Author Topic: Fender Alembic; Fenbic; Alemder (Read 1195 times)

sonicus · « **Reply #16 on:** January 09, 2012, 07:47:04 PM »

This Bass looks very familiar. I might have seen it at the old Alembic 60 Brady St. location back around 74 /75.

liptones · « **Reply #17 on:** January 09, 2012, 07:54:38 PM »

Really....... please tell more.......

sonicus · « **Reply #18 on:** January 09, 2012, 08:02:47 PM »

It is also quite possible that this work could have also been done by STARS GUITARS .
Stars Guitars was at 60 Brady St. after Alembic made a move a little further north across the Golden Gate. I remember quite well by name some of the folks that were there , including Mr. Ron Armstrong .

pauldo · « **Reply #19 on:** January 10, 2012, 10:58:34 AM »

Christopher,
That is a great find! I wish music stores in Milwaukee would 'cast-off' beauties like that.

Welcome to the club, hopefully you will get all of the answers you need here.

dfung60 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 10, 2012, 11:49:10 AM »

Cool bass! Maybe it's an employee bass? It's not like there would have been a lot of full sets of electronics floating around and it sure looks like everything is here, down to the Raytheon hat knobs. Whoever did the work made a big time commitment - even the old P-bass rout is plugged, there was extensive new routing, and it's all shielded too. I don't know about this being Stars work though - they wouldn't have done this much work without changing to a Stars bridge!

David Fung

sonicus · « **Reply #21 on:** January 10, 2012, 01:47:00 PM »

David , I think that there have my have been some drama regarding the brass bridge and tail piece. Look at the pics of the back side. I see a brass block and a brass plate for strings through the body configuration. I really think I remember this Bass from 60 Brady St.
Look also at what looks like wood replacement (walnut) in the area where the Alembic bridge or Stars Guitars type ( I remember variations ) would have been . Suspect traces perhaps of an experiment ? Or perhaps a mistake covered up? This is triggering my memory back over 3 decades !

David Houck · « **Reply #22 on:** January 10, 2012, 02:41:40 PM »

So, what does the peghead look like? Would Stars have swapped out the nut?

liptones · « **Reply #23 on:** January 10, 2012, 02:47:56 PM »

Hey guys greetings from NY. I have to say this is awesome all this info and excitement... I am sure learning a whole bunch..... Thank you guys!!

I agree with Sonicus... There was at some point strings through body style. In its travels someone modified that option. Also I must note that the nut was brass and scalloped. It seems to have disappeared, I sure hope I can find that piece. the walnut fill was definitely a sloppy fill of sorts.
It also has the schaller tuners.

mica · « **Reply #24 on:** January 10, 2012, 02:54:47 PM »

I have a vague memory that there were about a half dozen of these basses modded back on Brady Street. Certainly not more than that. I've seen 2 others in person.

BUT, this was not done on Brady Street. The date codes on the volume pots are from 1975, which puts us in the Sebastopol/Cotati years. One of the filter pots was replaced with a 1995 date code pot from an Activator (which works fine BTW). The other filter pot looks like an original Alan Bradley type.

The wiring around the 5-pin reveals that my dad didn't do the work, but that doesn't mean that someone here at Alembic didn't do it. There are no records of repairs and modifications, so all I can tell you for sure is that the guts are Series I Alembic issue with at least one replaced pot. The silver shielding suggests that either we or someone that worked with us at one time did the work. I'm sorta leaning toward Alembic guts that Stars guitars installed. But that's just an educated guess.

David Houck · « **Reply #25 on:** January 10, 2012, 03:02:53 PM »

Thanks Mica! Looks like it's had an interesting life.

liptones · « **Reply #26 on:** January 10, 2012, 03:08:34 PM »

Hey Mica,

Wow!! I have a piece of history here!!

I know for sure that the wiring had been tampered with by the guy who I bought it from and who knows who else. He said he couldn't get it to work right(the five pin that is.) Not sure that it is the original wires from the modification or not...

What was the reason for modifying the p-basses back then?

sonicus · « **Reply #27 on:** January 10, 2012, 03:49:01 PM »

Mica , Therefore , since Stars Guitars moved into 60 Brady Street during during the Alembic Sebastopol/Cotati years as per the time period of your post then Stars Guitars may have installed the Alembic Guts @ 60 Brady St after Alembic moved. That make sense . I still think I remember this Bass when Stars Guitars was at 60 Brady! I think I remember someone showing it to me there.

sonicus · « **Reply #28 on:** January 10, 2012, 04:08:35 PM »

liptones ,
The time period in which these mods were likely done was an exiting period of experimentation and an effort to improve the all over sonic capabilities of the Bass Guitar . Alembic was the pioneer in this effort and many others followed and copied what Alembic was doing.

Someone may have wanted a bolt on Fender Bass with the best pickups and electronics in existence, and hence the mods on your Bass. Although they are not Series Alembic electronics, Activators latter made it possible to have Alembic pickups in a Run Of The Mill non-Alembic production line instrument.

liptones · « **Reply #29 on:** January 10, 2012, 07:46:35 PM »

Well I would love to have someone here in NY have a look to make sure the wiring is right and all is sounding properly. Can anyone recommend anyone that is familiar with Alembic electronics?

Thanks,
Chris