Rare Alembic...?

[Highlander]

Not sure of the links to John McVie but worth a look for obscurity and OTT on the controls...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alembic-Series-Graphite-John-Mcvie-actual-bass-from-The-Chain-photo/282627282646?rt=nc&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3Dab1077bbe1dd4453a186c71a6430c059%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D112586337650&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

[uwe]

He certainly was known for playing almost exclusively Alembics once he was a zillionaire! 

[Dave W]

Love that ebony top.

[uwe]

I'm trying to come to grips with the two covers of the rear routings, they do remind me of a healthy female derriere. 

[Chris P.]

It needs more controls.

[uwe]

[uwe]

PS: A warwicked statement if I've ever read one - ze pöt källing ze kettle bläck, Himmel!

[gearHed289]

That one's been up for a while now. Interesting beast. Too bad about the way out of place Fender headstock. I'd like to see a shot of the entire instrument. 23 frets...

[Chris P.]

My magazine reviewed a Vigier recently. It had a 3band EQ for each pickup! Makes perfect sense, but so many knobs....

[uwe]

Glover seems to be exceedingly happy with his - he's been playing Vigier longer than all the other brands he dabbled with combined (Höfner, Fender, Rickenbacker, B.C. Rich, EBMM, Hondo, Peavey, Gibson, Ovation, Steinberg). The Vigier does what it says on the tin ("high end boutique bass"): Provide a hi-fi'sh, if not exactly individualistic clean and assertive tone that is very well heard in a live setting without getting into the way of either Morse's highly processed guitar sounds or Don Airey's keyboard armada. Glover has a set of producer's ears, hence he views the bass sound as something that comes in for the left-overs after all other instruments are happy. 

That is not to say that the importance of his sound and playing should be underestimated for DP: When I saw DP a few years ago and Roger had a fresh knee operation, the guy from The Temperance Movement (Nick Fyffe) depped for him and although Nick is a fine player (as you would expect from someone who replaced Stuart Zender within Jamiroquai), DP didn't sound the same that night. Fyffe is a finger player and behind the beat, Roger a pick player (live by sonic necessity he says, not by choice, he prefers to play with his fingers) with what I would call a "relaxed urgency" sense of timing (not frantic). Purple was sputtering on three cylinders at that gig as opposed to firing on all four - the whole performance lacked the typical DP "swingin' drive". It was very interesting to hear for an old fan like me (MK II gigs without Roger are a rare thing) and it really altered my perception of Roger's importance to the DP sound (I knew he was important for all other things relating to the band).

[Alanko]

When I saw DP a few years ago and Roger had a fresh knee operation, the guy from The Temperance Movement (Nick Fyffe) depped for him and although Nick is a fine player (as you would expect from someone who replaced Stuart Zender within Jamiroquai), DP didn't sound the same that night.

I've seen Fyffe once with the Temperance Movement, and he rocked a violin bass for 90% of the set, swapping it out with a '70s P bass for a couple of tunes maximum. He's a grand player, but he wasn't driving the bus like the guys in Deep Purple do.

[bassilisk]

Phil needed a few labels for his Alembic modded Guild.....

[uwe]

I've seen Fyffe once with the Temperance Movement, and he rocked a violin bass for 90% of the set, swapping it out with a '70s P bass for a couple of tunes maximum. He's a grand player, but he wasn't driving the bus like the guys in Deep Purple do.

What a great description "but he wasn't driving the bus like the guys in Deep Purple do", that sums it up perfectly.

[Alanko]

What a great description "but he wasn't driving the bus like the guys in Deep Purple do", that sums it up perfectly.

I don't mean it as a dig at Fyffe by any means, he's grown up with a wider bag of what it means to be a bassist, whereas Glover had Paul McCartney? The Temperance Movement have an Americana edge to their sound. Deep Purple mk2 had that stick-up-the-ass white European thing that kept them on top of the beat like a dog chasing a rabbit. In fairness ELP were even worse for this. 

[uwe]

I didn't understand it as a dig at all, Fyffe can most likely play circles around Glover. He's more "musicianly" and more nimble too; you have to be if you play that fidgety Jamiroquai stuff. Glover's rhythmic approach is - like Macca's - meat & potatoes (but he has a smooth groove and nice sense of melody) and he's accepted his role with Ian Paice who told him early on (in a nice way): "I don't follow as a drummer, I lead."


"Deep Purple mk2 had that stick-up-the-ass white European thing that kept them on top of the beat like a dog chasing a rabbit."



Another brilliant description, Alan. Exactly. And probably why I prefer DP's "locomotive groove" to how Led Zep approached things.

ELP's very often military style-harsh groove was mainly down to how Carl Palmer drums (great drummer that he is, he has zilch swing) plus determined by the angular classical structures they played. And I never thought that Lake left much of an imprint with his bass playing on ELP (he did of course with his songwriting, singing and acoustic guitar playing), he played bass because someone had to and Keith E. was already busy enough as is as to not also play the bass parts on keyboard as well. Lake didn't even consider himself a bassist and ditched the instrument in favor of his beloved guitar playing once he could. On the later post-70ies ELP albums he couldn't even be bothered to play bass anymore - most of the bass on those is programmed courtesy of Emerson.