Essence Price

[grateful]

Jazzy, when did you acquire the SF2?  The price now is ?795!

[ivartshiva]

Hello Richard, I just bought two 4-string Essences within the last 6 months, in the U.S.
 
The first one, a '92 flamed maple top, had a small amount of wear and autographs with strapping tape covering them on the back which had to be cleaned off, I got for $1400 on Ebay, perhaps a little on the high side but what an amazing tone, and a sweet little honey of a bass guitar also.
 
In December I bought an '01 short-scale 4-string Essence with a very beautiful walnut top from a club member here for $2500 - again on the high side maybe (although new the price is around $6000) but this guitar is in excellent, yes, near MINT condition and is just as sonically heroic.  It is also the prettiest thing I've ever seen.
 
You just have to hear an Alembic to know what we are experiencing and talking about - I'm no expert but I know I love playing these instruments.
 
Don't go home without the Alembic - you'll never look back and you'll know you've got something very special.
 
Michael

[keurosix]

HI Richard,
Welcome to the club. I think Michael said it best: New the Essence is ~$6000., but the Eagle is $1600. How can those 2 compare? THE BEST way to compare these 2 guitars is through an amp! That's where the Alembic shines! I owned an Eagle just before I got my Alembic Series 1 WAYYY back. I never went back! I liked the build quality of the BC Rich neck-thru, and it played great. BUT, I quickly tired of the one or two sounds the Dimarzio electronics could do. It's only good for loud rock. If you want versatility and MANY sounds, don't wait a second longer and buy the Alembic! The Essence has a low pass filter with fixed Q, and even though this is a simple circuit, it will blow the BC Rich away. You will NEVER tire of the Alembic total package: Feel, sound, versatility = synergystic balance! IF you go for the Rich, you will find yourself saying: It's nice, but it's NOT an ALEMBIC!  
Good Luck!
Kris

[richardloz]

Well I have done the deal and am now the proud owner of an Alembic finally.
 
This bass does need some work however.  Lots of string buzz as I think the action is way too low.  Then again the strings on it look to be years old so that will be the first thing to be replaced.
 
Managed to knock him down in price a little and ended up getting it for $1800 AUD (about $1620 USD).
 
I did actually call Alembic yesterday morning and spoke with one of the people there to confirm the serial etc and she suggested that the price he was asking for that year model was somewhat towards the high end.
 
Anyway now to go and read all the setup information, not that I can do too much for a couple of days as I am still in Sydney.  Head back to Perth Saturday so then I can start to do some work on this bass.
 
One thing I did notice is that the back of the neck feels quite rough rather than smooth like I am used to, probably as this bass has been played quite a bit over its 15 year life so far.  Would love some suggestions as to how to rectify this area, as it is now real comfortable with the neck feeling like that.
 
The body is not too bad also it does show its age as far as wear is concerned, maybe a good polish will bring that back to much better condition.
 
This guy I bought from seemed to play a little but I think was mainly a collecter buying and then flipping for a higher price so I dont think its been played too much at all in the last few years.
 
The little time I did spend playing it and working my way around the electronics was great.  Now I know what people are talking about when it comes to an Alembic and the almost infinite tonal variations possible, and the Essence only has pretty basic electronics compared to some of the other models.
 
Anyway enough rattling on for now.
 
Cheers
 
Richard

[David Houck]

Congrats!

[adriaan]

I wonder if they thought the price was somewhat towards the high end, perhaps because of a confusion over what kind of dollar?

[white_cloud]

Well done Richard,  
 
you have just taken a big step! Once you have it tweaked to your satisfaction it will surprise you how much better it will feel AND sound. Great choice!
 
Post some pics on the showcase when you can and let us all enjoy it!
 
John.