WOW!!!!
I love it.!!!!  It looks amazing.  The top is beautiful, nice wood combination.  Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!!!!  
EVT

Tom:
 
  I read your post in the thread about how to order an Alembic where you picked your cocobolo top out of the wood bank.  Can you direct me the the approriate thread in the woodbank section?  I'd love to see the before that morphed into your incredible after
 
Thanks,
 
Bill, the guitar one  
 
hi ho the carrion crow (there's always an appropriate dead lyric)

Bill - here it is:  
http://club.alembicguitars.net/Images/2344/5636.html?1060301509  
 
I was looking for something in the orange/red part of the spectrum. That piece of coco bolo truly lives up to it's Wood Bank title. I had no idea how much contrast would appear, but I could feel the glow even in the Wood Bank photo. The variety of color in this top is amazing! There are variations of orange, reds, browns, and black. The whole thing is framed and tied together with a lovely lam of vermilion which coaxes even more orange out of the top. It's incredibly difficult to visually articulate the appearance with photographs, especially digital snapshots taken in my home without controlled lighting, and then optimized for internet viewing (i.e. lossy jpg format).  
 
By the way - love the quotes from Uncle John's Band and Mountains of the Moon. =D  
 
Tom
 
(Message edited by tom_z on September 26, 2004)

Tom:  
 
How in the hell did they do the continuous wood backplates? I thought they had to do a back laminate in order to do that? This is a solid mahogany back/body isn't it? They only time I've seen them do it without a back lam is that Special O' Month that was from one piece of Zebrawood, but they sliced it and made lams out of that one. What gives? Inquiring minds wanna know!
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on September 27, 2004)

Kevin - Yes, my guitar has a mahogany body - no back lam. I wanted wood backplates that matched the body so I paid for that as an upgrade. My invoice says: Mahogany nearest neighbor backplate. . . . Looks like they found a really near neighbor.
 
Tom

If the body wood is thick enough, we can make a plate out of the next slice, and it's a fairly convincing continuous wood look, it's only different by the kerf of the bandsaw and the sanding.

It's absolutely stunning!  I love this guitar. Great pictures!
 
Alembics quality is always soooo amazing...

Thanks for the explanation Mica; that's a neat trick.

That is one sweet Skylark. The top lams just jump. LOL

Wow!!! Its so nice that when I told Susan what I wanted she had me take a look at yours Tom. I will be placing my order later this month. This will be my first Alembic guitar. Tom how does she sound?

Hi Joseph - and welcome.
 
This Skylark sounds amazing. The sound is incredibly clean, and a tremendous variety of tone can be achieved from it. It is by far the most versatile guitar I've ever played. I've had the guitar for just about a month and I'm still discovering subtle tonal variations it's capable of. Even small adjustments of the filters can have noticeably audible effects. As you are probably aware, Skylarks can sound very bright, and mine is no exception, but it also can sound very warm, fuzzy, punchy, smooth, moe, curly, doc, sneezy, and dopey (sorry - I got carried away). My point is that, although I've never played a maple top Skylark, the coco bolo and vermilion top is capable of shimmering highs, full warm lows, and a very complex variation of tone in between.  Alembic electronics have a reputation for clean versatile tone and the Skylark package lives up to it.
 
Beyond that the guitar is most responsive - the neck is very comfortable, the action is great and it sustains for ever. I?ve already commented on the craftsmanship of this guitar above but it?s worth repeating that very few things made today are designed and built with such excellence in quality and attention to detail as an Alembic.  
 
If you browse around through the topics here you will find comments from Hollis, another guitar-playing member, regarding the way his Skylark has informed his playing, how he has actually ?learned? from his guitar. I am surprised and delighted to say that I have the same experience. I only wish I had an Alembic earlier.  
 
Congrats on your forthcoming order. You won?t regret it.
 
Tom