Author Topic: ALEMBIC BASS GUITAR, 1975,SERIES ONE MODEL, LONG SCALE (Read 919 times)

klinkepeter · « **on:** February 06, 2008, 01:28:53 PM »

I bought this beauty 2 month ago and I can say: a dream became real. I just want to get some information about the bass, I believe in the soul of each good instrument and I would be happy to know, who played it before me.
The top of the headstock is stamped with the year, 75, along with the serial # 225. This is the long scale model with the scale measuring about 34 1/4. The exotic wood on top is bubinga. The back is another exotic wood. I do not know what the body is made of. Peter

klinkepeter · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2008, 01:34:20 PM »

I have no idea, why the pictures didn?t come, here a new try.........

(Message edited by davehouck on February 06, 2008)

tbrannon · « **Reply #2 on:** February 06, 2008, 01:59:29 PM »

Beautiful- looks like a mahogany body and I think that might be a Koa back laminate...

Beautiful bass. Congratulations!

inthelows · « **Reply #3 on:** February 06, 2008, 06:07:54 PM »

Very sweet and I agree mahogany and Koa. Nice combo. Congrats and enjoy! NLP

David Houck · « **Reply #4 on:** February 06, 2008, 07:35:35 PM »

Hi Peter; congrats and welcome!

Very nice Alembic!

The scale length is probably 34. We measure from the nut to the 12th fret, then multiply that number by 2.

I see you've posted the serial number in the Serial Number lookup section of the board. Mica will pull the number next time she does a batch and post the details. However, the names of previous owners are kept confidential.

Enjoy!

adriaan · « **Reply #5 on:** February 07, 2008, 02:54:05 AM »

Nice one!

The back doesn't look like koa to me (schedua?) and the front doesn't scream bubinga! at the top of its lungs either (rosewood? vermillion?). The core looks like mahogany, the neck laminates look like they're not purpleheart but perhaps walnut.

lbpesq · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2008, 07:05:11 AM »

I'm guessing walnut top, maple core (it's hard to tell from the pix), schedua back, beech neck stringers. And definitely a beautiful bass. Enjoy it Peter, and welcome to the club.

Bill, the guitar one

terryc · « **Reply #7 on:** February 07, 2008, 07:39:17 AM »

Back laminate looks definitely like bubinga, almost identical to my MK Signature(see Showcase..Mark King 93)
A nice looking old Alembic, typical of the 70's but really not that much different from the newer ones...a classic design

adriaan · « **Reply #8 on:** February 07, 2008, 07:49:16 AM »

Terry is of course right - I always think schedua when the wood has a shimmering like that, but this one matches his bubinga MK to a T.

klinkepeter · « **Reply #9 on:** February 08, 2008, 06:18:15 AM »

thanks for your comments, let?s see what mica will say. another question: are there any members / owners from germay and especially from berlin on board? Peter

David Houck · « **Reply #10 on:** February 08, 2008, 04:10:47 PM »

I believe we have several members living in Germany.

I quick check suggests there are at least 21 members in Germany.

(Message edited by davehouck on February 08, 2008)

speicky · « **Reply #11 on:** February 09, 2008, 03:05:49 AM »

Hello, Peter,

a very warm welcome from Wiesbaden, glad to have you here. There are quite a lot members from Germany here, and I know of a few that are happy owners, but are not registered in the club.

I have seen at least three different eBay auctions for Alembics from private owners in Berlin during the last four years, so... they are right next to you. Watch out !

have fun, Christian

senmen · « **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2008, 03:14:17 AM »

Hi Peter,
as Christian already said before:
there is a whole bunch of german Alembic users in here.

Many greetings
Oliver (Spyderman)

82daion · « **Reply #13 on:** February 10, 2008, 11:26:54 PM »

A previous owner of this bass and I had an email conversation some time ago, and he sent me some pictures. My guess was that the top was Vermillion or Purpleheart that had faded.

You'll probably find it necessary to move one screw on each pickup so that they are underneath their holes, and diagonal from each other. This way, the pickups can be adjusted effectively.

(Message edited by 82Daion on February 10, 2008)

guitarplayer99 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2011, 11:14:25 AM »

Hi All- I owned this bass shortly after it's return from repair in 1976. A very good friend of mine owned the bass before me and had a problem with the electronics. The dealer - Vic Zinn music in Noblesville Indiana - sent it back to Alembic for repair. It had a HUGE pink-ish/ purple-ish Anvil flight case which turned out to be very fortunate when it was stolen from me. It was recovered not because it was an EXTREMELY rare instrument, but because someone noticed the Gawd awful Anvil case!

FYI - I was told the top was indeed Purple Heart and the back was schedua. Take care of it - it has my DNA imbedded in it!