Mark's Custom 6-string Bass

[the_8_string_king]

Hey there Alembic elves!  I'm dying of curiousity, and was wondering if there were any further developments!
 
I'd love an update, even if it's just a quickie description, if you don't have time for pictures.
 
Don't sweat it if you're too busy.  I'm more concerned with getting a replacement quote for my 8-String for insurance purposes; but every day, I wonder if the body's been glued on, and/or if the Coco Bolo's been selected...
 
Boy, you folks have been doing some particularily awesome and inspiring work recently!  The recent FTCs are sporting some unsurpassed examples of you folks outdoing (or trying to outdo) yourselves!  I'm really feeling like I lucked out timeframe-wise in commissioning my replacement 6-String at this time!  I've got a feeling whenever the neckxt pictures get posted, people are going to be drooling over my bass like I've been drooling over theirs!!!

[mica]

Not yet. I actually do post pictures when something interesting happens. You'll be in the next group of work, these things tend to come together in clumps. The last group of assembly was primarily necks, and yours is already done. Sorry, but we don't work on every instrument everyday.  
 
Nobody who will be working on building your bass will be involved in preparing the replacement value for your 8-string bass, so it won't interfere.
 
There should be something fo ryou to see in the next week or two.

[the_8_string_king]

Hey, thank's a bunch for that update, Mica!
 
I'll look forward to my clump!

[the_8_string_king]

Greetings, busy Alembic elves!
 
When you folks get a chance, I'd love an update on the status of my bass.  Even a brief discription would be appreciated, if you're too busy for pictures.
 
Thanks folks, have a great weekend!

[mica]

Since I didn't get the work order back to the shop until the day after the last group of bodies was made, you're going to see stuff happening with the next group of body glue-ups, probably a week or so.  
 
I gave Bob a stack of reference pictures for your Coco Bolo, and he said he knows just the piece.

[the_8_string_king]

Thanks, Mica, that's great, to hear, thanks for letting me know!
 
It's exciting to hear Bob has something in mind!
 
Just to cover the basses/communicate...
 
I want to double-check/remind/make sure Bob knows the disguised BTC is an essential priority.
 
I double-checked my postings here in my FTC thread with the Coco Bolo, and stand by them.  I've added a comment or two here and there, -like adding Shim's bass to the list, especially his concentrics- but that list stands as a reference.
 
Once again, I'm really excited, and look forward to seeing the front and back when it happens... and I'm betting the finish will really make the neck look awesome too!
 
Thanks again, Mark.

[jags]

hey mark what body style are you going with?  with the nice neck lams. i say a balanced k with a stinger.  the stinger point looks awesome with the nice colourful lams throughout
my custom would prolly be something like val's bird of prey but with a  heart stinger and a center vermillion strip flanked by ebony,maple,then mahoghany wide strips. close to yours

[Bradley Young]

Mark,
 
What is a disguised BTC?  Bookmatch to center, but disguised?
 
Bradley

[the_8_string_king]

Hey guys!  I'm getting a Balance K Omega.  I considered a stinger very seriously -but decided not to get it.  I considered all the variations, and was more or less equally interested in all of them; and being sort of deadlocked, I just defaulted to the least expensive omega option -the standard circular omega cutout.  And since then, I've decided to add a mini-omega in the peghead -and also the dual bevel.  So at this point, I think it would be better to have an omega at either end -than to have the stinger at one end and the mini-omega at the other.
 
Bradley, my intent for the BTC is for it to not be apparent that there are two halves of wood joined at the center.
 
Sometimes it's REALLY obvious with BTCs that there are two separate pieces of wood, joined at the center.  Quilted and Flamed Maple are notorious for this -something about how the light refracts differently on the figuring with the two different halves of wood.  Even on the best Alembics, you'll see an obvious line down the middle... and I can't stand it.
 
This is why I'd never choose Maple for a BTC top or back -it will always have this line.
 
Now other woods disguise the line of symetry very well -especially liney woods like Zebrawood, or woods that at least are liney in the middle, or that have figuring that lines up on either side of the line of symetry.
 
I specificed a disguised BTC for my custom 8-String, and they did a great job with the BTC Bocate top.  You only notice it if you stick your face right up next to the top and look for the line... otherwise, it looks like one continuous piece of wood across the top.
 
