Ezra's Custom Guitar

[David Houck]

Congrats!!  It's such a cool guitar, literally from top to bottom!  The control layout looks really nice too!

[eardolin]

Hey Mica-
It arrived safely this morning and it's awesome!
The pictures on this thread, while very compelling, certainly do not express the intricate beauty of this instrument- The subtle stripes of gray within the ebony veneer on the peghead are stunning- The overall fit is excellent for me as well- My left hand tucks perfectly against the volute in the first position- It's super comfortable to play- And the sound, let's just say it goes way beyond my expectations- Ron did an outstanding job with the electronics- I've been playing guitar since I was 12 and it's as if I've never really heard what I was playing until today- The clarity is flat out amazing and the ability to   blend the clean and processed sound via the wet/dry mix control is a really great feature-  Please pass my sincere gratitude along to everyone that contributed to this project-
Thanks again for everything-
-Ezra

[jerico]

That is stunning! Love the no-inlay neck too - very elegant!

[811952]

Beautiful!

[osoloco69]

Do you have any sound clips showcasing the electronics?

[andbassforall]

Wow, that's amazing. I love the tail piece.  It looks like something batman would keep on his belt!

[osoloco69]

What ever happened to Ezra?

[eardolin]

Hey, I'm still here. Work has totally consumed me for the past couple years (in addition to teaching I started a CNC/digital fabrication business) but browsing the Alembic club is one of my favorite distractions. Sometimes I consider posting but then decide I should probably just get back to work. The guitar is still fantastic. I don't get to play out much anymore but make a point of playing it as often as I can. Every time I plug it in it's a wonderful surprise. The sound is just so clear and strong. I'd still like to post some clips but the truth is that would probably consume the better part of an afternoon and the free time that I do have goes to the house, wife and kids (not necessarily in that order). Maybe it would be easy to do something with the flip video camera and youtube, we'll see...

[artswork99]

Nice to hear from you again Ezra.  Glad that you're still enjoying this beauty!

[eardolin]

Hey Mica-  
Not sure if it matters just yet but I thought I'd let you know what guage strings I prefer- I usually go with DR or D'Addario strings guaged around 10-13-17-26-36-46- Every once in a while I'll go with something a little heavier on the bottom 2-3 strings ending with something like a 49 or a 52-  
 
Also just left Roger at THG a message as I am still interested in having ebony control knobs made for this guitar- I assume it would make sense to order them soon?...

[eardolin]

Just to follow up on this- I went ahead and placed an order for 5 Ebony knobs today from THG- Roger estimates that they will be completed next week and they will be shipped directly to Alembic-

[mica]

Perfect! I'll be on the lookout for them. Please confirm with Roger that there will be 2 set screws per knob. I'm not sure if he does this as a standard or not, but it sure makes for better set knobs.  
 
Your string gauges are right about what our normal 10s are. If you want to start out with your specific strings, we ask that you send us a set.

[eardolin]

Yes, I requested 2 set screws per knob- Also, regarding the strings, I think I'd like to go ahead and try your normal 10s-  
Thanks...

[mica]

Hi Ezra,
 
We're getting ready to drill the electronics for your guitar, and need to review the layout. This is the same patternthat you supplied, but the controls are placed with enough room for the circuits on the inside, and the large footprint of the jacks:

The only difference besides the spacing is the switch positions - with where the knobs had to land, orienting the string more vertically would have the switches awfully close to the bridge pickup.  
 
The sharpie line on the front shows the control plate shape, and the mounting lobes for where the screws for the backplate will fasten.

[eardolin]

Hey Mica-
Thanks for setting this up for me to see- I'll probaby post a similar comment in the build record but I must say this looks absolutely beautiful!-
 
I see the difference in the control layout and I think it works- By having the line of switches follow the contour of the body shape we also wind up with a little more space around the master vol control- This seems to make sense as I'm pretty sure that control will be used most frequently- So yes to it all, let's make some holes...