Small Body Long Scale Basses

[rv_bass]

There had been some discussion lately about small body long scale Alembic basses with suggestions that only 8 were made in the mid-late 70s.  So I thought I would start a thread for these basses.  Below are photos of the ones I could find in searching through club threads.

[edwardofhuncote]

Hmm. I know of at least one more. It's my favorite, and I'd post it, but he'll be along...

[pauldo]

The second from the top looks extra special.

[edwardofhuncote]

If we're counting them up, there is also this one we discussed a couple seasons ago. https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=24284.msg242616#msg242616 The ebay link is long-gone dead, but [Dela217] has examined that bass, and confirms it to be another long-scale Small Standard, with a purpleheart top and maple back.

[mica]

To be clear - there may be a few more before we stopped making this combination. We made 8 for Thoroughbred Music in Florida. There are few few tallies of feature combinations because there are just so many variables.

[rv_bass]

Thanks for the clarification, Mica, much appreciate! 

Looks like we are up to ten so far (the seven pictured, the Purple Heart one Dela mentioned in a previous post, the one Greg mentioned above, and a fretted one mavnet mentioned in a previous post). So the total number is uncertain.

The objective of this thread is not to count how many, but rather to appreciate and discuss those identified. 

[BeenDown139]

the last one in the series looks like the steve fossen bass that i owned in the early '00s.  i miss that bass :-(

my A-bass has a small-ish body, i  think somewhat larger than this one.  weight-wise i think they  were pretty close.  both neck-divers.

IIRC that bass had some issues when we parted company.  single truss rod that was acting hinky.  could only use low-tension TIs on it.  sang like 10,000 songbirds. very thin ebony fingerboard, not like the modern fretlesses.

[edwardofhuncote]

Mavnet's fretted Custom was the missing one I was thinking of... the purpleheart-topped one with those cool birdseye maple wing inlays. That thing is amazing. Pretty sure that black (ebony?) fretless is his too, they were a pair.


However many there are, that's a pretty exclusive little group. Well worth tracking. I know Michael loves 'em, but I can sure see why the halt in production. My fretless Hyak isn't too far off these guys in spec, and that thing is a wrastlin' match. You really have to plan for it; posture, strap length, positioning, and it helps to have some natural reach. I have played a few gigs with that one, and it's a sweetie, but I'd never replicate it as a go-to. No. Way.

[mavnet]

I've got two - the black fretless in the first post in the thread, and this one. both made in 1977.

[dela217]

I could be wrong (probably), but the 3rd picture in the original post does not look like a long scale to me.    Look at the position of the bridge and tailpiece compared to the others.

I have owned 2 of these long scale small bodied basses.   One of them was the one in the first picture.    The other one I had was a cocobolo topped bass.   I don't remember the serial number, or whatever happened to it.    There has been so many Alembics in my past.

I know of another one here in the New Orleans area that has a purpleheart top, with a maple back.   It was in a local pawn shop for a while, I lost track of that one.   The 5th one pictured above is also here in my area, in fact right down the street!

Michael

[edwardofhuncote]

I agree the proportions look 'off' on that third one down dela, but it was listed for sale recently and specifically listed as "one of the eight" long-scale Small Standard bodies, which kinda' sounds like the seller sorta' knew what they had. Could be a medium-scale too, I reckon. Or maybe not at all. You've seen more of these things than any of us! Between you and Rob, there are only so many blanks to fill.

[rv_bass]

I could be wrong (probably), but the 3rd picture in the original post does not look like a long scale to me.   

I’ll let you know later next week

[rv_bass]

…also, the position of the bridge and tailpiece look to be similar to the Steve Fossen bass (last photo in the original sequence), that beendown  used to own.  Is that bass Birdseye maple?  I’ll bet that sounded great as a fretless! 

[pauldo]

I've got two - the black fretless in the first post in the thread, and this one. both made in 1977.

The black fretless, what are the switches all in a row for?

[rv_bass]

Both of mavnet’s basses are incredible, as well as the beautiful zebrawood that Dela217 used to won.  I’d be interested to know what those four toggle switches on mavnet’s basses do as well. Slawie’s koa bass is the first small body long scale that I saw, these basses as fretless must be great