EyE OF HoRuS
FEATURED CUSTOM
For John’s second custom Alembic, he wanted something quite distinct from the Quilted Maple Further and Electrum guitars he already had in his collection.
The Cocobolo top on this guitar takes the center stage with its intense color and grain. Paired with a new custom Further guitar shape that features a classic Alembic Omega carving, this guitar hits all the right notes.
Peeking out from behind the strings at the first fret is the Eye of Horus, an Egyptian Old Kingdom symbol of health, protection, and well-being. Also known as the Wedjat Eye, we’ve inlaid the main form in sterling silver, with white mother of pearl and a deep blue lapis lazuli (with a tiny gold fleck).
This is also a good chance to see a somewhat unusual feature on Alembic guitars: a bound fingerboard. We’ve framed the Ebony fingerboard in Bird’s-eye Maple for a lovely contrast.
Spanning three frets, the alchemical symbol for the torrefaction of silver. This is a process for removing impurities. The main body of all the inlays is sterling silver, and here we’ve added some black Tahitian mother of pearl to the crescent moon, which is the symbol for silver in alchemy.
The symbol for lead is an arrow with a crossbar and two dots. The entire inlay for lead is cut from sterling silver.
To the left is the symbol for the spirit of mercury. We’ve cut this inlay from sterling silver with a dot of black Tahitian mother of pearl.
This symbol is for the “Spirit of the World” which is a concept that the Universe’s spirit was an ether, or heat, and represents constant change.
The inlay process begins with Susan’s pencil sketch, followed by scanning and Mica converting to a vector file. After scaling and allowing for the frets and strings, we print the artwork for the inlay artist.
Kris carefully handcuts the inlays with a jeweler’s saw, then scribes the shape on the fingboard before cutting the hollow to sink the inlay in place and secure with glue.
We’re all hearing about torrefied woods these days, but torrefaction goes back much earlier in time. Meaning to “heat up,” the process was important to alchemical transformations. The twelfth fret inlay has been referred to the torrefaction of gold or torrefaction in general.
From left to right, we have symbols for
- to purify
- copper
- the spirit of wood
- brass
Like the rest of of the fingerboard inlays, they are cut from sterling silver with accents of black Tahitian mother of pearl.
The front and back of the peghead feature Cocobolo veneers made from the same piece of wood as the top and back of the body.
The Alembic logo is sterling silver with mother of pearl in the cloud and abalone inside the circle formed by the dragon. The rays are abalone all framed in sterling silver.
On the back of the peghead is an inlay of the symbol for Jupiter, something that John’s son requested be included in the design. We cut the symbol and frame from sterling silver and inlaid it in a rich bed of black Tahitian mother of pearl.
Both the front and back of this Further are “bookmatched to center” which means the Cocobolo laminates cover the through body neck. This operation is especially tricky around the end of the fingerboard, where Kris carefully chisels the top to fit around the fingerboard.
With the addition of continuous wood back plates, the look of wall to wall Cocobolo is striking.
A NOTE FROM JOHN
When Susan and I began sketching out the Eye of Horus project, we spent serious time debating the crux of the tone: the choice of woods. My personal history—defined by my two Alembics, Electrum and my current Further—was a commitment to the bright, snappy tones I got from Maple top-woods and those Maple laminated necks. That was my sound, and I loved it.
Ultimately, though, Susan made a compelling case for something different. She convinced me to move past the bright Maples and investigate the deep, balanced warmth of a custom Further built with Cocobolo and Mahogany. I kept the pickups and electronics exactly the same as my Maple-dominated Further; I needed these electronics to tether to the familiar.
I’ll admit, the shift to Cocobolo and Mahogany gave me a moment of pre-gig jitters. But the instant I plugged the Eye of Horus into my trusty Mesa Mark IV, using the amp settings I’ve pretty much lived by since 1984, I was genuinely stunned. The sustain was incredible, the mids were warm, and the whole instrument possessed this fantastic tonal balance. Playability was flawless, as expected.
And the brightness I love? It’s still there, particularly when I rely on the center pickup, which is my main voice. Clean, the guitar has this beautiful, acoustic-like chime and resonance; with high gain, the mids are simply fat and rich.
I could spend hours detailing the sound and the reaction from my bandmates, but for now, these notes will have to suffice. A huge, heartfelt thanks to Susan, Mica, Ron, and the whole crew at Alembic for bringing this instrument to life.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Further guitar
- Cocobolo top and back bookmatched to center
- Further Omega body shape
- Alchemy inlay in sterling silver and black Tahitian mother of pearl
- Eye of Horus inlay in sterling silver, white mother of pearl and lapis
- Bird’s-eye Maple bound Ebony fingerboard
- Jupiter inlay in black mother of pearl and sterling silver on back of headstock
- Inlaid logo with mother of pearl and abalone with silver lined abalone rays
- Chrome plated hardware
- Stage Further electronics: volume, filter, effects loop blend, 5-way pickup selector, LED on/off switch, effects loop jack, mono output
- Continuous wood backplates
