1992 Europa Quilted Maple 5-string for sale. [SOLD]

[emjay]

Hey Alembic fans!


I'm putting my Beautiful Europa 5 up for sale here; and it's also up on eBay and on Talkbass.


You probably already know that the Europa 5 is one of the best 5 string basses for live performances because it is easy to quickly adjust and have a huge range of tones. It is one of the most sought after of Alembic's body configurations.


The bass was made with Mahogany body wings having Walnut and Maple accents, a gorgeous Quilted Maple top lamination, a Maple and Purpleheart neck lamination pattern, Ebony fingerboard with oval Mother of Pearl inlays, Alembic gold and brass hardware, MXY pickups.


Each of the two pickups has its own individual trim pot for gain, so you can fine tune the balance and volume of the bass's tone to be exactly what you want it to be.


The scale is 34"; the string spacing is 16 mm at the bridge, 2 3/4" from the G to the B at the bridge, 1 3/4" between the G and the B at the nut.


The condition of the bass is excellent, but it does have a few dings on the body edges and the metal could use some polishing; but it's in solid 9.5/10 condition cosmetically, and in perfect playing condition with hardly any fret or neck wear. The jack could have a tighter fit.


- 1 volume, 1 blend, 1 low pass filter knobs
- Q-switch,  bass and treble boost switches
- Solid brass adjustable bridge, adjustable brass nut, back plate covers, and bird tailpiece
- Gold Gotoh tuning heads
- Strap lock mounting hardware installed, but strap locks not included.
- Weight approx. 12 lbs.
- The original hard shell case is included.
- The original 1992 Alembic Build Card is included, and I am the registered owner with Alembic.


This bass is also listed on eBay for $4800, but I will sell it here for $3900 shipped to the CONUS. I do not accept PayPal for payments; however I do take MC, Visa, a certified check or a personal check (I'll ship after it's cleared - usually after two days).


I am not interested in any trades or haggling for this price.  If I wanted to haggle, I would have posted the price at $4800.


If you ever wanted a Europa, here's your chance; as not many of them come up for sale very often. Just ask if you have any questions.

[emjay]

Bump - still for sale 1/16/17...

[edwin]

Man, if I had the cash. I'm on the long slow lookout for a good funk 5 string, a good slapper, and I bet this is perfect.

[jazzyvee]

Edwin the standard Europa is perfect for that. I used mine for lots of funk soul and rnb with mine. If you like a j-bass tone this one gets close enough. And there is a bit more slap space in front of the neck pickup which makes double thumbing a breeze.

[dtothec]

Edwin I agree with Jazzy.   I play funk and R&B and do some slapping.  I have Alembic Rogues which have the same electronics as the Europa and they are excellent for this and both balance well! Go for it!

[emjay]

Hey guys, thanks for the notes Jazzyvee, edwin, dtothec.  I don't slap, so I didn't have anything to say.

Just letting you all know that I have an offer for $3700 to be paid by CC, which I may be forced to take, unless I get a better one.  I asked the buyer if I could have until Sunday night 1/22, to let him know for sure; so tick, tock.

I would prefer to be paid in cash or a check, or a better offer closer to the $3900 I'm asking.  If someone is willing to commit to that before the end of the weekend, the bass will be theirs.

[emjay]

Bump -I need to let a potential buyer know by tomorrow.  If you're want this bass, and are willing to pay over $3700, I need to hear from you now.

[edwin]

Don't wait for me, I don't have $3700. Hopefully the new owner will become a club member!

[emjay]

This bass is SOLD

[EuropaRyno]

Hopefully the new owner will become a club member!

Hi y'all, I'm the proud new owner  
My previous lead bass was a modulus q5

Any leads on strings would be appreciated. I'm looking for a not too bright sound for bluegrass.  (And I definitely plan to learn some slap/funk!)

Are alembic strings worth a try?

Looking forward to being a part of the club!

[edwin]

Alembic strings are great! Very even tone and good feel.


For a somewhat mellower sound, you might try flats. I've found that slapping on Thomastik or Pyramids is quite doable, although the Thomastiks take a bit of adjustment because of the looser feel.

[jazzyvee]

I agree with Edwin, Alembic strings are great however one of the main reasons I don't use them is the cost of them over here in the UK.
An alternative I would suggest are D'addario NYXL strings they are nickel and have a great feel and tone. They are a little brighter than other D'addario nickels I've tried but the high end is smoother sounding and yes its' great for crisp slap tones . I've had them for almost a year on one of my Europa basses that I use mainly for reggae gigs and am completely happy with then.

[edwardofhuncote]

I'm quite tickled to know there's another bluegrass-playing Alembican in the fold... Awesome!   Would like to hear more about your gig(s).

Regarding strings - you really can't go but so wrong, but definitely, TI Jazz Flats do it for my Persuader 5-string, and honorable mention goes to Pyramid Gold flats on my Distillate. Get your checkbook primed before ordering, but take comfort in knowing they last a very long time. 

Finally, Welcome to the Club. That is a fine instrument you've adopted there! 

[emjay]

Hey Ryan!

I'm glad to see you like your new bass. IMO as far as strings go, you may need to find a balance in tone because the brightness a lot of players like for slap isn't exactly the mellow tone you're looking for.

The interaction between the tone control knobs pan and filter, together with the Q, Bass cut/boost and treble cut/boost switches can really affect your tone; particularly at performance volumes. The adjustments are really sensitive too, so once you've found the sound you're looking for, remember those settings!

If you have any questions about how to set the bass up and the like, as well as other gear to consider for your style of playing, there are a lot of forums here to explore.

Have fun! 

[EuropaRyno]

Thanks for welcoming me y'all!  I'm working with Jason at bassstringsonline who hooked me up with VIP status. On y'all's recommendation I'm going to get some pyramid golds and I'm going to try the d'addario chromes flats.

Out of excitement to tweak something I put on some DR Pure Blues after a recommendation from the very limited selection at guitar center and don't much care for the feel (loose) or sound (metallic).

Edward- we cover a lot of Garcia/Grissman, John Hartford, Chris Thile, some Flatt and Scruggs, Gillian Welch, Bill Monroe, Bryan Sutton, and even some Phish.  We're a banjo/guitar, mandolin/guitar, bass trio with harmonies under the name Walnut Creek String Band. We've been in this configuration only since Fall 2016 and before had + lead and rhythm guitar and djembe, - banjo for 4 years previous under the name Franklin's Tower.

I play through a microVR with 210svt x 2 cabs. I also have a gkPlex I've been using with the modulus, but the plex needs to be sent in for an update and I'm not sure I'll use it with the Europa.

Maybe TMI but I'm self taught (getting better) and have been playing bass for 5 years after my good friend (our mandolin) needed a bass player for church. "Um I don't play bass, but sure!"  I have a background in bassoon, bari and tenor sax, and drumline. And I'm a chiropractor for my day job.

That's about it.  Y'all probably know me better than my wife now