Alembic Guitars

https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass (https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass)




The famous continually fretted bass is there too.
https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass (https://www.julienslive.com/auctions/catalog/id/443?page=1&catm=any&order=order_num&xclosed=no&featured=no&key=bass)
(https://www.julienslive.com/images/lot/4976/497612_0.jpg?1668898684)

There it is... hadn't seen that graphite-necked short-scale in almost 10 years. Looks like it's in great shape. According to the History page, Stanley Clarke had the other prototype.

Couldn't help but stew over the serial number. I'd wondered for years if it was some variation on the fabled Alembic #33 John is reported to have had during the tracking of Rumours. I was guessing 76-AC-033 or something. Wrong!

A76-057A

Wait... What?! Or is that first character a V... ? The mystery continues. But my, oh my, that is a handsome bass.

Those alpha-numeric numbers are a mystery for sure :)

Do you know what the effect is on the tone with a metal fretboard?

IIRC, this is the bass you hear on "The Chain".

That's the one. And quite a few more tracks from then on. I'm pretty sure he used different basses for different takes of the various scratch tracks and demos that became "The Chain", but this is that bass we hear. I believe that the bridge pickup is favored, the filter is mostly closed, and the Q is wide open for the solo.


Anyone ever see an Alembic with a letter code at the end of the numbers?

Continuously fretted went for $100,000
https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196237?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass (https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196237?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass)

And the shorty $28k
https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196238?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass (https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/443/lot/196238?url=%2Fauctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F443%3Fpage%3D1%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26key%3Dbass)



Anyone here the winning bidder of either or both?

Sadly no! What a price though...I wonder who bought them both! I'll be keeping an eye out.

I picked up a couple of John's basses, his Orange / Ampeg bass rig, and many of the Orange, SWR, and Ampeg speakers in road cases. 


Planning on keeping these employed with my band, Fleetwood Mask.   


I will be "thinning the herd" - aka - selling a few Alembic and other nice basses to offset my recent buying spree.  Stay tuned on the for sales board. 

There were many other interesting items at the auction.   A few highlights:
- Mick Fleetwood's balls - as seen on the cover photo of the Rumours Album - and something he wore on ever Fleetwood Mac concert - sold for $128K
- Christine's dresses - the one on the cover of Rumours went for $50K.   Another from a 70's award event was $25K
- Christine's chopped stage Hammond organs - $25 - 30K  - the Leslies were about $30K too
- Christine's accordians - played on Tusk and on stage for years - $8 - 15K


- John's other basses:
     - Hamer Cruise bass from Mirage Tour - $25K
     - The Dance basses:  Tobias Killer B and RT Renaissance - $20K range
     - 60's and 70's Fender basses - $12 - 15K
      - Other Hagstrom, Armstrong, Ibanez and Heartfield basses - $4 - 6K range. 

Nice catch on that Tobias Signature, Paul. I hadn't seen that one before, only the maple-winged Basic (?) he played often. I had seen another Tobias bass on The Dance, but couldn't identify it... I had read in an old-old gear page about a Growler he had, but it could be this bass, or the Killer B you pointed out.

*and Thanks for keeping these basses out playing Fleetwood Mac music!

Wow, the celebrity connection added about 300% to that Hamer's value! Excellent basses BTW. I had one in the 80s, and more recently a Blitz, which is the same thing with an Explorer body.

Surprised there were no Guild Pilots. I seem to recall him using those in the early 80s.

Nice scores Paul!

Curious, did Mick have more than one set of wooden balls? He was already wearing them onstage the first time I saw the band in late 1968. The Rumours cover turned them into an icon.

I seem to remember that they were part of the flushing mechanism of a toilet. He got them from a place they were playing -as Stephen remembers- in the very early days, maybe even with Mayall/Bluesbreakers. London?

This is true... Mick's balls were toilet flush pulls from a European club with the toilet tank mounted high.
I always wondered if he had multiple sets. ;)


There was a symbolic value that he refers to in the auction catalog, about having the balls to play the blues.   Seems like they worked well for Mick considering his 60-odd year career in Rock and Roll. 

Looking back, I think the "Spare Tobias Killer B" listed here from the 2004 Tour may also be the bass used to film "Everywhere" from The Dance. There are a few frames where the dark headstock is evident, setting it apart from the Basic, Classic or Signature. Initially, I thought it was a Growler, but the dual pickups rule that out.


https://youtu.be/HB9Y2LHIT24

I believe Ann Wilson May have bought the bass.

I've seen her with it... and like they say down in Franklin County, possession is nine-tenths of the law.  ;D


That'd be cool if it went to someone in another band where we can still hear it occasionally.  8)

On Facebook in the thread she posted with the pic it was stated the bass now part of the Jim Irsay Collection?

It was played on stage last night at the Jim Irsay Collection show in SF for The Chain.  Very cool.  There's a decent cell phone video on Facebook (search Jim Irsay Collection).  Not sure who is playing it? 

Looks like Jim is the one who bought it. Not surprising considering some of the other instruments he now owns.

Well, on the bright side, it sounds like at least it will be played on some basis. It'd be nice to see McVie's 'Continuously Fretted' Alembic hold the same position as Phil's 'Mission Control' bass... on loan for the occasional appearance.


Staying tuned and hopeful.

The Fretless is now in use. See this Youtube Video.

 :)  Nice way to start this morning. Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise...

😎
That was really special.  Thanks for sharing.
The YouTube description claims a polished aluminum finger board, it is stainless yes?

I guess most folks just don't understand the extreme overbuilding nature that defines Alembic, and polished Aluminum makes more sense to them. But yes - it's Stainless Steel. One. Big. Continuous. Fret.


Personally, I have always wondered how in the world that thing is affixed to the neck.

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on November 22, 2022, 03:51:01 PM
There it is... hadn't seen that graphite-necked short-scale in almost 10 years. Looks like it's in great shape. According to the History page, Stanley Clarke had the other prototype.

I was at John's a month or so ago, and all of his basses and equipment are very lovingly cared for.  He told me he personally restrung his basses after each performance, and when I saw what he had at the house, I was amazed at the condition of his basses which had been around the World continuously for the past 50 years.  His Alembic #24, was in virtually the same condition as when it left the shop in 1974.  Power supply, F2B, etc. were all mint!  He is one of the few superstars who truly took a personal interest in maintaining his tools of the trade, and in speaking with him, you could see the sincere love he has for his basses.  I was so impressed with his kindness and humility, that I would have loved to own a piece of his legacy just on his personality, let alone his iconic importance to the musical psyche of the World.  Truly a wonderful human being. It was an honor to be able to work on his favorite Alembic...#24.

You're speaking of 73-27: the maple topped short scale Series 1 that he played the most?