https://reverb.com/item/99906355-alembic-series-ii-w-graphite-neck-natural-1978
like i need to be surfing revrbb these days. sure is a pretty old girl. i've got a grapite bass. not sure i like the sound of it but it's half the weight of my good basses. i've heard these can be....temperamental. i'm done buying basses anyways. good luck to all!
I don't see anything that indicates it's a Series II. We're LED's Installed in graphite necks?
Very nice looking one! But bit pricey. When was the first graphite neck Alembic made?
Quote from: Barend on July 31, 2026, 01:25:22 AMVery nice looking one! But bit pricey. When was the first graphite neck Alembic made?
John McVie and Stanley Clarke got the two prototypes in 1976. I'm not sure when the follow on production happened but they show up here and there until sometime in the mid-80's.
This one looks nice but I agree, that's Series I. CME was an Alembic dealer for a time. (may still be?) Did they price this one as a Series II maybe?
Garyhead - I have a Series 2 with a graphite neck. It has LED's. But that bass on Reverb is a Series 1.
I was thinking it was a somewhat optimistic price, as well. And yes - SI.
And is it just me, or does that cavity shot look a tad spaghetti-like for Alembic?
Peter
Quote from: cozmik_cowboy on July 31, 2026, 06:37:19 AMI was thinking it was a somewhat optimistic price, as well. And yes - SI.
And is it just me, or does that cavity shot look a tad spaghetti-like for Alembic?
Peter
It's the ugliest wiring I've ever seen in an Alembic control cavity. Doesn't necessarily mean anything but certainly a thing that causes one to raise an eyebrow.
Quote from: cozmik_cowboy on July 31, 2026, 06:37:19 AMI was thinking it was a somewhat optimistic price, as well. And yes - SI.
And is it just me, or does that cavity shot look a tad spaghetti-like for Alembic?
Peter
I sent a message to the seller. It's a pretty big business so we'll see if they correct the listing. Now I need to go search the Series I threads to see what a proper Series I wiring looks like. My Series are doublenecks so there is even More stuff in there.
Wow! Here's Robs 801711 control cavity for comparison. Now I wonder If it Was a Series II that someone converted to Series I. Then that begs the question....Why? CVQ's Too complicated? damaged? unable to find replacements? Oh....if the previous owner were a club member and can elaborate? NOW that $18K price is mythical.
Nice! That control cavity wiring is a little wild but not inappropriate for the time. And '78 means it was an early graphite model. (I love the off-center tailpiece - that's a hand made machine!)
Hey, here's a link with more info:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200313051543/http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/72767.html?1258218545
Jimmy J
Quote from: BeenDown139 on July 30, 2026, 06:02:23 PMi've got a grapite bass. not sure i like the sound of it but it's half the weight of my good basses. i've heard these can be....temperamental.
I thought these graphite necks were always more stable than wooden necks?
Excellent catch Jimmy! The last thread on that page was Wolf contemplating buying?????
So. It was always a Series I.
Another fun Alembic deep dive. Maybe the current seller saw all the gold plated hardware and assumed Series II. Looks like the original owner had it at least for 30 years. (1980-2010)
The Showcase thread can be found here: https://club.alembicguitars.com/series-i-basses-and-guitars/78-series-i-w-graphite-neck/
That's a really nice looking bass :)
Quote from: garyhead on July 31, 2026, 08:50:01 AMQuote from: cozmik_cowboy on July 31, 2026, 06:37:19 AMI was thinking it was a somewhat optimistic price, as well. And yes - SI.
And is it just me, or does that cavity shot look a tad spaghetti-like for Alembic?
Peter
I sent a message to the seller. It's a pretty big business so we'll see if they correct the listing. Now I need to go search the Series I threads to see what a proper Series I wiring looks like. My Series are doublenecks so there is even More stuff in there.
I messaged them, too.
They are one of favorite places to spend an afternoon (though it's been far too many years since I have).
Peter
I haven't played a carbon fiber Necked Alembic, but I imagine that if they're anything like the other CF necked basses I've played, they're very bright/unforgiving.
Is that generally the base with these?
Quote from: adriaan on July 31, 2026, 12:11:25 PMThe Showcase thread can be found here: https://club.alembicguitars.com/series-i-basses-and-guitars/78-series-i-w-graphite-neck/
I must be slipping... I have absolutely no recollection of this one. None. [shrug]
Quoteimagine that if they're anything like the other CF necked basses I've played, they're very bright/unforgiving.
i have a status graphite 5-string headless that i use to save my shoulder and back during rehearsal. my bandies have said they like the sound of it better than my alembics but i'm in an 80's cover band so its sound is actually more period-correct for our matieral in a lot of cases. myself, i don't like its sound, playability and lack of sustain. it sounds nasally to me. it doesn't atticulate my finger techniques the way i like. the neck is radius-ed differently than my alembics and took a lotta getting used to. did i say it only weighs 7-1/2 Lbs US? i had a steinberger XL-2 years ago. it had much better tone imho but still couldn't touch the alembics.
that being said, they knew what kind of player i was when i auditioned. my backline is voiced for my alembic wood basses and so is my playing style. so - not a big fan of the graphite. ymmv hth
I have a Zon Sonus 8 and a Zon Legacy Elite 5 with carbon fiber necks. I really like the tone of these. The Steinberger is more brittle.
Again. That is a nice looking bass. Just looking at it, I thought it was a more current build. Aside from the wiring.
