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Why are Alembics so expensive?

#121
......this is a good gauge of one reason Alembics can be so pricey. Buyers have a LOT of custom options. Is there another custom brand that have so many options?.

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Especially considering headstock logos and inlays? Wish I could find the collection of headstock design options.....at least a dozen or so different head stocks.

Peace,

James
 
#124
FC Bass said:
Here they are: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] and [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] :)
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Thanks FC Bass. Figured if anybody would know you might. Must be an old page. 14 body types and 17 heastock shapes and STILL doesn't cover all of them. No Balance K, which appears to be becoming a favorite, no EVH Signature, and no Omega Crown headstock. So many ways to make your instrument totally unique.
 
#126
Yep and as Malthumb said: There are many more options to choose from, the sky is the limit :-)

Here's my fretless, it's an Orion body adapted for neck through construction.
Very similar to the Europa, except for the upper horn cutaway which meets the neck at the 20th "fret":

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And my Elan 5 that I ordered without the Elbow contour:

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As opposed to:

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Here's one with a SG/EB style body:

38242.jpg


The Alembird:

13410_bodyfrontL.jpg


zortation said:
I just want an MK Deluxe with a jazz neck, nothing fancy :)
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On the neck through models (Essence and up) They can replicate your favorite neck without an upcharge :-)
 
#128
smcd said:
It's simple - the longer it takes to build an item, the more that item will cost. A business has to pay employees to manufacture that item. The business pays them for every hour they work. More hours = more money = higher cost. Now factor in that Alembics are made in the USA, where salaries are - are you ready for this - 20 times higher than they are in China. That means that Squier, Epiphone, SX, et. al. are paying their workers $2/hr. salary and benefits, while it costs Alembic $40/hr. salary and benefits. Consider now that Alembics are entirely hand made, whereas the Chinese products are spit out using automatic machinery.

Now factor in the overhead. Alembic pays property taxes, workmans comp insurance, building and property insurance. They also have an administrative staff that gets paid around the same rate as the production staff. Now factor in the raw materials and electronics, which are MUCH higher quality than those on any Chinese bass. The electronics and hardware are proprietary, which means they are MUCH MUCH higher cost than what the Chinese are using.

And there you are. THAT'S why Alembics are so expensive. Resale isn't any worse than most high-end builders. In fact, resale isn't any worse than most non-Fender basses. It's just that when you take a 50% hit on a bass that costs $11k, it's more noticeable than when you take a 50% hit on a $1.5k bass.
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So why a Spector has to go through the same things, but costs one fifth of an Alembic?
 
#129
What really intrigues me is the lack of value retention on Alembic basses. I mean Fodera basses really hold their value well in comparison. So how is it that consumers are willing to pay a steep price new but those same basses don't bear a decent market value in the used market.
 
#130
gzarate85 said:
What really intrigues me is the lack of value retention on Alembic basses. I mean Fodera basses really hold their value well in comparison. So how is it that consumers are willing to pay a steep price new but those same basses don't bear a decent market value in the used market.
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Psychology.

As for the car analogy. A Mercedes Benz will often have innovations that don't appear in other cars until years later.

I have a 1981 Series II with LED's. When did other builders begin to offer this option?
 
#131
I think most people that spec out and have a custom Alembic built, don't have any intention of selling them, thus the resale market is irrelevant. The custom models that do hit the market are usually a result of the seller having some serious financial issues or the seller didn't quite know what they wanted in their custom. When this happens, the seller will definitely take a bath.

Bones
 
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#132
bucephylus said:
Just wondering how many of the haters on here have actually gigged a Series I or Series II Alembic Bass; so, they might have a clue what they are talking about.:hmm:
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I am wondering this too. While I could never afford a new Series bass, a number of years ago, I picked up a 1977 Series I. I have neck-thru Warwicks, a Modulus Q4, plenty of Fender-ish basses (including a 1959 Precision), a Rickenbacker 4003, and others, but nothing even comes close to the Series I. I also have an '86 Alembic Spoiler, and while it's not in the league of the Series I, it is a spectacular bass in its own rite. While I love and cherish all my instruments, when I play any of them, I enjoy the heck out of them and they all sound good in their own individual ways. But no matter what instrument I play, when I comeback to the Alembic Series I, I realize just HOW special it truly is. It just "dwarfs" all the others. Of course, nothing comes close to that '59 P bass for that true warm vintage sound, but outside of that, to ME, and in MY experience, nothing I have played comes close to my Alembic Series I. I DO get why they cost as much as they do, and I wish I could afford a modern version of one. The sum is definately greater than the parts and it is a true work of art, in my opinion.
 
