Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Fun Stories => Topic started by: keith_h on January 16, 2010, 08:03:22 AM
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The gig went well last night. Around our second song a patron of the venue comes up and starts looking at my Brown Bass. He looks at the logo and tries to read wording on the pickups. He does this another time or two. After the gig he comes up and asks me, Is that an Alembic?. I say yes, somewhat surprised to hear the name pronounced correctly. The guy said when he was in the back room he heard a bass that was too good for the normal stuff he hears in the place and had to find out what it was. He then continues that he has not seen one in a long time and never recalls seeing one in Chapel Hill.
It just goes to show there are folks out there that realize the difference between a national park in Washington and a fine instrument.
Keith
(Message edited by keith_h on January 16, 2010)
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Was he a bass player? I'd guess yes............
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I think he said plays guitar. Around here I have yet to run into any bass players other than Alembic owners that even know what they are.
Keith
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Keith is right - I was at an open jam once and as soon as I lifted the lid on my case another bassist came over and said Is that a Ken Smith?
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We did a show this past summer with several other bands on the bill. I was using my Rogue and after our soundcheck one of the other bassists (not a young novice I might add) came over and commented on what a nice bass it was. What kind is it?
I told him and he wrinkled his brow, looking very puzzled as he tried to read the headstock. Alembic, I repeated.
He was clearly mystified.
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Neither my Rogue nor my Sig dx have the Alembic script on the headstock. At a gig about a year ago, two student aged guys came up after the first set and asked if my basses were Warwicks! Luckily for them I'm quite a mellow guy. imagine if they'd asked Flax the same question ;-)
Graeme
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If it had been Flax they would have gone on to ask how much it cost.
Keith
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Neither my Rogue nor my Sig dx have the Alembic script on the headstock.
Neither does mine.
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Only an Alembic club member Jack knew when he came out to the Delancy in NYC. He wrote a very nice review here and I forwarded it to the band and got smack because he was very favorable of the bass tone and my singing.
And this what is that thing has been the case since 1983 people.
Isn't it funny that we here almost every make and model bass out there?
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Welcome to Nashville.
'So . . . ya didn't want a Fender?'
Joey
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Welcome to Knoxville.
Man...I got this Ibanez that'll kill anything out there...,anything man! and that ain't no s*#t! (said in my best ig'nant sounding red neck voice)
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And I was thinking that sort of stuff only happened here in Brazil...
- Nice paint job on that bass, man!, referring to the Buckeye Burl top of my bass...
- Is that a custom Fender?
and so on...
Greg
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I've gotten only three responses to my Alembic over my infrequent gigs over the last couple of years. Sound man (a former bassist, it turned out) at The Fine Line club in Minny immediately recognized my Stanley Sig Standard and complemented my taste. Young guy who played a Carvin 5 and a Steinberger electric upright (_really_ well, I might add) did the same a couple of years ago.
In January a guy asked me what it was. I said an Alembic. Oh, an OLYMPIC! Cool!
And so it goes, as Mr Vonnegut said.
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Sometime ago I've heard this compliment from an other bassist:
- Nice Bass, it looks like my Rockbass and sounds good, too
- Do you really think so?
- Well, you know... They are nice, but someday we will be able to get a real good Fender
- Wow... Yeah, I hope so... Thanks
What could I say? It just occured me if our sound man made something wrong that night...
(Message edited by Mario Farufyno on February 21, 2010)
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Last night after our set a guitar player asked me if my bass was an Alembic. I was happy that it was recognized. Then he asked if it was made in the USA! Many possible responses raced through my brain... but I simply told him that yes, they all are.
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You didn't tell him they're made my elves?
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I do most of my playing in bars, and most of the patron don't know the difference between a bass and a bratwurst. So, imagine my surprise a few years ago when a guy came up to me and said cool, a Series II. He turned out to be the bass player in the band with which we were sharing the bill, and he was an Alembic guy.
By that, I mean he was an ALEMBIC GUY. He was playing an Elan with a cocobolo top, and after he showed me his bass he showed me his back, which was filled with a huge and picture-perfect tattoo of his Elan. The wood grain on his back was perfect.
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Speaking of Alembic Tattoos , I wonder how many folks have just the Alembic Logo tattooed on them ? I think that I have seen 2 examples here on the forum on forum members . I bet there are quite a few more .
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I've been thinking on doing it myself. :P Been wanting a tattoo companion for the bass clef star on my shoulders
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I just started playing in an 80's rock band.I was suppossed to start at the of this month but their bassist bailed on them to play in a C&W band. I got in like three rehearsals before the bass player left. I had to learn and chart out 50 tunes in a month! My first gig with them was March 13th and when I plugged my Distillate Series everyone in the band said that my axe sounded great and it gave them a new dimension! The drummer asked me what kind of bass it was and I said Alembic and he said oh, then he asked how much it cost and I told him it cost me 5G's used....dazed..he walked away with a smile saying nice bass man! I'm on a mission for a 5 string series now!
