Kiwi

hiya bobo, welcome aboard. Where did you source that BFC from?

maybeeeeeeeee...

I saw part of it on Friday but Jon made a bit of a song and dance about covering it up before I could go up to the loft. He said there was some carving that he'd done that he didn't want anyone else to see.

Epics are the "budget" range of Alembic. I'd say that price is fair, they can sell for up to £1100.

I had the same situation myself a while back and ended up getting a valve compressor from Dave Hall. Worked really well although the amount of compression I actually use is minimal.

Well my visit to Jon's wasn't as fruit as I'd hoped. The guitar still needed the bridge fitting and Jon didn't have any neck bolts with a metric thread. However its coming together none the less. He's used a less figured piece from the redwood I gave him to use for my Headless 6. [attachment=22866:DSC01760.JPG] The guitar will be posted on Monday just before Jon goes to Frankfurt for the MusikMesse next week. Ruby seemed to be in a really soppy mood today as well. Jon and I were keeping her amused while we waited for the CNC machine to finish a run of coasters for one of the craft shops in Bamford. [attachment=22867:DSC01755.JPG] [attachment=22868:DSC01758.JPG]

Jon generally doesn't like us snapping pics of other basses Im afraid, so it would have been a bit difficult. Apparently my Steinberger guitar is ready to collect!

...did anyone spot Yolanda Charles on bass duties and singing?

[quote name='dood' post='446013' date='Mar 26 2009, 02:19 PM']Not yet, but doing my utmost to see if I can do Saturday![/quote] Get up there tomorrow, I'll be paying him a visit too.

I've played this same instrument. It's really nice, I think Godin basses are highly under-rated for how they sound. Loads of warm growl in there and they're a very smooooooth sounding instrument. Interesting to see they're using RMC piezo pickups in the bridge - generally considered to better designed than the ones I have from Graphtec. Can't help but wish they'd sort that neck heaviness issue out - how about a headless version? Failing that, I think a bigger body or a single cut design that moves the neck strap pin forwards might be an alternative. I've been talking to Mr Shuker about his take on one of these basses as the headstock heaviness is a show stopper for me.

Thats Rich's neck of the woods....

[quote name='dood' post='391689' date='Jan 26 2009, 01:13 PM']AWESOME pete!! good skills there mate![/quote] Tsk, it looks like a Doodle.

I've deliberately tried to buy reputable brands that other players aspire to own in order to minimise depreciation (unless sound and/or playability were exceptional). The only exception to that has been the Shuker 6. I'd probably lose a load on that if I tried to sell it on (which is why its going back to Jon for further tweaks, if I'm going to live with it, it's got to be right). I think we should be honest though and admit there's a certain amount of prestige that comes from owning an instrument that is coveted by other players. And those owners don't deserve to be singled out for criticism any more than players who deliberately opt for value for money instruments either. If I couldn't afford Smiths or Shukers or whatever (and I can't now, to be completely blunt) then there's always the DIY route or put together from spares. And FWIW there's absolutely nothing wrong with a Fender Jazz for that matter either, very versatile instruments that have stood the test of time. I think we all have the right to feel proud of the instruments we value most.

lol seeing this conjured up conflicting reactions firstly I hated to see any decent instrument being hacked up but [list] [*]it didn't look so bad headless after all [*]its great that a low budget instrument can be reinvented like that - its the equivalent of a former warehouse converted into cheap workspaces and workshops. [*]it may look like a completely new instrument after this work is done [/list] And after all that, I admire your dedication and commitment to this particular tool. The stories it could tell, eh?

[quote name='BeLow' post='443055' date='Mar 23 2009, 08:34 PM']I agree that Bubinga is a relatively recent addition to the luthiers menu so it does look a bit odd for an instrument of that era. However bubinga was being used by cabinet makers in the UK around that sort of time so it is possible someone sourced some facing woods and asked Alembic to incorporate it into their build not sure how likely that is though.[/quote] Again its definitely possible, but the use of bubinga was mainly popularised by Warwick and it started in Europe before spreading out, across the Atlantic as far as I'm aware. [quote name='BeLow' post='443055' date='Mar 23 2009, 08:34 PM']I was intrigued as to why some one would go to the trouble of stripping the original facing wood (not an easy task I would imagine), of course if it is a fake then I this would not apply but that was why I asked why you thought it had been modified.[/quote] I imagine if someone has a bit of cash in their pocket and likes the bass but otherwise wants to sex it up a bit then maybe its possible. Especially if they don't think they'll come across a better example very soon. The Series 1 and 2 basses have chambered bodies so if some care is taken its not too difficult. Alembic themselves have replaced neck laminates in older basses for customers in the past! [quote name='BeLow' post='443055' date='Mar 23 2009, 08:34 PM']I do find these things intriguing and how this rather exotic bass ended up in the West country is another bit of mystery.[/quote] The Series basses tend to look like fairly intimidating instruments I guess with all those knobs and stereo circuitry. So purchase decisions are not made lightly and people who like them tend to hang on to them because its not like there's anything they can trade up to. Consequently when people move about because of other committments, the basses tend to move with them.

Out of genuine interest what are you hoping this will achieve, Buzz?

well yeah, there's about 120kg or more sat on the whole unit. IIRC the top shelf was looking a little bendy...

Possibly, but it looks like bubinga to me. The colour and grain texture is what I'd expect to see. I'm going to move these Ebay related posts to the Ebay links forum, because the discussion is getting a little tangential to the OT.

[quote name='BeLow' post='442170' date='Mar 23 2009, 06:26 AM']Not a particular fan of Alembics although I have no doubt they are fine instruments but this cropped up in my search of local bass items right after I read this thread, I've got to ask why do you think the facing wood has been replaced?[/quote] Well on further consideration, let me modify my statement. I think there's a chance it could have replacement facings for two reasons. Bubinga wasn't widely used as a material in basses until the mid 80's. Having said that, there's always a chance that Global Wood, who supply Alembic with their facing woods, might have flagged it up as a new discovery as Alembic are known for paying top dollar for anything rare or interesting. If it's genuine (and supported by paperwork) it would be the earliest use of bubinga I've ever seen in a bass, by about 5 years. (Fender say they were using it in the sides and back of one model of acoustic guitar, the F55-12, from 1972!) I've also done a quick trawl of the Alembic forum and the are a couple of 80's instruments that claim to have bubinga tops but the facings don't look like bubinga to me. Apart from that, I can't find anything with bubinga until 1993 at the earliest (which would be chonologically consistent to me). Also I'm not certain whether matching front and back facings were a standard or custom option back then. I know of other [url="http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/12815.html?1095904190"]1981 Series 1[/url] basses feature matching front and back facings and my 79 Series 1 does as well. However there's the possibility that they weren't matching on all the early 80's basses as I've found [url="http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/bass/equip-entwistlegear-74-85.html"]John Entwhistle's 1981 Series 1 bass[/url] didn't have matching facings. By themselves, its possible to give the benefit of the doubt to each point, but together they seem odd.