My 18th prezzie, to me from me

[sam_blues_slinger]

So my parents refuse to buy me a ?3000 or so custom guitar, i gotta do it myself!  
 
What do you reckon to an Orion with California special electronics, maccassar ebony top, purple heart fingerboard and a custom F hole bound with silver?    
 
I need a really nice dark peice of maccassar to contrast wiht tthe silver. failing that, does anyone have any suggestions on top woods???

[the_8_string_king]

Sam, I've noticed you haven't got a response yet.
 
This may be due to the specifics of what you've posted.  The first part What do you reckon to an Orion with California special electronics, maccassar ebony top, purple heart fingerboard and a custom F hole bound with silver? seems to indicate you already have a clear idea of what you want.  The second part I need a really nice dark peice of maccassar to contrast wiht tthe silver. failing that, does anyone have any suggestions on top woods??? is a VERY general question.
 
But I'll bite.  As far as the 1st part goes, I'm a neck-thru man, and a neck-thru advocate; I think they're superior instruments, and so, I'd advocate a Spectrum over an Orion.  I'd also recommend the getting the Spectrum electronics, and upgrading to a 3-position Q switch.  The Q is, IMO, an essential aspect of the Alembic sound, and for that reason, I'd consider a Spectrum with Spectrum electronics to be preferable.  As far as the other details, it's all personal choice.  Ebony is one of my favorite woods for both appearance and sound -although I'd never get it for a top, as my preference would be to put the ebony in the neck as a laminate or two -where it has MUCH more impact on the sound.  Especially if you're set on NOT having the fingerboard be ebony.  And having an outline of an F hole in silver doesn't grab me, but it sounds cool, and if you like it, go for it.  I doubt they'd do an actual (hollow) F hole... I don't think Alembic does true hollow-bodies.
 
As far as the second question, I think it's too broad for anyone to meaningfully answer.  Alembic stocks at least a dozen different standard and upgrade woods... if you poke around on the site you can find the standard woods and other options fairly easily.
 
But what would look the best to you?  Only you could say.  I guess if Ebony grabs you in particular, you might consider/take a look at dark Coco Bolo and/or Rosewood (both are famous for their sound -like other Rosewoods), and possibly Ziricote or some dark Walnut.
 
A Purpleheart or Vermillion top would likely contrast a silver inlay as well.
 
If you dig around and use the search for Spider (or maybe it's Spyder?) basses, you can see a couple Alembic Exploiters with silver web inlays (ala John Entwistle) on Maple tops -to see how that grabs you appearance-wise.

[sam_blues_slinger]

haha, maybe that did come across a little strange, however, thankyou for your respsonse.  im looking at the nice walnuts for the top now. I wouldnt expect the guitar to be hollow, just a small cavity to releive some of the weight and to make a feature of it with the f hole.

[the_8_string_king]

Hmm, yeah, I think your F hole idea, especially as you've described -with an actual hollow area under the F hole- is something they've never done before -to my knowledge.
 
I recall reading somewhere -on a thread here, I think- that Alembic doesn't do true hollowbody instruments -for whatever reason.
 
Your idea seems like a borderline case... not really what one would normally think of as a hollowbody, just a solid body with a little chamber under the custom F hole.
 
I'm pretty sure you'd need to get a yes/no directly from them on this one.  They'll likely see this and respond before too long, but you can also direct that and other custom queries to either Valentino and/or Mica by e-mailing valentino@alembic.com or mica@alembic.com.
 
They got some pretty awesome new Walnut in the Wood Bank.  Now the figured stuff is pricy -although I believe that less fancy -but still very attractive- Walnut is still a standard wood.  Regardless of what you're looking for, it's worth taking a peek at, just for the beauty.
 
Have you seen the Darling and Little Darling guitars?  They're pretty awesome.  You can find 'em by using the search feature -and I think they have a Spaulted Maple Little Darling on the online Alembic Store (on this site, look around).
 
It seems conceivable they might be able to put an F hole on the upper body wing... again, you'd have to actually get an answer from Val or Mica or Susan.  It might look a little better on that body shape than on an Orion or Spectrum.
 
If you're 18 and your parents aren't contributing, you'll likely need to have some good savings and/or make good money and/or keep the (other) options/features as simple as possible -to get the bass you've described (assuming it's something they'd do).
 
Good luck, hope you get what'cha want!