I think it would be appropriate to describe a bass like Ed's as Custom and then describe the elements (built off the Essence chassis because of its flexibility, upgraded electronics, etc.). I think someone once long ago discussed how they base their custom builds off the Essence because it has fewer standard features, allowing one to choose what you really want and pay on an ala carte basis. I tried this with a couple of custom configurations I've thought of and found that the best (most cost-efficient) base model to work from depends entirely on the specific features you want (also the particular monthly special in effect that month). For instance, my new bass is a MK Deluxe (because you get Coco Bolo standard), but it has S2 electronics and several other upgrades that track pretty closely with the S2 model - but for considerably less. It got me everything that I wanted.
I would not be reluctant to use the custom designation to allow for the best description of any Alembic bass that is different from a standard model (to the extent they happen very often). The way Alembic manufactures instruments, there are literally no low-end products. Just more and less complex and more and less different. All are manufactured using the same processes using the same combinations of handcraft, machinework and testing. Compare that to other manufacturers whose models within the same series could be produced in different facilities or even countries!
Sorry for the book, but I feel strongly about this. It's a quality issue that accentuates some important things that are special about Alembic.
Bill
