Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: andrewknight on May 16, 2005, 10:32:22 AM
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See this listing on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=7322004458&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=7322004458&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)
I had no idea that fretboards could be made and interchanged like that. It seems to me like it would have to impact tone and resonance a lot.
Anyone have info about this? Also...serial 781?
(Message edited by AndrewKnight on May 16, 2005)
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There was a thread started about this bass a few months ago when it popped up on Instrument Exchange seen here:
http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/14972.html (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=15027)
I think the general consensus was that too much of the neck wood must be removed to allow the neck to remain stable; also the fingerboards had a tendency not to stay in place on the instrument.
[edit] Here's a more in-depth discussion.
http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/16060.html (http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/16060.html target=_top)
(Message edited by jagerphan84 on May 16, 2005)
(Message edited by davehouck on May 16, 2005)
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Thanks! That answers all my questions and more.
Andrew
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Not all your questions, Andrew. As you noted the serial number of 781 seems awful low for an '81 instrument, but what do I know? Sometimes I feel like I'm functioning with three interchangable brains, all with cracks! (LOL) One of them seems to remember another discussion about the interchangable fretboards with Val or Mica chiming in less than enthusiastically.
Bill, tgo
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781 _is_ too low to be an '81. #781 would have been born in late summer, 1977.
Also, the earliest Spoiler I show is an '82: 82S2307, which was born either late September or early October, 1982. So the 1981 production date is suspect, as well.
David Grego (BigBass) from this forum owned the instrument in the past; he may have some info on the serial number and/or production date.
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Bill is right, that serial number can't be right; it has to have 4 digits.
Valentino
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Maybe 1781?
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1781 was my first thought, too, Bob. But that's still an '81 number, and _might_ be too early for a Spoiler.
I suppose somebody could call Guitar Center...
...or not...
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Nobody at GC is going to know a thing about this thing...and they want at least $2200 for something which by all accounts seems to be a bad idea...just my opinion...feel free to disagree with me... Wasn't the Spoiler the Excel of the early '80s?
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You may be inclined to think that way, it was the simpler of the factory standard production basses at the time, but as I remember there weren't ?lans, or Europas then either. It was a series bass or the tempting Spoiler. Or what ever you could talk Susan into making. Hold down the shift key and hit the 4 button as many times as necessary.
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In what respect...? Different pickups, electronics & scale length...
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Run Away! Run Away!
This whole process sounds like a good way to destroy an instrument. If you really want 3 different fingerboards.... buy 3 different Spoilers. You just about could for the money they are asking for that butchered one.
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I saw this bass and was somewhat interested (until I placed a custom order for an Essence bass.) This concept I believe was started by a company out of Jersey called Novatone. They did have problems with the neck staying on straight but was later correct by 2 rails raised about 1/8 and in the shape of a upside down V or triangle type shape. This was enough to hold it in place but still able to remove the fretboard fairly quick. There were used a lot on Kramer basses and some Fenders. You could send them your bass and they would also do a custom job for you... Never tried it, but was always curious.
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Hi Hardy, welcome to the group!
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It's funny that somebody would try to make a Swiss Army knife out of a bass with multiple fretboards 20 years ago well before the trend of turning every piece of gear into a Swiss Army knives with all of the modeling and what not. Swiss Army knives are lame! They do a lot on a mediocre level. And to make gear that is of Leatherman quality with uber versatility would simply not be practical. I think if you want three different types of basses buy three types of basses (or whatever instrument) because an instrument that supposedly does three different things will only do them poorly. I find it interesting that people do not understand how much of a compromise one makes by buying something that does it all.
Now at the time the Spoiler was introduced, wasn't the Distillate the other more affordable bass that was produced in addition to the Series instruments but still more expensive than the Spoiler?
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According to the serial number guide (http://www.alembic.com/support/reference.html#sernum), yes, Distillates were introduced in 1978 and Spoilers in 1980.