Well, finally I am in the club. I saw my first Alembic a million years ago when I was in my teens. It was in a local music shop and basically a young kid like me at the time wasn't even able to touch it! I have no idea of the price, but apparently it was a Series II.
Fast forward to me now being 42...by the way, I have been playing since I was 12, so a lot of water has gone under the bridge, and a lot of basses have passed through my hands. Within the last few years I decided I wanted one high end bass that would just make me ONLY want to play it - and hopefully find my own sound somewhere in there. I went through a few of the bigger boutique basses, the last of which being a Fodera - and they just were not doing it for me.
From out of nowhere I got the idea of going with an Alembic, and a short scale at that. I did have a short scale custom made for me that I used for about 2 years, but the sound was all midrange no matter what I did. I do remember liking the size for my smaller hands, though. Enter the Stanley series...
I had her named before it even arrived. Liquid Thunder. I always liked the look of maple, and the quilted maple on this beauty just dropped my jaw. Purpleheart is one of my all time favorite accent woods for a bass, so it was great to see it in the center stringers as well as layered in the body.
I have the action set so low it is crazy, but that's how I like it. At least this bass can handle t with no complaints. I can't say that about most. Having only had the instrument about 24 hours, I have yet to dial in my sound...but found a million I like. More versatility than I ever dreamed. Oh, and yes, it feels like it was made for me to play. What good are looks if the thing feels awful in your hands?
Anyway, great to be a part of the club! Here's a pic of my beauty.
