Hello.
I have a 1978 Alembic Series 1 4-string (obviously) with the original case, PSU, cable, and the paperwork that came with the bass.
I'm inquiring to the community what this bass might be worth. I need to divulge some detail about the bass.
Here's the story on the bass as it was told to me by the original owner. It was bought in 1978, I think, by the fellow who wanted to open a music store. This was his first purchase of gear to stock the store with. I don't know if he actually had a dealership and if so, the details. The fellow is NOT a bass player, BTW...
This bass stayed in its case from the time he acquired it until I met him in 1993, I think. Since I had owned and sold two Series 1s, I was interested, so I pulled out the bass, put new strings on it and set it up as best I could. I held onto the bass and gigged with it for a month, fully intending to buy it. Believe it or not, I simply couldn't pin the guy down to give him the money. He said he preferred to take my check personally, not by mail, but he he wouldn't slow down long enough to take my money. During this time, I had grown weary of the local music scene, vowing to jump off of a cliff if I were faced with having to play Brown-Eyed Girl one more time, a decision I now regret (I have since started to play again, thankfully). I decided that my playing days were done, so I caught up with the owner one morning at his office and gave him the bass back. Thankfully, he wasn't upset and we remained good friends, for which I'm grateful.
Fast-forward (please!) to the summer of 2013. That July, I had a revelation that I was blowing it by not playing. This same Alembic was the first bass I thought of when I went looking for instruments. I bought a American Standard 5-string Jazz bass, then a Music Man Stingray 5-string. Then I ran down this fellow and FINALLY bought this bass. By this time, it had developed some problems. The most glaring problem was that the finish had developed cracks across its back, edges, and to a small degree, the front. I'm certain this is from years of sitting in a hot, then cold, and on and on, office and warehouse for all of those years. Still, I felt that this bass needed a home and needed to be played. I was able to adjust the neck and make it play very nicely, though. And of course, it sounds awesome. I've just ordered a new cable and the 2 5-pin connectors to replace the original corroded connectors. Also, I removed the truss rod cover to make it easier to play pop and slap-style on the bass. I've managed to lose the cover and the screws. And at the time, I added a thumb rest right above (to the left of the noise-cancelling pickup, if you are looking at the bass from the front. Since I changed my playing style, I've removed the thumb rest and now there are two screw holes on the body where the thumb rest was attached.
I own this bass and I'm really glad about it. However, my style has developed into a LOT of 5-string playing and I don't have a big use for it. So I'm considering selling it. I don't want to list it on Ebay just yet, hoping that someone here might want it for its vintage value.
The point of this long-winded post is to ask the community what this bass might be worth, considering the condition of the finish. Im not looking to make a bunch of money and I won't be too broken up if I don't get my original investment back out of it. I think it's more important that, after all these years of neglect spent in a dark case stashed away, it needs a good home with someone that will play the damn thing. It's begging to be played and appreciated.
Any ideas and suggestions will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Geri O'Neil
