artist formerly known as Dino) is also an endorser as a professional ...well ...he has to live.

About the Fender thing.
I think our AAF bassplayer will get a very good and hand-made to his specs instrument made by a bunch of well trained craftman in a kind of custom shop and that the instrument he will eventually play will be a great instrument. As far as that I have no problem with it ...it is pure business.
Although ...the moment that Fender brings SIMILAR instruments on the market that are in fact only cheap replica's of the original AAF-bassplayers's stuff I DO have a problem. Because on THAT moment the standards are changed and colleague bass-players who are willing to buy such a thing THINK that they have the real thing but ...they don't.
THAT is what I hate about the whole signature concept.
Until today I really don't know if Stanley Clarke and Mark King actually ever PLAYED one of their Alembic Signatures. I DO believe that they helped designing it.

Paul the bad one

Of course I want that bass of AAF to have a good home.

flaxattack · « **Reply #2 on:** May 02, 2004, 11:20:28 AM »

its still a fender pal-lmao

stay tuned- i just sent an email to mica

I FOUND THAT I HAVE COLOR PHOTOS OF JACK CASSADY PLAYING ALEMBIC#1

i remembered after seeing the picture of ron with it- that it looked familiar somehow
a couple of hours later... an unburnt nanocell realized where i had seen it-i remember being hypnotized by scrollwork on the back end
i dug around this house this morning and lo and and they are in great shape
tuna played at suny binghampton- we had access to the rear of the gym behind the stage and i brought my asahi pentax and agfa 400 speed film...
son of a bitch- i got him and i got it.... and am heading over to the camera store to get these gems transferred to disc
great stuff
saunders and garcia- capital theatre
saunders and garcia -bottom line with
jerry sans beard
hot tuna
grateful dead and
old and in the way

alemboid · « **Reply #3 on:** May 02, 2004, 02:44:46 PM »

Bummer.

My hat comes off for Leo Fender, who helped changed modern music with his creation. BUT- I am tired of everyone playing a Fender because its the bass to be seen with.

I remember when I was in highschool in the 80's- there was this kid that would do anything to be in the in crowd. He confessed that he really didn't like the Beatles, but said he did to everyone so he'd be as cool as those in crowd people who said they liked the Beatles but probably didn't= but did to be sure they were cool.

Same thing here in new york- for a long time, you had to show up to a session with a Jazz or P bass to be legit. Now, Fodera is a cool bass. Funny thing is- when I plug in my Alembic, the engineer says within seconds that he has a sound and that it is among the best basses he's heard.

As far as Fender: Marketing, marketing, marketing. How else can a guitar company maintain sales in excess of 40,000 units a year worldwide? You gotta make sure everyone things it is what you have to play.

Like the Matrix, we Alembicians have taken the red pill, allowing us to see the truth about tone!

There are many fine basses out there- many based on the Jazz bass (Alembic included). Not to say they aren't as good as an Alembic- its just a shame that Fender has set out to homogenize the industry.

Bryant

alemboid · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2004, 02:46:03 PM »

Bummer.

My hat comes off for Leo Fender, who helped changed modern music with his creation. BUT- I am tired of everyone playing a Fender because its the bass to be seen with.

I remember when I was in highschool in the 80's- there was this kid that would do anything to be in the in crowd. He confessed that he really didn't like the Beatles, but said he did to everyone so he'd be as cool as those in crowd people who said they liked the Beatles but probably didn't= but did to be sure they were cool.

Same thing here in new york- for a long time, you had to show up to a session with a Jazz or P bass to be legit. Now, Fodera is a cool bass. Funny thing is- when I plug in my Alembic, the engineer says within seconds that he has a sound and that it is among the best basses he's heard.

As far as Fender: Marketing, marketing, marketing. How else can a guitar company maintain sales in excess of 40,000 units a year worldwide? You gotta make sure everyone things it is what you have to play.

Like the Matrix, we Alembicians have taken the red pill, allowing us to see the truth about tone!

