A Brief History of the Legendary Alembic Bass Guitars

From the very beginning, Alembic set out to do things differently. The company took shape when founder Ron Wickersham teamed up with the Grateful Dead to help improve the sound quality on their recordings. Wickersham was a design engineer who had worked with Ampex, so he was familiar with all the inner workings of the studio gear. It wasn’t long before the first versions of the Alembic electronics and pickups were designed and installed into the instruments of the some of the most pivotal 60’s musicians, including David Crosby, Jack Casady, Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh.

During the 1970s Alembic was refining their electronics and developing custom bass guitars. In addition, they were creating a state-of-the-art 16 track recording studio in San Francisco. By 1972, Stanley Clarke got his hands on an Alembic bass, and their pedigree for creating the most technically sophisticated bass guitars was beginning to solidify. To this day, the sound and build quality of an Alembic bass is in a class of its own.

Unlike other instrument companies who were quick to give their basses to famous musicians in an effort to promote themselves, Alembic made musicians pay for them. The thought process behind their no endorsement deal was that famous musicians were in the best financial position to pay for them. It seems like a logical thought process, but it was very different approach from that of their competitors.

Today, Alembic bass guitars are still one of the most highly regarded instruments, with many designs passing into the realm of fine art. To see our selection of Alembic basses, visit BassCentral.com today!