Dear all,
I'm considering trading my Ritter Roya 5 string "The Late Lounge" which is valued around 8.500euro (used but MINT) for this Alembic Edwin Van Huik signature (deluxe I think). Please see attached pics, do you think it the trade would be fair or the Ritter is more expensive? Thanks a lot

I don't know much about Ritter basses, or what the marketable value of this trade might be in your area, but I would love to have that EVH 5-string. I believe it belonged to a fellow Club Member here a while back. 

https://club.alembicguitars.com/signature-basses-690/2004-evh-5-straight-from-edwin/

I answered Alberto's email around 10:00 this morning, but thought I should post here too so anyone else could see the information. 

This is a standard model with an upgraded neck. Deluxe models have back laminates. 

I'm sorry I don't have any advice on the used value of any instruments, but surely someone in the club will have the experience to give you some guidance. 

Very nice bass!  I'm wondering about the 5-pin.

Quote from: David Houck on October 05, 2026, 03:42:10 PMVery nice bass!  I'm wondering about the 5-pin.

Same.

I personally would make this trade every day of the week.  I have never played a Ritter bass that made me want to own one.

My .02.
Don't come here asking if you should buy an Alembic.

The answer would always be "heck yes!".   Especially with that grain pattern.  😍

Strap that bass on, play it and let that bass answer your question about, 'if it's better than a Ritter'.

EVH is rare, so hard to establish the value.  
it's a standard model with upgraded neck, which is the CORRECT way to spec any standard model, IMHO.

Ritter is nice, Alembic is also nice.  Play it, and if you like the playability and sound, go for it.

I am sure Ritter is just as great of a bass to certain people.  If you ask anyone here, bias is much towards Alembic... 

my 2 yens 

Takeo

Quote from: David Houck on October 05, 2026, 03:42:10 PMVery nice bass!  I'm wondering about the 5-pin.

I'm so used to seeing 5-pins I totally missed that. It is not our standard housing, but I can only assume it was modded to accommodate the 5-pin cable and power supply. I don't remember if we ever had to substitute that part but if you show a picture of what's in the electronics cavity I can probably tell you if it was done here or not. 

And Paul is right about the top wood, that's really nice Walnut. 

From facebook:

My 2p. I've been taken by the aesthetic of some Ritter basses especially the Roya and Eye of Horus,  and I ventured out to a dealer here and tried some of their models along with some other boutique brands. I left there empty handed with the conclusion than none of the basses I tried there had a sound that would make me prefer it to any of the alembics I had at the time. But then my ears do have a baked in bias towards the alembic sound.

The safest bet would be to seek a way to try that EVH, or at least an alembic with signature gubbings. Are you by any chance located anywhere near Station Music in Germany? they usually have good stock.
I hope your quest proves fruitful whichever decision you make.

I saw your bass on facebook and i have to say it's gorgeous!

Thanks for the feedback guys, you convinced me to make the trade.
Do you think the neck pickup with Q (boosted on 700hz) would be great for rock and metal?

So at the end what's the 5pin for?
thanks!

The 5 pin is to plug in the external mains power supply called DS-5 or a rack mount DS-5R.They power the bass at 36v DC and from that unit you can choose to have separate pickup outs or a mono signal from both pickups. This means the bass is always running on full power with loads of headroom for your sound.
Your internal batteries will then be a backup power supply if you choose this power option.

You will also need a 5 pin cable like this.

https://bayoucables.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6
Though you should be able to order from Alembic or an alembic dealer, or reverb etc.

power supplies

Quote from: jazzyvee on Yesterday at 02:55:45 AMThe 5 pin is to plug in the external mains power supply called DS-5 or a rack mount DS-5R.They power the bass at 36v DC and from that unit you can choose to have separate pickup outs or a mono signal from both pickups. This means the bass is always running on full power with loads of headroom for your sound.
Your internal batteries will then be a backup power supply if you choose this power option.

You will also need a 5 pin cable like this.

https://bayoucables.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6
Though you should be able to order from Alembic or an alembic dealer, or reverb etc.

power supplies

Got it, anyway I can use it without that right?

Quote from: albertorigoni on Yesterday at 05:24:51 AM

Quote from: jazzyvee on Yesterday at 02:55:45 AMThe 5 pin is to plug in the external mains power supply called DS-5 or a rack mount DS-5R.They power the bass at 36v DC and from that unit you can choose to have separate pickup outs or a mono signal from both pickups. This means the bass is always running on full power with loads of headroom for your sound.
Your internal batteries will then be a backup power supply if you choose this power option.

You will also need a 5 pin cable like this.

https://bayoucables.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6
Though you should be able to order from Alembic or an alembic dealer, or reverb etc.

power supplies

Got it, anyway I can use it without that right?

Sure, you just use the 1/4" jack as normally, and the bass will operate on battery power. Having the 5-pin jack and later adding the DS-5 power supply would be a nice bonus. 

You might check out fellow Club Member FC Bass YouTube channel for some pointers on using Alembic basses in rock and metal. (also a link in his profile) 

https://youtube.com/@damagedjusticenld?si=E4EyH01tMcjobizB

Thanks! But what would be the difference between battery and 5 pin supplier in terms of tone? thanks!