I never really wanted a birth year instrument before - after all, not many great instruments were being built in 1973 - but early Alembics are extremely interesting, great things.

I know that a bunch of people here have experience hunting the early ones down. How long should I expect to look before something good comes up?
 

You never really know.  I've been looking for a 73 or 74 small body bass for years. There was a 74 standard point on reverb for a couple of years that finally sold recently.  But, you never really know when they will show up. 

There's a couple issues about finding a birth-year Alembic if it happens to be 1973. If I didn't know anything else about you, I'd advise you to readjust your goals. You'll probably find one of the roughly 25 made that year. I'm estimating just knowing #27 is a 73 and and #49 is a '74. It might be 30.

The other thing; those basses (and guitars) usually need work. You're close to the Alembic shop there, so geographically advantaged.

Short story on myself- #73-39 changed my trajectory. I was five minutes too late in buying it. Another Club Member did though, and restored it, and as far as I know they are still playing it today. But that was the educational experience when I realized how far this little family run guitar shop had come. When I spec'd out my Custom 5-string I had them add features specific to pre-1974 builds because of that bass. The realization that they would still build me one... there it was.

You'll find one. Post a thread. There are quite a few 1973 numbers missing, location unknown. To guys like us, that means they are are still in circulation.

FWIW, I even had Ms. Susan draw up a quote for what would have been basically a reproduction of a 1974 medium-scale guitar for me a few years ago when I was having some delusions that somehow an electric guitar might suddenly start working with me. I'm sure it would have been amazing. I'm doing good when my locker of acoustic guitars don't laugh at me. One fully Alembicized Japanese guitar is good enuff these days.

She even agreed to put the batteries between the pickups again, and stamp my serial number into the end of the headstock. I think she thought it was nuts, possibly sweet that I thought that much about the detail. I'd have done it if things worked out better.

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on June 30, 2026, 05:51:20 PMFWIW, I even had Ms. Susan draw up a quote for what would have been basically a reproduction of a 1974 medium-scale guitar for me a few years ago when I was having some delusions that somehow an electric guitar might suddenly start working with me. I'm sure it would have been amazing. I'm doing good when my locker of acoustic guitars don't laugh at me. One fully Alembicized Japanese guitar is good enuff these days.

She even agreed to put the batteries between the pickups again, and stamp my serial number into the end of the headstock. I think she thought it was nuts, possibly sweet that I thought that much about the detail. I'd have done it if things worked out better.

I'd love to do a medium scale bass like that (with the late-73-style fancy mustachio tailpiece, because why not?!?).

I really loved that '74, wonky headstock and all, but psyched myself out about the battery route, and now I'm kicking myself.

I've got a terrible habit of loving unobtainium, but it always seems to appear eventually.

As the saying goes, "there will always be another"

One will show up eventually and it will be worth the wait 😊

As long as it isn't the one stolen from Stanley.

Quote from: Nova Constellatio on June 30, 2026, 07:31:47 PM

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on June 30, 2026, 05:51:20 PMFWIW, I even had Ms. Susan draw up a quote for what would have been basically a reproduction of a 1974 medium-scale guitar for me a few years ago when I was having some delusions that somehow an electric guitar might suddenly start working with me. I'm sure it would have been amazing. I'm doing good when my locker of acoustic guitars don't laugh at me. One fully Alembicized Japanese guitar is good enuff these days.

She even agreed to put the batteries between the pickups again, and stamp my serial number into the end of the headstock. I think she thought it was nuts, possibly sweet that I thought that much about the detail. I'd have done it if things worked out better.

I'd love to do a medium scale bass like that (with the late-73-style fancy mustachio tailpiece, because why not?!?).

I really loved that '74, wonky headstock and all, but psyched myself out about the battery route, and now I'm kicking myself.

I've got a terrible habit of loving unobtainium, but it always seems to appear eventually.

Yup. Ever since seeing 74-61 I've been wondering why I didn't pull the trigger!  That has to be the wonkyist Alembic to leave the factory in playing condition.  I thought it, at the time to be a bit overpriced for a Series I. Hey, it will come around again..... these instruments will outlive us all. 

Closest I could ever get would be one from the year I first played bass, and I got close but it's off by a year (75 instead of 76). It has a couple of build features that tell you it's s a fairly early one, so I'll settle for that.

Quote from: adriaan on June 30, 2026, 10:28:46 PMClosest I could ever get would be one from the year I first played bass, and I got close but it's off by a year (75 instead of 76). It has a couple of build features that tell you it's s a fairly early one, so I'll settle for that.

😏 That's kinda' how I lined it up with the '89 Persuader. Technically, I was playing bass before that, but the first time I ever got paid for it was New Year's Eve 1988/89 and that sealed the deal.

It would be hard to authenticate a 1969 Alembic. (birth-year for me)

Quote from: Nova Constellatio on June 30, 2026, 07:31:47 PM

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on June 30, 2026, 05:51:20 PMFWIW, I even had Ms. Susan draw up a quote for what would have been basically a reproduction of a 1974 medium-scale guitar for me a few years ago when I was having some delusions that somehow an electric guitar might suddenly start working with me. I'm sure it would have been amazing. I'm doing good when my locker of acoustic guitars don't laugh at me. One fully Alembicized Japanese guitar is good enuff these days.

She even agreed to put the batteries between the pickups again, and stamp my serial number into the end of the headstock. I think she thought it was nuts, possibly sweet that I thought that much about the detail. I'd have done it if things worked out better.

I'd love to do a medium scale bass like that (with the late-73-style fancy mustachio tailpiece, because why not?!?).

How about something like this? If memory serves, this Custom was built as a companion bass for a client with a 1972 guitar with this same body. I'm not sure but this may have been the genesis of my Retro guitar idea. There's been a few Customs with the 'stache tailpiece too. 

I love that scroll — I feel like I've looked at that bass somewhere before.

Quote from: Nova Constellatio on July 01, 2026, 06:05:51 AMI love that scroll — I feel like I've looked at that bass somewhere before.

One of the OG here-

https://club.alembicguitars.com/custom-basses/72-14/

The trapezoid-shaped pickups get me every time. There are so many wonky, cool features that show up between 1972 and 1974, whether it's the early pickup variants (I love the caramel ones), the first-style short scale horns, the wider upper cutaway on the early standard point models, the various tailpieces — so much was going on.

1973, is my birth year as well.   It would be nice to have the birthday / month / year Alembic, but like others have said, the production number was just so small, it's near impossible.   
I was lucky to find a 'birth week' Fender Jazz few years ago, bridge pickup had my birthweek stamp on it, I thought it will be as close as it gets.  

Rickenbacker's serial number has year and month, so that's another 'birth month' bass we can look for... 

It's fun to look for things like this.  

Takeo 

My birth year/month Rickenbacker 4001 would still have all the desirable features (I think).