From Alembic:
Many have asked how they could get the Alembic sound without the size and weight of the classic Alembic instruments. Our answer is the Essence.
We took the lead for the design from right half of the Small Standard body. We slimmed this down until it was barely big enough to hold the electronics. For the left half, we extended the horn so the bass would balance as a long scale. 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, solid brass hardware, all crafted in Santa Rosa, California, USA, the only place that Alembics are born.
Serial #: K14684
Weight: 8lbs 13.4oz
Scale length: 34 in
Neck woods: 3-piece Maple with 2 purple Walnut pinstripes
Fingerboard: Ebony
Inlays: Abalone ovals
Side dots: LEDs
Nut width: 1.625 in
24th fret width: 2.360 in
Peghead: Orion 4
Truss rods: Dual, body adjust
Top wood: Buckeye
Back wood: Mahogany
Sandwich: Buckeye/ Purpleheart Lam/ Maple pinstripe/ Mahogany back
Body depth: 1.55 in
Finish: Polyester gloss with satin neck
Pickups: Alembic MXY4
Controls: volume, pan, filter
Backplates: Wood
Bridge: Solid polished brass
Tailpiece: Solid brass, half moon shape
Nut: Solid brass, height adjustable
Machine heads: Chrome Alembic‑Gotoh
Hardware: Chrome
Overall dimensions: 12″ x 45.25″
Origin: 100% Made in Santa Rosa, CA USA
Case: Hardshell