SN: C1705

[alegrass]

SN: C1705

Hello, I'm still Alessandro from Venice (ITALY).
I am writing to ask if you kindly have information regarding the technical specifications and possibly the history of this bass.

This is another bass that was part of the collection I talk about in the previous post about the Stanley Clarke.
From what I understand from the obvious details this Series 1 should be a custom order fretless from the late 1980. It is truly in excellent aesthetic condition, were it not for the obvious modification of the frets and dots, it appears to have never been played.
He has the original case but not his DS-5 nor his original cable which were taken by those who took over the previous owner's amplifiers before me. Together with the case and bass, there are also 2 short gray mono jack cables, which appear to belong to the original kit, there are no documents.
It appears to be a 34 inch scale. I tried it with two 9v batteries and with a mono jack, but the bridge pickup doesn't seem to work, I don't know if it's because I don't have the ds-5, because I only tried it with the mono jack or because the pickup is actually broken...
This Series 1 was purchased used by the previous owner at the end of the 80s at the "Stop Musica" musical instrument shop in Lugo in the province of Ravenna (Italy), and probably the frets and dots were later placed in that shop, or more probably at the Tomassone shop in Bologna of which the previous owner was a regular customer.
Currently I really don't know what to do with this bass, it's really a shame that it was modified like this, at least they could have made the dots in Alembic style...They even put additional dots on the edge of the fretboard, and obscured the previous ones, which marked the correct positions for the fretless fretboard.
Luckily when modifying the keyboard they at least saved the serial number...
Thanks, best regards
Alessandro

[JimmyJ]

Alessandro,

See your other post regarding the 1/4" jack.  (No need for duplicate posts...)

What makes you think it was originally a fretless?  That fretted fingerboard looks original.

Jimmy J

Oh, the serial number is more likely "80-1705" as in "1980".

[alegrass]

Hello again JimmyJ,
it was not my intention to duplicate posts, reading the club's instructions I understood that this section was dedicated exclusively to asking Mica to kindly consult the instrument's production data sheet. This is why for the other question I made a post in the other section, now that you have answered me exhaustively I will delete it.

It was certainly fretless because on the upper edge of the fingerboard there are small dot position markers both in correspondence with the frets and right in the middle (fretless position and fretted position) now I don't have any photos available. Furthermore, I have never seen an Alembic with small, round, plastic dots instead of the characteristic mother-of-pearl beautiful ovals.
This is also why I see a C as the start of the serial number and not 80, I read here in the forum or on the Alembic site, sorry but I don't remember, that at least in those years the fretless keyboard was codified as custom order and for this reason the serial numbers of those basses started with C. I have attached a photo where I think you can see it better.
Furthermore, if the serial number is confirmed as C... I don't see any other reason, other than the fretless keyboard, why the bass should be classified as Custom Order, the woods seem completely standard to me and the electronics seem exactly the Series 1 standard.
Many thanks for your attention,
best regards
Alessandro

PS: I'm almost ignorant in Alembic, I've always loved them but never had the chance to have one of my own until recently, everything I know I've learned in the last two months while I was preparing to purchase and now in the last few weeks.

[JimmyJ]

OK understood. The round dot fingerboard markings and the odd placement of the original side markers does point to an unusual past. You are probably right and that it started life as a fretless.

And as for the serial number, who knows?  But traditionally the first two numbers represent the year. I had a 1976 bass which started with “AC76”…

Hopefully Mica will be able to find a build sheet which would answer your questions. But be patient because that search can take some time.

I suggest spending that time playing and enjoying this great bass! 

Jimmy J

[mica]

This has to be 80-1705 - Hope to get some instrument file questions answered in the first week of March.

[FC Bass]

Did you do them in batches? 1703 is also a fretless :-) http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/33642.html?1166068579

[mica]

No batches here!

[alegrass]

Thanks Mica and thanks to everyone who paid attention to this post, all the advice is useful and I will wait without haste when there will be time to consult the archive to find out more about how this bass was born. Best regards

[rv_bass]

Beautiful bass! 😊

[alegrass]

This has to be 80-1705 - Hope to get some instrument file questions answered in the first week of March.

Thanks Mica, then please when you have time if you can check for C 1705 and for 80 1705 I am grateful.
Best regards
Alessandro