Alrighty then.....What the hell, I'm gonna try a set of Gold Optima's. I know: a fool and his money are soon parted. I found a place that'll deliver 'em for around $50 beans. If nothing else, they'll make for good archive photos of the bass for posterity (and for the showcase gallery on the site). If they actually play and sound nice, and don't wreck my frets, that'll be a good bonus. I'll keep the Alembic faithful informed as I learn more about these strings forged from unobtainium, LOL!