Played an Alembic tonight!

[malthumb]

My first Alembic was a Spoiler that was almost a twin to Wicasta's. It was a 1983 that I bought for $1,300 back in 1995 or 96. It was certainly named correctly, because it spoiled me for other basses for a long time. Traded it to a store in Florida for a Stanley Clarke Signature.

I've taken my Series II 5 string out to a number of bar gigs. On the other end of the spectrum, I play it a lot at church (glance at the avatar).

Mekanic, if you really want one, you can still pick up a Spoiler or an Epic for under $1,500 bucks used. Hang around the Alembic Club for a while and you'll see a couple decent deals come up from time to time.

Peace,

James

 

[SlingBass4]

...I always said I'd get one when I had a real job. Well I have the job, fat lot of good that does me now.

+1 - IF I'd known it was going to take so long......I'd have sold my sister then and there

 

[malthumb]

Talking about gigging with an Alembic:
I gig my Alembic all the time.

Pics in this post.

And without fail, every gig, somebody comes up to compliment my playing, my tone, and the bad-assed-ness of the bass with the lights.

They all seem to be bass players. They all ask what kind of bass I'm playing.

Alembic.

What?



Alembic.

Olympic?

No, Alembic.

Who makes that? Fender?

Um, no.
-------------------

One time I got:

Dude! How'd you get your bass to light up like that?

Magic.

Really?

No. You got me. It's batteries.

Oh. That's cool. Is that an Ibanez? I know it's gota be an Ibanez 'cause only Ibanez uses wood like that.


I mean, what the ... ?

The funniest poser story I have is when I went into a pawn shop in Pontiac, Michigan to look at a Warwick a friend told me he saw. Turns out it wasn't really a Warwick, but the guy kept trying to push it on me.

He says "If it's not better than what you're playing now I'll take it back"

I say "I play a couple of Alembics"

He says "Yeah, I know Alembic" Now I'm shocked. He didn't say Olympic. I'm thinking, this guy might not be the total clown he's laying himself out to be.

He says "I used to have an endorsement deal with them. I helped them with the first prototypes for the Burner"

Now, other than the fact that I KNOW that Alembic has never done endorsement deals with ANYBODY.....Not Stanley Clarke, not John Entwistle, not Jimmy Johnson...AND the fact that Burner is a Ken Smith bass, not an Alembic.....

He goes on to tell me about concerts where he had issues with the bass and called out to the factory and had them come out to fix the bass. It was, after all, a prototype Couldn't tell me where the factory was located, but he swears they came right out.

 

[Wicasta]

Hames?

Yah, it was Hames Music. The story was told to me by the mighty Art Mauney. I haven't spoken to him in awhile, so I don't know if he still owns the bass or not.

 

[MTMTEX]

I used to gig this one all the time. Now I play sixers and can't afford a 6 string Olympic!

 

[Randall]

I used to gig this one all the time. Now I play sixers and can't afford a 6 string Olympic!

Wow is that a custom spoiler?
I bought mine brand new in 1983ish. Paid about $1700 Canadian for it which was a lot of money for a kid just out of high school. Still my number 1 bass

 

[MTMTEX]

Wow is that a custom spoiler?
I bought mine brand new in 1983ish. Paid about $1700 Canadian for it which was a lot of money for a kid just out of high school. Still my number 1 bass

Its a Distillate, a 1982 model. I paid $1000.00 for it in 1989. I bought it as a divorce present to myself. She didn't approve of me being a musician. Hmm....wonder if thats why she is an exe?

 

[Tommygunn]

Well my basses get rotated but I do take the Alembic out for gigs depending on my mood, and I gig virtually 90% with a F-1X in a rack. Have had the "Olympic" thing happen though, years ago in NZ when I lived there for while.

him:What's that bass?
me: ALEMBIC....

him: OLYMPIC? ... when you get the money try a Fender......


Ask at the Alembic club and you'll find the Olympic thing a recurring phenomenon.

I have a olympic bass. It is heavy and kicks ass.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

I used an Alembic Distillate 5-String for about 16 years in all sorts of gigs.....including many local bar type gigs! The nice thing about it, it was so friggin heavy, you could have used it as a weapon if need be! Here is a photo from around 7 years ago. Sold it since then, I'm Sadowsky man now! But yep, it was a great sounding bass!

Doug heffernan?

 

[TheVoiceless]

I bought an Alembic Elan (1989 custom) from a fellow TB'er after using one to track our EP. The Alembic I tracked with was once owned by Jason Newsted. It was heavy so I would not want to gig with that bass. But mine is a four string and a lot lighter.