Grateful Dead Music Forum

Damn that bass is sweet. I don't know who Jeff is but he must have a lot of cash and some obvious good taste. You will need to elaborate on what they are bending with their interpretation of previous events. Oooooh to be able to play something like that....

"Jeff really liked the wolf inlay Doug Irwin did on one of Jerry Garcia's Alembic guitars,..."

Ahh I get it - Alembic is taking credit for Doug's wolf guitar. Revisionist indeed.

Cmnaround wrote:"Jeff really liked the wolf inlay Doug Irwin did on one of Jerry Garcia's Alembic guitars,..."

Ahh I get it - Alembic is taking credit for Doug's wolf guitar. Revisionist indeed.

correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the guitar that would become wolf was built in the alembic factory, and it did have the alembic logo on it up until 1975

I think it's fair to call it an alembic built by doug

The Wolf originally had the Alembic logo on the headstock (just above the nut) not the Irwin Eagle. I'm sure it was built by Doug but under the Alembic "umbrella", so I can see how they could (and would want to) take credit for the guitar.

It sounds revisionist indeed but I think it's one of those weird rights employers have when employees have an idea. There's a term for that which I cannot recall at this moment.

strumminsix wrote:It sounds revisionist indeed but I think it's one of those weird rights employers have when employees have an idea. There's a term for that which I cannot recall at this moment.

intellectual property?

erock wrote:

strumminsix wrote:It sounds revisionist indeed but I think it's one of those weird rights employers have when employees have an idea. There's a term for that which I cannot recall at this moment.

intellectual property?

That was it with a shitload of other clauses I had to sign... Thanks, erock!

mijknahs wrote:The Wolf originally had the Alembic logo on the headstock (just above the nut) not the Irwin Eagle. I'm sure it was built by Doug but under the Alembic "umbrella", so I can see how they could (and would want to) take credit for the guitar.

The Wolf originally had a peacock inlay in the headstock. Was that the logo Alembic used before the now familiar "hand-reaching-from-a-cloud-grasping-Oroboros"?

tigerstrat wrote:
The Wolf originally had a peacock inlay in the headstock. Was that the logo Alembic used before the now familiar "hand-reaching-from-a-cloud-grasping-Oroboros"?

It had both the peacock and the alembic down closer to the nut.

strumminsix wrote:

erock wrote:

strumminsix wrote:It sounds revisionist indeed but I think it's one of those weird rights employers have when employees have an idea. There's a term for that which I cannot recall at this moment.

intellectual property?

That was it with a shitload of other clauses I had to sign... Thanks, erock!

hehehehe
i like to take a line through clauses like that, 95% of the time they only look for your signature. so when push comes to shove, they look see that you crossed it out, and it doesn't apply


just sayin

tigerstrat wrote:

mijknahs wrote:The Wolf originally had the Alembic logo on the headstock (just above the nut) not the Irwin Eagle. I'm sure it was built by Doug but under the Alembic "umbrella", so I can see how they could (and would want to) take credit for the guitar.

The Wolf originally had a peacock inlay in the headstock. Was that the logo Alembic used before the now familiar "hand-reaching-from-a-cloud-grasping-Oroboros"?

Peacock on the upper part of the headstock (where the Irwin eagle or name inlay would go) and the familiar Alembic symbol down where normally the "truss rod cover" would go. I'd say that qualifies as an "Alembic" instrument. But I don't doubt that Doug made the insturment all on his own either. But wasn't he still working for Alembic at the time?

erock wrote:i like to take a line through clauses like that, 95% of the time they only look for your signature. so when push comes to shove, they look see that you crossed it out, and it doesn't apply

Scratch, initial scratch, sign at the bottom! Force an immediate countersign and copy! Same here. But back 14 years ago when I started I needed a job and not so savvy

The text in the article describing the bass makes it seem like Doug Irwin was a guy who did a really nice inlay for Jerry - on an Alembic guitar- could they have written it to read "similar to the wolf inlay Doug Irwin did on one of the guitars that he built for Jerry Garcia while working at Alembic ...based on a wolf sticker that jerry put on his guitar "? probably - maybe they just weren't paying attention - or just not aware - it's been like 35 years or so.

Details, details deatails -

Early luthiers at Alembic made little money! But you were allowed on your OWN time to build an instrument on spec and to sell it on your own; this was a way of supplementing income. Also it was forbidden for you to ever sell anything you made as an Alembic.

Wolf is a body design Doug Irwin created on his own time. An instrument built on his own time etc…..
Jerry had many Alembics in his hand prior to Doug’s Wolf. Jerry did not like the Alembic pick up and electronics’ system. Doug built a guitar with passive electronics that Jerry was comfortable with and its just that plain and simple!

Best,
Thomas