Why Is This Man Crying?

[jlpicard]

Steve, I've got to give you credit for finishing the gig. If that were to happen to me I think I would be in a total catatonic state and someone would have to take me home, put me to bed and do a 24/7 suicide watch till I got it repaired or replaced!! It's very painful and frightening  to look at those pictures. Did it fall backwards and hit right on the point of the back of the headstock or forward? As an amature builder, I'm curious because of how cleanly it peeled the back laminates off the neck. With all that laminating and Ebony, you'd think that the head would be stronger than that. I wonder, what kind of stand were you using so we can avoid that type or discard it if need be?

[ajdover]

Steve,
 
    Wow, dude, that really sucks, and I feel for you.  I can't imagine how I'd feel if that happened to one of my Alembics.  I'd probably hunt down the responsible party (if needed) and throttle them within an inch of their life ... or make them play Warwicks for the rest of it :-) (note: not picking on Warwick owners here - they just happen to be one of my least favorite brands, so I figure if I gotta torture someone, a Warwick is the way to do it IMHO)
 
I know when I use my Alembics on a stage or bandstand that they always go in a case when I'm not playing them.  I might put them in a stand temporarily, but only if I'm standing right next to it.  I guess I'm a little paranoid at something happening to them, but that's just me.  Maybe there's a better stand system out there that might preclude this from happening again (other than a case)?  Any suggestions, anyone?
 
I truly hope your insurance company takes care of you.  I know the good folks in Santa Rosa will.
 
Best of luck,
 
Alan

[j_gary]

Good grief Steve, what a shock. I had to get up and do an Alembic check after those photo's. For what it's worth, your story made me rethink my bass handling skills.
 
Good luck with the repair. That Alembic can do such amazing things with wood, makes me believe they can fix her as good as new.

[bracheen]

We all saw the results of Alembic craftsmanship when Mike's Spyder came into contact with his singer's slinging mic.  I'll bet you would be hard pressed to find the damage after the repair.
 
Sam

[kmh364]

Steve,
 
My condolensces. That's a really sweet SII with the Europa body, ebony lams, quilt maple w/burst finish, etc. All is not lost. Let Alembic fix 'er and see how you like it first...this one looks too d*mn nice to give up on just yet. As stated above, Mike Bisch's Spyder was severly damaged, and the repairs along with the upgrades he did, made it even better than it was, IMHO.
 
Remember, your neck-through's headstock was joined to the neck via scarf joint originally, now they'll just move it down a little. It'll be visible (ck out Mike's Spyder repair thread for further edification), but Alembic does it in a way that it actually looks like it's supposed to be there. It's a conicallly-cut joint that looks just like the one's that Grover Jackson (did) on his neck-throughs.  
 
Cheers,
 
Kevin

[foth]

I'm sorry Steve!  That's a horrible thing to have happen right at showtime.  I think I'll be getting one of the stands that James reccomends.  I first saw one in use at my new year's gig.  Here's pics of Wayne's repaired headstock.
 
There is an article in the November, 2005 Bass PLayer that mentions Dusty Wakeman's 3 string Rick Turner bass... no G string on purpose!

[s_wood]

The insurance company I use is Heritage Insurance. They specialize in musical instrument insurance. www.musicins.com  Their policies are underwritten by St. Paul Travelers Insurance Co., and they   covers all kinds of loss from theft or accidental damage. The insurance is very reasonably priced. I have always dealt with the owner, Ellis Hershman at 800-289-8837, and he has always been great.  Of course, this is my first claim so we will see just how great he really is   Supposedly, they will either pay replacement cost or the cost of the repair plus devaluation (as a repaired bass will be worth less on the resale market).  We'll see.
Anyway, if anyone decides to check out Heritage Insurance for their basses (and you should) please mention my name (Steve Wood) as perhaps that will help things go my way.
 
By the way, if you think you are safe with your homeowner's or renter's insurance you better double-check as many policies exclude instruments if you use them even once at a paying gig.
 
