| Author | Message | ||
| jared237
New Username: jared237 Post Number: 1 Registered: 4-2003 |
I acquired a Series I, Serial No. 77 830 in June. What can someone official tell me about this bass? Thanks so much! | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 597 Registered: 9-2002 |
First of all Jared: a hearty welcome from al of us. There are other Pauls on their way to do the same, I'm happy to be the first one this time. Watch out: there will be one Paul passing by yelling "pictures-pictures-pictures", please we all like pictures of your baby. So be creative with a camera and post the pictures on the appropriate place on this site! Don't be shy! The officials be here soon with some info, the only thing I can say about it is that it's from 77 seen the first 2 numbers. Congrats. Paul the bad one | ||
| jet_powers
Member Username: jet_powers Post Number: 64 Registered: 2-2003 |
Indeed welcome! You are well on your way to a nice, clean, healthy addiction. When you register your bass with Alembic you will get all the pertinent data associated with it. The last three numbers tell it's the 830th instrument they built. Congrats on your acquistion. John Paul (not the pope) | ||
| jared237
New Username: jared237 Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2003 |
Greetings to all -- I'm Ross. Actually, I did register with Alembic, and the e-mail acknowledgment did not provide any additional information. I probably should mention that I acquired this Alembic in the Sotheby's John Entwistle Auction. People who frequent the DudePit website will have already heard all about this saga. In any event, it's now fully operational and it's definitely a cool bass. Here's a link to an online photo album, http://members19.clubphoto.com/ross665431/1371615/guest.phtml. Thanks, RA | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 209 Registered: 8-2002 |
Welcome aboard Ross! I looked at the pics ;) I thought I was the only crazy one with a tremolo on a bass.... Looks like a really great bass!  Wow, that is quite a bass...... Paul, The Good One | ||
| malthumb
Intermediate Member Username: malthumb Post Number: 103 Registered: 5-2002 |
I know you said you got it at the Entwistle auction, but it's also a dead ringer for one of the basses Stanley Clarke displays in the liner of his "I Wanna Play For You" album. I love that dark, dark top. | ||
| davehouck
Intermediate Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 143 Registered: 5-2002 |
Oversized knobs? | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 62 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hi Ross, many congrats to this great piece. I am a little bit jealous, because you own one of the original basses of John, my all-time hero. Take care of the bass and play it with fun. And please: if you ever want to sell it, plse contact me. Many greetings Oliver Baumann  | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 603 Registered: 9-2002 |
Great bass indeed. Ross, is it possible that the bass has a long-scale neck?? For one or another reason I LOVE SSbodies with a long scale neck although Alembic didn't make many of them. More details about the guitar can be given by Mica (or Valentino when he's around) when she comes along. You have to be patient because I estimate her DAILY e-mails at about 879!!!!!!!!!!! Oversized knobs? No I don't think so Dave: the old "hat" knobs are bigger than the Collet-type and that fact i emphasized by the fact that this is an SSbody (Small-Standard) with the old "thickness" (the older Alembic are thicker and have a more rounder egde). Paul the good one: you saw the pictures at the site Ross indicated? Let me guess: you saw yourself already in that pool. Ross: is that your place??? Paul the bad one Hep ...Guys ...I found a place for our meeting!!!!!!!! There is a pool, lot's of cool basses and a gorgeous Mesa Boogie! (Message edited by palembic on September 17, 2003) (Message edited by palembic on September 17, 2003) | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 175 Registered: 7-2002 |
hello Ross & welcome, I remember that bass from the auction; if I'm not mistaken it has a graphite neck, but you probably knew that , I think it was in the notes at the auction site, not to mention that it would be hard to miss when you're holding it in your hands. I do not have access to the records at this time, but Mica will surely be able to help you out as soon as she has a minute to look it up. Please be patient, because she is a very busy, but very helpful lady, and all requests are answered, but sometimes it just takes a bit longer. It does look like a short scale, i'd say. Valentino | ||
| senmen
Member Username: senmen Post Number: 64 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hi Val, I think you are right. To my knowledge it is a short scale with a graphite neck. Letīs wait what Mica will bring out of the archives...... Take care Oliver | ||
| davehouck
Intermediate Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 144 Registered: 5-2002 |
Thanks Paul. In one of the photos at Jared's link the knobs seemed to really jump out in relation to the body, more so than I had ever noticed before. Of course there is the fact that I am supposed to pick up my new glasses today. | ||
| kungfusheriff
New Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 6 Registered: 8-2003 |
Ohhhh...Alembic thru Mesa Boogie. God, I miss those days. Ross, enjoy. KFS | ||
| jared237
New Username: jared237 Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2003 |
Thanks for the hospitality and compliments. I'm happy to host a gathering at my place in Atlanta, Georgia USA -- and I do have 19 basses at the moment [hoping to sell some soon] -- but if all y'all [that's a southernism, though I'm originally a yankee from Boston] want to use the pool, it will have to wait until next May or later. We closed the pool for the season on Monday. To answer the questions: (a) Yes, I knew the bass had a graphite neck. (b) It is medium scale. The included 5 sets of Rotosound strings are labeled that way, and, in any event, I just measured: 32" from bridge to nut. (c) It appears to be a Series I (Q switches, instead of knobs), with some Series II features (master volume, side LEDs). (d) Thanks in part to the assistance of a generous soul who saw my posts on the DudePit, I have found not one, but two books that have pictures of JE with this Alembic: "The Who -- Maximum R&B" by Richard Barnes and "Rockschool 1" edited by Chris Lent. The "Rockschool" picture is particularly cool because it shows JE actually playing the Alembic. The "Maximum R&B" photo shows JE in a room with about 50 basses and maybe a few guitars in the back. Interestingly enough, this Alembic is one of three basses in the foreground, and the other two are basses that JE was known to have played a great deal: a 1964 Thunderbird (JE is leaning on this in the picture) that the Sotheby's catalog said was his main stage and studio bass from 1972-1976, and a 1960s P-frankenbass (refinished in an ugly pink from its original sunburst) that the Sotheby's catalog said JE played at Woodstock and on "Live at Leeds." I still do not have absolute confirmation, but it seems increasingly likely that JE may have actually played this bass with the Who. Obviously, I will greatly appreciate any further information on this subject. Thanks,again, RA | ||
| dean_m
Intermediate Member Username: dean_m Post Number: 182 Registered: 7-2002 |
Hey Ross, Greetings from Paul "The Fake One". Great bass!!! Congratulations!! Best of luck with Isabelle too. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1128 Registered: 6-2000 |
Here's what the file says: top: Ebony body: Mahogany back: Ebony neck: Graphite scale: 32" medium fingerboard: Ebony inlays: mother of pearl birthday: September 16, 1977 (happy birthday!) Under customer it says, "Demo" and in the comments section is simply states, "Entwistle." There is no mention of the tremolo in the record, so I don't think it was installed originally. If you are registering a used bass and want any additional details, you need to let us know in the comments section of the form. Otherwise we just record the new owner information in the file. The case looks original too. We still use the same casemaker, but the fashion has changed a little. Have you ever seen one with a bright orange interior? It's actually pretty cool. | ||
| mdrdvp
Member Username: mdrdvp Post Number: 67 Registered: 7-2002 |
So that's what the ebony top looks like. Really fantastic. I agree with Rami now, I remember he mentioned something about it somewhere in the wood section. Manfred |
