Author Topic: 73 series one? (Read 1189 times)

edwardofhuncote · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2015, 06:18:16 AM »

I did finally get some correspondence from the seller, largely confirming what mtjam came up with.

Salient points - the battery compartment in this bass is underneath that engraved plate. The seller is reluctant to remove it for fear of damage I suppose,(understandable) but without an Alembic power supply box, there's no way to know if the electronics work. They are confirmed to be PF-5 electronics, with the humcanceller glued inside the cavity. If they are the 40+ year-old originals, they may require some work anyway. Hard to tell what kind of touch-up would be required under that brass plate, or after peeling that sticker off.

The best news, the bass is structurally sound. It's a legitimate early Series I bass from the somewhat formative years, and has an interesting neck wood recipe of mahogany, birch and walnut. Walnut back, and birdseye maple top. The case is almost certainly original.

It's a gamble, but possibly one worth taking. Just don't know if I could commit to a(nother) rescue. Gotta' think on this one some more.

keith_h · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2015, 07:32:55 AM »

It is a fairly common neck wood recipe from that era and is still the standard recipe for the current Brown Bass. If the electronics need upgrading it could end up adding $1000-$2500 (my best guess) to the cost of bringing it back. It might be more or less. There is no way to tell until Alembic takes a look at it which usually requires shipping the whole bass.

Keith

edwardofhuncote · « **Reply #17 on:** February 20, 2015, 04:57:00 AM »

This one appears to have been sold... I had a couple more exchanges with the seller, and was waiting to hear back on the functionality of the truss rod, but apparently someone else stepped up.

Part of me is glad, now that I can stop thinking about it. I do hope we'll see it appear here... a classic bass like that deserves to be fixed and played.

bladerunner347 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2015, 01:58:36 PM »

Hi Everyone,

I'm the guy that bought this bass. I am planning on restoring it through Alembic in Santa Rosa to its original glory. I do not believe there is any real Entwistle connection other than he appears to have signed it as well as the case. I doubt he ever owned it as I spoke with the seller and Alembic last week and there is no record that he did. I am prepared to spend what I need to to get this bass in shape and I do plan on playing it. I will keep you posted... Just thought you all might like to see how it turns out... It is in transit from NY to So Cal...

Cheers,

Rob

Enzo · « **Reply #19 on:** February 22, 2015, 02:16:49 PM »

Well done Rob! Looking forward to the final result, I'm sure it will be spectacular.
...and welcome to the Club

tomhug · « **Reply #20 on:** February 22, 2015, 02:26:01 PM »

Congratulations! This is exactly what I hoped would happen to that bass.

I was pretty intrigued by this bass, but I already have one quite close in age. I speculated a bit over on TalkBass

Please keep us posted, and I hope the way is easy to restore that caramel-pickup beauty to its former glory!

David Houck · « **Reply #21 on:** February 22, 2015, 05:20:49 PM »

Congrats Rob! This will be a wonderful bass with an Alembic restoration. Look forward to seeing the after pics!

edwardofhuncote · « **Reply #22 on:** February 22, 2015, 08:18:47 PM »

Fantastic Rob... congratulations and compliments. I'm so glad someone's going to restore this one! Looking forward to the Factory-to-Customer thread on this one.