#133
gzarate85 said:
What really intrigues me is the lack of value retention on Alembic basses. I mean Fodera basses really hold their value well in comparison. So how is it that consumers are willing to pay a steep price new but those same basses don't bear a decent market value in the used market.
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I will still maintain that if I were to sell either of the Alembics I bought 14 years ago, either would draw significantly more than I paid for them. I don't intend to do that, but I know I could, based on selling prices I've seen for Alembics with less content than mine.

The issue gets confused because the prices of used instruments is way below the RETAIL LIST PRICES delivered by the Alembic Quote Generator. People like to compare the used bass to today's Quote Generator prices, not the street price the used bass sold for when new. I'd like to meet the guy who paid RETAIL LIST for an Alembic.
 
#136
gorgeous basses, I've played two of them, with a total playing time of about three and a half weeks, both sounded great, and played wonderfully. I could even afford to order one, but never have. I could never justify the cost.

I've got about a dozen basses, one double bass, and a cello, and I've never once come across a musical situation or an acoustical situation where one of them did not serve beyond expectation.

I think Alembic are absolutely wonderful instruments and I can't find a single negative thing to say about them regarding materials, tonal quality, workmanship, finish, playability, performance, esthetics, or any other area where people seem to search for fault.

To those of you who own one, or more, of these instruments, congratulations. You've selected one of the premier electric basses ever made. You have my compliments, and best wishes, without ire nor envy. You have wonderful taste.
 
#138
frankieC said:
gorgeous basses, I've played two of them, with a total playing time of about three and a half weeks, both sounded great, and played wonderfully. I could even afford to order one, but never have. I could never justify the cost.

I've got about a dozen basses, one double bass, and a cello, and I've never once come across a musical situation or an acoustical situation where one of them did not serve beyond expectation.

I think Alembic are absolutely wonderful instruments and I can't find a single negative thing to say about them regarding materials, tonal quality, workmanship, finish, playability, performance, esthetics, or any other area where people seem to search for fault.

To those of you who own one, or more, of these instruments, congratulations. You've selected one of the premier electric basses ever made. You have my compliments, and best wishes, without ire nor envy. You have wonderful taste.
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Wait erm hmm hang on what?
 
#139
Hopkins said:
Seeing as though some Chevy Pickups can sell for as high as 70 grand, that's not really a fair comparison.
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No, on the basis of price it's a fair comparison, Mercedes has cars below at and above the 70k price point, the low and high points of the Mercedes price spectrum (and average fwiw) are above the comparable points for the Chev.

Where the comparison is bunk is both are "CNC" produced. Now if you throw in a Bugatti instead of the Mercedes, we have a much better comparison, and it helps keep perspective on the 70K pickup to boot.
 
#140
frankieC said:
gorgeous basses, I've played two of them, with a total playing time of about three and a half weeks, both sounded great, and played wonderfully. I could even afford to order one, but never have. I could never justify the cost.

I've got about a dozen basses, one double bass, and a cello, and I've never once come across a musical situation or an acoustical situation where one of them did not serve beyond expectation.

I think Alembic are absolutely wonderful instruments and I can't find a single negative thing to say about them regarding materials, tonal quality, workmanship, finish, playability, performance, esthetics, or any other area where people seem to search for fault.

To those of you who own one, or more, of these instruments, congratulations. You've selected one of the premier electric basses ever made. You have my compliments, and best wishes, without ire nor envy. You have wonderful taste.
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HERETIC!!

j/k.....very level headed approach. I appreciate the kind and wise words.
 

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