totally understandable!
it's a nice looking piece. shouldn't be too hard to resell and get your money out of it
it's a nice looking piece. shouldn't be too hard to resell and get your money out of it
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Dream Bass Let-Down
- Thread starter Kevin Teed
- Start date
I think a lot of people have had the same experience with Rics, loving the look, but can’t get on with the ergonomics (or lack thereof). I love Rics, but understand why somebody else wouldn’t. If you don’t love it, sell it.
Uh oh. I've ordered a Sterling from MusicMan without ever playing a MusicMan. I hope I don't have a similar experience...
Yes, with an Alembic Epic. Phenomenal quality, but too big and heavy, and didn't sound much like an Alembic, nor any other bass. I had it defretted and it came alive, but in the end I sold it.
Thanks for the reply. It's set-up very well and sounds very good. I think it's more of a geometry thing. It just doesn't feel right. Not like my old P-bass that feels like an old pair of Levi's.
I'm playing it through an Ampeg B-15R (that's been ported) with a EV-15B. That ought to be warm enough. I haven't tried flats on it yet.
I'm not gigging now, so haven't been able to try it there. I do love how dead-quiet it is!
I like the sound I'm getting, but not as much as my P-bass or Rick.
I had the opposite experience. I was a die-hard Fender player until I acquired an Alembic Essence as part of a trade. I was maybe vaguely aware of Alembic as a company, and couldn’t tell you what their models looked like.
It was a revelation. Far from being heavy and ponderous, the Essence is lightweight, sleek and built for speed, while still retaining that top-notch craftsmanship I now realize is an Alembic hallmark. Couldn’t put it down, and it opened new vistas in my playing.
The thing to keep in mind about Alembics is this: they’re very, very player-centric. That means loads of custom choices, which produces a number of idiosyncratic instruments with features that, in the hands of later players, can feel like quirks. But that brass nut? It’s adjustable. That brass bridge? It’s hand-cast in the exact same radius as the fingerboard, so no special gauges needed. Far from being fiddly and in need of expert tuning, I find it designed for user setups and on-the-fly optimization.
Yeah, there are Alembics that probably require a wheeled cart, with more switches than a lunar command module. Mine has three knobs. It weighs eight and a half pounds.
The tone? It strikes me not as cold, but pure. I can color it however I want in the signal chain, because what emerges from the instrument is consistent and clean. I can see how that takes some getting used to, but for me it was like moving from a spinet to a grand piano.
All in all, a surprise bonding—like I said, I was completely unfamiliar with the company, so no preconceptions. Every instrument is worth approaching with open ears and open minds.
It was a revelation. Far from being heavy and ponderous, the Essence is lightweight, sleek and built for speed, while still retaining that top-notch craftsmanship I now realize is an Alembic hallmark. Couldn’t put it down, and it opened new vistas in my playing.
The thing to keep in mind about Alembics is this: they’re very, very player-centric. That means loads of custom choices, which produces a number of idiosyncratic instruments with features that, in the hands of later players, can feel like quirks. But that brass nut? It’s adjustable. That brass bridge? It’s hand-cast in the exact same radius as the fingerboard, so no special gauges needed. Far from being fiddly and in need of expert tuning, I find it designed for user setups and on-the-fly optimization.
Yeah, there are Alembics that probably require a wheeled cart, with more switches than a lunar command module. Mine has three knobs. It weighs eight and a half pounds.
The tone? It strikes me not as cold, but pure. I can color it however I want in the signal chain, because what emerges from the instrument is consistent and clean. I can see how that takes some getting used to, but for me it was like moving from a spinet to a grand piano.
All in all, a surprise bonding—like I said, I was completely unfamiliar with the company, so no preconceptions. Every instrument is worth approaching with open ears and open minds.
Nice that you have chrome plated hardware - no monthly ritual of disassembly and polishing of brass parts.I did just that for several years with the two Alembics I owned in the '90s. Glad I no longer have that pleasure.
Flim is who got me into Alembic basses!Love the tones he gets with his.
Kevin, we should get together before you decide to off the Alemblc.
Yeah, that one was really interesting, must have been a custom order by the original owner. It didn't last long, as the OP experienced... it just didn't really speak to me, despite being an incredible build and the highest quality. But that's the rub, one of my favorite basses is a mid 60's Hagstrom that I picked up for $260 bucks. You gotta play them to find out, I'm a firm believer that you'll know pretty quick (within a couple weeks). The one Alembic I do wish I had not let go and have kept my eyes peeled for, was my first- an'89 Elan plus 6 string/ Macassar ebony top pieces that I purchased new in 1990 from Chuck Levin's music for $1800.00. Late '80's early '90's was a golden era for inexpensive, high quality basses.
Nice that you have chrome plated hardware - no monthly ritual of disassembly and polishing of brass parts.
Flim is who got me into Alembic basses!
Kevin, we should get together before you decide to off the Alemblc.
Absolutely!
Happened to me as well. Warwick dirty blonde 5. I was so excited to get it, and it was just dull sounding to me, and the neck was very uncomfortable.
Sold it and bought a USA geddy Lee bass and haven't looked back since. Best bass I've ever owned.
Sold it and bought a USA geddy Lee bass and haven't looked back since. Best bass I've ever owned.
Yes! In that regard it kind of reminds me of the Hofner I had when I first started playing.
GAS does this to us, does it not?
When I was a teen first starting out, I GASed hard over Warwicks because of their ads in Bass Player magazine. Warwick was my dream bass for decades. I eventually procured a Corvette 4-string in the early 2000s and while its sound was phenomenal (especially after I replaced the active MECs with passive Duncans and ran a passive V/V/T setup), its ergonomics were lacking. Whether I wore it high, medium, or low, first position always felt like a stretch to me. I donated that Warwick to the music department of the high school I work at and it's now inspiring kids the way it inspired me.
Sometimes it's like dating. You go out with someone who's totally your type on paper and everything you're looking for... but on an actual date, there's no spark/chemistry and you're left feeling "meh." Conversely, you might say, "ehhh, why not?" to a date with someone who's not your type or what you're looking for at all, but you end up having a great time.
When I was a teen first starting out, I GASed hard over Warwicks because of their ads in Bass Player magazine. Warwick was my dream bass for decades. I eventually procured a Corvette 4-string in the early 2000s and while its sound was phenomenal (especially after I replaced the active MECs with passive Duncans and ran a passive V/V/T setup), its ergonomics were lacking. Whether I wore it high, medium, or low, first position always felt like a stretch to me. I donated that Warwick to the music department of the high school I work at and it's now inspiring kids the way it inspired me.
Sometimes it's like dating. You go out with someone who's totally your type on paper and everything you're looking for... but on an actual date, there's no spark/chemistry and you're left feeling "meh." Conversely, you might say, "ehhh, why not?" to a date with someone who's not your type or what you're looking for at all, but you end up having a great time.
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I feel ya. I've never played an Alembic that wow'd me. The craftsmanship is very impressive. But, the instrument, as a tool, is not.
Maybe its the Classic neck taper?
Those are extremely different compared to the Fender neck taper, the "comfort taper" from Alembic is more like the Fender style: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
sure, but only the folks who are as honest as they are courageous would admit it.
you believed that the alembic was the best you could do. now you know different. i think you're lucky to find that out --- you can apply the lesson to other areas of your life and be better off for it! good luck with that!
Yep, it’s always disappointing when for years one has lusted over a particular instrument. Then the expectation is lacking, nothing wrong with the said instrument just that for some reason it just didn’t deliver for the individual. I’m pretty sure many a musician has experienced this very same thing. Nothing to be hum about!
