Up for sale, a 1985 Alembic Persuader in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. With a roster including The Who, The Grateful Dead, and Stanley Clark, Alembic quickly established themselves as one of the pioneering voices in bass guitar artistry in the 1970s, known for their exceptional craftsmanship and premium tonewoods/componentry. This particular Persuader heavily evokes the sleek all-black look of Cliff Burton’s iconic Alembic Spoiler (despite being a marginally different, more streamlined model than that classic bass), which the Metallica legend used extensively in the mid ‘80s.
This medium scale, single pickup, neck-through Persuader features a three-piece maple neck capped with a 24-fret ebony fingerboard and mahogany body wings. The neck-through construction yields ample natural resonance and sustain, with the warmth of mahogany and the glassy articulation of the ebony board faithfully captured by the stock SB II silent single coil pickup. This active pickup was designed for pristine, warm and natural-sounding tones, with a dynamic, responsive feel. The lows are broad and smooth, balanced by sweet treble growl and complex midrange punch. This Persuader weighs 8lbs 15oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 45-105 roundwound strings, easy-playing action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Chunky C, full shoulders, measuring .915” 1st fret, 1.010” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, 24-fret, 16” radius, oval inlay
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled and crowned, no wear
-Scale Length: 32”
-Nut: 1 3/4”
-Tuners: Schaller, chrome-plated
-Serialization: 85P-prefix serial (stamped beyond 24th fret) translates to 1985 production
Body Specs:
-Wood: Mahogany
-Pickups: SB II silent single coil x1
-Controls: Volume, Tone
-Hardware: Adjustable bridge, tailpiece (chrome-plated)
-Plastics: Witch hat knobs
The gloss Black finish is well-kept, with light pick wear on top, faint buckle scratching central to the back, and some minor dings on the body as a whole, primarily concentrated along the lower bout perimeter. There is also a small, cleanly doweled extra strap button mounting hole with a dot of touch-up on the treble-side body edge. The smooth gloss on the neck profile plays easily with just a few shallow marks on the profile carve.
A molded hardshell case is included.