What was your first experience of Alembic?

[the_mule]

The manager and sales staff gathered around the counter to look at it for the last time before I took it home - Alemboid
 
Somewhat off-topic because this isn't about the first one, but when I purchased the 1980-ish Series I at this pawn shop, several members of the staff told me that they'd miss it hanging there, that it was the most beautiful guitar they'd ever seen. Some of them even stroked the wood and were (mildly) jealous although they admitted not to play any (bass)guitar at all. I managed to talk another 200 euros off & closed the deal for the pricely sum of 900 euros (about $1000)
 
Wilfred

[haddimudd]

In 1995, while I already knew I wanted to buy my own custom Alembic, I happened to come across my first one on one encounter with an Alembic bass at the Guitar Center in Hollywood. I believe it was a series long scale and it was so used up to begin with. The strings were worn out, the batteries were at the lowest and the overall feeling to play was just disastrous. Some of the knobs even were wreckaged so they would have no stop at the min/max positions but just keep turning. I was soooo disappointed... I also remember it had somebody's initials inlayed, but I forgot what they were. I could not believe a respectable store like Guitar Center would not display such a masterpiece in it's best possible state, at least full batteries and decently new strings. It was almost like they wanted to kill the Almebic reputation. As if saying You think Alembics are great? Well, try ours instead... Nuh, the experience was pure yuk and I am glad I made better experiences with the rest of Alembics later on ...
 
Hartmut

[kmh364]

That's one of the many reasons I call it Garbage Center....the Crazy Eddie or The Wiz of musical instrument retailers. See also Sam's Ass for further edification, LOL!
 

[hankster]

My first experience... I was working in Victoria, B.C. primarily as a jazz acoustic bassist, doing some electric work...at a local jam session, a young kid - 17 or 18 - showed up with a funny looking bass.  He told me it was the kind Stanley Clarke used.  I wasn't really an RTF fan at the time and was kind of unimpressed.  The kid, though, kept showing up at my band's gigs, and one night at a local club he showed up, with his bass, and said, you really should try this.  I was playing an old Hofner verithin hollow body electric at the time.  So, for the second set, I tried his bass - a mid-to-late 70's Stanley Clarke model.  I was stunned - I didn't want to give it back.  Over the many years in between - 25 give or take - I have always remembered the physical sensation of playing that bass.  Last month I finally caved and bought a Stanley Clarke model myself, and it is exactly the same unbelievable feel.
 
Rick B.

[flaxattack]

saw and heard phils guild/alembic 9/28/72
which i still love
then saw and heard jack casady playing alembic #1 in 1973 at SUNY binghampton in NY.  
nuff said huh?
31 years later? i got my first orion- 4 months after that? just placed a custom order for a mark king sig. deluxe bal k

[fungke]

Since planting the seed, this is the first time in a while i've read through all these stories. Makes incredible reading.  
 
Needless to say there's something truly magical about Alembic.  
 
All this reminiscing has got me wanting a Distillate now. See 'Swap Shop and Wish Lists' for details.  
 
All the best,  
Andy.
 
(Message edited by fungke on August 24, 2004)

[smokin_dave]

It was a most fateful day back in the summer of 94 when I walked in to a music store I had never been to before to look for a pre-amp.They showed me an SF-2 and there was a rack of Epic's hanging on a wall.I ended up walking out of the store with both the SF-2 and my Epic Zebra wood 4.One of the best day's of my life.

[senmen]

Of course the one and only experience was seeing John Entwistle at the end of the 70ies playing his Alembic Spyder basses. I ever have been in unusual designs like Gibson?s modernistic designs.
As I first saw John playing a Spyder, this was really jaw-dropping. My favourite body style, great woods, more than great sound! I needed to have one. But it lasted more than twenty years until I got my hands on a Spyder bass. Unfortunately, still none of the originals.
 
Oliver (Spyderman)

[ox_junior]

Ditto Oliver's experience.  When I first became aware of The Who, John was still playing his Alembics.  I thought what the #$%& is THAT???  Never saw anything like an Alembic, before or since.  And that SOUND!!!  Just ROARING through the live shows and the recordings of the period.
 
In the mid-80's I got hip to Mark King.  Another amazing bassist with another amazing sound.  And what sort of bass is that, I wondered...of course, it was an Alembic.
 
Now I am so proud to own two Alembics, my Exploiter and my Spyder.  I'll never be able to touch these two geniuses, talent-wise, but I have two fine instruments that carry that same Alembic badge.  They make me feel like a star every time I pick them up.
 
Mike

[hup]

1989 Festival Hall Melbourne Australia - Metallica , Jason Newsted came out playing a Spoiler 4 it nocked me over, then out came the Elan 5, rocked my world. Then again when i saw them in 1993!!!!!!! I'm a big Spoiler fan must get more........
Hup
ALEMBICISE THE WORLD

[jet_powers]

Back in 76 when I was a teenager I got a poster of The Who. John had this really incredible looking bass. I believe it was a Zebrawood Series I. After hearing the sounds it produced I had to have one. It took a while before I found out what it was and longer still before I got one. In the mid 80's the local dealers tried to sell me on Pedulla telling me it was just as good as an Alembic. I held my ground saying if I was going to spend that much money I might as well wait until I get a bit more money together and get what I really wanted. It was worth the wait.
 
JP

[poor_nigel]

While on an expedition to Seattle @ 1977 (I am terrible with dates) to check out buying a new PA for the band I was in, I stopped in at the Guitar Center there.  They had two strange basses on the wall that I did not recognize.
 
The first I played was a series I Alembic in all maples.  I am not very fond of maple basses, but the design and craftsmanship were so outrageous to me that I was blown away.  I believe I was in shock over the $2,000 price tag on it.  I wanted it REAL bad!  Next to it was a walnut Hyak.  This was even weirder, but I really WANTED it too.  I do not remember the price tag on it.  
 
Back in those days, I suppose anyone who walked in, not wearing rags and carrying a paper cup full of change was allowed to pick off the wall and play whatever was there.  I was never approached by a sales person to break my concentration of these two wondrous things that had just changed my perception of what a bass guitar should be.
 
It took me a couple years to save up enough to order my first bass from the factory.  But that is another story.