May 2001

The Heartbreaker
With its drop dead gorgeous master grade Quilted Maple top and back, blazing gold-plated hardware and special carving details, this bass is a true heartbreaker. Everyone who saw this bass before we shipped it longed for it. Perhaps because no other bass typifies the sense of the classic Alembic more than a Maple Series II bass.
Nice fat and long quilting is the focal point of this bass. The wood really speaks for itself, but as usual, in person, it's even more stunning. Each little mound of quilt seems to dance with life as the bass it tilted from side to side. When we charge extra for Quilted Maple, we make sure you get your money's worth.
Marc's bass
peghead back

 A view of the back of the knob peghead shape. This style was made popular by John Paul Jones with his mighty 8-string Alembic Series I and II basses of the 70's. This shape is narrower than the Crown style we usually pair with the Standard Point and Omega body shapes. The cutout shape at the top looks like you could link it up with an Omega body shape like Legos.
Our side mounted LEDs can really help you find your way around the fingerboard in dimly lit playing situations. These LEDs are also fitted with tiny inlaid sterling silver circles so even when they are turned off, you can still see where the position marker is. Fretless basses get three LEDs at the twelfth fret, fretted ones get just two.
heart omega detail
Two views of the Heart Omega carving detail. The tips of the omega and the point of the heart are both what remains after we carve away this part of the neck extension. The rounded edge of the body continues around the omega, inviting both the eye and the hand to closely examine.
There are many variations of the Omega cutout, although all are based on the Standard Point body shape. In fact, when we are assembling the body, it doesn't matter if it's a Point, Omega, Heart Omega, or Stinger Omega, all use the same templates for cutting out the body.
With the golden hue of the Quilted Maple, goldplating the hardware was an obvious choice. When we goldplate the hardware, even the slots in the bridge saddles and in the string nut are plated, since we set up the instrument first, then send the specific parts out for goldplating. On polished brass hardware, the tailpiece is given a brushed finish, when we have the hardware plated, we buff the tailpiece out to a silky smooth finish. tailpiece
electronics
front back

SPECIFICATIONS

  • 5-string Series II bass
  • 5A "Master Grade" Quilted Maple top and back
  • Knob peghead shape
  • Heart Omega body shape
  • Fretless with inlaid Maple fretlines
  • Side LEDs in red inlaid in silver circles
  • Goldplated solid brass hardware
  • Continuous wood backplates

Price available on request

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