There are many fine basses out there- many based on the Jazz bass (Alembic included). Not to say they aren't as good as an Alembic- its just a shame that Fender has set out to homogenize the industry.

By the way, Stanley Clarke and Mark King have both used their respective signature basses to perform and record with.

Bryant

keavin · « **Reply #5 on:** May 02, 2004, 03:17:24 PM »

hey man some folks just sell out! ,,,, but we all gotta eat!!

rogertvr · « **Reply #6 on:** May 02, 2004, 04:04:25 PM »

I can't speak for anyone either in here or anywhere else for that matter. But, I've been in the fortunate position over the last few years to be able to afford to 'do things differently' - i.e. away from the norm.

I learnt to play on a Jazz bass. It was great - but not great enough. Hence I ended-up with my 4001. For what this is worth, I also had an Aria bass during the 80's. Cost next to nothing, played fantastically and sounded great! Just proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good bass (I sold it and have regretted it since). But around that sort of time I had the opportunity to buy another expensive bass in the 4001 league.

So, I played a Fender Precision and a Squire Precision. I played a few other basses too - a Wal, a Gibson Thunderbird and some sort of headless Status.

The Thunderbird I'd always liked the look of, and was sort of drawn towards because I liked the RD1 but had never (and still never) had the chance to play. It was awful - a dead plank of wood. Singularly the worst bass I have ever played.

Next up - the Precision. Foul. No other word for it. I couldn't believe Fender wanted a small fortune for what was, essentially, a baseball bat screwed on to a piece of wood, with one single pick-up thrown in for good measure.

The Wal - someone had told me that these were custom built. Not much better than the Precision but with a largely inflated price tag! No ring, no sustain and basically - not much going for it! Horrible.

The Squire Precision - ?200 at the time I seem to remember. Now - this was quite something for the amount of money, and ultimately I decided to pass on the grounds of one pick-up. Very different to the Squires of today I'm sure!

The headless Status was great - all graphite! Considering this was mid-80's, this was new territory! I was very impressed with it but the cost ultimately was out of my league, but not by much. Otherwise I would have bought one.

I eventually bought a JayDee Mark King Supernatural - wrong decision, I should have bought the Status...

There is a point to this ramble of mine. The thing is that it must be each to their own. Not all of us are professional musicians (I'm not). Not all of us can afford what we really want. Or want to be seen with.

Alembic, to my knowledge, do not (publicly) endorse anyone (I stand to be corrected on this). If I were a famous bass player, I would go with whatever paid me the most money! What I record with behind closed doors is up to me! Replicating an Alembic bass sound FOH would be a nice challenge for most sound engineers I would have thought :-)

You can't blame anyone for going for the deal that suits them best. I hope the bass in question finds a good home - but I'm sure that people who can afford basses at this sort of price level aren't bass guitar abusers ;-)

Cheers,

Rog

dannobasso · « **Reply #7 on:** May 02, 2004, 05:01:43 PM »

I appreciate your passion Flax, but the language is a bit out of character for this forum. Fender gave Tye Zamora a deal and had a custom Oar bass built. (pg 144 of the current catalog)
9 pc laminate neck, at least 3 laminate body, Bill Lawrence pups, bubinga fretboad. Master built only so the catalog states. Not my cup of tea, not an elegant design to my eye. So he got a signature bass made and perhaps support from Fender. If you recall he didn't use his Alembic in the smooth criminal video either. Maybe he needs the money? The price was high to my mind but maybe a fan of his will pick it up. Maybe Fender's deal was not that lucrative for Tye? I have had discussions with people who think I'm nuts to play Alembics. They could get me deals with a few large manufacturers but I'm not interested. I try to do whatever I can to promote Alembic. So get yourself a record deal, make a video (which you will have to pay back the label from your recording profits) , get it played on MTV,FUSE, VHI etc, and use your Alembic, mention it in interviews, wear the shirts, use the preamps and turn down offers to increase your income between tours, then use harsh language to your detractors. BTW a record deal don't really mean much these days. I have friends who were never developed or promoted, but hey they have a deal! To my knowledge Alembic does not endorse or compensate those who use their products. They do lovingly support their customers and continue to improve on their art and craft. Happy birthday to Ron! May you have many more years of joy with your loving co-founder, daughter and company that we all love and respect.
Danno

rogertvr · « **Reply #8 on:** May 02, 2004, 05:10:52 PM »

