Alembics? Talk to me.

[cocco]

So I'm developing an obsession with Alembic basses, more notably the lower end of the range. Orion, Elan, Persuader etc. Just wondering what they are like to live with? What are the pros and cons? How easy are the filter preamps to get on with? And most importantly how are they in a live situation? I'm a rock player and I need something that keeps up with loud guitars, Jason Newsted playing one gives me hope, but then I don't have his budget.

[White Cloud]

I owned a Persuader for a couple of years. It was a nice bass, Supremely well made and very playable....but heavy. The necks are an acquired taste. I loved the filter based electronics - always my preference over standard 3 band cut/boost electrics.

Live in a band situation it was good...but ultimately it just wasn't for me. Alembics are wonderful instruments though ...

[dudi8]

i once had a spoiler and its a great bass really but really fast neck, amazing sound, i think alembic's filter preamp is the best onboard preamp you can find, can give you all the sounds you ever wished for in just a turn, really amazing, down side is that they are quite heavy for a long or medium scales (the spoiler ones)

[JazzBassfreak]

I'm still after one for the same reason, Orions, Elans, Spoilers and Crusders are definitely not the lower end of the range mate. Epics are the lower end, which I own one, but not as physically appealing as a black spoiler or Élan. I'd give my Fodera for one of them..

[marcus bell]

Lovely basses, heavy, versatile, gorgeous, love the original body style and the Clarke shape too

[jazzyvee]

The lower end of the alembic range is still high end bass territory. In the lower price range the élan, which is not a current production model but you can still order one to be made, in particular is a phenomenal bass. I have a 1989 Elan 4 string bass with all maple body, top and neck, 2x p-style pickups, volume, pan, 1 low pass filter, 1 q-switch and bass & treble boost/flat/cut switches and it plays like a dream and sounds incredible. The thing that really works with this combination is that it has amazing clarity and punch, balances perfectly and the neck is a dream to negotiate. I bought it in 2007 and since then have gigged with it playing calypso, soul, rnb, funk, reggae, rock and folk music and the bass is at home in all those genres. A standard Elan does not have the bass and treble boost and cut switches.

If you have a decent bass rig it will easily tame a loud guitarist as the maple helps it cut through. I have been gigging exclusively with alembic basses now since 2003 and the only problems I've had is when I get a backline bass rig that is unable to give me a decent sound. The filters require a bit of thinking to make the most of them as they are not as instinctive at first as bass and treble controls but they can be much more flexible in shaping the tone from your bass.


You will find though that alembics are not for everyone and some have bought them and found them not to their liking and quickly sold on. Others have sold and regretted it then spent years trying to track down their old bass on the used market. With alembic you need to speak to the converted as many bass players are negative about them without ever having played one or merely dis-count them because of price. In recent months there have been more of the cheaper models on ebay than I have seen in years especially the Epic.


if you really want to find out all about them and exercise your obsession with like minded people, the best place I have found is the alembic forum on their web site. www.alembic.com
I don't have a video of mine but here is a well recorded bass that is similar to mine.
[url="http://samroderick.com/2011/08/15/1990elan/"]http://samroderick.c...08/15/1990elan/[/url]

A spoiler
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&v=rVB7ntr4ptA"]http://www.youtube.c...B&v=rVB7ntr4ptA[/url]

Epic
[url="http://youtu.be/PIcuqDaMQWI"]http://youtu.be/PIcuqDaMQWI[/url]
Jazzyvee

Edited March 30, 2014 by jazzyvee

[bubinga5]

im not into the tone of Alembic's but for looks the Rouge 5 string is gorgeous. still would not pay anywhere near the price that there asking for there instruments. just like Fodera. you can get just as good for half the price. but if thats your bag and you got the coin. this bass is gorgeous though.

[EMG456]

As has been said, you need to try some - they are not for everyone but they are useable in any musical situation.

Loads of folk claim to dislike them but really, there's not much to dislike. They are generally speaking well designed and impeccably built and finished with huge attention to detail.

The more you pay, the better the preamp and the more woods etc. you get.

The Alembic filter pre is easy to use both live and in the studio. Sound is clear, punchy and full range.

What else can I say... I like them.

An iconic bass maker which should be on everyone's list to try. (IMHO)

Cheers

Ed

[bubinga5]

sorry i love some Alembics and i love the Rouge. but i just don't get it price wise. I'm all for great instrument manufacturer's. but some maker's do over charge, because of there name, and rep. as subjective as it is. i bet John Shuker, or Martin Peterson could make, and does make a bass, that is in equal quality to any Alembic. look at the price difference. don't get me wrong Alembic's Fodera's are fantastic instrument's but they are overpriced. i would put any lower priced instrument by Sei next to any high end Fodera, and you show me the difference in quality.

