Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Serial Number / History Requests => Topic started by: longhorncat on July 23, 2010, 09:51:24 PM

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: longhorncat on July 23, 2010, 09:51:24 PM

I just bought this '85 Distillate and would like to know more about it.  The previous owner says the top is Bubinga, but I have my doubts.
 
It's out getting re-fretted right now, but I'll post some pictures in the showcase when I get it back.

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: dadabass2001 on July 24, 2010, 10:27:16 AM

Hi Bill,
By the serial number, your bass was completed in 1984 rather than '85. Enjoy it when it gets back!
Mike

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: longhorncat on July 24, 2010, 08:16:38 PM

D'uh, I knew better than that.
I just repeated the sellers ad copy without thinking.
 
Here is an old pic:
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/83225.jpg)

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: sonicus on July 24, 2010, 11:00:45 PM

Congratulations !                        I think I saw this  on ebay  or craigslist a while back , is that correct ? It has that RCA jack by the 1/4 output jack. Is the RCA jack wired for an external power source?    I like Distillates , I have an '81 single pickup export model. ( Cyclops)  I just took it to a recording gig with great results. Alembic (the mother ship) did a great job improving mine .   Enjoy !

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: keith_h on July 25, 2010, 06:02:22 AM

Wolf,
I believe that is a power LED. It goes on when the bass is plugged in. I don't recall the years but they were standard equipment for awhile. Due to the extra drain on the battery a number of folks disconnected them.  
 
Keith

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: David Houck on July 25, 2010, 06:24:15 AM

Keith; looks to me like there's something else going on there.
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/83236.jpg)
 
The LED is on the left.  My guess is that the thing on the right is not original.

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: sonicus on July 25, 2010, 07:11:28 AM

I have a power LED on mine as well . I see what looks like an RCA jack (aka phono jack)  next to the 1/4 output jack.  I  think I remember another thing about this Bass; the higher register frets had been pulled and were filled in to make the instrument half fretless;  does my memory serve me right ? Perhaps that Ginkgo Biloba that I have been taking really works for my memory. LOL___
 
Sonic Regards !

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: artswork99 on July 25, 2010, 08:38:02 AM

I faintly recall talk about that being a way to feed 9V to the bass instead of the internal battery.
 
Duh, that may have been Wolf's post above where I heard it. Ha!
 
(Message edited by artswork99 on July 25, 2010)

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: longhorncat on July 25, 2010, 08:32:58 PM

That extra jack was for an external power pack.  
It's now a hole waiting for a 3-way battery switch.
 
It was half-fretless.  
My  Jedi luthier (http://www.lakland.com/lakland-influences.htm) will have that fixed by next week.
 
 
Any ideas on the top wood?
 
 
 
(Message edited by longhorncat on July 25, 2010)

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: keith_h on July 26, 2010, 08:03:51 AM

It is hard to tell on my monitor as it looks like a red dot in the style of housing I used to use for indicator lights on test equipment. I happily  retract my previous statement.  
 
Keith

Title: (x) 84D3121
Post by: mica on December 28, 2010, 09:05:52 PM

Here's the details from the instrument file:
 
top: Bubinga
accent: none
body: Mahogany
neck: 5-piece Maple and Purpleheart
scale: 32 medium
fingerboard: Ebony
inlays: Pearloid (plastic) ovals
controls: volume, filter, Q switch, bass cut/flat/boost, treble cut/flat/boost, pickup selector switch, LED power indicator, mono output
originally made for: not recorded
birthday: April 12, 1984