Essence
Essence Examples
ABOUT THE ESSENCE BASS
Many have asked how they can get the Alembic sound without the size and
weight of the classic Alembic instruments. Our answer is the Essence.
The design is inspired by the lower half of the Small Standard body.
We slimmed this down until it was barely big enough to hold the electronics.
For the upper half, we extended the horn so the bass would balance as a long
scale. For 5- and 6-string versions, the upper horn is even longer to
retain the excellent balance. The Essence bass is our smallest body—a scant
12 inches across.
The heart of the Essence’s tone is the Alembic low-pass filter, the same tone
control we pioneered in 1969 when Ron Wickersham first introduced active electronics
to the musical world. With this one tone control, a wide range of sounds from deep to
bright are available with a simple twist of one knob. Even a small amount of rotation
can produce a big change in tone.
The Essence bass gives you all the essentials of Alembic: neck through-body
construction, Alembic pickups and active electronics, and solid brass hardware, all are
crafted in Rohnert Park, California, USA, the only place that Alembics are born.
ESSENCE SPECIFICATIONS
| FEATURE | 4‑STRING | 5‑STRING | 6‑STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale length | 34 in | 34 in | 34 in |
| Neck woods | 3-piece Maple with 2 Walnut pinstripes | 5-piece Maple with 4 Walnut pinstripes | 5-piece Maple with 4 Walnut pinstripes |
| Fingerboard | Blank Ebony | Blank Ebony | Blank Ebony |
| Nut width | 1.625 in | 1.875 in | 2.200 in |
| 24th fret width | 2.360 in | 2.930 in | 3.560 in |
| Headstock | Orion 4 | Orion 5 (3+2) | Cone 6 |
| Truss rods | dual, body adjust | dual, body adjust | dual, body adjust |
| Top wood | Any standard or premium wood | Any standard or premium wood | Any standard or premium wood |
| Body wood | Mahogany | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Sandwich | Top, accent veneer, body wood | Top, accent veneer, body wood | Top, accent veneer, body wood |
| Body depth | 1.55 in | 1.55 in | 1.55 in |
| Finish | Polyester gloss with satin neck | Polyester gloss with satin neck | Polyester gloss with satin neck |
| Pickups | Alembic MXY4 | Alembic MXY56 | Alembic MXY56 |
| Controls | volume, pan, filter | volume, pan, filter | volume, pan, filter |
| Backplates | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic |
| Bridge | Solid polished brass | Solid polished brass | Solid polished brass |
| Tailpiece | Solid brass, half moon shape | Solid brass, half moon shape | Solid brass, half moon shape |
| Nut | Solid brass, height adjustable | Solid brass, height adjustable | Solid brass, height adjustable |
| Machine heads | Gold Alembic‑Gotoh | Gold Alembic‑Gotoh | Gold Alembic‑Gotoh |
| Average weight | about 8.5 pounds | about 9 pounds | about 10 pounds |
| Overall dimensions | 12″ x 45.25″ | 12.5″ x 45.00″ | 13.125″ x 46.50″ |
| Origin | 100% Made in Rohnert Park, CA USA | 100% Made in Rohnert Park, CA USA | 100% Made in Rohnert Park, CA USA |