Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: BeenDown139 on January 04, 2023, 03:27:49 PM
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https://reverb.com/item/64544939-1974-alembic-series-i-fretless-bass
had it another string and we'd be dancin'. 😍 series I or not.
what's up with the backplates? bad photography? 🤔
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I have never gotten GAS so fast… that is beautiful and fretless and that thumb rest and the etching and, and, and
Paul (so broke I can’t even pay attention).
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https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8393.msg98035#msg98035
;)
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Yes... I want it badly, but... probably not the right one for my budget and fretlessness.
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there will always be another… as the bad one said… (although not like this) :)
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Greg, I don't know how you do it so 'effortlessly'. Just over an hour from the original posting...
You're a walking Alembic encyclopedia.
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well it is a very pretty bass.
not had good luck with series I's, i've owned 3 or 4 (i think) i think it's the lack of a master volume that puts me over the edge every time. the only one i really bonded with was a '76 fretless birdseye maple top. so my track record isn't great. no LEDs, not a 5-string. pretty much what i set out as dealbreakers for my next (if ever) acquisition. plus i've found that the ergonomics on these ~50-year-old alembics is somewhat less than.... the feel of a modern one. probably wind up having an actual luthier deal with whatever (expensive) issues it has that are beyond my skill set. it's not easy to give it a test drive by remote control.
but....
still got an empty bass hanger in BeenDownStudios that was vacated at the end of my medium-scale exploiter mis-adventure.
i'm not getting any younger.
did pretty well in the stock market last year, got a sizable uncommited chunk o' cash heading my way this month.
1974 is the year i graduated from high school and picked up a bass for the first time.
so it's tempting. but really not that tempting. i need something to move me off dead center on this one. gonna get baked, sit in the hot tub and ruminate. yeah! that's the ticket!
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Interesting power supply. Can anyone tell me what all the outlets do?
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Interesting power supply. Can anyone tell me what all the outlets do?
looks to me like 5 pin bass power and separate DI's and jack outs for each pickup.
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probably not the original power supply.
nbd for me.
jsut noticed what appears to be a green fretfx strip on it. a small thing in its favor imho.
rob is that where that one i gave you went? 🤔
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Interesting power supply. Can anyone tell me what all the outlets do?
If you scroll down on the linked thread above you'll see the description taped to the bottom of the PSU. Not that I can completely decode them :o but it looks like one of the 1/4" jacks might be a "Fender" input. Oh my!
Jimmy J
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Not sure if this changes the equation for anyone here but the bass is listed for less on the store's website.
https://www.rumbleseatmusic.com/product-page/draft-alembic-series-i-fretless-bass-natural (https://www.rumbleseatmusic.com/product-page/draft-alembic-series-i-fretless-bass-natural)
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I bought an old Regal Model 19 resonator guitar from RumbleSeat Music... years ago. Maybe 20? I recall they were really cool to deal with.
I thought it looked like BeenDown finally caved, and snagged ol' 124 here...
C'mon Tim, fess up! ;D
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This just reminds me I've got to do something with my fretless (or more accurately defretted) Series 1. Definitely not as pretty as the one in question here. And certainly not in as good shape. However, it cost me only $1,600 and sure could use a refurbish. The wait, however, has gotten so long because of how busy the good folks at Alembic are that I'm afraid that by the time I get it back my fretting hand will not allow me to play it. I'm also like many of you in that it makes me cringe to think of anyone other than an Alembic employee messing around with my bass.
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I thought it looked like BeenDown finally caved, and snagged ol' 124 here...
C'mon Tim, fess up! ;D
well i'm not afaraid to admit that i'm sorely tempted by siren call of this one despite all the red flags for me:
almost 50-year-old bass. who know how many hands it's passed thru? what kind of mods have been inflicted on it? i've seen fretless fingerboards with ruts worn in them from age, abuse and roundwound strings. really not in the mood for an expensive rehab.
played the fretless essence last night. she must've sensed a disturbance in the force, cause she played and sounded better than she ever has. despite me having to tweak her neck. again. it never ends with that bass.
she's got the 70's series I curse for me. can see it coming a mile away. she couldnt've been a series II or a signature. noooooo. had to be a series I. i'm like a moth to a flame.
thought i'd outgrown my GAS. apparently not. at least not yet.
so with that in mind, anybody live in nashville area wanna pay a visit to rumble seat to do a recon for me? my email's in my profile.
