This is a significant moment, to be able to introduce myself to this very esteemed group. Perhaps the most exclusive thing I have ever done in my life as a bassist, I am now an owner of one of the finest basses known to man, and it's been a long, strange trip as the Deadheads have long described. I've logged at least 50-odd instruments along the way, and when one of the oldest musical friends I've ever had (he's a dentist) bought a careworn Series 1, I was moved to at least dip my toes into the soothing waters of this experience.
My first exposure to Alembic was in the mid-70s, when an Alembic seminar was announced to be held at Fast Ed's Ye Olde Music Shop in Marissa, lL. Formerly owned by Bob Heil of Heil Sound fame, this was an oasis in the middle of a vast Illinoisian cornfield that was commonly frequented by the most prominent musicians in our sphere. Doors would close and magic would occur (it was the 70's after all) if your timing was right.
The seminar featured a lovely 8-string with 48 pieces of laminated wood, LED's for fret markers, and a then-hefty $8000 price tag. I was googawed, and from that moment till now always dreamed of an Alembic while playing Gibsons, countless Fenders and Ricks along the way.
For me, as a bassist, it's always been the quality of tone that's been at the heart of my search, and forty years later...
I have arrived.
