Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Serial Number / History Requests => Topic started by: mtjam on October 17, 2014, 01:32:38 PM

Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 17, 2014, 01:32:38 PM: Hi Mica! I just brought home a Series 1, which I'm told was made in 1981. The serial number listed on my receipt is F9811955. This doesn't seem to follow the usual serial number pattern for Alembics that I'm aware of. It's definitely not a 98. What's the F for? It came with the original case, power supply,and cable.

Any information you can provide when you have a chance is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: FC Bass on October 17, 2014, 01:50:26 PM: Pictures? 11955 is an '99 serial number by the normal chronology and F stands for Further or Persuader (with Vector body if I'm not mistaken)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 17, 2014, 03:54:50 PM: I will try to post a few pics tomorrow. Definitely a strange serial number. Maybe Mica will know more about this one. One thing is for sure--it sounds great!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: sonicus on October 17, 2014, 04:02:15 PM: Congratulations!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 17, 2014, 04:09:06 PM: Thanks! Taking it out for the first time tonight!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 18, 2014, 11:40:41 AM: OK, here are a few pics of my bass. It's hard to get a good shot of that serial number. I notice that it says USA after the number.

(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/199206.jpg)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: FC Bass on October 18, 2014, 12:02:44 PM: If you leave out the F9, you have 81 1955 (legit 81 serial number)
USA is common in the serial number, I think they all have it.

Looks great, congrats!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 18, 2014, 12:06:23 PM: Thanks! I took a few more pictures, but I'm having difficulty posting them. I resized them (just like I did with this one), but I keep getting error message. Maybe I'll send you a few so you can check it out.
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: FC Bass on October 18, 2014, 12:51:55 PM: I got them, are those full size? If not please send those, I can post them bigger at high quality :-)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: FC Bass on October 18, 2014, 02:55:25 PM: The full size pics can be found here. (http://shares.fcbass.nl/s#4fd6cce4-1278-4e78-bd1b-e803c9810093/fclandstra.clouddrive.fcbass.nl/images/811955/ target=_blank)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199241.jpg)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199242.jpg)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199243.jpg)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199244.jpg)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199245.jpg)

(http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/199246.jpg)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 18, 2014, 03:02:35 PM: Flip, thank you for posting these!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: sonicus on October 18, 2014, 08:43:50 PM: Nice looking Series I !
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 19, 2014, 05:29:48 AM: Thanks!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: FC Bass on October 19, 2014, 02:54:24 PM: Definitely nice!

No problem Rob, this was a nice challenge (getting these to the size limit)
Biggest problem is the detailed green surroundings, they take a lot of disk space.

Here's a bigger version where I blurred out the background (a bit sloppy in some spaces)

(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/199297.jpg)
(filesize 122 kB)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: sonicus on October 19, 2014, 02:58:28 PM: What is the top wood I wonder ?
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 20, 2014, 02:30:39 PM: I'm anxious to find out what the top and back laminates are. Until I find out I'll just keep playing the heck out of it. I am really enjoying the balance of the Standard Point body.
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on October 26, 2014, 01:12:41 PM: So...does anyone know what the F at the beginning of my serial number means? Anyone seen this before?

Loving this bass! I'm thinking the F stands for fantastic!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on March 08, 2015, 06:43:30 PM: Here's an action shot

!(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/207307.jpg)
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mica on March 13, 2015, 09:06:22 PM: OK - Found the weirdness! Sold to Washington Music 11/5/81 as a 2nd. No physical problems, just very, very plain looking

Looks good to me! Here's what the file says:

top: Purpleheart
body: not recorded (but I'll guess Mahogany)
back: Purpleheart
neck: Maple and Purpleheart
scale: 32 medium
fingerboard: Ebony
inlays: mother of pearl ovals
pickups: 2x SC-1 with humx
controls: Series I
originally made for: Washington Music Center, MD
birthday: November 5, 1981

The serial number is actually FS81-1955 and I guess it's considered a factory second since we thought it so plain. What did we know? I like the way it looks!
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: sonicus on March 13, 2015, 09:38:23 PM: It looks swell indeed !
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: edwardofhuncote on March 14, 2015, 02:50:44 AM: That's why I like reading this page... it's fascinating what small details sometimes come out in these serial number lookups.
Title: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mtjam on March 14, 2015, 05:14:02 AM: Thank you for the info, Mica!

That's funny that this has a purpleheart top and back. I posted here at the Club once about liking the look of purpleheart laminates. Now I have a Series bass with them, and I didn't even realize it until now! I thought it might be walnut. Now I can see how purpleheart gets darker over the years.

Even though my bass is considered a very plain second, it delivers the goods! Plain, fancy....I like them all!

Any other seconds floating around here at the Club?

Thanks again, Mica!
Title: Re: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: sonofa_lembic on November 12, 2017, 07:01:53 AM: Bubinga top and back.
Title: Re: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: growlypants on November 12, 2017, 08:26:07 AM: (I can just hear Susan now: "Looks a bit plain, don't you think?? Aah, just mark it a second!!!")
Title: Re: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: gearhed289 on November 12, 2017, 10:23:25 AM: Quote from: sonofa_lembic on November 12, 2017, 07:01:53 AM
Bubinga top and back.

That's what I was thinking until I saw Mica's reply.
Title: Re: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: slovecchio on October 23, 2020, 09:20:55 AM: Somebody knows the exact name of this model? I can't find it in any photo in the Alembic website catalog
Title: Re: (x) Series 1-- FS811955
Post by: mica on October 23, 2020, 01:31:09 PM: It's a Series I bass. The FS is a weird designation that was rarely used. Series I basses can look all sorts of different ways, so it's unlikely you'll find any two that actually match.