Hello Y'all,
   I am an old Alembic employee from the 1980's. I loved the job. I was a carver. It remains an honor to have been able to have been a part of the Alembic Family. The people and instruments are in a league of their own. My tenure at Alembic was limited due to my own baggage, but it remains a very important phase of my life. I had the honor of carving many of the 20th Anniversary guitars. While life has carried me from the Haight Ashbury scene in my youth, to being a stained glass artist, to being a professor, Alembic remains near and dear to my heart. If you can hear the sound of The Mighty Alembic, you know what I mean.....
   Peace.
   Jim Vaughn

Hello Jim, welcome 'back' then! With a provenance like that you must have some interesting stories to tell. Do you play bass or guitar? Any Alembics and/or employee projects lurking in your closet or anything?
 
Wilfred

Hi Jim,
Welcome, It must have been great to help make these wounderful instruments. And hanggin with the ALembic crew. Any pic's from that time.
 
Doug

yeah jim,got any good storys? & what about your collection pics etc,,,,

One story from back then... When Jason Newstead was visiting the old Alembic shop to decide on his new Alembic, I didn't really know who he was. I didn't care much because in those days I liked both kinds of music, The Grateful Dead AND The Jerry Garcia Band. When he was touring the shop, I asked him if he played 4 or 5 string? He said five and I handed him a 5 string Elan I had just finished carving. He liked it & ordered one. When he got the bass, he invited the crew to the Metallica gig that week. I remember saying something like, thanks anyway, I'm catching Jerry again. They day after the show everyone who went to the show was speechless, and a little hard of hearing.  
   Moving the shop from the old location to its current location was a trip. Most of the equipment is not very mobile. Everyone worked hard, as usual, and put the new shop into fine shape in only a few days. It really is amazing what a bunch of talented and creative people can do when they put their collective minds, and backs, into it!
   I play guitar, although still with an absolute lack of skill. I have a couple of things that I put together. My main guitar is made from scraps of discarded materials. The set neck is a piece of cut off from a bass. The mahogany body pieces were from off of the floor in the breezeway of the old shop. The quilted maple top has some mineral deposits that made the bookmatch unusable for an Alembic. Scrap brass and two singlecoils round out the set up. I was, and still am, kind of into Teles, so the configuration is very simple. Design wise, it is a pre-tribute, Garcia inspired guitar with horns similar to his Tiger guitar and an Omega cut. Even though it was made from scraps, it looks and sounds fantastic.  
   I stopped playing when Garcia died & gave the guitar to my brother in law. I just got it back from him a few months ago. I'm trying to regain some rudimentary chops, but you lose a lot in ten years. I just couldn't play anymore after Jerry passed away. Now I get a little inspiration from the connection to The Dead and Alembic. I enjoy relaxing a little after teaching class trying to pick out some tunes.

Hi Jim, and welcome to the group!  I love that line; I liked both kinds of music, The Grateful Dead AND The Jerry Garcia Band.  If you've read many of the posts here, you're probably figuring out that many of us, well, we love our Alembics.  And I think it would be fair to say that we are very appreciative to all who helped make our instruments possible.  And we would love to see some pictures of your guitar.  If you get a chance, please post some in the Showcase section.

Hi Jim, what an experience that must have been working at Alembic.  Santa Rosa is such a charming town. My wife and I both enjoyed a visit there last year.
 
Sam

This is my guitar. I made it in 1989. Inspired by Garcia's guitars. Sort of a hybrid between The Tiger & The Wolf.  

   

 

Wow! That is amazing!

Absolutely beautiful Jim,
 
a very serene design.
The Omega cutout adds a nice touch.
Though the tone control is a little guessing for me. Two PU on-off switches and V and F??? Or 1 PU selector, 1 Q, V and F?
Enjoy.
 
Paul the bad one

A very beatiful and unusual maple top on there, Jim. No offense intended (I think it's gorgeous), but the lumpy spots and the coloring remind me of a Martian desert. I see sand dunes with red shadows. It might just be these old tired sci-fi eyes stuck in my skull.
Mike

Jim:
 
In the words of the great and infamous C. Montgomery Burns:  EXCELLENT!  So, what are the controls?  I'm guessing PU selector, Volume and Filter.  Very cool piece of maple.  Quilted burl maybe?
 
Bill, tgo

Question:how does the employee project work?  did you guys have to pay for your projects or were they free or what?, cause if you come w/a new body design you (can) patent it right?  and how many projects are employees allowed to make? & do you have any more?    

Jim,
Beautiful guitar and cool stories.  Anytime you think of another story, please post it here.  I'm sure everyone would love to hear the stories of being inside Alembic.
Rich

Excellent guitar Jim! I especially like the detail in the back of the peghead and the maple top is great too. Nice work.
 
Tom