Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Showcase => Series I Basses and Guitars => Topic started by: edwardofhuncote on September 18, 2020, 06:52:48 PM
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A little over a year ago, this wonderful old Series I came my way. I bought it somewhat locally... a cash deal and handshake later, I drove the 100 miles home from Crozet, Virginia with #80-1684. "Joy", namesake of a close friend. I haven't said anything much about her, just the occasional tease or hint around here... she needed some work, and little-by-little, a good bit of it is done now.
Structurally, it was in fine shape; nothing broken anywhere, just a lot of casual wear. The fretwork was shot... completely worn out. This bass had been played and loved a lot, but generally well cared-for. I carefully polished that old 80's finish just enough to restore the satiny glow. The brass hardware cleaned up pretty nice too. My friend and mentor Ward Elliott expertly installed 24 new frets, using Jescar Evo Gold fretwire. (just like we recently did on #77-621) All that bling got me thinking... so I swapped out the original chrome Schaller M4 machines for a matching vintage set of gold M4's I had stashed away, a perfect retrofit. Aunt Mary fixed me up with a new set of five witch-hat knobs. A new G & G hardshell case from Alembic too, by way of Will Gunn Guitars, another perfect match.
The worst issue I couldn't rectify; both pickups were cracked beyond repair from improper mounting. While the neck pickup still was strong and sounded great, the bridge pickup unfortunately, was noisy, weak and microphonic. The copper coils were corroded green, and showing through both shells. No adjustment could balance or cancel the noise. Sadness. A phone call to the Mothership got me a solid, but temporary fix... a pair of AXY 4 FatBoys in the Classic shells was soon in the mail. As a bonus, they could eventually be repurposed in another bass. I installed these in place as soon as they came, and turned the humcanceller trimpots off on the preamp card, so the bass could be played as usual. I gotta' tell you... they might not be Series pickups, but once that signal has been processed through Series electronics... you have to have very good ears and some experience to know that. This bass sounds... other-worldly. And the setup is remarkably stable. I've made only two minor adjustments to the truss rods for each season this past year. I'm humbled every time I pick it up to play. It makes for a fine counterpoint to my other slightly older Series I... they have starkly different voices, one with roundwounds, this one wears flats.
Soon, the rest of "Joy's" 40-year makeover is to be completed by the only folks who I would trust it to... #80-1684 is going home to get the full RF upgrade, a matching set of new Series pickups and humcanceller, and while on the workbench of the Wizard, I've asked for the original Q-switches to be swapped out for [wait-for-it] CVQ's to go with that added Master Volume, almost a Series II conversion. Some additional TLC may be applied where deemed appropriate. The bass is in such fine, but played-in condition, that I really don't want to do too much here... I think it would be disrespectful to remove the honest playing wear it has. After all, I don't mean for it to be like new... I mean to play it until I can't anymore, hopefully leaving my own mark while being part of its history. I'm simply trusting Mica's advice here... she knows both me, and her basses... she will know what to do.
She left the old Alembic shop at 45 Foley St. forty years ago today, so before starting the long trip home to the new shop now at Rohnert Park, I thought I'd share a few details and pictures.
MBI4 #80-1684
•Birthday: 9/18/1980
•Medium-scale, 4-string
•Ebony fingerboard, fretted
•Inlay: mother of pearl ovals
•Standard Point body
•Walnut top and back laminates
•Mahogany body core
•Maple & two Purpleheart laminate neck layup
•Maple and Walnut veneers on headstock
•Electronics: Series I w/Master Volume
Bon Voyage, Joy... the time will come.
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That is a very beautiful bass! :)
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Good looking MSB.
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She's 41 today. Hopefully, Mica fed my Walnut Dragon some birthday cake. ;)
It'll sure be nice to play this one again, especially with the upgrades done.
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Very nice, Gregory. I'm sure you're eager to have Joy's makeover completed and get her into your growing rotation.
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Happy birthday Joy! She is a pretty girl for sure—and not just for her age.
Reading about the gold frets you had installed gives me ideas for the ongoing resurrection of my ’79 Series I SSB—thanks!
Cheers, Oliver
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Sounds awesome! She’ll be better than new
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Cool bass, and photo :)
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Happy Birthday to Joy. 42 today. Hopefully my next 'upgrade' will be done soon, and I'm ready to play again by the time she gets home from hers in sunny California.
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Happy birthday to Joy and may her place in line for the full spa treatment hopefully be short at this time.
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Nice looker.
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Beautiful bass! :)
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I heard from Mica last week that Joy here was moving along the lines, and that Wizard Ron was about done with the electronics. Excitement builds...
I am wondering what she will be like with that hypermatched set of new pickups and CVQ's added. I have only ever played her with the surrogate set of AXY FatBoys installed and the humcanceller trimpots off... and it was mind-blowing at that.
I can't remember what else we talked about doing... it wasn't much. Maybe a bridge rebuild. Threaded inserts for the backplate, I think. I didn't want to do anything to that glorious old finish. The player's wear it has is loving, and a testament to how well taken care of that 40 year-old bass was. I'm looking forward to adding my own to it. I had already had it refretted by my buddy and mentor Ward Elliott here in Virginia, with Evo gold fretwire, prior to sending it back to the Mothership for the RF upgrades and pickups.
Speaking of pickups, I wonder which kind will be in it? It came with the glossy unbranded black ones. I would love if it had the new matte finish black with gold embossed letters, but I don't think either set makes or breaks the look of a classic Alembic in walnut.
I can hardly wait to play her again through the house rig, in full stereo splendor. :)
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Forty-three, today...
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Very cool bass, look forward to seeing it when the mods are done! :)
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While at Alembic, #80-1684 has received a new 'hypermatched' set of pickups, had all the modern RF upgrades performed, and had the Q-switches exchanged for CVQ's. A couple other very small details were tended to while there as well... the backplate now mounts to threaded inserts, and the bridge height adjustment screws are working correctly. She really didn't need anything else in my view. All the playing wear this bass bears is light, and honest. I always thought it would be disrespectful to remove it.
The only regret is that I'll never know what it was like to play this bass once restored to what it should be. But then if I did, I probably wouldn't be willing to let it go! Given my current situation and season of life, I thought it was best to move it on to someone else to appreciate. To that end, I have had a good conversation with a very interested party, and we are negotiating a way to redirect it from Alembic to them. I'd call that as happy an ending as can be generated.