Author Topic: Hey Mica: I've Got A Stupid Question For You (Read 411 times)

kmh364 · « **on:** August 19, 2004, 05:42:05 PM »

Hi Mica,

I don't remember having ever seen an Alembic of any type with a Maple fingerboard a la Fender. Have you ever done anything like that? Would you consider doing something like that? I've seen the Alembic J-Basses that went to Jolly Old England, but they had Ebony fingerboards.

Cheers,

Kevin

mica · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2004, 06:48:21 PM »

We made one for John Lodge. We've made a few others. I don't like them at all, they look really gross after a short time of playing, like all Maple fingerboards do. Please don't ask me to do this to a poor little unsuspecting Alembic

Also, Ebony is superior in durability, there is no contest.

bsee · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2004, 06:56:21 PM »

They have to get ugly if you oil them, and they eventually peel if you finish them with a poly coat. There is a certain tone you get from maple, though, especially on an old Fender, that's different from their other fretboard materials. The Zon fingerboard made from a composite material has a lot of similarity to the sound of maple without the downside in appearance. Would Alembic consider using this kind of composite material as a fingerboard for someone looking for maple-like tonal properties?

Personally, I prefer the tone of ebony over all other fingerboard materials.

mica · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2004, 07:07:16 PM »

I know it makes a difference on other makes, but I don't think there is any appreciable difference in tone with different fingerboards on an Alembic bass. Feel yes, look yes, tone no.

On a fretless of course the fingerboard directly participates in the creation of the sound.

kmh364 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 20, 2004, 03:53:04 AM »

Exactly. Fender's tone is what I'm thinking of...Gilmour's and Clapton's Maple Strats don't sound like Stevie Ray's or any of my rosewood fingerboard Strats do (all things being equal). Yes, I realise they all use different P/U's and amps. I had been thinking about a high-end David Gilmour Strat-style guitar with active electronics (but not EMG's), all highly-figured woods (including maple f/b), and possibly a neck-through body. I got the idea from a combo of two guitars I like: a) my buddy's neck-through Fender Custom Shop Tele with mahogany body/neck and AAA Quilt top w/triple tobacco sunburst finish (you can see one just like it on the SRV Austin City Limits DVD in the little wing video), and; b) the new G&L Comanche (the one with the figured triple-sunburst body, flamed maple neck, birdseye-maple fingerboard with a gun-oil tint lacquer finish).

Why an Alembic Custom Guitar? Fender's quality and customer service, even their Custom Shop, leaves much to be desired. G&L is better quality, but the Comanche has those ill-looking Z pickups and an ugly headstock shape. On top of that, did you ever try re-selling a G&L in this part of the country (i.e., NYC Metro area)? If it don't say Fender or Gibson on it, it aint worth S**T here, LOL! Obviously, I want something you just can't walk in a store and buy...and I want Alembic's awesome quality and customer service.

Just an idea. I see it went over like an uncontrolled gaseous eruption in a house of worship, LOL!

susan · « **Reply #5 on:** August 20, 2004, 05:41:25 AM »

Just a short comment on Stevie Ray's guitars:

1 had an Activator set I sold him many years ago and 2 of them had Blastors in them from even longer ago in 70's. To my Knowledge he always kept them in the guitars.

BTW- There are more Blastors in guitars out there than anyone might think. It's one of our oldest products and there are thousands of them out there in Fender Strats, many are internal only so you can't tell from looking at them.

-susan

kmh364 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 20, 2004, 05:42:09 AM »

Now that I've gotten my new Alembic bass, I'm jones'n for an Alembic guitar. I'm a huge Jerry fan, but everyone orders a Tribute, so it's hard to get one that is that different. I wouldn't mind either a Tele or Strat style guitar, but not a California Special. Maybe a Further? I'm sooooo confused...who's got ideas? I'd definitely like something different than everybody else orders from Alembic.

the_mule · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2004, 06:01:24 AM »

Kevin, what about a Further in a darker wood variety? I bet a M. Ebony, Supreme Walnut or Coco Bolo top on a Further, combined with purpleheart (or dare I say: Ebony!) neck laminates would be one killer axe soundwise, and VERY original in appearance!

Wilfred

hollis · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2004, 11:35:09 AM »

Ahhhhhh Kevin.......... I see it has begun......

Maybe a baritone Further? I know I have one somewhere between dreams and reality.

bsee · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2004, 11:42:56 AM »

I would think an M. ebony tribute would be totally outrageous.

kmh364 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2004, 12:08:23 PM »

Susan: Thanks for your input. It is always a pleasure to see a response from you as I value your opinion greatly.

