Video ! Prairie Sun Recording -- 1975-1976 Alembic 5-String Bass !

[Philip-M-Bass]

I suppose some will like this ! 

Vid is available in HD  click the gear at bottom of screen and select  1080p

[room037]

Wow !
It's Dragon Bass !
The bass is marked as 78' #999 in my archives. (SN #1000 is Peggy, and #995 has 6 Hat knobs, 3 pointed knobs and 7 Sw !).
These basses have quite unusual spec. I think these are the experimentel specs for innovation.
But the PUs on the rail has been adopted #001.

Very interested !

Eiji

[Philip-M-Bass]

Yes indeed Eiji-San,

Innovation !

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor ,

I watched it around 5 times !

I usually say "eye candy"  but this is more like a 7 course meal !

[edwardofhuncote]

Interesting, they say '75 - '76 vintage... did it just take until 1978 to complete? I wouldn't be surprised by that, especially given the super-custom nature, it's just that I had always assumed Jimmy J's #76-418 to be the alpha-fiver. Perhaps they all began about the same time and his hatched first?

[Philip-M-Bass]

 Edward,

Sir, I wish I had as much Knowledge of Alembic history as you do,

Thanks for putting up with us "under-class men" 

[Philip-M-Bass]

Edward,

Sir, I wish I had as much Knowledge of Alembic history as you do,

Thanks for putting up with us "under-class men" 

[Philip-M-Bass]

Must have hit the wrong button ,

Did not mean to post the last one twice !

[edwardofhuncote]

I don't know much of anything that I didn't learn by reading about them here, acoustic1... hence the question.   


(FWIW, Eiji-san is the one with the encyclopedic knowledge, quite literally)

[Philip-M-Bass]

You are too modest ,

many thanks,

Sorry , My name is Philip,

Need to change my club name !

I still think of that time we were searching for the identity of that Honer Black Widow Bass !

have a good evening Sir !

[David Houck]

Very cool!  I think we've got some threads on this bass somewhere on the board.  Thanks for letting us know about the video.

[Philip-M-Bass]

Not at all Sir ,

You da best Dave !

My searches turn up some very interesting stuff at times !

Oh yea , I was able to change my username !  Much easier than I thought !

[peoplechipper]

it's beautiful but with all that purpleheart it must weigh a ton! must've been hell on the tools too...

[sonicus]

I have known about this instrument since the  fellow whose original dream it was  asked Alembic  to have it built .I knew him since the early 1970s when I  purchased two Guild Starfire bass's ( can be seen in show case section) from him and a pair of Alembic A15 infinite baffle speaker cabinets with JBL speakers ( like in the Wall of Sound  , but just a little smaller ) Over the years we traded back and forth various bass items of interest including an Alembic IN-2 that I repaired ( not for sale ). Very sadly he passed away not that long ago .  As per the narrative in this video he was indeed a bass player who played in several pit orchestras in San Francisco including the orchestra in the early production of " Beach Blanket Babylon " _____ We lost track of each other for sometime  including a period of time that he endured and suffered  life changing injuries in a tragic industrial accident . This person was a real dreamer and thinker with a really KIND heart . I was really surprised and pleased to have regained communications with him during the  last decade or so of his life and will miss the technical bass gear conversations with him .  I was very sad when he passed away .

[jazzyvee]

I've always loved this bass. Thanks for sharing your insight into the story behind the bass.

[dela217]

I have always admired this bass!   While watching the video I had to keep rewinding as he flipped the bass over.   I just LOVE how thick this bass is.   I really like a thick bass.   My Series II is a thick one too.   The bass looks to have low action, but just look how high the bridge is!