| Author | Message | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 22 Registered: 6-2006 |
Forgive my ignorance… I own two Alembics and I am now thinking of number three. Does it make sense monetarily to just wait for an Alembic that is close to what you want to show up at a dealer and buy it, (or is custom order stuff not that much more money)? Can you purchase a bass directly from Alembic? If so, is there a benefit from buying from a dealer? If you must go thru a dealer, and you wanted a custom bass, can you deal directly with Alembic to have it made? | ||
| dannobasso
Senior Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 423 Registered: 3-2004 |
I would suggest that you pick a dealer AND call Alembic. I spoke with Susan and Mica and the order was placed through the dealer. Even if your bass is not way out of the standard it will be to your liking, exactly what you want. People here have their favorite dealers. I like Brian at Washington Music. Others will give you their suggestions. Try to order before the 31st and take advantage of the Dec. special. I just did. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 23 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks Danno. I recently purchased a small body from Bass Central and I was happy them. The other was purchased thru Medely Music in 1984. | ||
| bassjigga
Member Username: bassjigga Post Number: 90 Registered: 8-2005 |
If you're thinking about a custom, try to get it in by next week because there is a price increase on the 1st. You don't want to buy directly from Alembic. The advantage to using a dealer is 25% off. Also, it wouldn't be much advantage to just wait for one you like to show up at a dealer. The cost would be the same as if you just made an order (given the same specs of course). Where customs get expensive is when you keep adding options. The only exception is if you find a dealer which has say a 2004 or 2005 new bass. Then it will probably be offered at that year's price which might be substantially less. | ||
| tom_z
Senior Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 485 Registered: 7-2004 |
Dave - Danno's suggestion is great. When I bought my Alembics, I called and spoke to Susan. We talked about the model guitar, configured the options, and I received a quote at that time over the phone. Then Susan wrote up a formal quote (on paper) identical to what we discussed, and sent it to the dealer (in my case Bass Central). Bass Central contacted me with their price discount and I worked with them on the payment details. Any issues that may arise during the construction of your instrument can be handled directly with Alembic - if it results in a change of cost, obviously the dealer would be involved too. You can purchase directly from Alembic, but your price will be full MSRP, whereas a dealer will be able to offer you a discount. Good luck Tom | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1415 Registered: 3-2004 |
Fish- New is new. If you are looking at new dealer stock, the price will be the same as if you order custom. There are a couple exceptions. One is if the dealer has a new bass that has been sitting around for a year or two such that it was ordered before the last price increases. Another would be that a monthly special could put an option on a bass for free or at a discount. The monthly special when you order could be different from when the dealer ordered the bass for stock. Finally, I think that a bass that has been in dealer stock for a year or more might be allowed to sell for less than Alembic's maximum allowable discount. If you can find what you want on the used market, you will save a bunch over buying new. It is not unusual for Alembics in excellent shape to trade at or below half of their new cost. If you don't mind a nick or two on your bass and don't have a long list of must-have options, the used market is the way to go. I highly recommend it when a player is looking for their first Alembic. It allows them to try out a configuration without too long a wait or too much financial risk. If it isn't right, it can be sold back on the open market for most of what was paid. If it is right, it can be kept or used as the template for a custom. | ||
| pauldo
Junior Username: pauldo Post Number: 13 Registered: 6-2006 |
I would contact Alembic directly, Mica has proven time and again to be one of those people that truely believes in Customer Service. This day and age it seems to be a rarity to find a satisfactory level of Customer Service and it refreshing to know that some people understand the value of being personable. | ||
| 5stringho
Junior Username: 5stringho Post Number: 40 Registered: 11-2006 |
Fish, Ditto on what Donno, Tom and David said. Talk to Mica or Susan about what you want, then you must go to a dealer. I strongly recommend dealing directly with Beaver Felton @ Bass Central in Orlando(www.basscentral.com ). He goes out of his way to get you what you want at the best price possible. He Rocks!!! Great guy to work with. Good luck, and have fun!!! the'Ho...... | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 24 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks for all the info guys. Now I don't have to "Wing" it or "Dragon" my feet. (Sorry for the very bad puns). I did speak to Beaver, and have given him a deposit on a new JE Dragon Wing. On Tuesday I will call Susan to talk about the particulars. I was tempted to buy the Coco one, which Beaver had in stock. However I REALLY liked that bass with the Birds Eye and the dummy p.u. I will just need to wait a bit. When I am done with the options, it will be similar to the one on Beaver’s site now that went to Germany. If anyone here has any insight of this model, or has suggestions of their experiences of options on it, I’d be appreciative if they shared that info. Thanks again all… | ||
