What was your first experience of Alembic?

[fungke]

I know... somebody has probably done this before but I'm interested to know of peoples first experiences of Alembic.
 
Mine was at a music shop in Croydon nr London UK.
 
I saw this (what I now know to be a early Distillate) little bass which I instantly fell in love with. Being only 14, there was no way I could afford to by it. That bass sat in that shop for a good three years before somebody brought it. I was devastated when it was sold. In those days I had no ideal who Alembic were until one of my favourite bass players, Mark King, decided to purchase a couple.
 
In 1991, I got the chance to play pretty much every bass in the Alembic range at the time, when London Bass Centre became the main (and only) dealer of Alembic in the UK.
 
Two basses stuck in my mind. A Beautiful Series II in Walnut (Standard point) with Laser LED's and a Stanley Clarke signature deluxe in Quilted Maple.
 
The latter I immediately fell in love with and wanted one. Again, Having just left school, I had a distinct lack of funds.
 
Well... it's taken some time but now I own a very sexy looking Elan. Hopefully the time will come when I'll be able to scrape up enough to buy a new Alembic (a SC Sig Dlx or even a Custom Distillate).
 
Best Regards, Andy.

[lowlife]

My first experience with Alembic was in eary 1976.  At that time I was working at Steve's Music Store (in Montreal, Canada), and they were the only one (and I believe still are) carrying Alembic.  Honestly, to remember that far back is not easy, but I believe that it was a Series I that was on the rack.  What a beauty it was.
I couldn't afford it then and it took until December 2003 till I got my first one, an Excel.
 
Ellery (Lowlife)

[paulcissa]

My instructer's Essence blew me away the first time I heard it played in 2000.  Shortly after commenting on it during a session, he allowed me to finish the session with us switching basses.  I was sold.  I spent the next four years saving and shopping for my first Alembic.  That day came last week.  Woo-hoo!  Damn glad to be here, sir!.
 
-Chris

[karl]

Typically for me, I started getting into music in general and into Level 42 in particular around the end of the 80s, just as the band were calling it a day. But anyway, I bought all their albums and noticed a real change in the bass sound in the later albums, and despite the fact that I wasn't so keen on the later songs, I loved that new bass sound - and I was blown away by the look of Mark's Cocobolo bass in the Heaven In My Hands video. Through various interviews with Mark in various mags, I realized that the bass he was using was called an Alembic. I also found out that he was a big fan of another bass player, Stanley Clarke. Of course, I know now that these are legendary names, but back then I had never heard of either Alembic or Stanley. Anyway, that prompted me to buy a bunch of Stan's albums, and again, I heard that distinctive sound on there, and lo and behold, I find out he's also using an Alembic. But at this stage, I'd still never clapped eyes on one in person.
 
Coupla years later, I'm getting into 70 soul and funk and see another of my heroes, Louis, on the cover of a Brothers Johnson album with a striking and familiar-looking bass: sure enough, an Alembic. And at some point I watch a video of the Paul Simon concert in Central Park (I think that's where it was), and I love the bass sound and the playing of the young bassman onstage there - turns out it's Armand Sabal-Lecco with an Alembic . . . By this point, it's pretty clear to me that I need an Alembic.
 
Fast forward a few years - my trusty old Jaydee is getting a bit grouchy (noisy pots, tendency for the neck to wander - all old age) and I'm thinking she needs to retire from live work, or at least have a backup, so I go looking for a new bass at London's Bass Centre. And there I spy a maple-top MK standard. Well, I just had to try it. And it was love at first play, as I'm sure you all know only too well! Played better than anything I'd ever played before, even strung with much heavier strings than I usually use. Poor shop assistant couldn't prise it out of my hands . . .
 
The best news was that the Bass Centre was moving premises and I think their distribution contract for Alembic was coming to a close (at least I haven't seen any Alembics in their new shop since), so they had massive reductions on all their Alembics for just a few days to clear the stock. I came away from the shop that day a coupla grand poorer but a very happy man!
 
