Alembic Club at Talk Bass

[EdwardofHuncote]

My Custom started as an Essence order, but has very little in common with an Essence model. I guess the V/P/F/Q core of the electronics circuit is based on Essence, but that's about it. (we added a rotary Bass and Treble boost/cut function, making this an "East-Meets-West" equipped bass... one of a very few.)

I think when you are planning a Custom build, the model name is really is just a starting point... there are hundreds of decisions, most of which are obvious choices. It's an incredibly rewarding experience. I enjoyed it. The wait is a little tough, but definitely worth it.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I almost bought a secondhand Alembic with the EMW package, but in the end I found the looks of it (the body and wood combination/inlayed panels) a bit awkward, so I passed. Some day when I get willed a lot of money (fat, slim, or no chance of that happening ) I'll call Mica and order the best looking Alembic on the planet.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I almost bought a secondhand Alembic with the EMW package, but in the end I found the looks of it (the body and wood combination/inlayed panels) a bit awkward, so I passed...

Inlaid panels? Like this one:

Or this one:

I'm asking, because I recently passed up a project Alembic that I had in mind to do an inlaid top. (A left-to-right conversion)

 

[Jeff Scott]

Yes, those "batwing" inlays. Unfortunately, to me they are not very attractive looking.

This bass, in particular:

The neck binding, J style pickups, and longer upper horn shape don't help, either, with the overall aesthetic of the instrument. I do like the knobby headstock and that is has Hipshot Ultralite tuning keys on it, along with the aforementioned EMW electronics.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Yes, those "batwing" inlays. Unfortunately, to me they are not very attractive looking.

This bass, in particular:

View attachment 3159120

The neck binding, J style pickups, and longer upper horn shape don't help, either, with the overall aesthetic of the instrument. I do like the knobby headstock and that is has Hipshot Ultralite tuning keys on it, along with the aforementioned EMW electronics.

Wow, that was a cool find!

In my case, I was trying to justify a project... actually it came to me by way of a fellow TB'r, who offered it as a trade for an upright I had listed. He had a mid-70's Alembic employee 'shop-night' bass that was supposed to have been a left-handed Series I Omega, with a birdseye maple top. (sound familiar?) It had remained somewhat incomplete for years, then got fitted at The Mothership with a single AXY and preamp, and setup for a right handed player. Anyway, I hatched this cockamamie plan to convert it into a full-on righty with some inlaid wood to cover unused holes. I was thinking about using purpleheart with an ebony border.

Here she was;

Circumstances, and my better judgment won the day, and they sold it on Ebay.

There's a cool, kinda' funny backstory that goes with this one. Too long to post the whole thing, but the jist was that instead of a logo, it had a hole drilled clean through the headstock. Mica [allegedly] named it "Bodega" or "Hole-in-the-Head" for the Bodega Bay anti-nuclear movement. Just google it.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Yes, those "batwing" inlays. Unfortunately, to me they are not very attractive looking.

This bass, in particular:

View attachment 3159120

The neck binding, J style pickups, and longer upper horn shape don't help, either, with the overall aesthetic of the instrument. I do like the knobby headstock and that is has Hipshot Ultralite tuning keys on it, along with the aforementioned EMW electronics.

On another weird coincidental note, I'm almost certain this is the reverse of that very bass, Jeff.

If so, it's the one featured on the wood page at Alembic as an example of alder, perhaps the most unconventional of all body core woods. (for them)

 

[hieronymous]

This has to be the longest that no one has posted in this thread! So here's a pic from a gig last weekend:

Unfortunately the only things in the PA were vocals and drums (?!) so had to crank my amp and couldn't hear the guitarists (on the other side of the stage) as well as I would like. Good thing is, I know the GK MB-112 II can put out some pretty massive sound!

 

[gearHed289]

OK, I'll play. ;-) Here's one from my gig with Larry Mitchell a couple weeks ago.

 

[hieronymous]

OK, I'll play. ;-) Here's one from my gig with Larry Michell a couple weeks ago.

I didn't get to comment when I saw it on other platforms, but that looked like a cool gig!

 

[gearHed289]

I didn't get to comment when I saw it on other platforms, but that looked like a cool gig!

Very much so! Last minute and totally unrehearsed, but that's OK. You can't hear it in the video, but there was a bad, intermittent low end rumble that we finally tracked down to the bass rig/kick drum mic/drum monitor. I turned down the low end on the amp and it went away, but I was pretty rattled by that point. LOL! I took a little solo on Little Wing. Switched to bridge pickup only and it's pure Stanley tone!