| the_8_string_king
Advanced Member Username: the_8_string_king Post Number: 264 Registered: 9-2005 |
Alembic regards it's dealers -and therefore, supporting the dealers- as essential. A few years ago, they made a decision to cap the allowable dealer discount and 25%. If you buy from them directly, they will -as others have noted already- charge full price. There is no advantage from buying from them directly, only the disadvantage of paying full price. They'll recommend going through the dealer themselves. So it's the way to go. Also as observed, you can get a killer used Alembic in mint or near-mint condition for MUCH LESS than a new model. This makes a strong case for doing so -provided you can find what you want. Conversely, the best case/argument for getting a NEW Alembic is to get EXACTLY what you want. Another club member on another thread opined that you should regard a new Alembic as a lifelong investment which you'll never sell. I agree completely with this. In this context, an important question is, are your other 2 Alembics "full customs", that is, commissioned by you and built with your specifications (most importantly with regards to the scale length and fingerboard dimensions), or not? If the basses you already have were built to your specs, that makes more of a case for getting a quality used Alembic that will be "ball park"; conversely, if your other Alembics are "merely" quality new "stock" and/or used Alembics, that makes more of a case for "going all the way", and getting a true/full custom Alembic, built ground-up to your specifications, for your hands. Pricewise, what you get "stock" from a big dealer should be the same as a new custom Alembic... the same price, minus about 25%. The best reason to get a new Alembic is, IMO, the impressive list of standard options, including, most importantly, the scale length and fingerboard dimensions. They'll build you a bass that is JUST RIGHT for you, custom built for your hand/size/preferences. This is no small thing. You also have a nice list of standard woods to chose from. And you'd also get the custom of the month. I think it's 1/2 off on LEDs this month. I think the inlaid inlay is also discounted, or maybe even free? Not sure. Anyway, that's the short "sound bite" reason to order a truly custom Alembic: you choose the scale length and fingerboard dimensions so it's truly built just for you, plus you have a choice of topwoods and also the special of the month. All this adds up to produce a truly unique custom bass for the purchaser. Plus, you can always consider kicking out for an additional upgrade or two... whatever you may need/can afford. For the record, I'd recommend upgrading/adding a single ebony laminate as the first upgrade you consider. Good luck with you decision, hope this was helpful! (Message edited by the 8 string king on December 23, 2006) | ||
| 5stringho
Junior Username: 5stringho Post Number: 43 Registered: 11-2006 |
Fish, As usual, King knows of which he speaks. Go with the Ebony stringer!! I'm sorta considering ( well, maybe a little further along than considering, SHHHHHHH!) a new MK 5 Deluxe, and EVERYBODY has said go with the Ebony Stringer!! Mica said if you didn't get it you may not notice, but if you did get it, you'd never regret it!!! Have fun! The 'Ho..... | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 648 Registered: 2-2005 |
Dave, That is probably Oliver's dragon wing on Bass Centrals site. The FTC thread is here. Keith | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 25 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks for the input Mark and J. Michael. Keith, that is the one. If things work out o.k. mine will be somewhat the same look, with a few changes. | ||
| jseitang
Intermediate Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 190 Registered: 6-2002 |
ebony stringers is a win win situation. you just cant go wrong. the price may be a bit hefty, but let me tell you, its VERY well worth every penny. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 26 Registered: 6-2006 |
O.K. educate me. Is the “ebony stringers”, the same as the ebony fret board or am I missing something? | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1929 Registered: 7-2004 |
An ebony stringer is a piece of ebony contained in the neck sandwich. It is sometimes called a neck laminate. This former COTM has a neck stringer or lam in the middle. It adds a LOT of sustain. http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_7stringthing.html Bill, tgo | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1416 Registered: 3-2004 |
