Mark's Custom 6-string Bass

[mica]

Your neck is underway now:

  And up close:

  Lookin' good.

[tbrannon]

oooooo La La!  Beautiful!

[the_8_string_king]

WOO HOO!!!
 
That is one fabulous looking neck!  Thanks a lot for that shot, Mica!
 
I've been patiently checking the FTC threads pretty much every day for a while now, but figuring it would be weeks from now!  And tomorrow's my freaking birthday, so happy birthday to me!
 
It really looks fantastic... just like what I'd hoped for.  Thanks so much!!!

[pace]

Well, Happy Birthday Mark!!!!!
 
That is quite a neck recipe! Aside from Walnut & Cherry, there's a little bit of everything to chew on!  
 
Nice to see you're off to a good start!

[the_8_string_king]

Yes indeed, it is QUITE a schuh-weet neck recipe!
 
Since the neck is the largely the heart & soul of a bass, I really dig the idea of having a neck that is both unique in appearance & beauty AND highly functional.
 
Structurewise, every other laminate is extra stiff, dense hardwood... this neck follows their standard lamination pattern (on the mid/high end basses) of every other lam being Purpleheart -except the middle one being swapped for Ebony (which is even stronger).
 
Then I've swapped out 4 of the standard Maple lams for 2 Mahogany and 2 Vermillion laminates.  I'm told that I'll still have plenty of highs from the remaining Maple laminates; and Valentino told me that actually the Vermillion, and even the Purpleheart and even Ebony actually contribute some highs as well; but they've told me the Mahogany will really round out the sound significantly, and add noticeable warmth, roundness, and richness to the sound.
 
Mica's told me that the lone Ebony laminate will actually still be the biggest contributor/determiner of the sound -and then after that, the Mahogany.  Since Vermillion is said to sound much like Mahogany, only a little more brilliant & with a mellow warmth, I'm figuring it should be largely subsumed within the Mahagony sound -while adding a touch of it's own flavor.
 
I'm confident this blend of 5 proven tone-woods will rock -and will also be extremely compatible/complimentary with/to the Coco Bolo top and back!
 
Yeah, I had to go to the computer and check it out again first thing this morning, to make sure I hadn't just dreamed it up!
 
Thanks again for the pictures, Mica & gang!!!  I'm really excited!  Did'ja'll get the E-mail I sent with updated Coco Bolo details (sent to Val on 12/12)?  I'll post 'em on a thread here in Changes/Additions.  (By the way, I don't expect more than a few, at most... I've got a real clear idea of what I want, and the specs I've provided should about cover it.)
 
The neck is totally awesome!!!  I really can't wait to see the Coco Bolo you come up with!  You really COULDN'T have done a better job than you did with the Bocate top on my Europa... it was EXACTLY what I'd hoped for/imagined... only better.  Everyone who sees it always flips over the top (and everything else, to be sure!)!

[bassjigga]

Lookin good 8SK

[the_8_string_king]

Wow, everytime I look at it, it looks a little better!  I love seeing a beautiful concept go from the conceptual to reality!  The concept of 3 sections of 3 woods, with the center 3 contrasting the outer sets of 3... it just looks awesome!  The center Vermillion/Ebony/Vermillion section almost looks shocking visually, and almost seems to float above the other sections.  And the contrast that it provides, the way it sets off the outer sections of 3, between the mahagony... wow!
 
It looks awesome now... and I know full well it'll look SMA (significantly more awesome) when it's finished!!!

[the_8_string_king]

Hi Mica!  I called a little earlier and spoke to Bill briefly.
 
It sounded like the string issue is completely resolved, but I'm sometimes a little dense/thick, so I wanted to confirm what looked like a confirmation.
 
The other thing is just to confirm that the reach concern -that I posted on the Omega/Reach thread- isn't a concern.
 
I read (and re-read) your post on it, and understand the horn is a bit longer, but it wasn't clear whether than meant the reach was more, same, or less than that of a 34 inch Europa.
 
Since the string spacing seems confirmed, this is the only other thing.  (That would require a plan/decision before further production).
 
And I'm curious about the width of the inner core of 9 laminates.
 
Thanks for you patience and graciousness.  I do not want to be a pain, and I know you're a busy woman.  It's just that I'll be thinking/wondering about it the whole long weekend, and I figured I'd give it a quick shot to see if I could find out about/resolve the reach issue.
 
Once we get this one issue resolved, ol' Mark'll just kick back patiently and let'cha do your thing!
 
Hey, if you're too busy to respond today, please don't hurry!  I just had to give it a quick respectful try!
 
