The pickups and electronics are newer than the bass (part of the electronics are from 1985). It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the swithcs are not our typical switches, and it doesn't look like Signature electronics to me since there is only one preamp in the bass.
Is the large pot a master volume or a pan? I'll guess the two pots on the left side of the photo are volume for each pickup (note the pickup leads are plugged in there).
The switches aren't for Q since these look like they aren't connected to the filter module (the one with the trimpot). Are these on/off for the pickups?
The wiring in general also looks a bit messier than I'm used to seeing on our instruments. I'm also not aware of any instruments we made with a 3-pin output.
The switch cover on the lower horn doesn't appear to have a hole under it. The nothes in the bridge are also unusual. The tailpiece is unlike any I've ever seen.
Many things about the bass say Alembic, but there are things that don't quite add up, most notably the lack of a logo or its evidence and the weird serial number. If the guitar is an early 70's model Alembic, the electronics were absolutely replaced.
Regarding the peghead repair, do those dowels on the front go all the way through to to back? Bone nut is not unheard of, but I'd call it rare as original equipment on an Alembic.
There's an unknown number of employee project instruments out there. If this was an employee project, it looks like it was started in 1974 and finished in 1985.
As I work on the great big database of Alembics, we may be able to track down and see if any records match what we see on this bass, but that query is many months away.
About the serial number. I can't map the (6)10(4)6-4 to our serial number format. Are there any numbers stamped on the other side of the point on the peghead?
It will be interesting to find out what the history behind this bass is. With Columbo (dela) on the case, and the rest of us Alembic hounds, if it's a solvable mystery, we'll figure it out.
