Curt, since you're interested in opinions, I give you a few more.
Adding purpleheart and/or ebony is not merely cosmetic. Purpleheart is denser than the rock maple, and adds sustain and depth. Alan's experience is typical -that it's (maple/purpleheart neck) less bright than a pure maple neck. Ebony is even denser, and has the special characteristic of increasing overall sustain AND also the sustain of the lower partial(s).
My 6-string Elan Plus has the standard 11 laminates (6 maple, 5 purpleheart). My 8-string Europa has 6 ebony lams, 3 purpleheart, 2 rock maple and 2 flame maple. And I owned an all maple precision, and have played all maple neck Spoilers.
Purpleheart and ebony aren't JUST cosmetic... they're VERY functional; they increase strength, and -IMO- the quality of sound -which IMO is more complex as a result of the blend of different woods
Curt, I think one of the best things about Alembics -besides the beauty and quality of design and craftsmanship- is the combination of the legendary cleaness of signal combined with one of the more versatile electronic packages.
Not all Alembics are alike; not all electronics packages are equal.
For ME, the standard Elan electronics -and the Electronics of lesser models- like the Spoiler, Persuader, and Essence... are simply NOT satisfactory... they're not versatile enough... for me at least.
I regard the Distillate electronics as the minimun satsifactory Alembic package. The more modern Europa/Rogue electronics are essentially the same except for the Distillate pickup selector is replaced by a more versatile balance/pan switch.
Still, Distillates are quite versatile, and offer impressive tonal flexibility that can be achieved quickly by flicking little switches. Two pickups with a master volume, master filter with on/off Q switch and bass & treble boost/cut switches with a pickup selector -it's VERSATILE, and sometimes they go cheaply, perhaps because the electronics are slightly outdated. But ask anyone who owns one, and they'll tell you they're 100 percent Alembic, they kick butt, and they're VERY versatile.
Sometimes you can luck out and score a good price on an upgraded lower-end Alembic model; common examples are Elan Plus and Essence models that have Europa electronics. They tend to less often have purpleheart neck lams, though.
That's another nice thing about a Distillate; they tend to have purpleheart laminates, along with the benefits of beauty, strength, and sustain.
Check out the entries for Distillates in the showcase section, especially Ken's 5-string Coco Bolo Distillate.
Anyway, this model is in my opinion -for me at least- the minimum electronics package for the versatility I want from an Alembic.
Slightly better is the Europa/Rogue packet, rivaled by the Signature electronics -which offer INDIVIDUAL filters AND Q switches for each pickup (and are therefore more versatile in that respect) but lack the bass & treble boost/cut switchs (and are therefore less versatile in that respect.
The next slight upgrade is to the Anniversery electronics, which are similar to the Signature electronics but slightly more versatile.
Then it's onto the Series instruments, which are considered the top of the line.
The Series are Stereo instruments that have a standard jack but also a custom 5-pin jack that connects to an external power supply -to power the active electronics.
The Series I instruments offer individual volumes, filters and 3 postition Q switches for each pickup (and a pickup selector). This allows for detailed individually-processed tone-shaping for each pickup, when combined with the incredible performance of the Series pickups and electronics -can only be surpassed by the superior performance of the Series II, which adds a master volume and upgrades the 3 position Q switches to CVQ (continuously variable Q) switches -with superior range and tweakability.
Of course, some people get custom electronics with combinations of these things.
Anyway, I think I've covered the basics with regard to the various electronics of various models.
Oh, yeah, I don't consider the standard Epic controls adequate either.
Anyway, good luck on your quest for an Alembic. Take your time, do your homework, research, and be patient. When the time is right, go for it!