K.
www.harambeuk.com

[tom_z]

Though my first time was in '82, I remember it very clearly - not so much the visual memory but rather the auditory and tactile memories. I was working at Modular Sound Systems in Barrington Illinois (the makers of Bag End speakers). One of the guys lived nearby and we were at his house for lunch. His guitar was sitting out and I asked him if I could paly it a bit. BLISS - NIRVANA - JOY.
 
I don't remember what model of guitar it was or what woods it might have been built from, but I have never forgotten the sound and feel of that instrument. It was pointed out that the guitar was hand crafted and rather expensive, so I just kind of put the idea of owning one away for a while.
 
Now I'm awaiting my first Alembic - a custom Skylark. =D
 
Tom

[fungke]

Slightly off topic... are there any dealers in the UK now. If I wanted to go ahead and start the ball rolling on a custom, who would I talk to?
 
Can I order direct from Alembic?
 
Cheers, Andy.

[karl]

Hi Andy,
 
I know The Bass Gallery in Camden stocks a number of Alembics - don't know how it works with ordering your own custom but maybe they would be able to tell you? Their site is at www.thebassgallery.com
 
Hope that helps.
 
K.
www.harambeuk.com
 
 

[fungke]

Cheers Karl

[bracheen]

The first bass I ever held was an Alembic.  About '81 or '82 I decided to learn bass.  My roommate at the time was a bassplayer and a music store employee.  He took me shopping at his store. The first bass he handed me was a big, heavy thing.  As I held it and ran my fingers over like I had seen bassplayers do, I was enthralled. I felt as if I could actually play this instrument. He told me that is was called an Alembic and was very special.  He discribed the handcrafting and the LEDs and the price.  David did'nt tell me a model name but looking back it was a Series I. Reluctantly I put it back but I never forgot that experience.  Twenty some years later when in a position to aquire a top notch bass I bought an Alembic.  It's every bit as satisfying as I remember.
 
Sam

[dannobasso]

My brother was friends with Al DiMeola. They'd hang out from time to time and jam acoustics in Memorial Park in Bergenfield. One day a promotional lp of Romantic Warrior came to me. I was totally amazed! Stanley became a fixation for me and I bought whatever he had to date. Then I connected all these other players with the Alembic name. I also saw a guy playing a Series 1 in a local bar Walley's. He was resting it against his amp! Well I bought my first Spoiler in 83 at Sam Ash 48th St. $900 no case. I got home, put on RTF and the tone was there! Played along as best I could for days. Thanks to the Wickersham's magical skills I just recieved my 10th Alembic Tuesday. Yes, I will order more soon. I have 3 other non Alembic basses and a StickBass, 6 guitars and tons of stuff, but my real lust and desire is for Alembic. BTW It took me over 20 years to get a SF2. Get one! Don't miss out like I did! Oh the wasted years!
Danno

[bassman10096]

I had been away from playing bass for 10-15 years and had just moved to Milwaukee.  My son needed strings for his guitar and I didn't know any music stores.  We blundered into Uncle Bob's Music (Wisconsin's only Alembic dealer).  Just killing time, I looked at the used basses and saw an Alembic (all I remember was neck thru - and gnarly, beat up).  I knew a bit about Alembic through having seen Phil Lesh, John E. and Stanley many times over and being very impressed by their sound.
 
The bass at Uncle Bob's was sorely in need of a set up and cleaning.  But I remembered its incredibly solid feeling and sustain (even un amped).  During the year after this, I dusted off my Jazz bass and started practicing and playing.
 
Fast forward 2 years to when I decided to trade in my 73 Jazz for something else (just needed a change - I'd give my arm to get the Fender back now).  As naive as I was, I was shocked at the price I got for the J.  I instantly thought Alembic! and within a week or two, found and bought my Spoiler.    
 
I was blown away by the craftsmanship, the playability and the sound!  Within a couple weeks I knew I wanted to build one. Now I'll receive the new bass in the next weeks.  This has turned out like a dream with all happy endings!
 
