Available Alembic Guitars

Jerry Garcia Tribute

Cocobolo Back

Cocobolo Top and Matching Headstock with Alembic Logo Inlay
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Jerry Garcia Tribute

Stereo Guitar, Cocobolo Top and Back, Ebony Fretboard

Available in a variety of woods, the Jerry Garcia
Tribute is also available with the skull or tiger inlays.

Jerry Garcia Further

Quilted Maple Back w Matching Headstock

Quilted Maple Top and Matching Headstock with Alembic Logo Inlay
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Jerry Garcia Further

Stereo Guitar, Quilted Maple Top and Back, Ebony Fretboard

Available in a variety of woods, the Jerry Garcia
Further is also available with the skull or tiger inlays.

Buckeye Burl Top, Back, and Headstock, Bookmatched to Center,
Continuous Wood Backplates, Triple Omega Body, 7 Layer Ebony
and Maple Neck Laminates, Side Red LED's, Inlaid Alembic Logo

LED Lights In The Neck, Flamed Maple Top, Spiderweb Inlays
in Brass in the body, Active Electronics, Ebony Fretboard

This is not just another pretty bass. The neck is a 7-piece lamination of Maple and Ebony, the combination of which produces unrivaled sustain. Additionally, the Ebony neck laminates encourage the fundamental as well as the second harmonic to sustain. Bass tone just doesn't get bigger than this. Please call for price.

Amazing Buckeye Burl Top w Matching Headstock
Buckeye Burl Back w Matching Headstock and Continuous Back Plates.

Usually, if you want a Series I Bass, you need to wait 3-5 months for design and build time. Well, Ed Roman didn't want you to have to wait, so he bought this one and just couldn't resist adding several custom options to make it even more special, starting with Buckeye Burl.

With such a stunning piece of wood, the bookmatch to center feature was a must on both the front and the back, to maximize the view: and what a view it is!

This Buckeye Burl almost doesn't look like wood with its bluish colors. The wood is typically a creamy yellow, mixed with dark inclusions of bark. The blue in this piece is from a fungus stain, but don't worry! The fungus requires moisture levels above 18% to survive, and Alembic dries the wood so that the fungus is arrested, but its blue color preserved.

Sometimes, as a burl gets larger, it overgrows itself and some of the bark gets ingrown. This tendency also leaves large gaps or voids across a slab. Kris at Alembic expertly inlays bookmatched Buckeye from another part of the slab to replace these areas that aren't fit for basses. Of course, when the bark is stable enough and pretty enough, it is left in place like on the back of this bass.

The Omega carving at the bottom of the bass is first cut by bandsaw, then Tony at Alembic carves the wood to form the Omega. The small piece of Maple is actually part of the neck. With any bass, or guitar for that matter, you should always use a stand and never lean it against your amp. This is especially true with an Omega cut. While the glue joint is sound, you can see it's small and should never be used to support the weight of the bass.

The neck itself is made from seven laminates of Maple and Ebony. The Ebony neck laminates emphasize the fundamental sustain. When playing eighth-notes, you might not be aware of it, but when playing music such as ballads with longer sustained notes, you'll find that the foundation this bass lays out is massive.

How could this bass not have continuous wood backplates? These plates are cut from the back laminate before the body is assembled. Bob at Alembic uses his scroll saw to remove the plate, then Kris makes a custom plywood from the plate forming a symmetrical stack of alternating woods to give it added strength and stability. The end result is an awfully cool looking bass!

Here at Ed Roman Guitars we have a standard form job application.

The application asks many of the usual questions and some that may seem a bit unusual.

For Example

1, What do you think of Ed Roman's DO NOT TOUCH policy regarding new and high end guitars?

2, What do you think of the MEGA SUPERSTORE MUSIC STORES?

We ask these questions to try and ascertain whether the applicant realizes why we do things a little differently here than most stores.

Recently an Applicant David O'Donnell answered the questions in such a way that I thought might be entertaining to my readers.

David sold guitars for a living in fact he was a 7 year veteran of Sam Ash Music in Hempstead New York.

1, What do you think of Ed Roman's DO NOT TOUCH policy regarding new and high end guitars?

Answer/ A customer who will normally purchase a high end instrument will usually not want a shopworn floor model. If an item is shopworn the retailer will be asked to discount it drastically. Also, some people intentionally ruin instruments, steal knobs and other parts or ask to to play instruments with their hands filthy.

2, What do you think of the MEGA SUPERSTORE MUSIC STORES?

From the perspective of a salesman who worked for Sam Ash before they changed to a Mega Store, I have very strong opinions on this subject !!!

Not only did that change end the possibility of being a career salesman (I personally went from making $40,000.00 a year to about $27,000.00). It also ruined the shopping experience for serious customers. Every single knowledgeable salesman left after that change.

Guitar Center is totally geared toward the hobbyist or non playing music enthusiast. Their concept of "vibe", which includes blaring different recorded music from all departments simultaneously is completely counter productive to the choosing of a musical instrument. They pay their salesman nothing and it shows.

David O'Donnell

Las Vegas NV


Matched Headstock Front Mother of Pearl and Abalone Alembic Logo Inlay	Buckeye Burl Top Purpleheart Accent Laminates Bookmatched to Center	Buckeye Burl Back Continuous Wood Backplates Bookmatched to Center	Matched Headstock Back Buckeye Burl Gotoh Tuners