Author Topic: Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?  (Read 729 times)

jeff

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 129
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« on: April 08, 2004, 06:54:01 AM »
Recently, a little birdie told me that Alembic is building a 30th Anniversary bass for Stanley Clarke.  Perhaps this is common knowledge among Alembicians.  Is this true?  If so, I (we) would love to know the details!  Will the bass be available for sale like the gorgeous Sterling 25the Anniversary bass?  See http://www.alembic.com/info/sterling.html  
 
Speaking of the 25th, is Alembic still building these?  Are those stunning burl rosewood laminates still available?  
 
Jeff

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2004, 07:17:35 AM »
as we know stanley has been playing alembic basses for 32yrs now,(note,his very first alembic was stolen in 1972, & never recoverd)(and his brown bass was his replacement & was his signature bass after that) but this is a first to my ears!. 30 yrs together! stanley & alembic!!!

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2004, 07:30:09 AM »
and as for the sterlings? theyre order only theres only a few left(I think) (25 limit)the last i checked it only 17 built, but that a few months back(a lot of months ago) .

jeff

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 129
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2004, 07:42:59 AM »
Thanks Keavin for the info on the 25th.  I would be very interested in knowing a few things about the burl rosewood laminates:
 
1)  How has the elapse of several years affected the wood?  Has the color changed?
 
2)  Are the remaining laminates as highly figured and beautiful as the featured custom?
 
3)  Are the laminates available only for the 25th Anniversary bass?
 
4)  If so, what is the retail price now of the 25th?

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2004, 09:02:42 AM »
hhhhmmm! thats entresting thought! lets ask mica! oh,........ as for the price of the sterlings?!!! ($25,000),per axe!!!!!.....dude face it, what did you get for your 25th birthday? (besides gettin laid)!,,,these are alembics!(come on man,!!)

valvil

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 880
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2004, 01:31:57 PM »
The retail price of a Sterling these days is 30,000$. The inlay alone is 12,000, and that is a non-discountable item. A flight case is included and you get to add an inlay of your choice at the first fret.
The remaining burl rosewood pieces are ONLY available for the Sterling basses.
Those look every bit as good as the featured custom one. The pieces have not been cut and sanded down yet, and will not be cut until we start building the bass they'll go on. Colorwise they are the same.
The instrument we are building for Stanley is to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the  Alembic/Stanley Clarke association. It's really quite gorgeous, but it's not going to be a production model; it's got quilted coco bolo top and back, ebony neck lams, and a dragon inlay. Of course, if you want one just like it, we can build it for you but we have little quilted coco bolo left; we'd have none if not for the fact that our wood supplier found another small board that he had left out of the original shipment.
 
Valentino

goatfoot

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 82
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2004, 09:08:03 AM »
Valentino,
 
Will we be able to peak in at the construction of Stanley's new bass over in Factory to Customer?  Please.  Pretty, Please!  
 
Also, is Stanley's new bass going to be a Small Standard Series I?  More info, please.  (Quit whining, Kevin)
 
Thanks,
Kevin

bracheen

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1561
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2004, 09:11:05 AM »
It would be cool if Stanley was able to join us in admiring the progress of his bass.
 
Sam

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2004, 09:43:19 AM »
did you know stanleys web site has an interactive & and discussion room,& theres lots of interesting topics on there, and he even joins in from timt to time. check it out!

jeff

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 129
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2004, 06:24:11 AM »
Valentino,
 
You know that Ron declared that the burl rosewood basses were the best sounding basses he ever heard.  Does he still believe that or, in his opinion, has another wood combination surpassed the Sterling in tone?  
By the way, is the Sterling available in a 5 string?    
 
As for Stanley's 30th Anniversary bass, I join the requests of  goatfoot, keavin and bracheen for the posting of pictures!

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2004, 08:21:05 AM »
hey, by the way the picture of the sterling is out of focus!

jeff

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 129
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2004, 11:57:27 AM »
Spoke to Mica today.  The good news, for those of you who have 30K, is that the Sterling is available in a 5 string.  Mica also said that Ron rarely comments about the tone of the basses he calibrates - he takes a very clinical approach to that process. He was moved, however, to comment on the beautiful tone of the burl rosewood basses.
 
Keavin, if you want to see a much clearer picture of a burl rosewood bass, see my fellow Jersey-boy, Steve Wood's bass: http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/2905.html?1042078955.  Isn't she a beauty?  Must'a nearly killed him to drop it!

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2004, 04:31:10 PM »
hey man all i can say is wow!!!,that wood looks better than the wife!(just kidding), but yeah i read that story about that bass being dropped,and gig bags arent the best security. it happend to me on stage with #12,my drummer knocked it over,and the peg head ended up on the dancefloor and the bass was on the stage mangled up in bass its strings, i was pissed!!!the gig was delayed until i could get someone (from the audience) to call one of their friends to bring me a ^%$#$#@! ibanez!!!!.  

jeff

  • club
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 129
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2004, 05:56:43 AM »
I'll bet you never forgave the drummer for that move! Is #12 an Alembic?  You mean that the Ibanez didn't sound as good as an Alembic? (ha ha)!

keavin

  • club
  • Senior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1657
Is Alembic building a 30th Anniversary Bass?
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2004, 08:34:03 AM »
rite, i never forgave that drummer for that incident, but you can see #12 @ showcase, seriesI basses & scroll down to (old #12)