Well this is even more interesting. So somewhere or another, there is #75AE40, a 1975 Series bass that's been converted to a 5-string. In a funny turn of circumstances, that would make it technically older than Jimmy J's original 5-string which was the first! And that invoice is hilarious... I wonder what the cost for a wave of the magic wand is these days?! 🤣

So I found another thread for a Series II 6-string with I think this same body. It was referred to in the build card as a "Bulger" whatever that meant. (remember that sapphire blue 6'r in Indonesia a while back Gary? Pickups were upside-down in it...) If you look at the Series II Custom that's pictured in the literature with the bass being sold here it appears to be the same. There was another body called Rogue II, but this doesn't look quite like it. And at some point Europa was modified to accept Series electronics because there are quite a few of them, but this isn't an Europa either.

So that's all I got. I think it's just what it looks like... a custom 5-string with Series electronics. I think realistically they could sell it around $8-10k. It's in nice shape. $25k is unrealistic. I bet it's a tone monster.

I was just thinking......that script on the headstock is the equivalent of affixing a DYMO label.......just to clarify that's it's NOT an "Olympic" bass! 

Oh and that 1990 invoice......$1k for a refin / added string and magic wand?  What A Deal!

Bulger was the name of the person the shape was designed for.

The nickel finish switches look  a little funny to me. We do get them on request (early ones were all nickel). CVQ and Q-switches fit in the same hole.

I don't think this is a fake, but the logo is wrong. It's smooth, and the proportions and shape are wonky. At first I thought it was maybe distorted after taking it off, but it really doesn't look like it came out of the same mold.
See what I mean?

The logo in your photos appears to be the hand carved version. Could they have special ordered that and so looks a little wonky? 

I also thought that, but the more I look at it, maybe it is a molded logo that was removed and damaged, and this reshaping is the best they could do to average the harm. I'm not saying it couldn't leave the shop like this, but it would be a bit surprising. If we damaged the original logo modding the headstock for a 5-string, I'm sure we would have replaced the logo. 

Quote from: mica on May 03, 2026, 09:09:44 AMI also thought that, but the more I look at it, maybe it is a molded logo that was removed and damaged, and this reshaping is the best they could do to average the harm. I'm not saying it couldn't leave the shop like this, but it would be a bit surprising. If we damaged the original logo modding the headstock for a 5-string, I'm sure we would have replaced the logo.

Well, this is a possibility I hadn't considered. Are you thinking this bass (subject of the thread) is the converted 1975 bass? I was wondering if possibly this logo may have been the old one that was mentioned in the shop receipt, that somehow made it onto this 1996 bass. Like the same person owned both. Mysterious!

it'll only costya $25k USD to find out!

¡good luck to all!
🗿🐕

No it's not a 1975 bass for sure. But 90% of this body shape is 6-strings. We'll have to investigate the serial number and see what we can see. 

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 02, 2026, 10:08:52 AMUse the search function and look for threads in this section with "Dock" or "Dock's". You'll find more. Whoever that guy is (or was?) they had an eye for really unusual Alembics. I seem to remember a couple Club Members bought from him. And though I don't think it ever came to fruition, Dock had a 6-string that Moderator Dave had some interest in. I forget the model... Elan or Europa maybe? And Gaffney isn't too far from him. There's always another one, said Paul.

This Series 1.5 or 2 I don't believe ever sold. It looks the same as it did, stickers and all. The body is also a sorta' custom pattern. Danged if I remember what it's called. Lemme go look for that. *Starts with a B.

*BULGER! I'm not sure but I'm thinking that's what this one is. Took me a while to run that down.

WOW!  This is like a Beetlejuice moment!  Here we are talking about the body shape inspired by Bulger and now THAT instrument has been stolen. See Mica's post on stolen Alembics.  

jsut bumped up with a $5001 USD price drop.  i dunno.  this whole deal looks sketchy to me.  kinda been thinking if i was selling an alembic and i knew hwat it was i'd surf this forum to see what the chitter-chatter from the peanut gallery about it is.  maybe answer some of the burning questions.  especially if i'm expectiong someone to drop $20k on it.  same deal withthe dragonwing.  sure looks like a flipper selling it.  makes me not wanna bid.  good luck to all!

so just another oddment to add to the mix....  this mroning as i'm looking at sunrise over the alembics, it struck me that the headstock on this one 3+2 whilst all the other fretted alembic 5er's i've ever seen are 2+3, making for a long reach to the A-string tuner if you've got a long scale.
strangely enuff, any fretless 5-er i've seen is 3+2.  it seems to go across other brands as well.  nobody's ever been able to 'splain that one to me.

good luck to all!

I wonder if that bass didn't begin as a 6-string? 

The headstock is plenty big enough. There are the number of neck lams you'd expect in a 6-string. And at least someone in possession of some paperwork with that bass had a 4-string converted to a 5-string. 

Curiouser. I'd message the guy, but it'd mean hacking back into my Reverb account, and I kinda' have a feeling this is an estate situation. Dock knew what he was selling for the most part. This person has a clue, but just. 

Quote from: BeenDown139 on June 28, 2026, 08:05:43 AMso just another oddment to add to the mix....  this mroning as i'm looking at sunrise over the alembics, it struck me that the headstock on this one 3+2 whilst all the other fretted alembic 5er's i've ever seen are 2+3, making for a long reach to the A-string tuner if you've got a long scale.
strangely enuff, any fretless 5-er i've seen is 3+2.  it seems to go across other brands as well.  nobody's ever been able to 'splain that one to me.

good luck to all!

Nothing to do with fretless v. fretted! The 3+2 arrangement with most strings means the non-tapered part of the B string often ends up wound on the tuner, which is less than ideal. With the 2+3 arrangement, that problem goes away.

On my 6, we worked around the issue by moving the tailpiece back a bit, and moving the bottom two rows away from the nut.