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Good luck with the new gig Chalie!
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(Message edited by jazzyvee on June 15, 2010)
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Well isn't that a fine How do you do?. While I was posting my response Jazzy deletes his post. :-)
Removed my reponse.
Keith
(Message edited by keith_h on June 15, 2010)
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Sorry Keith but thanks for your email response.
Jazzyvee
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Link to Tattoo postings
http://club.alembic.com/Images/449/53627.html (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=18098)
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Cool ink !
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I was recently in a privately owned music store. They have been in business for 15 years. The owners asked me what kind of bass I played, I said Alembic. They looked at each other with a confused look on their faces and then one of them said never heard of it. I was surprised that someone who has been in business this long has never heard of Alembic.
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This one probably should be an ongoing thread with it's own heading...(Hint hint moderators!)...];-}
I did an outdoor gig this past fall in VA with 4 other groups on the bill...we opened up early with improvisatory Jazz Fusion; next band was old school 70's soul, then a New age fusion group; and closing down with an Electronica / Rap group...
Over the course of the evening, all three of the other bassists ended up at my shoulder at some point; asking; What kind of Bass is that you're playin'?!...only the cat from the 70's soul group knew what it was; and he was actually asking about the model, since he realized my Essence 5 had more than the standard electronics package...
The other guys were just freaked out when dusk came on, and I fired up the LED's...];-} (Though the Electronica / Rap Bassist wanted to buy my Eden Monitor rig outright...'til I told him how much!...];-})
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I had just finished setting up my amp at my last gig & was playing my SC Signature Deluxe to make sure everything was working, & a guy came walking through the door & yelled across the room That's a mighty fine Alembic you have there! I was surprised that he not only knew what an Alembic was, but that he could also identify one all the way across the room. He said he heard me playing before he came inside, & recognized the Alembic sound! Turns out he was a former bass player from years ago. He never had an Alembic, but always wanted one & was very familiar with their sound. He asked what model it was & I told him it was a Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe. He said he was a Stanley fan too, so I played School Days for him. That put a smile on his face!
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That's the thing, anyone who could identify an Alembic can do so across a football field. Without fail, and easily spot if it's not the standard package. They're so... distinct.
It's funny. Last month I told my band I was saving up for the holy grail of basses. An Alembic. My guitarist smiled and nodded his head, like he knew what I was talking about. I asked him and he said he was familiar with the brand, but when I try to talk about it, he knows absolutely nothing about them, and for the past few weeks he kept saying can't wait 'til you get your ambelic
Kids are hilarious.
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My guitar player was pretty unfamiliar with Alembic too. I insists on calling it an Olympic!
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yep here in the UK the majority of people have never heard of them either unless they are seasoned bass players.....even after 40 years Alembic still has the unique label of being 'unheard of'
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I would imagine that even less people here in the UK know that Alembic make guitars too and not many here will have even seen one live because I still have the only Alembic Guitar in the whole of the UK ... hehehe :-)
Seriously though it would be interesting to know the spread of Alembics worldwide. I don't imagine those stats are at Mica's fingertips but could be extracted from Alembic's registration database if the time & desire was there to do it. That said I don't imagine there are a lot in the UK.
Jazzyvee
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Jazzy. I'm assuming you were joking about your guitar as Mark Stannage in robin hood's bay has a rather tasty further (http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_patience.html). I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of others mentioned sometime in the past.
Graeme
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Robin Hoods Bay.. a mere short m/cycle ride for me!
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Yep. I met up with Mark the same day I met you a couple of years ago. Nice guy.
graeme
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Yeah Jacko I was kidding I too have caught wind of a few UK guitars on the forum. Though It would be good to hear one played live.
If all fails, I may have to lend mine to a trusted guitarist just so I can hear one front of house.
Jazzyvee
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Since Doctor Ron, Nurse Susan and their staff birthed Ali, my Series II short scale four string back in 1982, there have only been a few gigs where someone hasn't inquired about the brand of my bass and the full rich tone. I was in a battle of the bands some years ago. There were 18 bands in this event. Before it was over 17 bassist, most of the guitarist and several of the drummers and keyboardist came up and ask me what kind of bass I was playing.
The tone and sustain are unmistakable. And for you guys like me that have been playing Alembics all the years....think back when you played lesser instruments...remember the term DEAD SPOTS.
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The 1st thing I noticed about my Alembic was that it had no dead spots! Every note is crystal clear!