Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Fun Stories => Topic started by: sonofa_lembic on January 28, 2026, 01:45:12 PM
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As many of you know, I have been a bass fanatic since the late 1970's, and through all of those years I have been ravenous to try anything out there and see what it is all about. That includes close to 100 Alembics. There are so many others I gave the benefit of the doubt to, and in multiples too. I can't tell you how many times I revisited particular brands or models over almost a half century, but it is huge. There were also a lot of basses you likely never heard of that cycled through my hands. Basses like Bilodeaux, Spellbinder, Campellone, Stambaugh, Hilton, and Hawk. Then there are the cream of the crop basses like Fodera, Smith, Carl Thompson, Pedulla, Wyn, and MTD. I also went the vintage route with all years of Fender, Guild, and Gibson. Custom shop to made in Mexico. I rarely turned away from learning about a brand or model, and what I didn't own myself usually made its way to my bench for setup or repair at some point. I never chose to be a bass snob, but I have found that I have ultimately come to lean in that direction after so much honest comparison and frankly, disappointment. When I saw my first Alembic in 1978, there was something about it that not only drew my eye to it, but also my appreciation of craftsmanship, electronic genius, and of course sound. Even that first 1977 bass I bought has not been equalled by any other manufacturer to this day. I have waited almost 50 years to see another company produce something to surpass it, but nobody has even come close. You would think that they would figure it out by now, or stumble upon a formula that would give Alembic a run for their money, but they just keep falling short. The curiosity about bass brands has finally hit a wall for me, and I realize without a single doubt that there is nothing out there that sounds as good as an Alembic. Yes, there are many fine instruments that play well and will do the job, but none of them have the quality of workmanship or electronics that come close to that of Alembic. On the job, is where all of this becomes abundantly apparent, and as I A/B videos of performances with various instruments I have used, I can really recognize the superiority of the Alembic sound. I think at this point, I will stop searching for something that just is not out there....an equal to an Alembic.
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Appreciate your thoughts.
Honestly was concerned reading the title!
My experience is minuscule compared to yours, but I share the same conclusion. 😃
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Like Paul said, I appreciate the post. And very nice playing in the video!
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For me that realisation came initially via the music I was listening rather than my minute first hand experience of basses. What i noticed was that on almost all of the albums I listened to, the bass tone was set for the album and was virtually one tone all the way through, either deep, warm, middly or bright. But on the RTF albums and Stanley Clarke's albums and sessions I was listening to, the bass tones were dramatic and different on all the tracks and within each track, and I knew back then that I wanted a bass that had that facility, even though I was a guitarist at the time. Roll the years forward to 2002 and my first alembic and that sealed the deal the sound, playing experience of an ultra high quality instrument. Alembic are the perfect basses for 'me', there isn't a sound 'I' want from a bass that I can't get from my alembics.
It is interesting how in fairly recent years there are a number of companies making filter based tone electronics for after market installing in basses.