When did you first hear of Alembic

[michoid]

First time I saw an alembic, was on TV. Fleetwood Mac were on ''midnight special'', must have been '77, I had just started playing bass.  
Then, as I was a big fan of John Entwistle of the who, having all the records, I had posters and all, he had an alembic too. Still I had no idea that was an ''Alembic''. Then I was introduce to Jazz and fusion and got into Stanley. Must I've read in a interview that he was playing was an Alembic.
 
Of course there were no alembic around, up here in North pole (sherbrooke, canada) so I contact a local luthier, had my drawing (sort of a Greg lake alembic design) and made it. That was in '82 I beleive. I went on the road with that bass for 5 years. Great bass, I don't have it anymore. In '89 after having stop playing for a while, I went back on the road. I knew what I wanted. I was decided to put the cash down. I went to Toronto where they had a couple of Serie 1. They were all used except for a brand new Elan 5. I took of with the Elan, still got it today.  
 
One day I'm gonna get that cocobolo Serie 1 that I've been dreaming of for then 25 years...
 
Michel, Montreal area.

[yggdrasil]

[made_a_rose]

My introduction to Alembic was in 1983.  Return to Forever was playing a 1 night only gig at the Palladium in NYC.  I was in college working for Ron Delsner a concert promoter.  My ?job? was to make sure the hospitality suite was stocked with food.  And if anyone needed anything I had it sent up.  The individual band members arrived, and came up to the suite to hang out.  Stanley came into the room with his bass in hand.  He sat down and started warming up.   I can?t explain what that was like.  The bass was just beyond anything I had ever seen.  The sound from the un-amped bass just sang. While his hands continued to move faster and faster, Stanley continued to talk to others in the room.  He caught my watching him in awe and kind of chuckled.  I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask, but all I said was ?what kind of bass is that??  ?ALEMBIC? I felt like I had just been told the coolest secret in the music world. I got to see the real deal.   I wanted that sound!!! My quest was to get my hands on something?anything Alembic. I first purchased  a  Stratoblaster.  Wow wasn?t that cool!  Then I started purchasing the best pickups in the world.  It was foreign to me, like what the hell did I need a battery for?   I never saw pickups with pots like that.   But plug them together and?..WOW HOLLY COW.  What the hell is that beautiful sound?  Why does nothing else sound like that?   I have asked that question for years!
While I only own their fine pickups and activators,  I await the day when I can have them placed in the fine woods and expertly crafted instruments called Alembic.

[bob]

Great story, Rich, and welcome. One of the other words that goes with Alembic is patience - your time will come.

[David Houck]

Hi Rich; welcome to the group!
 
(Message edited by davehouck on May 10, 2006)