NBD - Alembic Distillate

gearHed289 · July 10, 2014, 09:04:30 AM

Well I did it... I finally got myself an Alembic. I lusted after one as a teen getting into Stanley Clarke and Entwistle, but there was no way I could afford one. So, I sold my first Ric and bought an alumi-Kramer. It had the look - small, round, symmetrical-ish body, 4 knobs and 3 mini toggles. And the truth is, it had a lot of the tone too, as well as a great P tone and a good Ric/Jazz hybrid tone. Very impressive for something fully passive. So, fast-forward 32 years, and I got the bug BAD! Seeing Stanley up close a couple of months ago didn't help! For months, I've been searching the net literally every day for the right bass at the right price. Finally I posted something in the "wanted" section of the Alembic Club, and landed a really nice '86 Distillate, complete with original case and paperwork, all in spectacular condition. 20 pieces of wood! (there are 5 plies on both the front and back of the headstock) Mahogany body, walnut top, maple and purpleheart neck, and ebony board. I really like their low pass filter tone control design. I'm still getting used to it and working on setting it up the way I like. The thing is top quality throughout, as it should be - this bass new, today would list for $8800! This particular Distillate was ordered as a long scale (most were 32'') which is cool by me. It also has a longer upper horn than some earlier ones, which is good. Kind of like a Spoiler on top and a small standard on the bottom. Time will tell if it ends up being a real keeper...

maxschrek · July 10, 2014, 09:49:08 AM

THAT is a beautiful bass! Congrats!

uwe · July 10, 2014, 10:02:42 AM

Assault and battery!

An Alembic is on my bucket list as well ...

slinkp · July 10, 2014, 10:39:58 AM

Very cool.

That lowpass filter is my vote for Best Tone Control Ever.

chromium · July 10, 2014, 11:48:08 AM

Congrats- that looks awesome! The 34" scale makes that a really special one.

I always thought the Distillates were a great value, weighed against the cost of a Series. Having fully adjustable filter resonance (q) would be nice, but otherwise I don't mind the slimmed down control set at all. I prefer that for live use (..and the "off" setting on the P/U selector is a nice feature).

I have an '83 that has the typical 32" scale, but maple facings which is kind of unusual for the Distillate:

I don't have a pic handy, but I was changing the battery recently in mine and noticed that the entire circuit is built on prototyping board as opposed to using a printed circuit board. I don't know if they are all like that...but jeez - talk about painstakingly hand-built! ...and these were supposed to be their "production" model.

I've had this Alembic for years, but recently I was going through a box of old brochures and found an Alembic flyer that I had plastered on my wall as a teen. It's in the following pic, upper-center. Hard to see there, but the bass in the middle is a dead ringer for the maple Distillate I bought 20+ years later. Either a crazy fluke, or my sub-conscious at work

Dave W · July 10, 2014, 12:37:53 PM

Pretty bass, beautiful top.

hieronymous · July 10, 2014, 02:00:59 PM

This thing has a nice combination of special - that extended horn, the 34" scale - you really scored! I didn't realize that purpleheart came standard in the Distillate neck recipe either.

Highlander · July 10, 2014, 03:01:39 PM

Quote from: uwe on July 10, 2014, 10:02:42 AM
... An Alembic is on my bucket list as well ...

I consider that a somewhat "my Idol has feet of clay" moments...

Ok, Uwe, I know you are a specialist collector, and actives are not high on your reptoire, but that is truly a surprise to me... they are almost (if not) the originator of the boutique instrument so I'd have thought at least one would be in that eyrie of yours...

Tom.. you have my sincere envy... (as do any other player - Joe and Harry included

) ... mind you, so do Ricky owners...

... as for players, I only saw Entwistle the once (that era), always seemed to miss Clarke, and Joe Bouchard was a regular on them...

gweimer · July 10, 2014, 03:34:37 PM

I could never afford the Alembics. I came really close, and wish I had, one of the Kawai basses that were similar. At one time, they could be found in nice shape for $350.

Nocturnal · July 10, 2014, 07:27:54 PM

Very nice!! Congrats on the new bass!!

Pilgrim · July 10, 2014, 09:59:09 PM

Lovely wood and craftsmanship. Just lovely.

gearHed289 · July 11, 2014, 08:39:47 AM

Thanks guys!

Uwe - you should have at least one Alembic in a collection the size of yours.

It WOULD be nice to have the separate filter and Q switch for each pickup, but I've played one or two Series basses and didn't find them all that inviting. Heavy and not very well balanced. The neck on this guy is nicer too. 1-9/16'' (39.69mm) at the nut, and a generally slim feel going up the neck. The taper/string spacing at the bridge is less than even a Ric!

Thanks Harry, I wasn't sure about the purpleheart either, but that's what's listed on the "wood card". (Alembic includes a form filled out by hand listing the woods, electronics, scale, options, and also the names of the people who worked on it)

Gary - I totally remember those Kawais. I think the Rock Warehouse in Schaumburg stocked them. Real nice basses.

Last night, I tracked a little Squire-y pick driven groove, and holy cow... It sounds damn good! I know a lot of it is my personal technique and my standard Pro Tools tone shaping stuff, but man does it sound like a Ric. But it's a little more solid in the low end and more consistent across different ranges of the neck. I'll try to post something in the next few days.

Now, I have the task of telling my wife...

slinkp · July 11, 2014, 10:28:32 AM

"Oh, this bass? It's always been here"

chromium · July 11, 2014, 11:54:05 AM

"what, this old thing?"

godofthunder · July 11, 2014, 01:24:01 PM

What a great find! The 34" scale makes this bass more that interesting!