Author Topic: Alembic's first single cut bass? (Read 309 times)

mnewman · « **on:** January 25, 2012, 08:28:55 PM »

Back in 2006 I had asked Mica to give me a quote on a single cut series one bass.At the time Susan had no interest in the single cut concept but did agree to build this one for me. The design is based on the small standard 70's template as a starting point. I think this design still retains the Alembic classic look and feel and would have been a cool project if I had moved forward with it at the time. There are two versions here, the first concept is a bit long while the second concept was shortened up a bit to make a more compact footprint.

(mod note: aligned pictures) (Message edited by mica on January 26, 2012)

room037 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2012, 10:23:27 PM »

Hi Matt, Do you know this bass ?

This guy played singlecut Alembic. It's looks like early 70's look (late 72' to early 74'). I think this is the first. By the way, this is another Alembic related bass.

I'm also interested singlecut style ! Eiji

room037 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 26, 2012, 12:20:15 AM »

Another Single cut Alembic shot.

We discussed this bass, in the Club Board.

Eiji

dela217 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2012, 03:16:39 AM »

Matt,

That's Dave Torbert from New Riders Of The Purple Sage playing that single cut Alembic. I wonder where that bass is now?

The bird's eye maple bass is a Mike Dolan creation.

Michael

811952 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2012, 05:45:45 AM »

Torbert's playing one of the Peanut basses, if memory serves?

room037 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:39:05 AM »

Hi Michael,

Do you know the serial number of sigle cut Alembic ?
I really think the serial No. is around 20.

Eiji

mnewman · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2012, 11:07:38 AM »

My thinking was something along the lines of the more modern version of single cut like Fodera not Gibson Les Paul. I knew Alembic had done some of that before. Matt

jbybj · « **Reply #7 on:** January 26, 2012, 02:47:16 PM »

So??? Are you going to have it built?

I think both versions are very cool, and still unmistakably Alembics.

James

dela217 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:29:42 PM »

I really like that Dolan thing. Anyone have more pictures of that one?

tbrannon · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:55:30 PM »

I'm not a big fan of modern single cut basses, but I really like what Mica/Susan came up with- especially on the first rendition that shows the back of the bass with the contour. If it were me, I'd shoot to put a pretty sculpted contour onto the front as well. That might not work if the body wood and top wood were drastically different color wise, but I kinda dig it.

I'd never get a tremolo on a bass either, but it looks kinda cool! Reminds me of that bass Stanley has with the big trem on it.

(Message edited by tbrannon on January 26, 2012)

mica · « **Reply #10 on:** January 27, 2012, 12:20:15 AM »

No no - the drawings are all Matt.

Torbert's bass is not a Peanut, since it's got a lower horn. The Peanuts have no horns.

I like the inlay around the peghead on the Dolan bass.

mnewman · « **Reply #11 on:** January 27, 2012, 06:48:30 AM »

When I did the first renderings for this I took an existing photo of John Entwistle's Small Standard with the bigsby tailpiece as a template to do what I wanted to do with it. So this was sort of a cut and paste job with some hand rendering to get the shape right. The bigsby sort of just got in the way. Would have been easier if I had used photoshop to do this probably. The second rendering reflects Mica and Susans comment that the first design looked a little to long for the body shape.

dfung60 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 27, 2012, 01:06:03 PM »

I love that second bass (the maple one - Dolan?). Kind of interesting that it has a lower cutaway which doesn't appear to provide much access to the high frets. Doesn't matter to me, I don't go up there much!

It reminds me a little of a Moonstone Earth guitar that was at Draper's Music in Palo Alto for a gazillion years (unfortunately that shop - where Jerry met Bobby, isn't around anymore).

David Fung

jazzyvee · « **Reply #13 on:** February 05, 2012, 12:59:40 PM »

I've seen these single cut shapes from other manufacturers of bass with the body extending quite a way up the neck. I can see visually why a bassist would like that as an option, but can you help me out of my ignorance and explain how that extended section of the body affects the sound or playability of an instrument?

Here is my perception ( which I accept may be naive so please contradict where necessary to help my understanding).

From what I've read on the forum the neck has the greater contribution to the sound of an alembic bass and the body and top woods add a refinement to that sound. So with that in mind, having that body extend up to form part of the neck you would be providing a larger area of connection between the neck and the body. This larger surface area would dissipate a greater proportion of the vibrations that are present in the neck, into the body of the instrument thus changing the sound of the bass and possibly the sustain of the note. Whether that is desirable or not is an individual preference really. if that were the case, then wouldn't that negate the need to have the heavy brass hardware parts that are there to provide as much isolation of the string vibrations as possible from being dissipated into the body and keep the string vibrating in the neck as long as possible?

Help.... :-)

Jazzyvee