Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: edwardofhuncote on January 05, 2019, 06:42:11 AM
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We've seen this one bounce around Craigslist awhile... it's the one with the EMG pickups in brass mounting rings, but they have the old pickups with the bass. They are the old style two-tab type which is right for a 1975 bass.
https://reverb.com/item/18016238-alembic-series-1-1975-34-scale-length (https://reverb.com/item/18016238-alembic-series-1-1975-34-scale-length)
I'm not sure on the serial number. Those older pickups make me think it's most likely #75-173. Definitely, The Zebrawood. ;)
*That particular slice of the tree reminds me of #76-270 http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=22992.0
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Looking at the back plate, it looks like it is missing the preamp board. Also, wonder what it looks like inside the electronics cavity, if those original pickups actually work, and what routing if any occurred under the brass pickup rings. It’s a shame it was modified.
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The seller included a shot of the top edge of the headstock, so we can see the serial - it's clearly 75-173.
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I was rapid-fire editing adriaan... it was hard to read the first digit as a 1, and it couldn't possibly have been a 2, but by the time I realized that... too late. ;D
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I contacted the guy that had it listed on Craigslist in New Jersey. (When I thought I wasn’t going to be able to retrieve my old bass.). Guys name was TJ. I tried to get more info on the mods, to see about bringing back to original, but had trouble getting additional info. Bass was in storage, I’m not sure TJ lived in the same town. Worked out ok. Looks like a shop is now selling, and it looks like they actually have possession of the bass. A lot more photos than were on CL. Pretty bass, hate that the thumbrest was screwed into the top, but only two little holes to fill.
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If I remember correctly, there were several CL listings in various states, making one wonder if it was a scam sale. This Reverb shop is legit, and they do have the bass, along with a couple other Alembics in fair-to-rough shape. Ironically, its called Safe Haven Music or something. :D
Good eye on the missing preamp card Rob. Yeah, I'd have to know what's under those brass pickup rings... it might not be too bad. Certainly worth fixing this bass up, but the price I'm guessing will have to be adjusted somewhat to compensate.
Pleased to meet you, #75-173... What a beauty. Wow. Another one to file away in my memory banks.
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Showing as sold now. Anyone here with reason to celebrate?
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Looks like it might be back up for sale. I don't think the Series electronics are intact. Below are a couple of photos from when it was first posted.
https://longisland.craigslist.org/msg/d/valley-stream-75-alembic-bass/6972556515.html
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#75-173 is back (on Reverb) again. Not that it matters much, since the Series electronics are not a factor here, but the hum-canceller appears to be a block of ebony. Which I kinda' like... :)
That Zebrawood is/was really something.
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If anyone here is in the New York area and able to do a local pickup from the seller you should message him via the CL add.
He is very motivated to sell and will take A LOT less than the advertised price. (only $2000!)
He doesn't want to ship so it seems that it needs to be a local pickup.
I have been emailing with him and unfortunately he is not willing to ship to me in Colorado.
But that is great news for any of you in driving distance to NY.
https://longisland.craigslist.org/msg/d/valley-stream-75-alembic-bass/6972556515.html
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#75-173 is back (on Reverb) again. Not that it matters much, since the Series electronics are not a factor here, but the hum-canceller appears to be a block of ebony. Which I kinda' like... :)
That Zebrawood is/was really something.
Greg, if you want it and are willing to drive to NY, you could get it for a fair price that would allow room for the necessary restoration.
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Thats actually not a bad looking bass, Long Island is doable for me and if I had 2k laying around I'd probably think about buying it as a "beater" of sorts.
What really gets me is why people replace the electronics in Alembics. I've seen a few instances where folks rip out the stock electronics and replace them with something else. In this case, what would EMG's offer that the Series 1 electronics do not offer?
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I guess a cheaper restoration would be to use anniversary or signature electronics. It would still be an awesome bass. That top wood is great.
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...What really gets me is why people replace the electronics in Alembics. I've seen a few instances where folks rip out the stock electronics and replace them with something else. In this case, what would EMG's offer that the Series 1 electronics do not offer?
In a word - availability. I'd guess at some point the Series electronics got unmanagably noisy, or just died altogether and this EMG setup was the resulting fix. I'm just glad the bass isn't hacked up too bad. It's actually a pretty slick installation. Faced with a choice of shipping it back to California for a fairly expensive repair, or retrofit with aftermarket actives... it happens, and usually in a much more haphazard fashion. This bass is a pretty easy fix, but not a cheap one... the same problem still exists today - it needs Series electronics, and there's only one place to get them. (lets not even discuss the creep over in Yonkers...)
Like Jazzy says, you could put Signature or Anniversary electronics in there but here's the catch... those old pickup routes are totally different than the new ones. You'd have to re-rout for even AXY's, which you'd have to do anyway if those original two-tab pickups are dead, if you were going to put Series electronics back, as the modern Series pickups won't fit either. Strictly pre-1976 replacements here, or break out the plunge router.
I'm not personally interested right now, as I already have enough projects going, but definitely watching #75-173 with particular interest.
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I saw on my Reverb feed this one sold earlier this afternoon... anyone here rescue her?