Alembic Spoiler 6-String Fretted

Made in 1990 in Santa Rosa, California. 24 frets. Solid top. Dual soapbar pickups, active electronics. Neck-through 11 piece laminated maple neck including purple heart. Standard hardware (brass nut and bridge), hardshell case. I paid $2300 US for it brand new.

It sounds fantastic, but I did have a lot of problems in the beginning. I noticed Alembic didn't make Spoilers for very long- they stopped over 10 years ago, I think- and perhaps this is why. Now I see that even their lowest priced basses are listed for almost three times what I paid for my middle-of-the-road model, and I wonder who is buying them. I bought mine largely because I wanted a 1970s Phil Lesh sound, and I have it. But Phil stopped using Alembics ages ago.

Much to my surprise the original pickups were very poorly made and were actually microphonic. This means I could hold the bass up to my face and talk into the pickups, and a buzzy version of my voice would come out of my amp. I also had terrible radio interference, reminiscent of the wireless unit in This is Spinal Tap. When I called Alembic to ask about it, I was told to make sure the noise canceling ring around the preamp wiring was in place... it was, so I couldn't improve on that. Eventually I took the bass to an experienced repairman in San Diego, and he suggested I change the pickups altogether. I wanted Bartolini pickups, but couldn't get any, so I tried Carvin soapbar pickups, and to my amazement, they sound terrific. Now, finally, my bass sounds as good amplified as it does unplugged. The Carvin pickups are very transparent. But still, for $2300 I shouldn't have to swap out pickups, and now I have these big empty spaces around my pickups where the old ones used to be. My bass looks like it's been assembled by amateurs.

The bass is absolutely solid. It's taken a few spills off of stands with not even a scuff. The finish is perfect, except on the back of the neck, where 20 years of sweaty palm syndrome has worn it a bit. The case is absolutely trashed, and will need to be replaced very soon. The brass nut and bridge are badly corroded but I never touched or polished them, so I suppose that's just the price for using brass. I get the neck adjusted about every three years. I've run the gamut from very heavy strings (Ken Smith taper cores, .145 B, .130 E) to light sets, and they all sound great. The frets have no real wear on them after two decades of use. Other than the pickups, the bass is rock solid.

Alembic was too busy to deal with me when I called with my pickup questions. I have emailed them about a replacement case and got no response. I am not impressed with their service at all. I get the impression that they deal mostly with high-end insiders in the music business and don't need my business at all.

I've been playing bass for 27 years. The Alembic was my first high-end bass, and in most respects it delivered what I expected. I wish I had a better rapport with the company so that my pickup problem could have been dealt with. The local dealer I ordered the bass through was of no use at all, he knew nothing about the company (other than how to fill out an order form). I love the sound, especially at high volumes where the bite really comes out. It weighs a whole lot more than my other basses (Rickenbacker 4001, Fender Jazz Special, Carruthers SUB-1), and even my extremely wide guitar strap doesn't help much with sore shoulder/back issues. The bass is unbalanced- when I let go of the neck, it points to the floor at a 30 degree angle. If it were lost/stolen I would not buy another one. I've heard and tried out a few other basses (Warwick, Pedulla, Ken Smith) that sound just as good but are not so heavy, and the pickups actually work.