Paul's Custom Series II Mele Aloha

[mele_aloha]

P.S. I'm not asking to see or anything because I know you are very busy but are they working on a pistol grip body for me now? Or have you picked out my Coco yet?
 
Just a friendly check!!!!

[mica]

Thunder and Lightning is a narrow spaced 5-string and used the 4-string width pickups.  
 
Mom's done 2 drafts of the pistol grip, and feels like she's just about there. She's got her hands full the rest of the week, but version three should be ready next week. I'll post it when it's ready.

[mele_aloha]

Hi Mica,
Boy, thanks for the great start so far on the neck. It is beautiful!!!
 
Hey, I'm just wondering, after seeing Shim's beauty, is it to late to order a pistol grip for my bass? Please let me know if not, cuz his bass came out gorgeous and I'm thinking I might like to add it. But please, I don't want to become a pest and so if it is even iffy then I don't want to change. And I'm willing to pay the full price straight to you guys for changes so you  don't have to redo the contract and do paper work to Dan and all of that.
 
Just let me know and we'll go any way you want.
 
Thanks, Paul
 
P.S. Is his body the standard new balance K or is it a larger than that body like Raging Bass or something?
 
Thanks for your time!

[Bradley Young]

Shim's bass looks like the balance model.
 
The balance K is a mashup of the 3/4 size and balance shapes.
 
Basically, a standard model (large standard) with an extended upper horn (the upper horn is offset, too, like the balance K).
 
Bradley

[mele_aloha]

Uh Bradley,
 
Not to be rude but this area is where the customer (myself) discusses and makes requests to the admins about my bass. And since you are just guessing, wouldn't it be prudent to let Mica come in and answer my question?
 
Maybe if you would like to make guesses or comments why don't you come over to the build/discussion thread, which is still a customer/factory area but you are more welcome to leave your opinions there since my last question was specifically directed to Mica.
 
I have a Balance K ordered and I don't believe it is a Mashup of anything. It is a well thought up design from a lot of pain staking trial and error on the part of the builders and designers and admins of Alembic.
 
Aloha, Paul

[Bradley Young]

Paul,
 
No offense taken, but I wasn't guessing.
 
I apologize for intruding on your space. I was just trying to help answer your question.
 
Bradley
 
PS- mashup isn't a derogatory term; from urbandictionary.com:
 
mash up     
v. To take elements of two or more pre-existing pieces of music and combine them to make a new song.

[mele_aloha]

You said Shim's looks like, you didn't say it's a ------ because I am reading it off of the specifications. So that is a guess. I know what it looks like because I was looking at it. It's hard to tell in these pictures if it is a balance K or a 3/4 size. That is why I directed the question to Mica who is the only one that would know besides Shim. That is why I would rather keep this thread clear of any outsiders so that I have a direct line with Mica and I don't have to bother her on her personal e-mail.
And since mashup is a term used to describe pieces of music it was improperly used here to describe the design of this bass style.
 
So again not to be rude all of the information that you wrote in my direct posting area to Mica was not useful persueing information so that I can make changes to my bass order. And the question to Mica was a continuation of a conversation that Mica and I already had where I was rolling around the idea of adding a pistol grip to my order.
 
Therefore I would appreciate you keeping this area clear for the use of conversation with Mica and I'll see ya on the other side OK brother?
 
Thanks, Paul
 
Thanks, Paul

[Bradley Young]

http://club.alembic.com/Images/631/34787.html
 
States, unequivocally, that it is based on the shape of the Raging Bass, which is called Balance body, full size (taken directly from http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_ragingbass.html).
 
Happy to have you here; if you stick around long enough, you'll learn that we're like family here, and we all try to help out where we can.  That might even mean that Mica won't need to answer your question.
 
Finally, with regards to using a musical term for something else: let's not let this discussion get any more disharmonious-- it has crescendoed to the finale. I'll be waltzing away now.
 
Bradley
PS- that was a little word play, most of the people here like to have fun that is funny.

[mele_aloha]

Please stay out. Sorry Mica, Paul
 
(Message edited by mele_aloha on March 12, 2007)

[mica]

Shim's bass is the same body shape as Raging Bass. That is to say, it's a pistol grip upper horn, on the original Balance Point body shape. Shim's has a regular Omega, Michael's a Heart. This body is our largest, even bigger than the Standard Point family of body shapes.  
 
The Balance K is a good bit smaller than the Standard Point family, and I'm not sure if we've done a pistol grip variation on it yet. The price for the pistol grip is $300, and if we haven't done one yet, it might take a 2-3 weeks longer to start the body while we hash out the final shape.  
 
Let me know if you want to explore the possiblity or skip it.

[mele_aloha]

Hi Mica,
 
Thanks for getting back. I really like the of looks of that Balance Point shape. I've really admired it on those basses. I am not sure that the pistol grip would look as good on the smaller Balance K. I really think I have to decide if I would like to indure the extra weight of the Balance Point so that I can have the pistol grip vs. the lighter weight and keep the Balance K. Do you know the approximate difference in weight between the two? Or, what is your opinion about incorporating the pistol grip into this Balance K body? I'm sure that you could do a good job of scaling it down to fit it in. But do you want to try it on this bass?
 
If so please let me know. Otherwise I really should be asking if I may switch over to the Balance Point and have the pistol grip? Do I have your permission? In other words is the wood that you have for my bass large enough to make this change?
 
So here are the questions:
 
1. Do you think you can incorporate the pistol grip on the Balance K?
 
2. If not, is the weight difference that much that I should stay with the Balance K without the pistol grip.
 
3. If the weight isn't more than say 3 pounds, I do like the looks of the Balance Point and would go with the raging bass style with the pistol grip if the wood is large enough.
 
Staying with the Heart Omega of course!
 
Thank you, Paul
 
(Message edited by mele_aloha on March 13, 2007)
 
(Message edited by mele_aloha on March 13, 2007)
 
(Message edited by mele_aloha on March 13, 2007)

[mica]

We're certainly going to develop a pistol grip for the Balance K, it's just a matter of when. If you need it for this bass, we'll work it out sooner than otherwise.  
 
Weight is a hard thing to determine since the individual woods vary so much. Suffice it to say that the Balance K is typically a pound less than the Standard Point family. The Balance Point family is quite a bit larger, and I think we've only made 10 or less in that shape, and many of them have had custom variations, so it's not enough of a sample to really tell.
 
With the body woods and neck woods you've chosen, the bass will not be light weight. My inclination is to start working on a pistol grip for the Balance K and see if you like it. If you do, it will get you the lowest weight in the general shape that you like.

[mele_aloha]

That sounds great to me! I can see where the weight isn't that much of a deciding factor based on what you are saying but if you are willing to start working on the pistol grip now for balance k, then let the celebration begin! I'd love to be the first to model one.
 
I'm excited Mica, Thank you so much, Aloha, Paul
 
P.S.
Woe---- I'm watching a whale knock some men out of a little fishing boat in Japan! One of them drown. It's on the news just now.

[mele_aloha]

I hope you have time for this and I'm not fowling up your scheduling.  
 
Aloha, me