Edited March 31, 2014 by bubinga5

[jazzyvee]

There is a guy on the alembic forum called fc_spoiler who uses alembic spoilers and élan basses in his Metallica tribute band called damaged justice so I think that should give you confidence about the suitability of these basses for rock music.
http://www.metallicabb.com/index.php?showtopic=156145

There is also an alembic Facebook group if you want to feed your healthy obsession.
Jazzyvee

[LukeFRC]

I tried a secondhand one in a shop once. Amazing instrument- I understand why people would spend the $$.

[jazzyvee]

As for the price. Nobody walks into a rolls Royce dealer looking for a new roller and says, "oh your cars are too expensive, I can get a Mercedes for a fraction of the cost".
If what you want is a new roller then get one, if you can't afford a new one or don't want to pay new prices then get a used one when you find one in your budget. If you don't like rollers, the price won't matter even if it's cheap, buy a different car you like. There are cars for everyone and in everyone's budget.

Alembic have been making basses since the early 70's and they have always been premium priced. They are still in business making and selling instruments. So clearly they are getting something right including their pricing strategy.

Jazzyvee

Edited March 31, 2014 by jazzyvee

[alembic1989]

I'm a fan.
I love the build quality and attention to detail.
I have the 20 th anniversary model...and it's the best bass I've ever played.
End of.

[Urban Bassman]

I used to have an Orion 5er. Wish I still had it.....

[Cosmo Valdemar]

The Ultimate.

[Urban Bassman]

Dammit! I'm all gassy again...

[Dingus]

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1396227124' post='2411231']
sorry i love some Alembics and i love the Rouge. but i just don't get it price wise. I'm all for great instrument manufacturer's. but some maker's do over charge, because of there name, and rep. as subjective as it is. i bet John Shuker, or Martin Peterson could make, and does make a bass, that is in equal quality to any Alembic. look at the price difference. don't get me wrong Alembic's Fodera's are fantastic instrument's but they are overpriced. i would put any lower priced instrument by Sei next to any high end Fodera, and you show me the difference in quality.
[/quote]

The price of Alembic basses is a result of the sheer amount of hours it takes to make each instrument. All their basic costings are done on the number of hours it typically takes to make each bass. Add to that the fact that this labour-intensive work is done by highly skilled craftsmen and women using the finest quality woods , proprietary hardware and electronics , and then you start to see why they cost so much.

And as for Sei basses versus Fodera or Alembic, I've never played a Sei but I'm sure they are excellent instruments , but where those two revered American bass builders score over them in terms of desirability is the overall appeal of their designs and the characteristic sounds of their basses. Build quality is not the only consideration. Particulaly with Alembics, no other bass will adequately substitute , they sound unique. Fodera less so ( I'm not a huge fan myself, just not my thing ) , but they inspire devotion in some players. There are all kinds of excellent bass builders out there, but most of them fail to capture people's imagination in the same way that Alembic and Fodera have done.

[Dingus]

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1396205435' post='2410982']
So I'm developing an obsession with Alembic basses, more notably the lower end of the range. Orion, Elan, Persuader etc. Just wondering what they are like to live with? What are the pros and cons? How easy are the filter preamps to get on with? And most importantly how are they in a live situation? I'm a rock player and I need something that keeps up with loud guitars, Jason Newsted playing one gives me hope, but then I don't have his budget.
[/quote]

A lot of of the lower priced Alembics have a bass and treble boost and cut preamp rather than a filter-based one, but they still sound like Alembics.

To my sensibilities, the biggest issue with Alembics is their playability. In many ways, they are their own worst enemy in that, particularly with the more expensive models, the ergonomics can be a problem. With the classic Alembic body shapes, especially with a 34 inch scale bass, neck dive and overall playing comfort are a big issues for me. Some of the more modern designs ( and some of the less expensive models) are far better in those respects.

Even though nothing can match the full-on sound of the Series 1 and 2 Alembics, it's pretty remarkable how much the more basic models still have of that wide bandwidth , full frequency spectrum Alembic sound . And yes, they will sound good with loud guitars and drums, unlike a lot of fancy exotic wood basses.

Edited March 31, 2014 by Dingus

[Dingus]

A lot of them are too bleedin' heavy as well. I forgot about that. Another reason why the slightly more sveldt, less expensive ones are in many ways a better bet.

