New to Alembics..not sure where to begin

[ambientbass]

Alright..well..I have some vague ideas I thought I might throw at you guys to see what you think so far. I dont really know much about the electronics and tone woods offered by alembic, but just from what I've seen on the website, I really like the look of the Exploiter style, and I am thinking about requesting an omega or stinger cut-out (if that's even possible on an exploiter) so what do y'all think?

[keith_h]

Well I think the first decision you need to make is whether you want a set neck or a neck through. This will effect the basic cost of the instrument (i.e. the starting point). The next step I would do is decide upon the electronics (or model since the two are more or less interrelated). With these picked out you will know the basic cost and standard features.  
 
After having the basic model information you can start looking at things like body shape, LED's, etc since they will effect the basic cost. For example the Exploiter body shape adds $800 to the basic price. For the neck throughs you can get more information by running the Custom Quote generator. You can also get a custom quote for the set neck Excel by going to the Excel web page. Since all of the set necks have the same base price (according to price list) I would expect the Excel quote generator to get you close for an Epic or Orion.  
 
Not all features or options are in the quote generators. For anything not listed you should call Alembic and I am sure they will be more than happy to discuss it with you. You also need to keep in mind the special of the month since it can save quite a bit of money depending upon what you want.  
 
Wood selection is another area to consider. The Must Reads and FAQ's have some info on this. You  should also discuss this with Alembic. I was surprised when I heard Moderator Dave's two Series 1 basses. His newer maple faced bass was much brighter than his older 1976 bass. I had always been under the impresion that body wood didn't have a major effect on tone but on Dave's they seem to. I will also add that I went with an Ashe body instead of Mahogany for my fretless Orion so I could get more of that growly sound.  
 
Hope this helps get you started.  
 
Keith