Alembic Series 1 Bass Guitar Owned by Nathan East (bassist for Eric Clapton)

Listed here we have a true piece of Rock & Roll history: the Alembic bass of music legend Nathan East. This very bass can be heard on Eric Clapton’s record “Behind the Sun” and was played at many of Clapton’s live shows. This bass features a very powerful, driving sound and a nice clear tone as can be best heard on the Clapton single, “Forever Man”. After talking with the Rock legend, this is what he had to say about the bass:

“This Alembic Bass is a very special instrument and carries with it many fond memories!  Inspired by the likes of Stanley Clarke and Jimmy Johnson this was my "go to" bass when I first moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s.  I played it on many gigs and sessions including Eric Clapton's 'Behind The Sun' album which was my very first ever recording with him.  Jeff Procaro played drums and you can hear the punchy sound of this bass on the song 'Forever Man', one of the singles from that album. This is the bass I played lead melody on my song 'Wildfire' with Hubert Laws on his hit album 'Family'. I love it because of the variety of tones that you can get on this instrument.  When I signed with Yamaha and started developing instruments with them, this baby went in its case and didn't get played much in the years to follow. I admit I felt guilty for not playing it so much after that and have finally come to grips with letting it go to someone who will hopefully appreciate it and play it.  Instruments are meant to be played and for that reason I hope this one ends up in good hands.

If that player is you, may you enjoy playing it as much as I have and I hope that we can keep in touch as I would feel comfortable knowing that she is being well looked after.  Also, somewhere in my archive of photos there are slides of me playing this bass on those gigs and sessions but as that was more than three decades ago, it will take me a while to find those images. However, they do remain captured in my mind and in my heart forever.”

- N A T H A N   E A S T

Nathan East is a tremendous bass player, made apparent by the accolades mentioned in his message to us, but there’s plenty more he didn’t mention: with more than 2,000 recordings under his belt, East is considered one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego (1978). He is a founding member of contemporary jazz quartet and has recorded, performed and co-written songs with performers such as Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and many more.