I'm thrilled that construction had begun, and much sooner than I'd hoped for!  I had January 15th circled as the day I was gonna call or post respectfully asking if anyone knew how close it was getting in the pipeline!  So when I saw Mark's Custom 6-String here in FTC, I just flipped!
 
Hope you & your family and staff -and heck, their families too- all have a nice new years.
 
You've already got mine off to a swingin' start!!!

[5stringho]

King,...
 
Dude, that is gonna be one MONSTER bass!!!
 
The 'Ho...

[the_8_string_king]

Thanks, Mike!
 
I'm looking forward to joining you in the Coco Bolo Club!
 
I can't wait to see what they come up with for Colo Bolo for me -you can see what I've asked for here in FTC- but the neck is off to an awesome start!  The Vermillion and Purpleheart they selected really have the significant and almost shocking quality of contrast I envisioned and asked for, and the beauty -and function- of the combination seems to speak for itself!
 
This will be a monster bass!!!  On one level, it will merely be just another of many beautiful Alembic basses; I'm just getting Alembics' house recipe of Mahagony sandwiched within Coco Bolo, with the simple, proven, and versatile Europa electronics.  'Course I am spiffing it up more than a little by BTCering the Coco Bolo front and back, and upgrading to continuous wood backplates... so none of that beauty is lost.
 
And that will indeed produce a monster bass, by all accounts... and I just can't wait!  But the real kicker, the thing that makes this bass already really special is this awesome neck!  It just looks SO good... I know the sound will match, and boy, do I look forward to hearing it!
 
I'll look forward to seeing YOUR neckxt project here in FTC in the hopefully near future!

[5stringho]

Wazzup, Mark!
Yep. No such thing as a typical Alembic, she'll be special just like all of them! The neck looks great, should produce a wonderful tone besides the great look.  
Do me a favor,OK? Leave some really cool swirly CocoBolo for the Heart Omega MK5 DLX Balance K Purpleheart/Ebony that should be showing up middle/late Jan. on FTC (SHHHHHHHH! Don't tell anyone!)
 
Thanx!! Can't wait to see the progress on your Beast!   The 'Ho......
 
(Message edited by 5stringho on December 31, 2006)

[bassjigga]

Dang you and your fancy pants neck 8SK. Now I'm thinking about whether I should add some mahogany into mine. Looks like it's time for another friendly call to Susan.

[mica]

I measured the laminates on your neck, Mark. Measuring across the nine laminates is 1.318 inches.

[the_8_string_king]

Thanks a bunch, Mica.  I'm pleased as punch with the way it looks, with the proportions and also how the overall colors and contrast meet the specifications I requested.  I'd hoped for a little darker Mahogany, but it looks far too awesome for me to be able to be anything other than completely pleased.  (And just for the record, Valentino DID advise me -actually I think you did too- that there were many different colors of Mahogany, and that if I were to be really picky, it would most likely entail additional time and expense.  So even if there were a snivel on my part, it'd be groundless, 'cause I knew going in that the Mahogany would be based on availabilty and best judgement of the builders.  But this is just to give Valentino credit for making this clear, the fact is, I'm thrilled with the appearance!)
 
But I'm even happier now, because the inner core is wider than the minimum I'd requested.
 
So... double thanks!
 
Long-windedly yours, Mark!

[the_8_string_king]

NOTE: I'm submitting this post in 2 places: here, and in the concerns over reach thread in changes/additions.
 
Hi all.  I just got off the phone with Valentino, and based on our conversation, I now feel COMPLETELY secure with my decision to stick with the Balance K Omega.  Further, (again, based on that conversation) there doesn't seem to be any need for an extended horn/pistol grip.  So I'm withdrawing the request for price info on that.
 
So I'm giving you the go-ahead to proceed with the original plan, and I appreciate your having beared with me while I went through the necessary inconvenience of figuring it out and making sure I'd get the right thing for me.  I now feel very confident about it.
 
So at this point, I'm going to kick back and leave y'all alone for a while.  The biggest pending issue is just the Coco Bolo, and again, I'd appreciate the opportunity to see & approve your choices.  Other than that, the only other small things are the estimate for the 5-screw setup and a price for the peghead Omega; and both of these are minor details that can be addressed down the road when the bass is actually built, so there's no hurry.
 
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled here on FTC, and anxiously anticipating and appreciating the updates as they come, however big or small!  I look forward to the next stage -which I assume is putting on the body wings.
 
Thanks again for everything, and have a great weekend, folks.
 
Mark