About finishing the gig: I was playing with an original rock band called Prima Donna at a place in Philadelphia called the North Star, which is the most prestigious gig that an unsigned original band can play in that city.  I am a sideman in that band, and I pride myself on being reliable and a team player.  I would have played the gig through a veil of tears on a kazoo if I had to, but when I broke the string on the borrowed bass I really relaxed and started having fun because it was so obvious that I was just completely hosed.
Plus, and this is the main point, compared to what Dela217 and everyone else in New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast has been through what happened to me isn't really even worth mentioning.
 
Especially because I have insurance.
 
So there are 2 morals to this story:
1.  Guitar stands REALLY suck; and
2.  Get your basses insured.  Right now.

[mica]

Oh Steve - this is sad news indeed. It's very likely it can be repaired, but that doesn't make it hurt any less I know.  
 
I'm always one to look on the bright side: it's a chance to change the finish color if you want to since refinishing will be required.
 
Let us know if your insurance company needs any documentation from us.

[speicky]

Steve,
 
when I initially saw this thread I almost broke down myself. Such a lovely beauty, crashed in pieces...
 
But I know everything will turn out fine with the repair, and I am glad you shared this accident with us. I learned from other threads what the elves at MARS (Magic Alembic Restore Shop) are able to perform.
 
Christian (the faker)

[hankster]

Steve,
 
Condolences.  This happened to me many years ago, when the headstock broke off my Gibson Les Paul bass.  The repair worked beautifully, except for a small bit of missing inlay;  I now have a rare Gibson dotless i.

[lidon2001]

Sorry to see that Steve.  I spend many minutes gazing at your instruments.
 
I hope the insurance works well.  For another option, I got all 3 of my Alembics insured at full retail minus monthly special price from www.merzhuber.com which I found elsewhere on this site.  I hope I never have to use it.
 
T

[wayne]

Steve-
 
As my ordeal is well documented, I simply say trust Mica and the artisians in Santa Rosa (which you obviously do).  It won't be exactly the same, but it will take an amazing ear to hear any tonal difference after the repair.
 
As for appearence, no one in front will ever know.  And anyone behind will have to look close.
 
Even after everything, the Dark and the Light is still my favorite sounding bass.
 
C-Ya..........wayne

[bassman10096]

Steve:  Sorry about your misfortune. It looks like the scarf joint let go, probably saving your neck from more damage.  It's definitely fixable.  You may have seen this thread in the past, but here are the pix of Mike's Spyder getting a new headstock following an unfortuante injury:  http://club.alembic.com/Images/631/12625.html.  
Take heart, it'll be back to playing good as new.  Plus if your insurer will make you whole for loss of resale, then maybe the scar won't seem so bad.
 
Whenever I get paranoid about damage to my basses, I eventually remind myself of something Mica said a while ago here.  If I remember, she said the purposes of the scarf joint were:  (1) to add strength against the pull of the strings and (2) to give the neck a fixable place to break when it is subjected to trauma - helping promote the survival of your instrument.  She illustrated this by pointing out that, of all the Stradavarius (Stradavarii?) violins still surviving, not one has its original headstock.  Kind of puts my paranoia into perspective...
 
Bill

[kmh364]

Actually, the scarf joint's purpose is to allow for the attachment of the angled headstock. Otherwise, the wood neck blanks would have to be huge in order to carve out the angled portion...with lots of waste. It's the LAMINATED construction that gives the joint it's strength. On the lesser Alembics, like my Orion, they use a volute (like a double bass) for strength in place of the lams.  
 
Remember, Alembic got their feet wet with instruments by performing repairs. A lot of those initial repairs involved busted headstocks...hence the Std. Point body genesis (i.e., forcing you to use a stand versus leaning the instrument on something...and having it topple over: the prime cause of broken headstocks).

[bassman10096]

That's a better way to put it:  Added strength is a result of the joint.  Otherwise, a lot of stock would be wasted.  Plus it enables neck designs to avoid clunky volutes.