Not the same. If you look at the "typical" Alembic four-string neck-through bass, you will see that the neck appears to be five pieces of wood in parallel. (look at a Signature Deluxe for example). The two darker pieces are usually purpleheart and the three lighter ones are maple. The "ebony stringers" replace or augment the purpleheart pieces in the neck. Ebony is significantly heavier and more dense than the other woods and increases both sustain and the presence of the lowest frequencies produced by the instrument. The down sides of ebony are weight and cost. Cost you can examine for yourself. As for weight, I am told they add on the order of one pound to the bass for each stringer. I don't doubt this since the one SC standard I had made with an added ebony stringer weighs a bit over 11.5 lbs. That seems pretty heavy for a short scale. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 27 Registered: 6-2006 |
Got it now. Thanks. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 28 Registered: 6-2006 |
O.K. one more question.. Can the dummy pick up only be ordered with the series one/two, or anniversary electrical packages only? | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1930 Registered: 7-2004 |
Dave: The "dummy" pickup has a purpose. The pickups on non-series Alembics are humcancelling pickups. They act like humbuckers but, if I understand this correctly (and I'm sure someone will chime in if I'm mistaken) where humbuckers are essentially two single coil pickups wired together, on the Alembic one of the coils has no magnet in it. The character of the pickup changes with the width of the pickup as the wider profile picks up more of the string. Series instruments have two single coil pickups: neck and bridge. The "dummy" in the middle is the humcanceller. It is a coil wihtout a magnet in the middle. Some people have ordered non-series instruments with a "dummy" humcanceller with an intention to upgrade to series electronics at a future date. If this is your intention, make sure Alembic knows as an instrument has to be of a certain minimum thickness to install series electronics. Many Alembic instruments are too thin to hold the series system. Bill, tgo | ||
| 5stringho
Junior Username: 5stringho Post Number: 50 Registered: 11-2006 |
Wow. One pound for each ebony stringer? Guess I'll have to work out more. Ebony it is!! 'Ho | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 29 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks for the explanation Bill. Will the Dummy p.u. work with a non series electric package, or is it only intended for a potential series upgrade at a later date? On the same thought, does it operate on the anniversary package? | ||
| to_81_0190
Junior Username: to_81_0190 Post Number: 30 Registered: 5-2006 |
Here and here are link to two pages of Japanese web site. Pics of SC-1 and AXY construction can be seen here. Sorry for only in Japanese. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1417 Registered: 3-2004 |
The dummy only works with the single coil pickups. Some people have ordered them only to look like a series intrument on "lesser" packages as well as to prep for possible future upgrade. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 4655 Registered: 5-2002 |
Toshiaki, thanks for the cool pics! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 4656 Registered: 5-2002 |
There is also a post on the subject of pickups in the Must Reads section. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 30 Registered: 6-2006 |
WOW, I think I almost fully understand the function of the dummy pick now. THANKS | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1421 Registered: 3-2004 |
In terms of function, consider a Fender Jazz. It has two single coil pickups, just like an Alembic Series bass. Admittedly, the pickups are different in construction, tone, and aperture, but they are still single coils. On the Jazz, there is no hum when both pickups are on at equal volume levels. On the other hand, if you run either pickup by itself or a significant mis-match in volume levels, then some hum can be introduced. This is because the two pickups act as humcancellers for each other. In the Alembic Series circuit, the dummy humcanceller is brought into the circuit for both of the actual pickups. There are trim pots to balance the dummy against each of the live pickups individually so that there is no hum with any combination. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 31 Registered: 6-2006 |
I ordered my DW and only need to work out a couple of small details,(thank you Susan for your time and patience with me). One more question for the forum… Since I cannot find it, I assume that the official Alembic web site does not show or list information on the Dragon Wing? Not that it makes a difference, I just want to know all about it. Thanks All (Message edited by fish on December 30, 2006) | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1425 Registered: 3-2004 |
I would search the forums looking for "DW" as well as "dragon" and "wing" and see what comes back. The Wing isn't a standard model and I think they've made fewer than a half dozen of them. For the most part, it seems to be a Signature Deluxe bass with custom body and headstock shapes, though you could probably order whatever other options you prefer. | ||
| fish
Junior Username: fish Post Number: 32 Registered: 6-2006 |
Thanks Bob... I did do that search of the forum already and came back with a ton of great info. Based on that search I have decided to go with the quilted maple. “For the most part, it seems to be a Signature Deluxe bass with custom body and headstock shapes, though you could probably order whatever other options you prefer.” I thought this as well, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. |