So, I've specified that detail for this bass too.  I don't want the line of symetry to be obvious.  The easiest way to disguise it is just to have liney figuring in the middle, or to have figuring that is more or less parallel to the neck in the middle -as opposed to figuring that goes from side to side across the line of symetry, and which may not line up, and draw attention to the fact that the top is really two pieces of wood.

[Bradley Young]

Oh, I get it.
 
I think I inadvertently (and thankfully!) did that on my 6-string.  I don't think I'm quite as sensitive to it (i.e. don't tell my wife about the quilted maple bass I intend to order someday), but I agree that it looks cool to have it look seamless.
 
The one thing that was a bit of a disappointment to me was the interface of the fingerboard/neck to the BTC-- there's a gap at the edge of the fingerboard.  In other words, the top laminate follows the outer edge of the neck, not the fingerboard (alternately, the neck interface is at right angles, but trapeziodal would follow the fingerboard).  If I'd known this, I would have specifically ordered it flush to the fingerboard.
 
You can see an example of this here:
 
http://alembic.com/info/FC_tiger.html
 
If you look closely at the neck joint, you'll see the edges of maple.
 
You're early enough that you might want to think about it.  It affects comfort taper more than classic spacing, for the fairly logical reason.
 
Bradley

[the_8_string_king]

Hey Mica, if you see this note and Bradley's post on the previous post, he's right about this.
 
This was actually a minor disapointment on my 8-String... there is a little Maple visable between the BTC Bocate on the top, and the fingerboard.  So, if at all possible, I'd prefer the BTC Coco Bolo go all the way to the fingerboard, so the outer (Mahogany) neck laminate won't be visible from the top of the bass.
 
Bradley's example does show this clearly... Tiger, while looking awesome, does have a visible maple line on either side of the fingerboard, and it would look better without it... it would look better if the BTC top went all the way to the fingerboard.  My 8-String also has a little Maple showing on either side of the fingerboard (and more on one side than on the other, too).
 
It's a relatively minor snivel... but he's right, and I'd like to request y'all try and avoid/minimize it.  I know it can be done, 'cause most BTC Alembics I've seen don't have this visible line on either side.
 
Another greater snivel (for me) is that I've seen two otherwise great-looking BTCered Alembics that don't have the pinstrips line up.
 
They are Coco Bolo Fantasy, and The Roman Conqueror.  You can see the Maple pinstripes don't quite line up... they're slightly off.
 
This is pretty rare for Alembics (in my experience) and it is pretty minimal... but these little details matter to me, so I would ask that, as much as possible please get these little details as close to perfect as you can.
 
The 3 details, again, are: (1) getting the BTC flush with the fingerboard, so the outer (Mahogany) neck laminates aren't visible from the top; (2) making sure the pinstripe(s) line up at the line of symetry; and (3) getting the Bird tailpiece as centered as possible.
 
Thanks again, sorry for being so picky.
 
And Bradley, thanks a lot for pointing this out.  This was/is a minor annoyance with/on my 8-String -but somehow it didn't occur to me to communicate it to Alembic until you mentioned it -so thanks a bunch.  With this fancy and expensive Coco Bolo top, I'm even more concerned with it looking perfect -or as close as possible.

[Bradley Young]

Mark,
 
Just for clarity, all the BTC basses exhibit this-- it is the way they are constructed.  The one exception I'm sure of is Valentino's Bird of Prey (a.k.a. the pointy bass).  Valentino confirmed for me that his was special in this regard.
 
It may not be evident at all on a narrow spacing 4-string, but definitely becomes more prominent as you add strings and comfort taper.
 
Bradley

[5stringho]

Hey, Mark!
 
