When I was 21 I went nuts trying to gather the funds to have an Alembic bass built to my specs. Gave up college money for it. I look at it sitting in my living room now and think, "It was utter madness", like a fever that overcame me. In those days, rock stars had Alembics: Casady, Lesh, Entwistle, McVie, Lake; and then me, still in college. Recently I came across a quote from Piatigorsky: "For the sound, one would sell father and mother." And I think: "Well, if its madness, at least its madness in good company."
When I had a DeParavacini 1" 2-track built almost 20 years ago, I hoped to be able to make the money back, but that was incidental. In the end, Triage, TNMC, a Michael Jackson single, the last couple years some Lucinda Williams albums, so it did pay off. But I was in pursuit of something, sometimes I still am. Budgets be damned. The only way to really learn is to do, to try stuff. It was what I was doing with my life at the time.
In the meantime, still waiting for the Larrchild clock, with its genius concept.
And waiting...
And waiting...
