Does this bass look familiar...?

[kungfusheriff]

If the pickup tabs aren't broken, that's a quick setup fix addressed in the FAQ section. Will the seller give you a trial period?

[eos35mm]

Nope, he is selling it as is, trying it out would be the best things.  He mentioned that previous owner had a light touch, if you have a heavy touch it will buzz a little?? still doesn't explain the odd angle. Might the p/u be broken thus creating more of a hiss, just guessing. He never mentioned which p/u and I.C. was creating more hiss. Would a broken p/u tab mean getting a new p/u?

[kungfusheriff]

>if you have a heavy touch it will buzz a little??
That would depend on how high your string action is set, not where the pickup is set.
>Might the p/u be broken thus creating more of a hiss
Could be...a close inspection by someone who knows Alembics or a good electronics repairperson should suss that out. It sounds like the bass should go back to Alembic for service, which is expensive. What's he asking for it as-is?
>Would a broken p/u tab mean getting a new p/u?
That would depend on how badly it's broken, if that's indeed true. I had one that was Krazy Glued after being cracked, which worked fine.

[keith_h]

One thing you said would make me a little suspicious and that is the reluctance to give out the serial number. Is the bass nearby so you can go look at it in person? If yes I would go by to look at and check the serial yourself. I would also look it up on the stolen list.  
 
Keith

[bsee]

The pickup angle is a perfectly normal thing for a player to do to get the tonal balance they prefer from string to string.  You really need to read all of the FAQs on this site.  In particular, you need to understand how to adjust pickup height before you try it so that you don't break something.
 
The comment about the touch means that the action is probably set very low.  That's just a matter of setting the bass up to play the way that is most comfortable to you.
 
Also, I would stop worrying about what woods are in the instrument.  At this point, it doesn't matter.  If you can hear it before you buy it, you will either like the tone or not.  If you've seen it, either you will like the way it looks or not.  The wood content of a 70s Alembic really has no bearing on the value.
 
You didn't really say for certain, but your messages suggest that the seller is local to you and that you could try it before you buy it.  Is that true?  If so, then go try it out.  That will tell you if it's the bass for you better than any chat here.
 
If you can't play it before you buy, you have to decide how much risk you're willing to accept.  It sounds like the seller won't take it back under any circumstances, so you need to be ready to walk away if you're not comfortable with the deal.

[eos35mm]

Guys, thanks for your feedback. The bass is not local, getting to try it out and hear it would be a little difficult and expensive. The string height I know about, I mentioned to see whether the rear pickup height & angle, the string height and hiss had anything in common. Faulty pickup...lower strings....raise pickup, something I've tried.  
I also lowered string height for more speed.
That being said, it doesn't have LEDs, the asking price might be a little high. Alembic said that it needs an I.C. If I could get it at a lowere price it might be worth the gamble.
Keith, it would definitely help in the comfort level dept. if I had the Ser # to do a search.  It would be invaluable if I could play it. I don't want to buy a cat in a bag, throw good money after bad. No one does.

[olieoliver]

While I do agree with Bob about pickup heighth adjustment to get a tonal balance the adjustment I see in the photo of this bass seems odd to me.  
It has the bridge pickup much close to the 1st string than the 4th and has the neck pickup even. I have always had to adjust my pickups the exact opposite of this. I usually have the bridge PU. closer to the bottom strings and the neck closer to the 1st and 2nd strings. But I've never has to make this extreme of an adjustment. I'm not saying there is a problem with the bass just that this seems like an odd set up.

[dela217]

Roger, check your email.  
 
Michael

[eos35mm]

Hi Michael,  I've sent you an email. If you sent me one I didn't get it.
 
Roger