Author Topic: Have you dropped your Alembic? (Read 1178 times)

bucky · « **Reply #15 on:** January 10, 2004, 06:04:45 PM »

JazzyVee:

The story you referred to about Stanley is true. He tells it in the liner notes to the album If This Bass Could Only Talk as I recall. I think he then says that the same bass was later stolen and he had to have Alembic make him another ASAP. So. . bad luck happens to us all I guess - regardless of station in life, eh? The worst thing that ever happened to my Alembic was that it's former owner for some reason *threw away* the two original Gold Plated Schaller Tuners when the gears inside broke. He then replaced them with these Gotoh Schaller knockoffs which aren't nearly as cool looking (and obviously don't match). Apparently he didn't know you could replace the gear mechanism and salvage the tuner. Shame. . that era of Schaller M200s circa 1974 is now proving very very difficult for me to find. .

Oh well. . at least my '74 Brown Bass hasn't taken the express elevator to any stage floors yet. And after hearing these strap button horror stories and how these axes have been knocked off of their stands at gigs I'm re-thinking my whole onstage guitar security setup!

Jeff

Jeff

jazzyvee · « **Reply #16 on:** January 13, 2004, 05:10:17 AM »

You are right that is the full story. I did read somewhere that Victor Wooten now has that new bass Clarkee used for the return to forever period.

I'm thinking my on-stage setup too. I always take the cable out of my guitar(s) when i'm off the stage at gigs so that it can't accidentally be pulled over by anyone walking on the stage.

I think the advice of BigredBass of putting the instrument behind the amp is a good idea.

Only problem is that I can't look over admire it from the bar when i'm relaxing in the intermission.

However at many of my gigs we are on the same floor level as the audience and the thought of walking back to play and reaching behind the cab to find some pleb has been fiddling with it or even worse lifted it would give me a heart attack.

I think it will be at the back of the stage and somewhere visible.

bucky · « **Reply #17 on:** January 13, 2004, 04:17:51 PM »

Jazzy:

Those sound like great suggestions - the temptation to leave the Alembic where it can be admired by those who appreciate fine craftsmanship is strong though. .

Jeff

rami · « **Reply #18 on:** January 15, 2004, 12:27:57 PM »

I've never dropped any Bass, but one time, as I swung around with my fretless Essence 5, the back of the headstock hit a doorway so hard that I heard (and felt) the strings slap against the fingerboard. It scared the hell out of me, and I spent the next hour or so examening it for any damage. There was nothing. I couldn't even find a mark where it hit! Probably against the tuners, but no damage at all. That's a sign of quality - a Bass that's built to last.

Rami

alemboid · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2004, 12:59:50 PM »

At least three years ago, when I first saw it, there is a 6-string Essence at Manny's Music on 48th Street in Manhattan, NY. It is still there for sale, and it hasn't sold because some time in history, the headstock has banged against the wall or something- its all chewed up along the back edge. Also, for icing on the cake- it appears it was plugged in when it was knocked over- the whole tone control area including the jack has been totally cracked off. It looks like they had Ray Charles glue it all back together with paste and a spatula! To top it off, they still are asking $3,500.00 for it- as new!!!

How sad! I stop by now and then, just to tell it someone will give it a happy home some day... what a shame.

Alemboid

smokin_dave · « **Reply #20 on:** February 11, 2004, 08:40:05 PM »

Never dropped mine but a guitar player/leader of the band was making introductions and I was standing directly behind him and he swung around and wacked the headstock of his guitar off the face of my Rogue 5 just as he introduced me.Thank god it just bounced off the strings and didn't bang up the finish at all.I almost had a heart attack.He almost had a heart attack until we checked it out under close scrutiny under good light at break.I wonder how much that repair bill would have cost him?

811952 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 12, 2004, 12:57:46 PM »

I would guess quite a bit, and the deductible on his medical insurance would never be the same. You were wondering about *his* repair bill, right?
john

dela217 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 12, 2004, 04:03:40 PM »

I just want to post this because it might make me feel better. You know, the whole support group thing. A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way to a gig. My Series II was in a gig bag (I should know better) and laying on the back seat of the car. In traffic I had to make a panic stop. The bass flew off the seat and slamed into the bottom of the front seats. You know, where the front seats slide along on METAL runners. Well I got a real nice sized dent in the body where my arm rests. Some of the finish is chipped off there too. Maybe I'll feel better if I post a picture of it.

bracheen · « **Reply #23 on:** February 12, 2004, 04:12:57 PM »

This is kinda like closing the barn door after the cows have left, when my gig bag is laying flat on the rear seat I use the seat belts on it. If I'm traveling any distance I also cover it with a reflective sunscreen. The kind that goes on the windshield.
Ouch, that had to be painful.