Bill
 

[jeff]

My first Alembic experience occured nearly 30 years ago and I still remember it well today.  I was at the home of a fellow bass player (Dan Schwartz - played bass on Cheryl Crow's car wash CD) when he opened the case to a brand new Series I.  I don't remember what the wood combination was, but it was simply beautiful.  It was the first time that I ever saw an Alembic and I was thinking that this is not at all like my P-bass!  Then he plugged it in.  I was transfixed by the range of tones available - from the sweet highs and warm mids to the rock solid bottom.  The side LED's and the outboard power supply with its 5-pin connector also fascinated me.  
 
It was not until May of 2001 that I decided to call Alembic to order my first bass.  A woman answered the phone, whom I assumed was a secretary, and we started talking about my proposed bass.  When I realized that I was talking to Susan Wickersham, I was again blown away that a woman who is a walking piece of music history was talking to me!  Susan was just fantastic as she was willing to talk about the history of the company and my friend, Dan Schwartz.  Susan got me hooked up with Greg at B&B music in Delaware and my first Alembic, a Series II in coco bolo, was born.  
 
(Message edited by Jeff on August 05, 2004)

[alembic76407]

it was 1976, a friend of my guitar came to our practice and had just got a new Series 1 and wanted me to play it, when he told me it was a $2000 bass I thought he was on drugs (after all he was a deadhead)to pay that much for a bass but after playing it all night long I didn't want to give it back, I was hooked and the next day I went to a music store and they had 2 Alembic's , a large body standard point and a small body, both Series 1s, I had a choice to make, I took the big one home, and 28 years later it's still at my house.
 
David T (TLO)  

[kungfusheriff]

The first Alembic I played was a Series Exploiter...I had been playing only a few years and so had no idea how to tune the tone controls and walked away with the impression it was a really bright-sounding bass.
On a summer day in the mid-1990s I walked into Drome Sound in Albany, NY, as I often did, and saw a five-string Essence with mahogany body and maple top hanging from the ceiling.
I didn't like it.
But I did like the '84 Spoiler I bought from Bass NW a few years later, even though I never got the Activator control harness I installed to replace the homemade electronics the bass came with to work right. I also had a Spoiler Exploiter that I never got to sound right...think something was wrong with the electronics.
Now I have an '82 Series 2 and look forward to the day when I can have another.

[kayo]

The first virtuoso I was exposed to was Stanley Clarke.  I remember reading many of the Guitar Player articles that had SC on them (at the time there was no Bass Player magazine) and I loved reading his tips on bass playing - I knew he was an Alembic player but I had never seen one in person and the tone on his material with George Duke (R&B oriented) wasn't so salient that it made an impression on me.  
 
Then a friend that is older than I introduced me to Return to Forever in 1984..... and that was all she wrote.  SC's tone on those albums was out of this world - and I knew then that ONE day I would have to own an Alembic.  I didn't even care what they felt like - the reputation, craftsmanship, and the tone alone were all I cared about.  
 
As I've matured and grown older - I've come to appreciate other things - such as not having what everyone else has (Fenders, Ibanez's, Spectors, etc), having a bass with a personality  & not settling for less.  I am sure many of you know the heartache of settling for seomthing less than what you really want (gearwise) and then the drama of trying to get rid of it later (and losing your shirt in the process).  I had gone through Aria, Ibanez, Steinberger, and some no-name by that time before I finally got to the point that in 1999 I was earning enough $ to order a custom Rogue (never even having seen one in person).  I have no regrets.... everywhere I go, musician's are blown away by my tone, and the aesthetics of my bass.  I've even had 2 bass playing acquiantances go out and buy Alembics after seeing mine.
 
I plan on getting an S2 and an EVH somewhere down the road..... the cost of these things - though worthwhile, only allow me to acquire one about every 5 years and I currently have a bass on order that's in the same price range (not Alembic though).
 
(Message edited by kayo on August 05, 2004)