| Author | Message | ||
| lothartu
Junior Username: lothartu Post Number: 44 Registered: 8-2003 |
I've just sold my Series I *cry* and I will need to put in an order for a new Alembic soon. What I'm unclear about is the "proper protocol" for doing this. I don't want to step on anyones toes or waste anyones time so I thought I'ld start a thread that would hopefully turn into a "How-to-Guide" for ordering an Alembic. From my understanding there are 2 ways. The first way is pretty cut and dry, it's the second way that I could use advice on. 1) Order your Alembic direct from Alembic. Use the auto-quote generator to narrow down what you want and give them a call. The price you pay will be "different" than if you ordered from an authorized Alembic dealer. 2) Order from an authorized Alembic dealer. Alembic sells their instruments to authorized dealers at a discounted rate. Hence, the idea/purpose of having authorized dealers. The dealers can sell an Alembic for any price they wish so contacting different dealers for a quote will more than likely produce different quotes. So far so good right? Now what I'ld like to know is the best way to go about ordering from an authorized dealer. Here's my current understanding, please correct me where I'm wrong or add your own advice where applicable. 2a - go to the Alembic site and use the custom quote generator to narrow down what you think you'ld like to have Alembic build for you. Save everyone involved some extra time and do your homework yourself. 2b - contact an authorized Alembic dealer and request a quote(s) for what you've spec'ed out using the Alembic quote generator. 2c - place your order for a new Alembic with the authorized dealer Now here is where I get confused. What if I have questions about the order or want some advice. I should contact Alembic right? So I contact Alembic and I make changes to what I've already ordered. Do I contact the dealer and say "I just talked to Alembic and I've added/dropped option 'x' what's my new price?" This bring up another question; When do I pay? Do I put down a percentage of the total cost or do I pay in full up front and then make additional payments in full for any options that I may have added after placing the order? Should I have just called Alembic directly and tried to work out all the details before getting a quote from a dealer? Will Alembic create a FTC thread for me automatically once production begins or do I have to request it? How are price changes to custom options handled when they're already included as no cost options in the price of the instrument? (ex: I'm considering not having any fret markers but mop fret markers come standard on the model I'm putting together. So does that lower my price since I don't want them or is it just an included option that I can either have or not have but the price doesn't change?) I'm sure that once I decide what I want I won't be changing it but I want to know how to go about handling all this just in case. The custom quote generator is great but it just isn't practical to expect it to cover all available options when the options are basically limitless. ty in advance | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 514 Registered: 9-2003 |
You can always contact Alembic directly, but Mica and Co. are very busy and may not be available as much as you need them due to their insane work schedule. You need a good, knowledgable dealer like Steve Frank over at Superbass, or Gard and Beaver over @ Bass Central. Both places are excellent, but I gotta give the knod to Steve. He is a one-man business and he really knows his stuff. He gigs regularly as a pro bassist and has been a long-time Alembic dealer. He knows all the ins and outs and will spend as much time with you as you need. Steve made the custom order process a breeze. His pricing is awesome as well. Just my two cents. | ||
| pace
Member Username: pace Post Number: 52 Registered: 4-2004 |
There will probably questions from both sides during the process... perhaps some after-thoughts which you would like added after the the initial order is placed (trust me, I know first hand!). The Alembic I'm having built is basically my first custom instrument ever. I didnt give much thought at first to string spacing, and that slowed the process down for quite some time. I finally was able to sit down w/ Mica and ironed out those details when I was in town (also got to select my top & back woods). While I was there I ran by Susan & Mica the possibility of adding a TRS loop to the electronics (this hadnt been done before on this model, and required Ron's approval). Once my electronics were finallized Susan contacted me w/ the retail on those additions, I in turn relayed them to my dealer. He gave me a quote on his discount, and called Susan back to confirm.... The lines of communication is open between you, the dealer, and the company.... To insure that your order goes through w/out a hitch (like TomZ's Skylark), definitely iron out all the details in advance... Of course those FTC threads may give you new ideas along the way!!! | ||
| tom_z
Junior Username: tom_z Post Number: 31 Registered: 7-2004 |
I've been through this only once but the process was very smooth. I thought about what I wanted and what I could afford and discussed some of my desired features with the fine musicians here in the club. Then I scoured the showcase, FTC, Featured Customs, etc. to see if there might be any other ideas for a guitar that I had not thought of. Next I contacted Alembic directly - I spoke to Susan at length regarding top wood color and the effect on tone, inlay art, and other options. I was not able to visit Alembic in Santa Rosa (which I recommend if you can), but I had my eye on a piece wood in the wood bank and it was available for my top. Susan put together a quote and sent it to me, and directly to the dealers of my choice. I called a couple of dealers and went to my local Alembic dealer. After choosing a dealer and placing a deposit (which seems to vary from dealer to dealer) I got out of the way and let Alembic do their thing. I did have some communication with Susan during the process as she created art for the inlay, but I have to say, once we finalized the concept she nailed the composition. A quick word about this - I did not dictate the design to Susan. The final mockup was a surprise to me, but exactly captured the spirit I was after and in the finished guitar the materials that were selected completely enhance the piece. I couldn't be happier with the instrument that was built for me. It arrived easily within the quoted build time. My advice: do your homework up front then sit back and let Alembic perform their magic. Tom | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 654 Registered: 7-2003 |