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Well, Tim did not buy it. I did. This was a two owner bass, and the last time it sold was in the 70's. I suspect the power supply may be original since I saw boxes like that at John McVie's house for Christine's keyboards. What was interesting to me about the bass was the abundance of Rick Turner's jewelry work on the hardware. I have never seen one so elaborate, and it really stands out as a tour de force for showcasing what Rick could do with metal. Sure, it is an old Alembic, and we all know that none of them compare to what comes out of the factory now, but I do have to say that these old basses do sound great, and one like this is a fine piece of history. Gonna yank those fake LED's off of it, and make sure everything is as promised, but from what I can see, it looks pretty intact.
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That is great news Trevor! Was really hoping this one would end up "in the family", can't think of a better third home for such a unique bass. Miss Rick and wish he was still with us...
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Congrats, Trevor, love that bass! :)
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Thanks for the support. This bass really caught my eye, and after working with McVie's #27, I realized how wonderful these early basses sound. They seem to be voiced differently from what a Series sounds like today. Lots of high end clarity which I am a fan of. Maybe not ideal for fretless, but that is what the tone knob and middle position of the Q switch is for. I use fretless bass a lot these days for recording and flamenco music gigs. Sure, I can justify the purchase with that, but the reality is that this bass is just so over the top with personal features, great book matched woods, and a flame maple neck, that I just fell in love with it. I also find that these early basses are fairly light weight, which for my bad back is a plus, but then again, there is a lot of cool brass on this one, so it may not be the case. I am hoping Mica does not have any bad news about the bass as to repair history, but I can evaluate it upon arrival. I did get photos of the headstock/neck transition, and could find no cracks or delams. That was my main concern. Losing one of my favorite 1961 P basses to help fund this bass, so I have my fingers crossed it is everything I expect it to be.
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In looking over the previous thread history of this bass, it looks like I have some of the history wrong. I was told by the shop that they were informed that it had been in a collection and was a two owner bass since the 70's. Obviously that was a load of hooey. I also made the assumption that the metal work was by Rick, but apparently those castings etc were commissioned at the time of production by Jack The Jeweler. So, it is what it is, but appears intact, and my hope is it is worth paying almost double what it sold for two decades ago. To be continued.......
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It’s a beautiful bass foe sure! Interesting you mentioned the weight and sound. Two basses I have from that era are very light comparatively. And I find the sound to have a openness more like a hollowbody than my other Alembic basses. I have wondered, aside from the pickups, if the construction is different, for instance the body walls are thinner creating more cavity and less body wood influence or something along those lines. I really love the sound of those old basses. Congrats again and enjoy that gem! :)
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From what I can see....The top is possibly koa, but looks a lot like walnut too. The back is likely walnut, but I will confirm later. Neck is quarter sawn flame maple with walnut stringers. The core does appear to be birch. It should make for a good sounding fretless. I am hoping it will come with the original orange interior case, but in the photo, there is a modern Alembic case shown. Looking forward to another weird and wonderful Alembic. I always like the unusual.
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From what I can see....The top is walnut. Previous owner said koa, but it sure looks like walnut to me. The back is likely walnut, but I will confirm later. Neck is quarter sawn flame maple with walnut stringers. The core does appear to be birch. It should make for a good sounding fretless. I am hoping it will come with the original orange interior case, but in the photo, there is a modern Alembic case shown. Looking forward to another weird and wonderful Alembic. I always like the unusual.
I was very sorely tempted to buy this one, too. Would you please get back to me about the Bat Bass? Maybe I can help ease the sting of this one a little bit! I’ll send my number again.