I certainly wouldn't mind having a blaster and/or activators in another Strat (or even in the Strats I already have), as long as it was internal. I'm just looking for something better than another run-of-the-mill production Strat or the overpriced underwhelming quality of the Fender Custom Shop version.

BTW, I already have a SRV-like '62 Vintage Re-issue Strat (CBS '83 vintage) and a 80's-90's Clapton-esque CBS '82 Custom Color Strat (in Pewter, albeit with a gorgeous dark rosewood fingerboard). I certainly wouldn't mind a maple version with actives a la Gilmour, but the thought of spending a fortune with Fender, or making due with a crappy production version doesn't appeal to me at all. Foreign-made (i.e., non-USA made) stuff is taboo for me, as well.

cdf · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2004, 04:23:14 PM »

I have noticed several settings on my Tribute yield very Gilmour-ish tone. In fact the versatility of the Tribute electronics is really quite remarkable, I still haven't discovered all they can do. I think you can have the Trib electronics package put in many different bodies. For example I remember seeing a Spectrum body shape with Spalted Maple as the top and back wood, that was spectacular looking and I bet it sound fantastic as well. Well just a suggestion.

kmh364 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 20, 2004, 05:47:58 PM »

Thanks, Court. Your Tribute is awesome for sure: Jerry would be proud.

If I don't go with three single coils a la Fender Strat, I felt I would probably end up with Tribute/Further electronics as opposed to Series electronics. While I'm sure that Ron's Series stuff is absolutely the most versatile out there, I don't like the idea of being tied to the rack-mount power supply and all those controls (and the price, LOL!) are daunting. As an Electrical Engineer, An Electric Code Inspector, a Construction Manager and as former Mechanic, I like the KISS principal (i.e., Keep It Simple, Stupid, LOL!). My new Orion 4 has, without a doubt, the most complicated control set-up I've ever used. Likewise my Eden WT-550 amp head. At least with the Eden you can usually leave it flat and adjust the Alembic to do what you want. My guitar stuff is the opposite. I have an old Tom Sholz Rockman IIB headphone amp and a 60's vintage Silvertone all-tube practice amp, an old silverface '79 130W Fender Twin Reverb for clean stuff (owned it since '81) and I'm having a Custom Harry Straub Cantus Head/Sultone 2x12 cab combo being fabbed as I write this for the dirty stuff. It's a 50W All tube, hand hardwired boutique head based on a Marshall Plexi but with a modern gain section as well. I think it has about as many knobs as my Alembic does, LOL! My electric guitars are all straightforward as well: Strats, Les Paul and a couple of Jacksons (active electronics, but only three knobs and three switches).

Having said all that, I realize that to be versatile, it's gonna end-up with a lot of knobs and switches. Just like my Bass. Do I really need a Swiss Army Knife of Instruments? For the bass: yes. I only have one and I didn't want to have an army of basses just to get varied sounds. For guitar: not necessarily. I have the classic Strat and LP sounds. Yes, it is always nice to have all the desirable instrument sounds at hand on one guitar. If I wasn't talking about an Alembic, right now I'd use that old Shop Smith analogy here: a tool designed to do many jobs doesn't do any of them well, LOL! I imagine that unless I buy a Fender/G&L though, I'm gonna get a versatile instrument from Alembic with lots of knobs/switches whether I like it or not, so it might as well have most of the bells and whistles, LOL!.

I just have to figure out what in the H**L it is that I really want, LOL!

Choices, choices.

pace · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2004, 05:25:36 AM »

>>>Having said all that, I realize that to be versatile, it's gonna end-up with a lot of knobs and switches

kmh364 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2004, 05:46:43 AM »

Du'oh!!! Now your talking outboard EFFECTS (more knobs and more cables)? LOL! I used to cringe when I saw Jerry with his Alembic Doug Irwin's (Wolf, Rosebud, etc,) back in the day. His was stereo with the stereo effects loop so he had an UMBILICAL of bundled cables eminating from the guitar connecting it all. He stated in a '78 Guitar Player interview why he did it and claimed he didn't care if it was unweildy because he didn't move around much on stage. His guitar tech must have hated him, LOL!

My god, I wonder if they'll make me an EMW electronics package tailored to guitar. At least that thing has less knobs and switches than a further/tribute. Can you have a free lunch with Alembic's guitars, i.e., good versatility in varied sounds WITHOUT a million knobs and switches? Jerry (and Phil) didn't mind all that added complexity, but I do.