Author Topic: Missing Link! (Read 2109 times)

smichaels · « **on:** September 22, 2005, 02:54:17 PM »

After doing some investigation into Alembicized instruments, I came across this really cool example courtesy of Lowell Levinger (Players Vintage Instruments - www.vintageinstruments.com) formerly of the Youngbloods. Enjoy!

811952 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:07:54 PM »

Nice... Wow...
John

jetbass79 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:08:55 PM »

Looks like a Guild M70...

smichaels · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:12:17 PM »

yes...it's a Guild Bluesbird. I have some more photos of the cool inlay work. I will try to post them.

smichaels · « **Reply #4 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:16:38 PM »

David Houck · « **Reply #5 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:13:01 PM »

Wow!!

Compare this with the two modified Guilds in the section of the Showcase and with Michael's '72.

smichaels · « **Reply #6 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:19:17 PM »

I wonder what made Guild hollowbodies the preferred platform for early Alembic experimentation/modification...

(Message edited by smichaels on September 22, 2005)

David Houck · « **Reply #7 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:38:08 PM »

Sean; you might want to post this instrument in the Customized by Alembic section.

jetbass79 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:41:07 PM »

I'm guessing the Guild guitars and basses represented a really good foundation to modify but they didn't have the starpower that a Fender or Gibson but they made great chop shop axes because they were actually better instruments than the contemporary Gibsons and Fenders. That would make sense to me.

smichaels · « **Reply #9 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:52:38 PM »

I am going to request that the moderators move this thread to the Customized... section.

David Houck · « **Reply #10 on:** September 22, 2005, 07:47:33 PM »

I hope Michael Delacerda gets a chance to see this soon; I think he would get a kick out of it.

smichaels · « **Reply #11 on:** September 23, 2005, 04:50:42 AM »

I actually emailed a couple of photos to Delacerda before I posted them. I know he loves this kind of stuff.

ed_r · « **Reply #12 on:** October 20, 2005, 09:43:19 PM »

It was the pickups! Guild basses had the best-sounding bass pickups known to man at the time( mid to late '60s ) , and they were why the early Guilds were and remain highly sought-after instruments. I seem to remember hearing long ago that the Alembic Series 1 pickups were loosely based on the old Guild Starfire pickups too, but that may just have been rumor and hearsay.

tom_z · « **Reply #13 on:** October 20, 2005, 11:02:39 PM »

Here's a rather old photo of Steve Kimock playing Banana's Bluesbird (pictured above) and a little quote from Steve regarding the guitar.

That's Banana's old Guild Bluesbird. So if you're unfamiliar with the Bluesbird, it's a Les Paul sized and style body, entirely hollow. This one much reworked and modified by Rick Turner at Alembic back in the day. It has Rick's active electronics and the pickups are trapezoidal shaped magnets with the wire wrapped right on the magnet, low impedance, an unbelievably good sounding guitar through an amp or direct. This was also the instrument playing the modal A chord rake in the introduction of the Youngbloods hit 'Come on people now, smile on your brother...' SK

Tom

(Message edited by tom_z on October 20, 2005)

57basstra · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2006, 06:28:16 PM »

An historic instrument for certain