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

This has to be the longest that no one has posted in this thread!

OK, I'll play. ;-) Here's one from my gig with Larry Michell a couple weeks ago.

I was starting to feel like I was hogging it!

Nice gigs, you two.

 

[Jeff Scott]

That project bass could have been a nod to this Yamaha bass!

https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/cool-classic-yamaha-630-80-jpg.2310577/

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Last minute and totally unrehearsed, but that's OK.

Always fun to jam with guys who know how to play! Good job.

 

[Bob_Ross]

The wait is a little tough, but definitely worth it.

What is the current wait time for a brand new custom built-for-me-from-scratch Alembic? Measured in months, years, or decades?

To some degree I'm actually a fan of long lead-time custom builds. It takes the sting out of the high price: Y'know, instead of having to drop all that cash all at once, you pay your deposit, then you just casually (and patiently) sock away a little bit of cash every month. Several years later the phone rings "Hey, your bass is ready, come and get it" and coincidentally your bank account is now full of all this money that you didn't have back when you ordered the bass!

 

[Jeff Scott]

On another weird coincidental note, I'm almost certain this is the reverse of that very bass, Jeff.

View attachment 3159195

If so, it's the one featured on the wood page at Alembic as an example of alder, perhaps the most unconventional of all body core woods. (for them)

Same one.

I was seriously considering buying it but the "wings" kind of left me cold; I would have gone for it if the price was more reasonable.

I guess the alder and J style pickups go hand in hand, though.

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

Hey, I figured this would be a decent place to come for info on a used Alembic I found, so uh... here goes.

I live in South Korea, and I found a used Stanley Clarke bass on the Korean equivalent of Reverb. The guy is asking $3600 for it, which seems to be a crazy deal for an Alembic to me, a guy who isn't really all that familiar with the brand, haha. I was wondering if anyone here could tell me if that's cheap, about right, or overpriced, and perhaps someone might be able to give more info about the model in particular.

Here's the listing:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

And here's the (crappy) pics from the listing:

So, is that a good deal at $3600? Should I haggle? Should I not even bother? I appreciate any help.

 

[FC Bass]

This is an early Signature Deluxe (my guess would be between '86 and '88?)
I would say $2500/$3000 Max.
$3600 gets you pretty close to a Series version of this model.

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

This is an early Signature Deluxe (my guess would be between '86 and '88?)
I would say $2500/$3000 Max.
$3600 gets you pretty close to a Series version of this model.

Aw, bummer. I was all stoked thinking I had found a rare deal, since most gear is overpriced here. I guess I got a little ahead of myself, haha.

Thanks a lot, though. I really appreciate it. Saved me from making a financial mistake!

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Aw, bummer. I was all stoked thinking I had found a rare deal, since most gear is overpriced here. I guess I got a little ahead of myself, haha.

Thanks a lot, though. I really appreciate it. Saved me from making a financial mistake!

If you haven't already checked in there, this place Link Removed is the safest on planet Earth for sourcing a secondhand Alembic. It's also a worldwide community too, so you may even find one close to you for sale, or a member willing to work with you on export/import technicalities.

And remember, Gov. Tarkin, "...the more you tighten your grip, the more Alembic basses will slip through your fingers..."



Sorry, had to...

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

What is the current wait time for a brand new custom built-for-me-from-scratch Alembic? Measured in months, years, or decades?

To some degree I'm actually a fan of long lead-time custom builds. It takes the sting out of the high price: Y'know, instead of having to drop all that cash all at once, you pay your deposit, then you just casually (and patiently) sock away a little bit of cash every month. Several years later the phone rings "Hey, your bass is ready, come and get it" and coincidentally your bank account is now full of all this money that you didn't have back when you ordered the bass!

Sorry to have been so long in replying... I remember seeing it, but had forgotten to post a comment.

The answer is, it really depends on how complex your build is, and how busy the shop is. It's not just a cop-out line, there aren't but a small handful of people building these things out there (like a dozen or so altogether) and they tend to work on them in batches.

The dealer I ordered my Custom fretless through Will Gunn Guitars required a 50% deposit to place the order, and the balance due prior to delivery. Pretty simple terms. Super nice guy, and absolutely encyclopedic knowledge of Alembic instruments. I've had a dozen conversations with him about things entirely unrelated to my order, and received some great advice each time.

On my bass, I figured on about a year and a half for delivery, but the magic number for me was 23 months and 6 days. I had some custom inlay work done, and the Schaller M4 Lite tuning machines were backordered for a while. The rest of it was simply owed to not rushing perfection. Like I said many times, it was worth every minute.