thanks wilfred!
 
hi jarek, and thank you.  i haven't spoken with mica for a couple of weeks or so.  at that time work was starting on the 'big bird' tailpiece, and the hardware was being plated
 
perhaps there will be another update soon
 
 
marc

This big bird has flown south for the plating:

  The picture is shown before Chris polished it smooth.   Here's how it will look installed:

  And the deep routing:

 This wound up just slightly heavier than the 4 individual tailpieces.

Holy Batman!  Darn cool tailpiece to go with a really cool bass!

hi mica
 
perfect!  another gee mica, do you think you could . . . ? idea, made real
 
thank you, and chris
 
 
and thank you, jeff
 
 
marc

Brother Marc!!
How did the beerfest went?
Next year??
You are still expected here in Belgium as you know.
 
Anyway ...this bass is PURE Alembic history in the make ...a real milestone in original design. The hail and glory choir has again a new verse to sing ...yeah ...the chorus we know by heart right now!!!!
Stupid question I think -maybe I missed it in the thread- but what is the big-bird going to do/add to the bass? Sustain???
 
Paul the bad one

hi paul!
 
sorry i've been out of touch.  i'll send you a message about the off-topic stuff
 
and thank you for your kind words.  i don't think the theory behind the 'big bird' ever made it to the thread.  you're right, it's about sustain.  early on i asked mica about how the mass of the tailpiece affects sustain:  i wanted as much sustain as possible.  i considered individual tailpieces, as on spyders, but i prefer the look of the bird.  in any case mica determined that there isn't enough room for individual tailpieces on the 'simple' bass
 
so i asked if a tailpiece could be custom-machined to look exactly like a standard bird, but extend down into the body with the goal of having as much mass of brass as four individual tailpieces added together
 
that's exactly what chris made for me!
 
next time around i'm going to ask mica to do almost the same thing again, but in ebony.  the 'big bird saddleblock' would be a block of ebony, recessed into the body like the 'big bird', with the exposed top face of the block carved in the shape of the classic alembic ebony tailpiece shim, as on yahya's 'big bass' for example.  as mica has said,  nowadays the shim is purely aesthetic:  we use the wooden shim just because it looks so cool.  the 'big bird saddleblock' would look exactly as cool as a tailpiece shim, but it would impart added sustain and also give a somewhat warmer, woodier, more 'ebony' sound compared to a brass 'big bird'
 
but that's for next time!
 
vriendelijk groeten!
 
 
marc

Need a refresher on the 12th fret inlay - are we orienting with the baseline as the frets or the strings?

hi mica
 
please orient the OM with the strings:  i.e., the top of the OM, with the blue LED, toward the nut, and the bottom toward the bridge
 
thanks, and very happy holidays to you and your alembic family
 
 
marc

I confirmed we are awaiting the return of the blackened brass - hoping it turns out as nice as the sample piece.  
 
After speaking today, I was reminded that you never saw the completed inlay:
 

 
The color flash of black mother of pearl is difficult to photograph, and this was taken before the board was levelled and fretted. But I think you can get the general idea from the snapshot.

Great inlay!!

thanks mica!  and thank you susan!  it's beautiful!
 
thank you too dave

 
 
(Message edited by marcm on March 02, 2005)

This project hasn't been abandoned, I hope...?

not at all, jarek.  work on the 'simple' bass is temporarily on hiatus, while i attend to a difficult and unpleasant personal situation
 
the bass has progressed beautifully.  she will return to these pages, hopefully soon

O-O-O
Brother Marc ...still going that process???
Darn ...
 
PTBO