Is it Ron's birthday then? What exact date?

dannobasso · « **Reply #9 on:** May 02, 2004, 06:41:11 PM »

I believe it was last Wednesday or Thursday. Might even have been Friday , I forget when I called.
Danno

flaxattack · « **Reply #10 on:** May 02, 2004, 07:52:41 PM »

gimme me a break dano

bassman10096 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 02, 2004, 08:23:58 PM »

I agree with those above who understood the reasons a musician would accept (gladly!!) an endorsement deal that required him/her to play that brand exclusively in public. Reality is reality. In music, career opportunities are not always plentiful or lucrative. It's naive to blame the guy. I'd do the same thing if I were him.

Many companies, Fender included, rely extensively on doing whatever they can to attract less experienced, less mature buyers to buy huge numbers of their product. Endorsements really fit their need. Not much purpose in thinking it's pathetic that their products can't substantiate their own credibility and quality. That does not matter to them.

But - for every McDonalds, there can be a gourmet restaurant where people go because they know what they are looking for!!!

Bill

dela217 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 03, 2004, 05:40:39 AM »

It is a shame that people are forced to play and like certain instruments. I have lost work too because I didn't play a Fender! There are some blues guys in town here that won't use certain bass players because of the look. New Orleans is a big Fender town it seems. There is a local Guitar Center in New Orleans that a buddy of mine works at. There is a P.R.S. bass in the store that will not sell. He was telling me that in other parts of the country they are selling like mad. Go figure! Same story with Warwick. There was a neck through Thumb in the store that sat for so long that they ended up selling it for $900 just to get rid of it.

Anyway, back to the meat of this thread. (For me anyway) Please post all the pics of #1 that you run across. All the pictures I have seen of it does not show the detail that I gotta see. I hope you got some good shots of it. Michael

flaxattack · « **Reply #13 on:** May 03, 2004, 06:08:42 AM »

thnaks mike
right now i have found one perfect shot of jack form the front
hes got the look to his left downward
playing #1 and it is clear and if i say so myself
well taken - the camera shop is transferring to disc for me-s o i should have it shortly- i think i have more- as i rememebr having shots from the rear side of the stage- but finding them is another story-
first- it goes to the family- then i will post it

811952 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 03, 2004, 07:33:29 AM »

Michael D.,
I've played the P.R.S. basses, and they are about as far from an Alembic as I've ever played. I really, really did not like them. Every P.R.S. dealer I've visited (maybe a dozen or so) has had a difficult time moving them. The guitars are sweet, but the basses are not...

As for endorsements, back in the day I never got far enough for long enough to be offered one, and I was so adamantly Alembic that I doubt I would have taken one. The Alembic defined my sound. If I were in the industry and offered an endorsement today, I'd probably wh*re myself out for a couple of years, but still specify Alembic guts and use my extra cash to have Mica and company build me an ultimate bass or two. It's a tough call, because the recording industry isn't what it was 20 years ago, and musicians are left to fight over scraps. I can't *really* blame someone for trying to secure his future, because I'm certainly trying to secure mine.. On the other hand, when I bought my Alembic in '81, Susan had compiled a long list of Alembic users which she included in all the information packets. That was a very convincing piece of paper. I suppose she doesn't do that anymore for legal reasons..

And yes, I acquired a Lakland for two reasons. First off, I wanted a five-string and wasn't up on James' ebay-trade-up scheme. Secondly, the Motown/funk band I'm playing in wanted something more Fender-ish and I caved. I'm not proud, but I do understand their reasoning.
John