Author Topic: 1983 Alembic Electrum! (Read 626 times)

keavin · « **on:** May 25, 2006, 05:38:39 AM »

http://cgi.ebay.com/1983-Alembic-Electrum-Rare-Guitar-USA-Grateful-Dead_W0QQitemZ7417834118QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** May 25, 2006, 07:42:13 AM »

The listing for this one is quite inaccurate. I sent the seller the following:

Your listing contains several inaccuracies.

1. The bone nut is not original. Alembic have brass nuts.

2. While Alembic has pioneered many areas of guitar building (hippie sandwich construction, low impoedance active pickups, low pass filters) 5 string basses and graphite necks aren't among them. Modulus made graphite necks and did some work with Alembic.

3. The two holes near the controls suggest that the electronics in this guitar are not original. ALembic doesn't sell guitars with extra holes in them. The inside pictures don't look like original Alembic electronics. I don't see any blue trim pots which are apparent on Alembic boards. Also, the ferrite bead is missing.

4. The tailpiece appears to be other than original.

5. Buckingham plays a Turner Model 1, not an Alembic.

I have 3 Alembics, including an '83 Electrum. If you send Alembic the serial number (found on the fretboard below the 24th fret) they'll give you the build history

Bill, tgo

keith_h · « **Reply #2 on:** May 25, 2006, 08:12:21 AM »

Another thing that seems strange to me is the circuit boards appear to be breadboard. This is usually only done for one of or prototyping. It seemed strange to me that a guitar of this vintage would have breadboard over an etched circuit card.

Keith

mica · « **Reply #3 on:** May 25, 2006, 08:16:40 AM »

Hi Bill! I'm just waiting for departure time, so here's some other thoughts on this guitar.

1. Rarely, and I do mean rarely, a bone nut is installed by customer request.

2. The first 5-string electric bass was Jimmy Johnson's Alembic as far as anyone including Jim Roberts can figure. We were Modulus' first customer, so the first graphite neck was on an Alembic, and we did have to do development with them. However, Geoff Gould is the godfather of graphite.

3. The electronics seem original, the trimpots are mounted a little differently on the early electrum electronics, you can just see them in the photos. The extra holes are indeed troubling. The shielding also doesn't appear original. Extra holes? Haven't even done that on special request. Ferrite bead wasn't original equipment in 1983.

4. I've seen that shape before, but not in that thickness, only in 1/16 thickness.

5. Buckingham does have a Series I guitar (the first ever painted color Alembic, in white), but he's not often seen with it.

There appears to be a serial number below the 24th fret, but I can't make it out in the photo.

Happy sluething!

P.S. I saw your guitar had the 24th fret inlay finished and is now fretted. James is very pleased to ahve that stage completed.

tom_z · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2006, 08:50:58 AM »

Can't quite make out the first part in the photo but the serial number appears to be [??] 2574.

Peace
Tom

lbpesq · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2006, 11:06:23 AM »

Mica:

Thanks for the info and have fun on your trip. I'm sure the guys can be left alone without blowing things up. hehehehehe

Does Alembic do tailpieces with the insert holes for the ball ends like on this guitar? I don't recall ever seeing one like that.

Bill, tgo

effclef · « **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2006, 01:33:24 PM »

Ended, $2025!

Looks like the serial is 83E2574.

For what it's worth, Claire's husband's 83 Electrum in the showcase at:

http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/3824.html?1047844515

appears to have a bone nut.

I did a search on the club and found reference to Electrums having a standby switch and an indicator LED. I wonder if that's what was missing from here. Perhaps a Q switch and power LED could be put in those holes, a la Distillates?

The route in the body looks original to me and the holes which are empty look awfully clean to have been an amateur job.

EffClef

effclef · « **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2006, 01:41:25 PM »

Snagged a few closeups before they disappear off Ebay.

lbpesq · « **Reply #8 on:** June 02, 2006, 07:23:39 AM »

My '83 Electrum has a standby mini toggle, but no LED. The full layout is Volume - Filter - Pan - Q - Standby.

See it here:

http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/12743.html?1126428257

Bill, tgo

effclef · « **Reply #9 on:** June 02, 2006, 10:13:28 AM »

Hi, Bill...thanks for the info!

I remember someone posting that the LEDs on the Distillates would drain the battery and people clipped them out. I wonder if that is the reason this guy did...?

Anyway, thanks for the info on yours. There were quite a few variations!

Does your Electrum have hand-wired boards or are they etched PCBs?

EffClef

mooch · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2006, 09:16:20 AM »

I have 3 Electrum guitars..they all have bone nuts. Of the 2 that have double pickups one of them has a toggle switch..the 3rd has 3 single coils. Shielding on all of mine are identical and unlike this photo......Moooch

effclef · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2006, 10:05:58 AM »

Mooch, what is unlike your shielding? The color? To me, the cavity wood routing looks factory-orig but I've not seen inside another Electrum.

How do you like the sound/playability of your Electrums?

EffClef

PS I noticed in the other auction photo that someone had moved the strap button from the neck heel over to the upper horn...common mod I guess.

lbpesq · « **Reply #12 on:** June 05, 2006, 10:40:08 AM »

The strap button on my '83 Electrum is on the upper horn and appears to have been there originally as there is no hole or mark at the neck heel. WOW, $2025 for an Electrum with extra holes, questionable electronics and other potential non-factory mods, and all mahogany, NO top wood! The prices on these sure seem to have gone up in the last couple of years.

Bill, tgo

effclef · « **Reply #13 on:** June 05, 2006, 10:45:39 AM »

Bill...points well taken. However, sure about the mahogany? Looks like koa to me. I remember Mica saying something about solid koa wings on certain early Spoilers (with the Alembic sticker-logo era, I think) but I could be wrong on both.

EffClef

lbpesq · « **Reply #14 on:** June 05, 2006, 11:59:23 AM »

It very well could be koa. I'm certainly not a wood mavin! But the pics look more mahogany to me, or maybe even walnut. The koa core on my Series I has a translucent almost 3D quality that I don't see in the auction pictures. Either way though, I would suspect that an exotic or semi-exotic wood top, as seen on most Alembics, would usually bring a higher price. My Series I and my (soon to be finished?) Further are hippie sandwiches (top and back over a core). My Electrum is an open face sandwich (BEM top on mahogany wings). So that would make this Electrum hippie cold cut construction?

(all middle, no bread). Still, this is the second or third Electrum in a row to go for $2000+ on ebay. When I purchased mine two years ago, the going rate seemed to be about $1500-1800 for Electrums.

Bill, tgo