It was indeed useful daydreaming tool. It was the thing I would point musicians to when they saw my bass and asked me how much my bass cost. I tend not to reveal how much I actually paid. In fact on the first outing with my "used" Classico one of the local bass players I know approached me at the end of the gig and said, didn't realise alembic made double basses and just assumed it must be alembic because he knows I don't play anything else. Googled it and gasped at the price, and said it sounded authentic.
