Alembic Classico

[mkazaria]

I am looking to get one. I missed my opportunity with a sweet cocobolo one a few years back.

[jazzyvee]

Here you go.



https://reverb.com/item/3711147-alembic-classico

[edwardofhuncote]

That bass is very close to me, geographically. I've been so tempted, so many times to go see it. I'm so sure I'd want it, that I have not made that appointment.

[jazzyvee]

Hey Greg, I know that feeling. I try not to get near instruments I know i would have that same feeling about. Fortunately for me though, most of those alembics that i would really love are in the states so the shipping and duty is enough of a disincentive to pursue.
When comparing that price and what I paid for mine, i feel like a thief. Though i my defence the seller made the price hard to resist from the off. So i guess he was happy too.

[KR]

Electric uprights sound great with Jargar Medium gauge strings; they tame down the whine that Spiro puts out. I had a Carruthers Sub-One that I regret selling.

[edwardofhuncote]

You guys are gonna' have me thinkin' about things I ought'nt be thinkin' about!

Odd as it may seem, I don't have to struggle as much to play on my upright. Granted, I'm not trying to play 2-3 set gigs with it, just messing with it in my house. Maybe it's from the decades of playing one, or just the sheer effort required to squeeze and hold the notes on an upright is so much greater that I don't seem as bothered by the lack of sensory feedback. Playing guitar is now impossible. Playing bass guitar takes 100% concentration and total focus. So much that it's become more frustrating than enjoyable. But I can still play an upright bass and not sound like a completely untrainable novice. It's a little glimmer of light, and a reassurance I still have it in there somewhere.

So my adle brain thinks: an Alembic Classico solves this.

I could be there in 45 minutes. I ain't going, but... it's fun thinking about it.

*Keith, I liked Pirastro Obligato sets, until the Euro/Dollar exchange went kablooey. After that, I decided to give D'addario Zyex strings a try. They are a very nice hybrid set.

Sorry for the derail mkazaria- buy that thing.

[KR]

Greg, sometimes I also feel it's harder to play my electric; it's odd, but maybe attributed to the guts on my upright. The Jargars got rid of the mwaw that annoyed me on electric upright.

[jazzyvee]

I find it easier to play jazzy stuff on my classico than my electric basses.

[hammer]

Given that this bass was listed 6-years ago and at approximately this price from what I remember, it would be interesting to know through making a reasonable offer whether the owner really wants to sell it. My recollection is that it was originally listed at a bit more than this but the price hasn’t changed in a long while now.

[edwardofhuncote]

I'm absolutely certain that given I'm local enough to drive in less than an hour, and a handshake/cash sale, that an a deal could be struck.

I keep thinking about something Joey said in one of our extended philosophical conversations, and he's 100% right; this bass, (like one I've had for sale) is one where you have to wait for a pipe-smoker to come along. It's a particular person who wants just that thing, like smoking a pipe. Hell, practically everybody who smokes, smokes a common cigarette, but not everybody is a pipe-smoker. Not everybody wants an Alembic upright. I do. Kind of. Sort of. I need to quit smoking pipes and thinking about basses I can't play.

[jazzyvee]

Well Greg, I had to drive to Germany for a long weekend to pick mine up and never regretted it. Having said that, if it was as expensive as the one for sale on Reverb, i certainly wouldn't have bought it. They are so rare that it's probably hard to know what is the right price.

[rv_bass]

I’d like to try a Classico sometime, I’ve always wondered what they are like.

[garyhead]

The acquisition of my Classico was quite unexpected.  I drove to the Mothership to take a tour and order a 6-String Classico.  At the end of the tour we passed by Mary in the shipping dock....and there in the corner was an orphaned 6-String Classico!  I went to speak to Susan, who contacted Bass NW in Seattle and they worked out a price I jumped on!  The electronics were gone so Ron restored the guts overnight and I returned the next day to receive it.

That happened only one other time....I went to Bass NW to order a 6-string Dingwall...the two owners looked at each other and went to the office and produced a 6-String Voodoo.  It was the Bass on the Dingwall Homepage at the time.  The original owner only had it 6 months.  It appeared the owner was "only allowed" to own 6 basses and he recently fell in love with Fodera's.  I got the Dingwall for a song!  Spoke to Sheldon Dingwall the next spring at his shop and he asked "what was wrong with that Bass?"  I told him the Wife-approval-story and he just shook his head.

[garyhead]

I am looking to get one. I missed my opportunity with a sweet cocobolo one a few years back.

I watched that one (although owning 2 Classico's would just be rediculous!)  The photos didn't do that instrument justice.  I bet it was Spectacular in person.  It popped up a couple times on reverb then just disappeared.  I'm sure it's still around but sellers realize How Difficult it is to find a buyer.

[garyhead]

I’d like to try a Classico sometime, I’ve always wondered what they are like.

We all would love to Hug Our Alembics!  With a Classico, you can Do It and not look strange in public!