Author Topic: Beautiful 5-string Alembic Essence - considering for sale. (Read 223 times)

sinador · « **on:** March 14, 2009, 06:11:04 PM »

I recently purchased an absolutely beautiful Alembic Essence bass with Europa electronics. However, after trying it out on my rigs, I am not happy with the tone. Granted, the Q-switch and filtering are new concepts for me, but I have spent the past few days experimenting with the tones and I am not satisfied. I have an Epic bass that sounds great and I was hoping to continue my quest for the best tone by upgrading to a higher-end Alembic bass.

This bass is in mint condition and you can see some additional photos of it at http://iconguitars.net/product.php?p=14

Specs:
Red L.E.D. fret markers on the neck side.
Polished brass hardware
MXY pickups
mono 1/4 output
master volume
blend
filter frequency control

Woods:
Top Laminate: Macassar Ebony
Accent Wood: Maple, Purple Heart
Body Wood: Ash
Neck Woods: Maple, Purple Heart, Ebony
Fingerboard: Ebony

Also comes with a black tolex rectangle case.

Anyway, I am testing the waters to see if anyone is interested in buying this bass. If so, please email you offers and I will consider them. I am still evaluating this bass and still might consider keeping it.

(Message edited by davehouck on March 15, 2009)

markstanley · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2009, 05:28:15 AM »

Lovely bass,too many strings for me though. Good luck with the sale!

bsee · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2009, 05:41:24 PM »

That is a beauty. If I am remembering correctly, it was on eBay recently and offered as near new condition by someone who was using it in a recording studio.

Is there anything we can do to talk about tones and settings with you and see if you can get some ideas to put you closer to what you're looking for? I have to say that is an unusual wood combination to mix all that ebony with an ash core, and I'm sure that factors into the tonal palette.

-bob

dannobasso · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2009, 06:24:35 PM »

If I didn't have one in the oven, I'd be all over this. Good luck with the sale.

sinador · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2009, 07:46:29 PM »

Well, I think I am making some progress. I spoke to an individual named John, who recommended that I take off the back cover and look at the two pot's. So, I got a screwdriver and tweaked around with the pot's for several minutes and the bass now sounds 100 percent better (thanks John).

And yes, this was the bass that was recently on eBay. This bass is an absolutely beautiful bass and I am now worried about playing it a gigs. If I decided to keep it, maybe I will just use it for home studio work (all I need now is a home studio).

rodneyat · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2009, 07:51:30 PM »

So, what did you do with the pots? Inquiring minds want to know.

scotty1 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2009, 02:56:02 AM »

Great-looking bass!

Have you a ballpark figure in mind for selling?

I have an Epic 5, which is great, but would like to move up.

jphilauren · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:42:30 AM »

Steve glad that info helped on tweaking the sound. Best thing to do is to try to bring the electronics, pickup height etc to factory specs and then go from there. It's amazing how often a previous owner will screw around with their bass to make it sound like something else and totally screw up a great bass. Good luck, that bass looks great! John

mica · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:35:29 AM »

Also - don't underestimate the power of strings as a tone control. You can really change the tone dramatically depending on the material, construction and manufacturer of strings.

sinador · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2009, 01:19:21 PM »

I am considering keeping the bass; so I have not really thought of a selling price. However, if you are interested in buying this bass, you can email me an offer at musket_bass@hotmail.com

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:50:18 PM »

Yeah, Steve, that'll do it - I've always found that messing with the pot makes any instrument sound better!

Peter

What's that? You said pots? Oh, OK - that, too.

sinador · « **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2009, 07:07:44 AM »

I appreciate the interest in this bass and apologize for making it difficult for bidders to make offers on it considering that it is a very unique bass.

Thus, if you are interested in purchasing this bass, I would be willing to sell it for $4,200.00 + $60.00 shipping. I will only ship within the continental US and accept Paypal as payment.