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Yes - Koa top and Walnut back. Birch core. Neck is indeed Maple and Walnut, Trevor. Ebony fretless fingerboard of course. Finished 11-15-74, but warranty repair done 1-27-75 (no note of what was repaired). I met this bass a couple decades ago, and I think the fancy metalwork was done after the fact by a skilled jeweller.
I've been contacted by a bunch of people about this bass, and I have the impression it will find a new owner very soon.
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I think you are going to like the combination of koa, birch, maple, and walnut :)
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Just checked, and no longer available. Anyone here grab it? 🤔🤨
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a little late to the party as usual. was out getting stoned in the hot tub looking at the moon and stars and yadda yadda yadda...
Well, Tim did not buy it. I did.
i was jsut about to pull teh trigger on this one, thanks for saving me from another comitting another expensive 4-string debacle. although each one of those turned into something way cool eventually. but i digress.
i think this bass went to a much better home than i could provide for it. glad it went to an actual player and not into a collection or to flipsville.
sigh.... the search continues. must. not. get. led. astray!
<edit> almost forgot my manners. congratualtions, sir on the purchase of that fine instrument! may she sing sweetly for you! and hopefully a big audience as well!
cheers!
t
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Ah, Koa! Many years ago I had a bass with that same wood on top. I never really knew what it was. It was from the same era, so perhaps a consecutive slice of wood. It was pretty ornate too. It also had the tan pickups, but had little brass decorative pieces on either side of the pickups. Not rings, but on the screw edges of the pickups. If I remember right, that one was 75-229. I don't have any pictures, so I guess it did not happen.
Michael
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Interesting to see the bone nut. I have one made around the same time that also has a bone nut and I have wondered about that. This makes me think the one on my bass is likely original.
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My fretless Distillate had one too. I'm thinking one of Jimmy J's fretless basses has a bone (or Micarta?) nut. I've seen at least one fretless Series II with an ebony nut.
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From what I can see....The top is possibly koa, but looks a lot like walnut too. The back is likely walnut, but I will confirm later. Neck is quarter sawn flame maple with walnut stringers. The core does appear to be birch. It should make for a good sounding fretless. I am hoping it will come with the original orange interior case, but in the photo, there is a modern Alembic case shown. Looking forward to another weird and wonderful Alembic. I always like the unusual.
Congrats, I think you beat a few of us to the punch. Please post video, very curious how this one sounds. Again, congrats and enjoy in great health!
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I will be starting a new thread on this bass discussing all the details etc. For now, here is a link to a video I made with better photos and an audio track of the bass being played on the neck pickup with some echo. Enjoy!
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Nice picture roll, and slick playing too. 8)
That bass has a LOT of cool uniqueness.
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Very nice, Trevor :)
I have a bag of original control knobs that came off of 70s era basses. If you want four of them I can send them out. I replaced them on my basses with ebony knobs carved to match those old hat knobs.
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Hey Rob, if you happen to have one extra old hat knob left after Trevor lets you know if he needs them I would love to have one. Alembic no longer gets the exact same hat knobs they used in the 70s and when I had the master volume added to my 78 Series I bass a few years ago they had to use the newer knob for it. As nit-picky as it sounds the new knob looks just different enough that it has always bugged me visually. I am surprised, though, that you aren't going to keep all the original knobs in case you ever sell any of the basses. Thanks!
Time to watch Trevor's video about this unique old bass...
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Stephen, sure, email me your address and I’ll send one to you. I’m hoping I won’t be selling any of the basses I have for a while, I’m really enjoying the ones I have now (and yes, believe it or not, I did actually just say I am happy with the basses I have now). :)
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<snip> Enjoy!
Thank you. It really was enjoyable.
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Stephen, sure, email me your address and I’ll send one to you. I’m hoping I won’t be selling any of the basses I have for a while, I’m really enjoying the ones I have now (and yes, believe it or not, I did actually just say I am happy with the basses I have now). :)
Thanks Rob! Email sent. Not surprised that you are happy with your current stable of Alembics, you have some beautiful intruments. Continue to play them in good health!