David Houck · « **Reply #24 on:** February 12, 2004, 04:32:15 PM »

Michael; I'm really sorry to hear that. My new Allman Brothers DVD shows Oteil Burbridge with a gig bag over his shoulder; and when I see that I'm thinking that no matter how high a regard I hold Oteil as a bass player there's still no way I put my bass in a gig bag. I know that people that use gig bags have good reasons for doing so; but I just can't get comfortable with the idea. And now that I hear your story, that confirms it; no gig bags for my basses. I do like the sunscreen idea. I recently made a long trip with my bass and I covered it with a sleeping bag to keep the sun off the black case.

palembic · « **Reply #25 on:** February 12, 2004, 11:16:14 PM »

Brother MIchael,

It hurts me too
is what I say.
I have a faint idea of your collection of old basses and I know they are all precious to you.
How do you feel about repair? Is it damage you want to take care for or do you say it's part of life and a battle scar that reminds me -in a painful way- never again?
Anyway, I wish you a strong mind and a light heart to let it pass you by.

Paul the bad one

bob · « **Reply #26 on:** February 12, 2004, 11:20:02 PM »

dela, go ahead and give us a picture. I think it will be healthy, and I'm pretty sure we can handle it.

After all, it can't be nearly as bad as Wayne's decapitated headstock, nor our recent gall bladder removal (please, no pictures on that one...).

I don't really drive much with mine - so far, only to/from Alembic - but I struggle with the choice of front seat with seat belt (and airbag!), back seat, or trunk, and can't help thinking about the possible accident vectors.

Hey, it could have been another person, right?

Sounds like the real bummer is that the dent happens to be in a place where you'll feel it. I think you'll need to figure out whether it's going to be an ongoing annoyance, or something that will somehow personalize things and make you feel a bit closer, like you've been through something together and come out stronger.

I'm really not that much of a sap, okay? Fine, maybe you should have used a hardshell case, but mine doesn't actually fit across the back seat, and there are all sorts of other practical considerations. Shit happens, which implies you can never adequately anticipate it, so no point in beating yourself up about it.

Seems like you need to figure out whether it's a nice groove to rest your arm, or if the finish is damaged enough to deteriorate further, or if it's just going to bum you out every time you touch it.

I could tell you about the groove I have in my scalp from my last race to Hawaii, but that's too long a story for tonight. Not an entirely pleasant memory, but I'm still here, and I sound pretty much the same as I used to :-)

mica · « **Reply #27 on:** February 13, 2004, 05:28:20 PM »

Awww Michael, that's just awful about your bass. Since it's not on the neck, I suspect you'll probably leave it as is, as long as it isn't too painful to look at. You're an old softie for those basses with battlescars. I bet your heart was racing for a bit though.

A good friend of mine showed me a ding on his dad's Series I. He said it was the first time he saw his dad cry.

Bob - scalp groove... sounds nasty indeed.

Ok, I'll add another story too. About 8 years ago I was driving to San Francsico with an Essence in a hardshell case across the back seat of my then car (Hyundai Excel hatchback). Got rearended in traffic, the guy next to freaked out when he heard the pop of the cars and turned into my backseat!!! Good thing it was low speed. The case was fairly crumpled, but the peghead just had a little ding on it. The car, well, that was the last of its days.

I actually miss that crappy car. It looked small, but when we werre moving Alembic from Foley Street to Wiljan Court, I fit 17 instruments in that little sucker (yes, some were in gig bags).

dela217 · « **Reply #28 on:** February 13, 2004, 06:32:52 PM »

Mica - You know me! I will leave it as is. I don't mind the battle scars so much, it is just that one could have been prevented. I know better! It seems the only times my basses get messed up is when they are in gig bags. And yes, I am still using the gig bag. But now I am laying it on the floor. That way, it won't fall.

smokin_dave · « **Reply #29 on:** February 14, 2004, 10:59:55 PM »

About that gall blader removal,I tried to get the doctors to save the stones inside the gall bladder so I could put them inside a plastic egg and make a gall shaker for anybody to shake out a rhythm but they wouldn't go for it.Pity.