Author Topic: Non-ebony bass fretboards? (Read 1157 times)

effclef · « **on:** February 25, 2004, 10:41:41 AM »

I was wondering what a fretboard other than ebony would look like on an Alembic. You have the pau ferro on the Excels, and I've seen the coco bolo ones. These seem to be the only options in the Custom Quote Generator now but I could have sworn there were others available in the past. However, I found the following pictures!

Looks like it could be bubinga, or maybe rosewood. I wonder what an Alembic with a maple fingerboard (perhaps with contrasting dark oval inlays) would look and sound like? EffClef

palembic · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2004, 11:07:55 AM »

Brother Andy,

the new EVH The Fish will hae a 33 Rosewood neck.
Alembic and maple necks??
I know some guys who asked it and I once got the answer that they would consider to do it iff I REALLY insisted but ...the Alembicians don't like it!

Paul the bad one

effclef · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2004, 11:28:12 AM »

Hmm...interesting that the Factory would discourage it. There must be a good reason.

Perhaps an ebony fretboard could be put on, slightly thinner, and a thin veneer of some other wood laid on top, to give a different color yet retain the sound of the ebony.

I can see why the ebony neck laminates are so expensive an option - they have to run that much longer.

As for EVH - does he have any CDs where I could hear him play? Available in the US? Mark King and Stanley Clarke are much easier to find!

EffClef

palembic · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2004, 12:00:16 PM »

Andy

take a look at
http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/7481.html
There is a bit of story behind EVH.
He is not a solo artist but most of German, Dutch, Belgian and even French bass-players remember him from demo-ing for ALembic in Europe on different Music exhibitions.

Paul the bad one

kenbass4 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2004, 12:13:49 PM »

Andy,

I believe Mica's explanation was that the maple begins to look dirty due to the strings (and fingers!) contacting the fretboard constantly.

Ken (TEO)

valvil · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2004, 12:15:56 PM »

The reason we don't like maple fretboards is that over time they pick up a lot of dirt & sweat, and end up looking very crappy. We don't want to see that on our instruments. Ebony lasts much longer too. Having said that, you can always ask if you have any particular wood in mind for the fretboard.
Mica says that, soundwise, on a fretted Alembic you do not notice the difference in fretboard woods very much. On a fretless, of course, you do. On Alembics in general, the woods used in the neck are still what dominates the sound.

Valentino

effclef · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2004, 12:48:24 PM »

Ah, dirty fingerboards. OK, that is a sensible reason to avoid them. I hadn't thought of that, perhaps because I don't play enough. Or maybe I don't sweat enough! ;-)

EffClef

rogertvr · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2004, 03:07:06 PM »

On the subject of different fingerboard woods, Rickenbacker of course lacquered theirs. I think my 4001 is rosewood - or is it walnut (I stand to be corrected on that). Can't remember exactly...anyway, the point I am trying to make is..........

.........Is it possible for Alembic customers to choose any fingerboard wood they like and if they want to protect it from dirt and grime, have it lacquered?

Rog

(Message edited by rogertvr on February 25, 2004)

kenbass4 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2004, 03:49:05 PM »

Roger,

(was surprised to see your post in the alt.rickenbacker group, btw) The 4001 is rosewood and lacquered. Interesting enough, according to Valentino, Coco Bolo is a rosewood variation. (hmmmm...maybe that coco bolo fingerboard is a good choice...)

Ken (TEO)

valvil · « **Reply #9 on:** February 25, 2004, 04:38:33 PM »

Roger,

Sorry, but Susan says...no. To quote her I see many problems and no benefits.
I've seen many lacquered fingerboards where the lacquer cracked and looked pretty bad. Plus you'd likely have to re-lacquer the fingerboard whenever the instrument was up for a re-fret.
The best way to keep the dirt & grime off the fretboard is to play with clean hands and wiping it off with a clean cloth every time after playing, plus, of course using lemon oil periodically for a more thorough cleaning.

