Thanks for all the helpful replies! It sounds like Butch is the person I can trust for cables.
I will order a TRS to 2x1/4" and a replacement 5 pin cable today.
I have a set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats on order and look forward to trying them out.
I love this Forum: even after just joining.
I like being a part of the Alembic community.
There is something interesting going on here that I am trying to put my finger on.
Maybe it's a combination of deep LOVE for the beautiful instruments, genuine respect for the legacy and history of Alembic, finding others who are as obsessively nerdy as I am about idiosyncratic things like tone and the technology that leads to it, and some good natured people who simply love music.
Thanks, Mark