Chris2112

Having just got the fretless 5 Alembic today, I am absolutely blown away. Build quality that blows everything else away, and sound and playability I've never even seen in a fretless before! These basses are just obviously out of this world! This fretted bass for sale here will no doubt be incredible too!

I remember playing one of these at Howards in Newcastle years ago. Great basses!

Definitely one for those who like "interesting" basses! I've grown tired of the whole "Fender" or "Fender-a-like" thing. Basses like this for me represent the cream of the crop, something incredibly well made that is a bit different, something you wouldn't usually see strolling into a guitar shop on the high street! Incidentally, with it being an Alembic you can also guarantee quality, as high a compliment as you can get! As it happens, I should have a fretless Alembic Epic 5 string coming in the post tomorrow since I missed collection today!

Oh, I think you'll really enjoy this Thumb. I do rate the ones with Wenge necks a bit more as they just sound better and feel better too, thanks to the slimmer neck profile, much more like what you find ont he 1980's Thumbs! Since you're already a Thumb man I think you'll enjoy having a shot on this one!

I guess I'll jump in here and stick my oar in, since it looks like this is traded pending hand over on monday! two Red Kubicki Ex Factors on here at the same time, wow!

It's worth noting that Munji (or whatever his name was) from Talkbass, who has been through hundreds of basses, including Fodera, Alembic, Sadowsky, Ken Smith etc etc - the best of whatever field you look at - rated his Yamaha TRB bass as highly as any. These things are seriously mint basses, and the quality if comparable to the big name boutique stuff IMO! Nice bass, good luck with the sale!

Dots on the side of the fretboard.

Hello all, As some of you may have seen, I have recently taken steps to reach my boyhood dream of owning an Alembic. As a result of this, I will need to make space in my bedroom and also put a couple of pounds back in my pocket. The wife wasn't too happy about the idea of her being moved out, so it'll have to be a bass that goes! Since I only have two basses at the moment, a fretted Thumb and a fretless Musicman, I'll have to sell my fretless since I've got a new fretless bass coming! [b]The bass[/b]: The bass is what I like to call a Musicman Sabre "Special". It is a 1980 Musicman Sabre neck attached to a body made by Greg Whittle, aka Basschat member "Shaggy", whose obvious talent for luthiery shines through. [b]It has[/b]: *a 1980 Sabre neck * fitted with an African blackwood fretboard *a body made from Bubinga with a Thuja burl top * a 3 band Seymour Duncan EQ with turned ebony control knobs *a Seymour Duncan MM pickup * fitted with gold Schaller tuners *a brass bridge, brass backplate and brass neck tilt adjuster, as well as an "easy access" battery compartment. * It also has a "textured" finish. The wood was too porous to finish with a traditional seal, and has been french polished for protection. It looks lovely! [b]The sound[/b]: As rich and full as you'll find, due to the body woods. Burpy, thick and articulate. I have come to reason that the MM pickup placement is perhaps the best for fretless bass. You get the cut and growl of the bridge area and the mid-range fatness provided by the upper coils. It is an incredible sounding bass. I've played a bit of everything with it, from 1980's Palladino/Paul Simon pop through to Weather Report fusion. Great sounding bass, and records well too. [b]Now, possible downsides[/b]: 1) It's heavy. Granted, its a tone monster because of the dense woods and brass hardware - it's 12.5lb according to my bathroom scales. I've had no troubles doing full standing rehearsals with it, but I've mainly used it for seated shows and recording sessions, where the weight is less of an issue. 2) One of the screws is missing from the pickup cover. However, this wasn't an issue when it came to me adjusting the height of the pickup. Pictures (taken by Greg, as I've lost my camera memory card): As I have previously mentioned, I have been playing mainly fretless bass these past few months and I have enjoyed this bass immensely. I'm sure someone else will have a fantastic time with it too. I'd be happy to sell it for what I got it for, as I think Greg gave me a great price. £500 will get the bass, the hardcase it came with and the papers for the pickup and the preamp. I'd be happier with collection from Newcastle, however I will post at the buyers expense if they can arrange a courier. If you have any further questions or wish to have a chat about the bass, please PM me. Alternatively, if you wish to speak over the telephone, PM me your number and I'll give you a ring. Cheers! Chris

Glad I got here when I did then!