Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: KR on December 19, 2021, 07:12:11 PM

Title: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 19, 2021, 07:12:11 PM
https://reverb.com/item/46865431-1977-kramer-alembic-copy-walnut?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=6556462740&utm_content=campaignid=6556462740_adgroupid=82353538201_productpartitionid=1461510878119=merchantid=130171148_productid=46865431_keyword=_device=c_adposition=_matchtype=_creative=391635704566&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzfuNBhCGARIsAD1nu-9nLzPOB1vF3jbT9I8MHTuIQWIMD-6j4MvDVbT1t9ev5IV8mdQ7qsoaAljKEALw_wcB
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: sonicus on December 20, 2021, 03:14:25 AM
Yet another sullen attempt ,of such :)
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: BeenDown139 on December 20, 2021, 04:26:03 AM
meh..
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: keith_h on December 20, 2021, 06:56:52 AM
If you are patient you can buy a nice real Alembic in that price range or for just a bit over it.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: hieronymous on December 20, 2021, 07:37:04 AM
I wasn't aware Kramer did stuff like that...
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 20, 2021, 10:13:13 AM
Just when I thought I had seen everything. I was surprised to see this Kramer, and with Alembic parts, too.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: senny on December 24, 2021, 09:31:10 AM
Here is the 411 on the bass in question.
I live in NJ, so I messaged the shop to ask for written verification that the bass was built by Gary Kramer before he started Kramer.
He said he could not do that, but his current bass tech worked for Kramer in the mid 70's , and he thought the bass "looked like a bass Gary was working on"
I immediately messaged Mr. Gary Kramer, and he told me that he had never seen the bass in his life, and that it was someone's "homemade project"
He has not changed the ad to reflect the new information that I gave him.
I messaged Rick Turner, Mica, Rob Turner from EMG, as well as Mike Dolan .
No one has a clue as to where this bass came from, or who built it.
While I am angry that he has not, the buyer must beware at all times.
I like that bass, and it might be great, but I would not pay that price for it.
I would have it Gary Kramer had built it.
I might go into NYC to play it, jut for the heck of it.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: rv_bass on December 24, 2021, 09:44:44 AM
I wonder if Irwin made it, or if it is a shop night bass?
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 24, 2021, 09:48:15 AM
I wonder how hard it is to adjust the truss rod...
Here is my Brodtrager German made Alembic homage bass I got from a shop in Chicago.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: lbpesq on December 24, 2021, 10:22:26 AM
Interesting bass you have there, Keith.   I’ve never seen one before.  If the PUs mount like Alembics, shouldn’t the lower right screw on the treble PU be underneath instead of on top?

Bill, tgo
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 24, 2021, 10:36:50 AM
Bill, that's the original picture from when I bought it. I've since corrected the pickup screws. They are low output Bartolini in the same shape as Alembic Series pickups. I had to completely go through the bass, including a re-fret, and added a Lemme booster buffer to bring the pickups up to level.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: senny on December 24, 2021, 11:03:02 AM
From Rick Turner regarding the alleged Kramer-Alembic:

I have no idea who made it, but clearly he was at one time an Alembic employee who "liberated" some parts to build it.   

Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 24, 2021, 11:10:01 AM
That makes sense, looking at the way the neck joins the peghead.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: edwardofhuncote on December 24, 2021, 12:30:54 PM
Could it be some relation to Sonicus' fretless Stars bass?

https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=24422.0

(which was ultimately completed by Alembic) The general design, round backplate, and a few other hallmarks exist.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: KR on December 24, 2021, 12:50:58 PM
Greg, that sounds plausible.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: sonicus on December 24, 2021, 02:27:20 PM
My bass as mentioned  indeed has a round control cavity backplate. The bass in question as the subject of this thread seems to have a had stock resembling a Tobias, with a cut-out.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: rv_bass on December 24, 2021, 06:58:31 PM
The headstock appears to be like hammer’s shop night bass IIRC, but with a cut out.  I think hammer’s also has a round back plate.  So my guess is shop night.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: rv_bass on December 25, 2021, 06:57:31 AM
There is a shop night bass on reverb right now with a similar headstock, difference being no cutout.
Title: Re: Kramer made Alembic bass copy pre-aluminum neck period
Post by: dela217 on December 25, 2021, 06:10:44 PM
Both those basses look like Mark Johnson's work to me.