Valentino

poor_nigel · « **Reply #10 on:** February 25, 2004, 05:11:25 PM »

I actually appreciate this answer. I live in northern Maine. Everyone here is a handy man, no one is a crafts man (Crafts person - sorry ladies). I took a couple of aluminum rack panels into a machine shop in this area. I wanted some precision holes cut for fans. They used a cutting torch - I kid you not! I said cut, and that is what they did. I got real stupid looks when I told em to keep the panels I just paid $60 a piece for and put them where they would be most useful.

I wanted a thin brass plate made to fit under the new bridge I bought for my Tobias to get it up to the right height. I spent close to $100 getting it milled by a machinist in Chicago, simply because there is no one in this 'neck of the woods' who is a proper machinist. Piece came in milled to .005 of specs sent, gauranteed. Ridiculously expensive for a simple brass plate, but worth every penny spent.

A real crafts person will tell you no when you want something made that should not be. They will do it right, or not at all, as they take a lot of pride in their work. As time goes on, there are fewer and fewer crafts persons around, and lots more handy persons. So I sincerely appreciate the no quoted above.

Please excuse me. I have to get back to building the solar-powered sun lamps I promised the locals I would make for em. I don't want to lose integrity by not getting them whacked out in time . . . .

ajdover · « **Reply #11 on:** February 25, 2004, 08:04:07 PM »

I have a '76 Rickenbacker 4001, and I've never had a problem with the lacquered fingerboard. I think it still looks great after almost 30 years ... no cracks whatsoever. Of course, I take care of it, and the previous owner(s)obviously did as well. And, I must say, there's no bass on the planet that sounds like a Rick, not even an Alembic. This is both a good and bad thing IMHO. I find I can't use it for stuff requiring a more rounded, jazzy tone, but for the rock, high treble type stuff, with a lot of punch, it's awesome. Anyway, I played Ricks in high school, so I keep one around for nostalgia's sake.

My '73 Jazz recently went through a re-fret, and had to be re-sprayed. It's one of the black block inlay maple necks, and the only reason I got it re-sprayed was due to the need for a refret. Personally, the dirt and grime doesn't bother me much, but I can see where it might bother others.

Now, my '74-'75 Ripper is another story. Lots of lacquer checking on that one, but oddly enough, it plays extremely well, and has a unique sound. I'm almost tempted not to have it refinished for fear of ruining it in someway. It's beat, lots of nicks and scratches, but it's just a beast and I love it.

My '79 Musicman is in for a refret as well, but only due to some problems with the neck. Apparently, the truss rod can't be adjusted enough to make the upper part of the neck straight where the frets won't buzz. Basically, it's like a ski ramp, with the upper part of the neck bent up a bit, requiring a planing of the neck and a refret. Oddly enough, the finish is still great after 25 years.

Of course, none of them is an Alembic. 'Nuff said.

Alan

bob · « **Reply #12 on:** February 25, 2004, 10:27:47 PM »

solar-powered sun lamps ... Thanks, nigel (aka Thomas), that was easily my chuckle for the day.

For those of you who may not have been here long enough, when Susan says No, you simply don't argue (nor for that matter, when she tells you this is what would be best...).

As you've undoubtedly seen, Alembic will go to extraordinary lengths to try new things and satisfy each person's tastes, but they absolutely will not compromise on quality, or their reputation for such - and as poor_nigel says, that's a treat these days.
-Bob

811952 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 26, 2004, 05:43:22 AM »

Alan,
Use the neck pickup and play with the filter settings a bit and you've got your Rickenbacker. For that splat sound the Rick gets when you play hard and the pickups saturate, run through a tube preamp with the gain on the high side and you can duplicate that as well. The Rickenbacker is an exceptionally even-sounding bass across the neck. You can make an Alembic sound like a Rick that's gone through a wee bit of limiting and compression very easily. Engineers love it. Really. They do. I'm not kidding. Really.
John

cdf · « **Reply #14 on:** February 26, 2004, 06:26:13 AM »

poor nigel,

Can order some solar powered sunlamps from you? Am still smiling at that one. It reminds me of when I was in college and my father you to joke that I was studying underwater fire prevention.