oldfclefer said:
I own four Fenders, three Gibsons, two Rickenbacker 4001s, a Bongo, a pre-Ernie Stingray, a Pedulla MVP, a Peavey, and 5 Alembics. What makes the Alembics and the Pedulla worth more (moneywise, at least)?
First thing would have to be the construction and attention to detail in my experience. Simply put, Alembic (and other "boutique" buliders such as Fodera, Sadowsky, MTD, etc.) pay a lot more attention to the smallest detail than a "mass produced" instrument. Every Alembic I've got has a flawless fit and finish. I mean perfect. There are no crooked bridges, bad solder joints, broken jacks, scratchy pots, etc. All of their hardware is solid brass, and extremely finely machined. The nuts are adjustable, and the woods used are of the finest caliber from what I can tell. All the screws used screw into a metal sleeve inserted into the wood as opposed to wood screws. The control cavity is sprayed with silver to virtually eliminate RF interference. Fodera, MTD, et. al. do a lot of the same things from what I understand, and their prices reflect this attention to detail and quality.
In the case of Alembic, you can literally get a bass made to your exact specifications. If, for example, you like the Alembic sound but don't necessarily like the body shape, just tell them what you want and they will build it. I've seen a guy who liked the Gibson Thunderbird shape have Alembic make him one with that shape, but with Alembic electronics, quality, etc. I'm personally having a custom Series II made at the moment that will be a very close replica of John Entwistle's famous Exploiter models. Another guy I know wanted his neck to be like his beloved Rickenbacker - he sent the dimensions to Alembic and they reproduced it exactly. I've never dealt with the Fender or Gibson custom shops, so I don't know if they do this or not. I do know that Alembic does, and if you can afford it, they will build it just as you like and want it.
The electronics, while not everyone's cup of tea, are unique where Alembics are concerned. They use low pass filters for the most part - think of it as a wah wah pedal on your bass. They take some getting used to, but once you do you can coax sounds out of them that you just can't out of others using the electronics in and of themselves. Their components are of the highest quality as well - they use switchboard jacks for the inputs, and the pots, circuit boards, connectors, etc. are of the highest quality. Additionally, the electronics are modular - they use gold connectors, and if there is ever a problem, all you have to do is switch it out, no soldering required.
My Pedulla has some of the same qualities in the sense that it uses great woods, fine electronics components, attention to detail, etc.
On the other hand, my other basses didn't cost as much, and aren't as versatile in a lot of ways as are the Alembics. They don't use the highest quality components and parts, and are a bit "rougher" so to speak. However, that doesn't make them any less enjoyable to play. I love all of them for different reasons, and when the situation dictates, I use them.
Bottom line is any bass is only worth what you are willing to pay for it. And you don't have to have a "boutique" bass to make good music. I used (and still use) off the shelf stuff for years to play on, and they work just fine. The boutique stuff, I think, is like a dream for most (they were and still are for me), the ultimate acquisition so to speak. They won't necessarily make you a better player in and of themselves, but I do believe they might inspire you to become one.
My two cents,
Alan
