Of all the Alembics made, probably the one that would come closest to delivering that sustained, gritty growl would have to be the Classico electric upright...but I'm sure that's not the answer you were looking for! Let's face it- an acoustic upright bass and a solid-body electric bass (Alembics included) are two VASTLY different creatures in nearly every way. About all they have in common are that they both have strings, and they share a common tuning and pitch range...sort of like comparing a classical guitar and a Strat. Without a doubt, that Richard Davis/Buster Williams-type sustained, gritty growl represents the Holy Grail of tones for Electric Bassists (myself included) who have been inspired and influenced by the Upright Masters, but have not been inclined to actually take up the Upright as an instrument. For an Electric player trying to approach that sound and feel, one would probably have to explore the world of acoustic/electric basses, such as the Ribbecke-Halfling, for example...and a fretless one at that. Ah, if only it were a matter of picking the right brand/model of instrument to really, truly get that sound out of a solid-body, fretted Electric!
