1976 Series 1 Frankenbass !! Sold as-is !

[Quasar1]

 

https://reverb.com/item/78622722-alembic-series-1-4-string-1976

[BeenDown139]

 love the description.  originally fretted.  made fretless.  now fretted again.  kinda like victor/victoria.   at least the headstock hasn't been broken off.  yikes!

[dela217]

Do I see drywall screws in the tailpiece?!?

[goran]

This is painful to watch... why would somebody do this?

[Quasar1]

Hi Goran,,

yes , painful!

I agree 100 % !!

They ruined this instrument !!

A real shame !!

[gearhed289]

I can stomach everything but the fact that they routed the body for those pickups. Ugh...

[BeenDown139]

got a few minutes to kill whilst prepping for morning chores...

i can't imagine the price tag for bringing this instrument back to good, gotta be at least double the listed price should one be so foolish as to pay it.

the next highest priced series I on reverb from the US is $6500USD.  if yer willing to take a chance on bringing one over from j@p@n one can be had for $5600USD.  why spend $4k on a mangled carcass? ya can't really call it a series I anymore imho.  at least the logo's still intact so i guess it's still technically an alembic.
 that dealerr should know better. but i guess PT Barnum was right - it's had 3 offers so far.

[edwardofhuncote]

It's completely restore-able... just takes time and money. The amount of time and money commensurate with how far you want to go of course. And I'd already be doing it if it were a medium-scale. (it's a long-scale btw...) I still might attempt a rescue if it hangs around long enough to get reasonable. I've got a pair of AXY FatBoys that would be very happy in that bass, with a set of Anniversary electronics. A little more woodwork here and there... and 76-582 lives again.

Why would someone have done this hack job on it? I'd guess because the original electronics failed, and absent any easily available replacement parts, they went the 'cheapest route to playable'. It's a shame, but could be a lot worse. Not that I would, (or did) with an Alembic l, but I do this a lot with lesser instruments for customers in my shop all the time. By request. For economic reasons. Reality is hard.

[KR]

I really like the top wood on this one.

[Quasar1]

Updated listing !

More photos !!

https://reverb.com/item/78622722-alembic-series-1-4-string-1976

[BeenDown139]

'tis a snowy day in the mile high, probably gonna be a tree-buster, i'm inbetween buzzes, so here we go:

that really is a beautiful top.  oh, the humanity!

Do I see drywall screws in the tailpiece?!?

indeed you do.  at least they don't poke out the back.

It's completely restore-able... just takes time and money.

no doubt.  speaking for myself, i don't have a stash of high-end alembic guts in my garage or any kind of lutherie skills whatsoever so i'd have pay somebody who is so endowed a lotta scratch to do it forr me.  it'd have to be a labour of love.  i'm 67.  pretty much spent in that department

it's on my watch liste.  wonder if i'll get as "special offer" i can't refuse 

well, the snow's weighing the bushes down again, gtg..

[Picure]

Reading the description is super cringe. He still thinks this is a Series 1 bass 🤦‍♂️

And out of all the pickups, he chooses “bassline” 🤦‍♀️