I see CME has updated the title of this bass to a Series I. I sent a link to the Alembic Club thread posted upthread from the original owner. I just got a message from CME: Thank you so much; very helpful. This is a consignment piece, so we're reaching out to the seller.
-David A
Senior Sales Specialist
- Chicago Music Exchange (https://reverb.com/shop/cme)
- Jul 31, 2026 01:37 PM
So, it is Not the original finish as stated in the description. Maybe the owner will reconsider a Series I bass with a Series II price tag. An interesting bass....just unreasonable asking price. He might be mis-reading the value of a carbon fiber neck.
Well, now I has a sadz; I didn't get a reply on mine :-\
Still think the wiring is non-original, and the price is about double realistic.
Peter
So here's a question for the group;
Assuming you're a perspective buyer for a vintage Alembic, (not necessarily this one) and it's professionally refinished because the original finish flaked off. This one is quite well-done in my opinion. Michael Dolan is a former Alembic employee who has some decent credibility as a builder in his own right. There's another Club Member here now who is doing a fantastic job refinishing a few Alembics with crackled up skin.
So what's the $ count-off for that, if any?
Because I personally don't care. It's easy to see why someone would simply think this one was a case queen. If Adriaan hadn't shown us the Showcase Thread I'd never have known.
I wish them all the fortune in the world but I continue to believe Reverb is an artificially inflated world of delusion.
*I'm just throwing this out as a possibility on the disheveled wiring. Dolan no doubt had to remove the electronics from the cavity to refinish. Could maybe have done a neater job with the re-install? Just a guess. I haven't seen but my two Series basses in-person. The wires had tiny little ties on them to keep them tidy.
77-621 electronics .jpeg
Myself, I see no appeal in a damaged finish. There is another forum I frequent where they talk way too much about "beautiful checking"; that tells me it wasn't cared for properly.
I would not pay a premium for for an original, but compromised, finish on anything.
Peter
well as i've said before, a thing's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it. maybe there's somebody out there that this bass scratches their particular itch. and they're just looking for an excuse to pull/not pull the trigger. guess we'll see. said the guy who said he'd never buy another 4-string. and just did 🤯
Yup Greg. You probably just hit it on the head. The electronics were removed for the refin.
There's so little finish checking on 75-254 I'm assuming it was refinished. Whatever age the finish is, the amber seems correct for a 75. If this 78 were mine, I'd get someone to add a bit of an amber tint.
I also think Gregory is right, the electronics would have been removed for refinishing and that could explain their somewhat disheveled looking current state. But it looks like all the original components are in place so I do believe it's the real thing.
I am a function over form guy myself so checked finish doesn't really bother me one way or another. Regarding the sound of these basses, my 1980 and 1982 graphite neck 5-string (on the 4-string mold) Series-I fretless basses have a very deep tone. Not trebly in the least - IMO. What the ultra-stiff graphite does though is similar to using a compressor. It seems to limit the dynamic range a bit compared to wood. Can't play as soft or as loud - in a weird way. But on a fretless that compression is a great thing because of the resulting sustain. And in the studio it's common practice to compress the bass anyway so having that built-in can work out well.
The pricing thing ... considering a new Series-I starts at $35.5k and the graphite makes this a rare bird, heck they can ask whatever they want as a "target" price. Anybody is fee to make a lower offer. I once tried to sell one of mine in an LA bass shop and quickly realized that while it's very costly to have a custom instrument built for you - what you get is something that is odd to anybody else who might be interested in it. The custom choices you make are not likely to be the choices somebody else would have made. So that initial customization cost is NOT transferrable to the next owner.
Jimmy J
I agree with Jimmy. If there is no compromise in sound or looks I wouldn't mind a refin Alembic myself. Especially if it's done as nicely as this one. The add and website say it's the original website though.
I think it looks great. But with vintage guitars and basses a refin will almost always make them worth less.
Quote from: Barend on August 01, 2026, 12:26:59 PMI agree with Jimmy. If there is no compromise in sound or looks I wouldn't mind a refin Alembic myself. Especially if it's done as nicely as this one. The add and website say it's the original website though.
I think it looks great. But with vintage guitars and basses a refin will almost always make them worth less.
That's a true statement, especially when the discussion is about vintage acoustic guitars. A refinish of a 1930's Martin is the ki$$ of half. Could be five or even six figures in extreme cases, although a refinish usually means there's been other work.
But think about this now as applicable to a graphite-necked bass guitar. If the price is at issue for an "all original finish" that's flaking off the neck, or one that's been professionally refinished, and not. I'm taking the one that's
not flaking off, or I'm buying the ratty one for less and refinishing it myself. Just me. I like a good project.
*I love Jimmy J's parable of trying to sell such a specific Custom. I've let quite a few guys play my Custom fretless 5-string. Overwhelmingly the response has been that it sounds amazing and it's beautiful but
how the hell do you play this thing?! Yeah okay... it's a weird scale, the neck is wide, the strings are close together at the bridge, there ain't no frets, and it's a constant reminder of Earth's gravity. I like watching people jump when I drop a well-placed low C or D note. I like watching the rest of the band grin and fall in my groove. Sooo... hopefully it's someone else's problem to re-home it eventually. I'd just as soon gift it as sell it.
Sooo... hopefully it's someone else's problem to re-home it eventually. I'd just as soon gift it as sell it.
Oh Greg.......you've always been like a son to me! :D ;D