I guess Stanley didn't like it after all

[ilan]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Alembic-clone-Ibanez-made-Stanley-Clarke-/320623845147?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aa6ab9f1b#ht_500wt_1156

[Dave W]

Guitar Exchange has been in business for a long time and has a good reputation, I don't have reason to doubt the story. I wonder if this was made in Ibanez' US custom shop. At any rate, I can't see the celebrity value bringing an Alembic-like price, but who knows?

[gearHed289]

I remember Stanley talking about an Alembic clone built by Ibanez around 81-82 in a Guitar Player magazine interview. Silly price...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It looks to be a modified Musician with a few embellishments. Since Musicians were already pretty much Ibanez's Alembic counterpart in the late 70's, I'd say the major difference is the preamp. I love my Musician, and Stanley Clarke probably wouldn't like it for the reasons I do like it: it's a very fat sounding bass and I doubt it could be articulate enough for his style without being excessively nasal.

[Freuds_Cat]

One of my oldest bass playing mates has had an Ibanez Musician since he bought it new in the 70's. Lovely bass, very craftsman like in its sound, look and feel. He has an amazing collection of basses these days which includes Fodera's, Fender CS basses, Kubiki Factor, Music man basses and the list goes on. Interesting that he still plays his Musician a lot.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I have a fretless just like the one Sting used to play. (At the time I bought it, I had no idea he had ever used one, though.) It was just the most expressive fretless bass I had ever played. I went through three that all sold before I got mine off eBay and all their necks were identical: low radiused with just enough meat in the profile to dig in. The preamp doesn't really change the tone so much as act as an impedance buffer. The active/passive switch is useful, and it's the only one of my basses with that option that I prefer in active. I set the bass and treble boost and leave them alone and use the midrange control to vary my sound.