The Prototype Of The Alembic "Tribute" Guitar - A Nod To Jerry Garcia's "Tiger"

2002 Alembic "Tribute" Prototype.

Modeled after Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" guitar. This Alembic "Tribute" Prototype was made in 2002 and weighs 9.20 lbs. This was a landmark prototype and the first guitar made for the Tribute series. Seven-layer highly figured hand-carved 'sandwich' of 'Premium' Coco Bolo, Maple, Vermilion, Flame Maple, Vermilion, Maple and Coco Bolo. Five-piece neck of Western Flame Maple with Purpleheart and Cherry. The neck has a nut width of 1 5/8 inches and a thin-to-medium profile. Ebony fretboard with 24 jumbo frets and inlaid oval 'Mother-of-Pearl' position markers. Height-adjustable solid brass nut. Alembic 'Crown' ebony faced headstock with sterling silver inlaid logo of abalone and 'Mother-of-Pearl'. Individual Gold-plated Alembic Gotoh 'Rotomatic' style tuners. Brass serial number plate at end of neck engraved "02T 124747 USA / Prototype" (secured by two screws). Alembic STR (single-coil) pickup in the neck position and two Alembic HG (humbuckers) in the middle and bridge position. Rotary master volume, rotary filter for each pickup plus three individual three-way (off/on/bright) mini-toggle switches (one for each pickup and a two-way mini-toggle switch (on/off) for the TRS effects loop. Black plastic control knobs with ribbed sides and triangular white markers. The potentiometers are all dated in black ink "2-16-02". Alembic brass bridge assembly with six individually adjustable brass saddles and ebony and brass 'bird' tailpiece with three screws. Inside the control cavity in black marker is written "02T 12747 / USA". This unique piece of guitar history is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original G & G three-latch rectangular 'fitted' black hardshell case with black leather ends and black plush lining (9.25).

The Alembic Tribute guitar is a nod to the “Tiger” guitar originally made for Jerry Garcia by Doug Irwin and Thomas Lieber. Alembic is famous for inventing active pickups and changed the way many bass guitars are now built. The Alembic Tribute guitar includes active pickups as well and in addition Alembic has made some improvements on the guitar that take it beyond the “Tiger” guitar. The guitar has an incredible 27 different pickup settings with a separate tone control for each pickup. Also included in the guitar is a on-board effects loop switch that allows you to remotely switch effects on and off.

Alembic pickups are "hand" wound by the Wickersham grandparents in California and are supposed to reproduce the "acoustic" sound of the bass with no coloration. Because these pickups are low impedance they require a specially designed preamp circuit from Alembic, these circuits are modular in design with solderless connectors. (Meaning you can keep adding tone modules a la Series II.) The circuits use the best components available and are extremely quiet.

The current Alembic RRP for a basic "Tribute Studio Model" is $13,700