Dear friends,
As the time has almost arrived for the completion of my Custom Series II Mele Aloha I want to make a few confessions and give credit where credit is do.
I have to admit that if it hadn't been for changes that I made to my bass, Alembic would have been on the way to a record completion. But do to me making the changes that were all do to the help and information in this forum, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to build the bass of my dreams.
I have to get off of my chest a small but hopefully helpful bit of criticism that some of the options that are on my bass were not readily available on the Custom Build Section. These are things like custom inlays, custom neck design, Quilted Coco Bolo top and back wood, pistol grip, and that may be about it. But!, the good news is that because of all of you and this very helpful forum I was able to realize these things and come up with a very custom and very much more pleasing result.
Again, this is not a bad thing as by obtaining the info that you all freely gave to me in helping me and (putting up with me) I was able to 1., Build the bass of my dreams, and 2., provide the leeway for Alembic to build a truly custom instrument with the freedom to make the neccesary decisions that they already knew from their experience therefore overriding some of my suggestions.
Some of these items that you all helped me with are Bradley helping me decypher the different body styles. This lead to my decision that Michael's Raging Bass was the body style that I wanted which was a standard instead of Special K body type.
Susan helping me keep Koa wood in the bass which was my first choice of top wood but changed my mind after Valentino had helped me realize that Koa isn't the best sounding wood. Susan suggested the Koa laminate under the Quilted Coco Bolo by seperating it with a thin veneer of Maple. I then decided on the Maple body wood like Michael's Custom Further in which not only could I maintain a crispy high's in the sound but also a beautiful look to the bass.
I also saw some of your custom inlay work in the F to C thread and learned that I could have custom inlay work done.
The custom neck wood design was also influenced not only by Michael's Raging Bass but many other of yours.
There were many other things that you guys helped me with and you know who you are.
But my main point is that I didn't come down to the final decision until May in which if I had stuck to my original build, Alembic would have finished it.
So not only am I thanking all of you but I am thanking Mica and Susan for helping me stick with the changes as they had already cut some of my laminates out before I requested the changes as well as some other things.
I am also making a public apology to Mica and Susan for putting undo pressure on them to finsih the bass when I really didn't understand all of the things that goes into and especially a Series II detail. Thanks to Susan, she really explained to me all of the detail that goes into the bass including the amount of spray that goes on them until they will take no more. Details like letting the instrument cool down after it has been buffed out before another coat can go on.
There are many details that go into these instruments that I now understand that are the reasons that they are miles above most other instruments.
Thank all of you for your help and patience!
Aloha, Paul
