Product: Alembic Further Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 08/12/2006
at 11:21pm
by Skullcap
Email: skullcap<at>pacbell dot net
Features
:No Opinion
See the other reviews for this.... The only thing I would add is independent volume control for each pickup.
Sound
:10
Sweet Jesus!!! I have never... and I mean never played a guitar that sounds this good.... and I have played many guitars. What I am most impresed with is the brightness of the pickups. I would swear that it has a piezo pickup if I did not know better. It is very versatile and can sound quite punchy. Having seperate tone knowb for all three pickups is a great thing too.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
Perfect...
Reliability/Durability
:No Opinion
Just got it... dont knw.... seems like it was master built though.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Not needed it yet...
Overall Rating
:10
The best... really... no shiting...
Product: Alembic Further Price Paid: US $7500
Submitted 03/29/2006
at 01:14pm
by MrSteed
Features
:10
2006(ish), 24 frets, 3 Alembic active pickups. Each pickup has a 3 way toggle for off/on/bright, Non locking Gotoh tuners, Ebony fretboard, Effects loop plug (stereo jack), effects on/off switch,
volume, 3 tone knobs (one for each PUP), neck is middlin and comfy.
Neck-thru design with chambered body. VERY well balanced. Weighs
in about 8 lbs.
I think that's about it for the standard features. Additionally mine is birdseye maple top.
Side dot markers are actually LEDs (!!!) on/off toggle on front
The previous review was mistaken. the neck pup is actually a stacked humbucker,not single coil.
Sound
:10
HOLY CRAP! I've never heard a guitar that sounds like this. The tone just blows me away! The tone knobs actually work! Rather than just turn them all the way up all the time, you NEED to adjust them.
With tone all the way up, the tone is SUPER twangy with a VERY sharp attack. Like a Strat on steroids. Tone down and you get less attack and a much mellower sound.
The clean is clear and bell like. Awesome sustain.
The effects loop is awesome! I didn't really know what this could do before hand, but by routing the effects signal back to the guitar prior to going to the amp, you get HUGE control of the effects tonality by being able to use the guitar's tone knobs.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
Beautiful!
Reliability/Durability
:9
The ONLY minor problem I could foresee is that the mini toggles seem just a tad flimsy. But, rock solid construction overall.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
OK, tone aside, this guitar feels like luxury. The neck is awesome. The whole body resonates when you play.
When I got mine home and could run it through its paces, it was like, OMFG!!!!! The tone this makes is absolutely incredible! I've never played anything like it. It simply blew my socks off.
I can honestly say, this is the best guitar I've ever played. Really, it's that good. I was amazed. It's not cheap, but worth every penny. I'm not comparing it to crappy guitars either. I have 2 Gibson Custom L5S's, a Super 400 CES, Strats, some other boutique guitars. This is the best.
Product: Alembic Further Price Paid: US
Submitted 08/07/2002
at 04:23pm
by Cliff
Email: none
Features
:10
Made in 2002, this is a 6-string thru-neck 24 fret with 3 active pickups. Each pick up has a bright, regular and off toggle as well as a tone filter. Neck pickup is single coil, others are HB. Master volume. Quilted maple top, flame maple top. Gold hardware. Looks rougly like a strat in shape. Gotoh tuners. FX out and in!
Sound
:10
Very wide variety of tones. Powerful pickups can give you that clean Jerry sound or a deep Les Paul thing. I play thru a Boogie Mark 4. The active pickups do not play well thru my Fulltone distortion, but the amp itself can get real dirty anyway.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
11? I have been playing for 35 years, and know a lot of people that have been playing that long, and we all quickly agree this is the most beautiful, best made, flawless piece of workmanship and design that we have ever come across in guitar world.
Once you play and live with one of these handmade masterpieces, even fender custom shops, PRS and nice Gibsons (if you can find one...)seem like cheap play things. Very low action, but somehow I can still play with a bottle neck.
Reliability/Durability
:10
Again, this is a masterpiece. Only thing that might concern one is having a 9 volt in the guitar that you may have to change at a bad time, but this is just part of active electronics.
Customer Support
:10
I have dealt with Alembic quite a bit on this, since I had many questions before and after I purchased it. Mica and company are simply top rate. They really care about what they produce, and it comes across in their support as well as in their guitars.
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
It is simply a privilege to be able to afford this instrument. Sometimes even money can't get you an object that is so near to being perfect. I think it is laughable that people pay more for a 60's fender or gibson than I paid for this new Alembic.
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