Author Topic: Tone for your soul: a history and the present (Read 653 times)

synapticgroove · « **on:** October 20, 2013, 03:21:27 AM »

Hello all,

Having grown up on a steady diet of rock & roll from the golden era, Alembic was a name I was intimately familiar with. As a child, I shared a hometown witch Michael Hedges, an artist that firmly convinced me that the greats channeled the muse in a way that captured her for the rest of us. The heart connected to the hands, sculpting a soundtrack to a meaningful existence. When I was slightly older, after college, I had the unique opportunity to work in restoration at Monticello in the unparalleled Charlottesville, Virginia. This taught me the fundamentals of beauty that artisans spend a lifetime developing. I felt lucky to have an eye that could recognize it. A little later, I was fortunate to find myself working in the music industry, getting a behind the scenes tour of the Oz I had longed for as a child. Having played bass for 20 years always provided me with a cornerstone upon which to build a house that was a convergence of many ideals...from synth programming to launching the company I'm now extremely proud of. It's been a beautiful ride! Alembic was always present as a true representation of the logical expression of an artist's hands and vision. A few days ago, I was lucky enough to acquire my first Alembic. 'Amazing' isn't quite the right word to explain it's affect on me; 'Transmutated' is probably better!

Benjamin
co-founder/designer
SynapticGroove
www.synapticgroove.com

rustyg61 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2013, 05:04:31 AM »

Welcome to the Club Benjamin! Congratulations on your first Alembic & your first post here on the Alembic Club. Nothing compares to the amazing quality & sound of Alembic instruments, & you will not find a more friendly & helpful bunch of people than those here on the forum! You will find that we love pictures, so please post some of your Epic so we can all drool with you! I highly recommend you read the FAQ's & Must Reads section on here to get some great info on the care & feeding of your Alembic.

There is a wealth of info on this forum so take the time to read everything you can. It has made me a better player & taught me how to properly set up my basses. Don't hesitate to post a question if you have one, you will get many great responses from seasoned Alembic owners, some of who have been playing Alembics since the company was founded, so they know what they are talking about! You may even get a response from a legend like Jimmy Johnson who is a frequent contributer to this forum.

I see you're in Oklahoma, hopefully you can come to our next Texas Alembic Gathering in Dallas. This year we had 8 owners with 15 Alembics. It was my first Gathering & it was amazing getting to try out all the different models & see some of the fabled Custom Of The Month basses in person. You can see some pictures here - http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/153921.html?1372414560

Again, congratulations & welcome to the family!

synapticgroove · « **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2013, 07:58:39 AM »

Thanks Rusty! Wow, amazing basses in that link. I've posted a few resized pics of mine here:

http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/178937.html?1382280584

Being a Hedges fan, it's natural to drift toward a Zon, specifically a Hyperbass, but I've played nothing but Warwick's for the last decade...I thought it fine time to head toward the source! I would definitely like to make it down to Dallas for the Texas Alembic Gathering (my alma mater is Baylor). Thanks for the invite!

Alembic's are truly special. There's something primal about artists building for artists, tonesmithing, if you will. It's been a passion of mine for a very long time. I have a slew of Moogerfooger's to run the Alembic through, but I've found I'm digging the DI box.

rustyg61 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 20, 2013, 09:40:25 AM »

The range of tone on Alembics is incredible! My Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe can go from a fat P Bass to a piano sound & all points in between! You will love the Gathering if you come, but I have to warn you, you can catch a serious case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) by playing all the other models of Alembics! I loved my SCSD before going to the Gathering, & I still do, but I just placed an order for a full custom Series II Europa!

Your bass is gorgeous!! I love the Walnut! I will repost your pictures here so everyone can see them.

rustyg61 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2013, 09:42:08 AM »

synapticgroove · « **Reply #5 on:** October 20, 2013, 11:43:35 AM »

That's awesome! Believe it or not, I'm already GASing for another Alembic! haha. How is the SC? I love the filter in the Persuader, but I think I will add a Series I or II eventually. I really, really enjoy this Epic though and don't ever see it leaving. The scale/weight is great and with tape wounds, I can easily slide around in tonal heaven!

It was the first time in my life I had ever even seen an Alembic in the flesh. I'm very glad I did my friend!

rustyg61 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 20, 2013, 12:56:18 PM »

The SC is amazing! It is a short scale 30.75 so it's super easy to play! It has a filter on each pickup & Q switch for an 8dB boost at the filter frequency, so the tone range is incredible! With the filters wide open it almost sounds like a guitar in the upper register! It has the red LED's on the side of the neck which I used to think was just bling, but now I can't live without them! I bought some Fret FX aftermarket LED's for my Schecter 5 string so I can see what I'm playing after getting spoiled with my Alembic. Every Alembic sounds great, but I highly recommend the Series basses! They sound like my SC on steroids! Even more of the amazing Alembic sound! Where did you get your Epic from? I never wanted a 5 string until I played an Epic 5 at a pawn shop close to me. It looked & played great, but the owner wouldn't come down on the price, so I bought my Schecter instead. Now that I've had a taste for a 5, I've ordered a custom Europa 5 Series II.

synapticgroove · « **Reply #7 on:** October 20, 2013, 01:31:56 PM »

That sounds really awesome! I actually picked up my Epic at a thrift shop/bargain center! I was supremely shocked to find an Alembic there, so I drove there incredulously to check it out and sure enough....a 1994 epic with no hard case and no fret wear. I was stunned! After playing it, I had to have it. And thus, the story begins!

rustyg61 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 20, 2013, 02:15:49 PM »

WOW! I thought I was lucky to find an Alembic in a pawn shop, but a thrift store is even more rare!! That's almost like winning the Lottery! I'm sure you got a killer deal on it too! I doubt any thrift store knows what an Alembic is!

funkyjazzjunky · « **Reply #9 on:** October 21, 2013, 06:38:57 AM »

That top is beautiful

synapticgroove · « **Reply #10 on:** October 21, 2013, 09:00:49 PM »

Thanks guys! I got to open it up today with a drummer for a few hours and it not only has clarity, but a very booming low end. I was running into a GK 300 watt combo with a single 15...wow! : )

actual_size · « **Reply #11 on:** January 21, 2014, 07:31:54 AM »

Beautiful Bass! The tape wounds look great too.

dead_head · « **Reply #12 on:** January 21, 2014, 09:06:29 PM »

Welcome, Benjamin. That was a great find. Best of luck with it, it's beautiful!

Rob

tncaveman · « **Reply #13 on:** January 22, 2014, 06:30:57 PM »

WOW a thrift store? Gotta ask how much.

And welcome to the club!

The GAS is contagious here. Within a year of getting my Rogue, I had a fretless Elan that I bought from a club member. Alembics are the bomb.

Stephen