[JazzBassfreak]

So many people look down on the Epics too, really underrated basses

[Dingus]

[quote name='JazzBassfreak' timestamp='1396279154' post='2411735']
So many people look down on the Epics too, really underrated basses
[/quote]

I don't look down on them. They are terrific basses !

The bottom line is, if it says Alembic on it, it will sound superb , whatever model it is.

[jazzyvee]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1396275635' post='2411674']
A lot of of the lower priced Alembics have a bass and treble boost and cut preamp rather than a filter-based one, but the still sound like Alembics.

To my sensibilities, the biggest issue with Alembics is their playability. In many ways, they are their own worst enemy in that, particularly with the more expensive models, the ergonomics can be a problem. With the classic Alembic body shapes, especially with a 34 inch scale bass, neck dive and overall playing comfort are a big issues for me. Some of the more modern designs ( and some of the less expensive models) are far better in those respects.

Even though nothing can match the full-on sound of the Series 1 and 2 Alembics, it's pretty remarkable how much the more basic models still have of that wide bandwidth , full frequency spectrum Alembic sound . And yes, they will sound good with loud guitars and drums, unlike a lot of fancy exotic wood basses.
[/quote]

You are correct, i went to the one of the annual alembic gatherings in 2012 in California and had a chance to try out most of the basses in their range, and the large body classic basses are quite heavy and whilst I'm 5'11" it was still a stretch to comfortably play at the first fret and reaching the tuners is still more of a stretch. Some owners go for a medium scale bass in that body style and specify lightweight tuners which does help the balance and and stretch.

The short scale basses also have a tendency to neck dive and lean forward from the top of the bass but I've had mine for 12 years now and have got used to this and hardly notice.

The ones I've tried that balance the best are the Elan, Europa, Orion and rogue body shapes.

Jazzyvee

[cocco]

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1396280502' post='2411761']


You are correct, i went to the one of the annual alembic gatherings in 2012 in California and had a chance to try out most of the basses in their range, and the large body classic basses are quite heavy and whilst I'm 5'11" it was still a stretch to comfortably play at the first fret and reaching the tuners is still more of a stretch. Some owners go for a medium scale bass in that body style and specify lightweight tuners which does help the balance and and stretch.

The short scale basses also have a tendency to neck dive and lean forward from the top of the bass but I've had mine for 12 years now and have got used to this and hardly notice.

The ones I've tried that balance the best are the Elan, Europa, Orion and rogue body shapes.

Jazzyvee
[/quote]

Are you the same jazzyvee off the alembic forum? If so your purple elan is gorgeous!

I like the elan, Orion, and Europa shapes the most. I wouldn't have the patience to wait for a new one though. What do these generally sell for? I'm not after a museum piece, just a players bass, the more maple the better and the less coffee table looking the better, preferably a solid or trans black finish.

[Greggo]

Doesn't Retrovibe do a copy on alembic?

Edited March 31, 2014 by Greggo

[Dingus]

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1396287759' post='2411882']
Are you the same jazzyvee off the alembic forum? If so your purple elan is gorgeous!

I like the elan, Orion, and Europa shapes the most. I wouldn't have the patience to wait for a new one though. What do these generally sell for? I'm not after a museum piece, just a players bass, the more maple the better and the less coffee table looking the better, preferably a solid or trans black finish.
[/quote]

I'm afraid that you may struggle to find exactly the bass you are after if your tastes are so specific.

Alembics are relatively rare basses by most standards , and most are made in natural wood finishes , especially the less expensive ones. It can be difficult enough to find [i]any[/i] Alembic bass for sale, let alone exactly the model you want in your preferred finish. I recall that there was a time in the very early 1990's when they were making quite a few Essence and Europa- style basses in solid colours and transparents , too, but I don't remember seeing any black ones, I must admit . There were some beautiful colours , though, like trans cherry red , trans blue and trans green. Alembic had obviously done a run of them because their catalogue at the time featured them quite heavily , and I remember seeing them on display in local music stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. I also vividly remember seeing a solid white Europa in a shop in Seattle and it looked stunning . Hunting down one of those might be your best bet.

If you can find a bass in a desirable solid colour you may well find that that rarity is reflected in the asking price somewhat, too. Alembics are special basses , and they are rarely available at bargain prices unless someone is desperate to raise cash. That said, I have seen one or two come up on Basschat at reasonable money. Try doing a search on the Basses For Sale section and get a feel for what the market is like for them.

Edited March 31, 2014 by Dingus