The Essence arrived today, and it's beautiful. It has some player wear, scratches, etc., but nothing major. It plays wonderfully, though I think I'm going to have to tweak the action, truss rod adjustments, etc. Not to worry, though - I do this with all my instruments from time to time. Still waiting on some Flitz to arrive from the states as well as some Lemon Oil, fingerboard cleaner, etc. so I can clean her up nicely. Overall she is yet another example of fine Alembic craftsmanship.
I'll get pictures of me with it in front of the Presidential Palace here when I get a chance. It is now the first Alembic in Iraq to my knowledge.
One more thing. I bought this through Good Guys Bass and Guitar Traders via Ebay (for those interested, their website is
www.goodguysguitars.com). All I can say about these guys is that they really, really took care of me. Not only did the bass arrive safe and sound (no mean feat given that the bass had to travel about 10,000 miles via the U.S. Postal service), Kebo at Good Guys all sent me 6 sets of bass strings, six sets of guitar strings for guitar players here, three bottles of polish, a cable, a Dean Markley Micro amp, three T-Shirts, and an electronic tuner. He didn't have to do this, but he did. Being where I am at present, I can state that we here truly appreciate everything our countrymen do to support us, and this is no exception. Additionally, I've had several email conversations with Kebo, and they've been very informative and pleasant. They've got other Alembics on their website (a Series 1 and a beautiful blue Elan), so you might want to check them out (they've also go some other really neat basses, to include a bunch of vintage Fenders and Gibsons for those interested). In any event, I give Good Guys a ringing endorsement, and they have not only my deepest gratitude and sincere thanks, but highest recommendation as well. In today's day and age and given the nature of Ebay at times, it's nice to know that there are Good Guys out there after all.
Alan
(Message edited by ajdover on January 22, 2006)
