Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Showcase => Spoiler Basses => Topic started by: fogdiver on May 31, 2021, 12:02:28 PM

Title: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: fogdiver on May 31, 2021, 12:02:28 PM
In 1993 I bought my first Alembic - a 1989 Quilted Maple Spoiler. I still own it to this day.
About 25 years later I´ve got my second one - a 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - right to my 50th birthday  ;D
Now it´s time to share some pictures...

Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: jazzyvee on May 31, 2021, 01:48:15 PM
Lovely bass you have there Fogdiver. The Alembic script cast into the truss rod cover plate is something I have never seen before.
Do you notice any significant differences in the tone from both basses?
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: rv_bass on May 31, 2021, 04:27:42 PM
That is a unique truss rod cover.  Beautiful bass, congratulations, gotta love zebrawood!  :)
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: David Houck on May 31, 2021, 06:22:03 PM
Happy Birthday!  Nice present!
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: edwardofhuncote on June 01, 2021, 06:37:26 AM
Very Nice!  8)

*if you don't mind - what's the story on the little "925" inscribed on the logo? That's a cool place for an Easter Egg.  ;)
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: hieronymous on June 01, 2021, 08:29:07 AM
Very cool - I love zebra wood! I almost acquired an 8-string Series I in zebra wood, but the seller decided not to sell. So now the only thing I have in zebra wood is a pen! I can't complain though, I've got a couple of walnut Alembics.

I'll echo jazzyvee - would be nice to hear about how the sound in comparison to each other - especially since they both have the same birth year.
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: fogdiver on June 03, 2021, 12:10:53 PM
Thanks a lot for your interest. Of course there are a few differences between the two Spoilers. I think the biggest one is the neck.
My Quilted Maple Spoiler has the thinnest bassneck I have ever had in my hands. In the early years I thought Alembic basses has always such a thin neck, but of course they has not.


So, the Zebrawood Spoiler has a bit more sustain, especially on a few notes on the e-string. The sound is a little darker, more bassier. The Maple Spoiler sounds more brilliant in the highs. The differences are rather marginal, probably my bandmates would´t hear them anyway, haha.
Also interesting is the output of the pickups of both basses. The maple Spoiler has a lot more output than the Zebrawood. One more time I´m so glad about the two trimpots on the circuit board, so it works out fine in the end.


The story about the "925" logo and the trussrod cover is quite simple - a previous owner of the bass has attached these custom pieces made of 925 silver, made by a silversmith here in Germany, as far as I know.



Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: mica on June 04, 2021, 04:23:08 PM
You can adjust the gain internally to have your two Spoilers with the same output.
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: fogdiver on June 06, 2021, 06:27:00 AM
Thanks Mica, I have already done that  :)

Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: fogdiver on June 10, 2021, 09:25:09 AM
Here is the brand new video of my band FOGDRIVER, you can see and hear this bass. Hope you enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuXoUCNtRm4


Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: fogdiver on June 10, 2021, 09:29:45 AM
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: gearhed289 on June 11, 2021, 07:37:10 AM

Cool stuff, thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: 1989 Zebra Wood Spoiler - my 2nd Alembic
Post by: rv_bass on June 11, 2021, 02:14:56 PM
Sounds cool!  :)