May 2000

Quietly Custom

Ken thought about his custom Alembic for a while. We exchanged a few emails to figure out what would be perfect for him. The bass we built may not at first glance look terribly custom, but take a second, closer look, and you'll find lots of little and not so little details that set his custom built bass apart from every other.




 Essence 6
lower horn From this angle you can see the Maple core Ken specified. Since there is already a strong contrast between the maple core and the Bubinga, the normal single accent pinstripe wouldn't show up at all. Instead, we suggested using two veneers and Ken agreed that was the best choice.


What could be more personal than your own original peghead design? Ken sent us this drawing
plan

to use as a template for his new peghead shape. We think it's one of the nicest drawings we've ever received from a customer!

peghead
heel carving
In this view of the carving around the heel of the bass, you can see the smooth transition from the neck to the body. Also, this Essence has a little secret... a back laminate! From the side of this bass, you see
  • Bubinga
  • Maple
  • Purpleheart
  • Maple Core
  • Purpleheart
  • Maple
  • Bubinga
It all looks wonderful under the polyester finish, only this time, we've hand-rubbed it to a satin lustre. The satin rub-out has a wonderful feel, and helps the neck feel incredibly fast.

front back

SPECIFICATIONS

  • 6-string Essence bass
  • Unlined fretless
  • Bubinga top and back
  • double pinstripe accent veneers
  • Maple core
  • Double pinstripe accents
  • Custom peghead shape
  • Custom fingerboard dimensions
  • Side-mounted jack
  • Satin polyester finish

Price available on request

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