Just peeked at your question about finishes, and I'll try to give you a little heads up. I have a coupla basses with a hi-gloss polyester finish and satin  finish on the back of the necks.  
And I've got 2 more (one being my Excel) that are going to Cincinnati in a few weeks to have the necks stripped and re-finished with the Satin. This is pretty standard fare anymore. Matter-O-Fact, Mica  'splained to me that this is the standard recipe on Alembics these days. You have to specify if you WANT the hi-gloss on the neck. There is no drawback to this, that I have noticed. A kind of oil/wax is put on the neck,to protect the wood,and I , along with a lotta other playahs prefer the wood feel.
   I'm not sure exactly concerning materials, but I think the oil finish on the body is just the same as the satin finish. My 6 string Ibanez is the same all over, and it's really nice,and some say this finish allows the wood to breathe, and therefore sound better. I personnaly have not noticed this to have any affect on tone, and I believe, the Hi-Gloss is THE thing to have on an Alembic. Just turns a 10 into an 11, knowutimean??
Look at Raging Bass. You can see the satin transitioning into gloss at the headstock. As with everything else, the Mothership does a flawless job on this.
Hope my ramblings help. I'm sure Mica will give you all the specifics, answer any concerns,and help you make your final choice. Just though I'd give you a little personal experience info.
Have Fun, Mike     (the 'Ho).......

[dannobasso]

The combos you guys are coming up with are truly amazing. I would not have even considered anything other than an ebony lam or two. Isn't it also impressive that Alembic actually does these?  
Best of luck to you Ho and your fellow neck gourmets. I watch with great interest each day. Was 8 string the guy who initiated some of this back in 98-99?
 

[the_8_string_king]

Thanks for your input, Mike, I appreciate it!  And I'm not worried about it.  I'm certain Mica and the elves will advise me of, and produce the ideal option for me.  It sounds like the combo of high-gloss for the body and the satin finish for the neck will be ideal -barring any downside/tradeoff I'm not aware of.
 
Unless there is such a downside/tradeoff, this would probably be my preferred choice.
 
Now, the reason for this combo is that the satin finish on the neck is easier to play, right?  I HAVE had a few occaissions playing my 8-string -particularily when playing in the summer and being sweaty- that I've had to interrupt my playing and wipe off the neck because (yuck) stickieness had disrupted the smoothe flow of playing and shifting positions.  I assume this is one of the things the satin finish is intended to address/reduce?
 
The only theoretical downsides that pop into my mind (which may be nothing more than figments of my imagination, resulting from ignorance) are that the neck might not be quite as pretty without the glossy/shiney finish, and perhaps the finish doesn't protect the wood/lock in the moisture of woods in the neck -as well as the high-gloss finish?  (Probably just silly-talk.)
 
I'm more function-oriented than I am appearance-oriented... although I want this bass to be as pretty as possible.  I'm sure the high-gloss finish over front & back BTCer'ed Coco Bolo should have quite a show-stopping appearance!  I'm not overly-concerned about the neck not looking as good as it otherwise wood with the glossy finish instead of the satin finish; I can't imagine Alembic would choose to use this combo as their current standard recipe if the appearance wasn't up to snuff.
 
One thing I'm pretty curious about... does the satin finish also cover the BACK of the peghead... or does it just go up to where the veneers begin?
 
It seems like it would look better and make more sense to have the entire headstock/peghead be high-gloss, and have ONLY the back of the actually neck (the part my palm/hand/thumb contacts) to be satin finish.
 
Does anyone know the answer to this?
 
Thanks again for your feedback, Mike, gang.
 
Danno, to my knowledge, I was the first person to have an Alembic commissioned with a combination of Ebony, Maple, and Purpleheart... but I've wondered about this too, and would be interested in confirming whether or not it's so.
 
The neck on my 8-String is an exceptionally awesome blend of form & function; it's absolutely stunning appearance-wise... and the sound is phenomenal -the best I've ever heard, period.  It's actually made up of 4 different woods, as the inner Maple lams are Rock Maple, and the outer laminates are Flame Maple (and also continueous pieces of wood which flow all the way up into the headstock from the body).  To my knowledge, this is a feature which is unique to my bass.  And the 3 sections of Purpleheart sandwiched within Ebony give the instrument unbelievable sustain and bone-crunching bottom... Ramis' all-Purpleheart/Ebony-necked basses are the only Alembics I've seen that might be able to top mine in sustain.
 
Yeah, we're living in the age of cool necks... Alembics have been the most awesome sounding, playing, and looking basses since the beginning... we all know this.
 
That said, I don't think they've EVER looked better than what they've been kicking out the past couple years.  The elves are really outdoing themselves!!!  I've got a feeling that when my Balance K gets its top & back, it's going to be a pretty formidable contender in the looks department!  Hopefully, we'll know soon!
 
This is a GREAT time to get an Alembic!
 
Long live the empire!!!
 
(Message edited by the 8 string king on March 11, 2007)