For what it's worth, here's my experience with ordering. There are, no doubt, at least a few ways to get the help you need to find the bass and the price you want, but this is what worked for me (and some of why I think it did): First, I believe that deciding what you will order are, at least until the bottom of the ninth inning (sorry, baseball's on in the background), two separate processes. This was particularly true in my case because I had decided to custom order months before I knew I would have the funding to place my order. It gave me time for a "leisurely" decision-making process. Second, you will not get a good deal ordering directly from Alembic (not through a dealer). The Alembicicians will tell you this up front. They don't want you to get hurt and they do want to support their dealers (a definite win-win). But this does not rule out using Alembic's expertise as a resource in figuring out what you want. I first figured out as much as I could from reading and looking at (probably hundreds of) posts and pictures on this board. I took my several potential ideas and ran them in all available combinations through the quote generator, so I was developing an idea of retail prices. I also printed out and looked carefully through the listing of previous specials (http://alembic.com/info/prev_special.html) because the special in effect when you order is the final discount applied before getting to bottom line retail price (before dealer discounts are applied). Next, I called Alembic, introduced myself as someone thinking through a custom order and wound up speaking at length with Mica about various options. I was ready with lots of specific questions. Mica walked me through Alembic's model and price structure, its philosophy, answered my questions and left me with a list of things to think about or look at. We spoke 2 or 3 more times over the next 8 weeks until I was pretty sure what I would order. During that time, Val and I talked a couple times about wood choices. The depth of these folks' knowledge and their willingness to help fill in the blanks in my thinking was, to say the least, impressive. Because I was not under the gun to make a final decision, I was able to call back if no one had time to talk on a particular day. However, when they could make the time, these folks loved to talk about their products and genuinely cared about helping get to the best result for me. Finally, about 6 weeks before I thought I'd order my bass, I called Alembic with a few final questions. Susan answered and walked backward through my whole thinking and decision-making process and had some unique suggestions and perspectives of her own. Based on our conversation, I wound up ordering the following day through Beaver at BassCentral. Though this was the first time I'd shopped my specific order to a dealer, I had talked to about 3 dealers and had corresponded with Club Members about the range of discounts dealers might offer. I can't say enough great things about Beaver. Though I already had decided what I would order, he too wanted to understand what I was looking for and how the features I was ordering would get me there. He is very knowlegable about Alembics and is their largest (I think) dealer. He is also a phenominal player. I'm sure that any number of the other really good dealers (like Steve or BassNW) could assist you plenty in putting together your order and work out a price you'll be very pleased with. I could just as easily have worked through Beaver to the same or similar order. But personally, I decided on a more expensive bass because I had developed a lot of faith in the people who would actually produce it. Now, I'm sure that Mica and company will develop migraines when they read this, in anticipation of even more phone calls (LOL). In fairness to them, everyone should do their own homework before imposing on Alembic for answers that are available elsewhere. This Club is the single best source for info and advice on Alembics. Like I said, there are definitely a few ways to get your decisions made and your bass built. As long as you are dealing with knowlegable folks who won't begrudge you the time it takes to get comfortable with your choices, you'll do fine. Nonetheless, I'm really glad I went about this the way I did. The acquaintances I've made among the Alembic staff are great. When I visited Santa Rosa during the construction of my bass, Susan and Mica took a couple hours with me and my family. How gracious they were. What a memory! Well, I've long since started to run on. But since recieving my bass, I've been looking for a way to appropriately thank the Alembic folks for helping a dream come true. Maybe there's no one or two things to say to them or the Club to get that across. I guess I'll just keep rattling on where the occasion warrants about how great I think this company is. Hope you do well deciding on your bass. One of the things Susan told me that has really stuck with me is that she talks to customers constantly about how much they LOVED the process of putting together their instrument orders. My two cents is this: You're going to spend a bunch for a bass that's the ultimate in its class. The folks who will build it for you love doing it. Make SURE you have fun in the process! I'm looking forward to hearing about and seeing it get built in F to C. BTW, make sure Alembic knows you want them to start a thread for you. If you need any info or have any questions, feel free to Email me. Bill | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 542 Registered: 7-2002 |
The best thing is to figure out what you want, maybe with the help of the custom quote generator, make a list of questions you'd like to have answered, and give us a call at Alembic. Then we talk about your instrument and once we have it finalized we send you and the dealer(s) of your choice a quote for the instrument. Then you bargain with the dealer and see what price you get you from him/her. Once you place the order, the dealer notifies us and about 2 weeks after that the instrument begins construction. Valentino | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1626 Registered: 9-2002 |
and starts the waiting ...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting...the waiting ...the waiting ...the end is nothing ....the waiting ....the waiting is all ...the waiting ...the waiting Paul the bad one | ||
| lothartu
Junior Username: lothartu Post Number: 45 Registered: 8-2003 |
Great! Thanks everyone for your help. I've spent all day on this and I "think" I've got it narrowed down to what I want. I'm going to go over to the "Dreaming for now" forum and start a new thread based on what I've managed to come up with so far. I'm sure I'll get lots of good responses from the great people on the boards here and maybe I can get all my ducks in a row for making a phone call to Alembic. again, ty all. | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 655 Registered: 7-2003 |
Oh yeah. After all the fun of ordering comes all the not-fun of waiting! Bill | ||
| kungfusheriff
Intermediate Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 156 Registered: 8-2003 |
This just in...a certain friend of some in the group has (Gawd, I hope I'm not talking out of school here) been diagnosed with cancer, which appears to be in remission, but like most music pros, I doubt he has decent insurance despite the six weeks of rad therapy he'll have to deal with. So if orders will come in the near future, direct them toward Seattle, Washington, USA. You know who I mean. |
