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Alembic Club » Owning an Alembic » Serial Number / History Requests » Archive through December 16, 2015 » Archives » Archive 2007 » (?) WO394 (was????????????????,,) « Previous Next »

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bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 16
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 4:07 am:   Edit Post

hello, here my low news. it is a series 1. I would like renseignements.de which year and? I do not have to find any numbers. wood is “zebrawood”. is electronics does a little noise, normal? to afflict my is not good, I englais use a translator, thank you and has soon.
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/421/74021674gf8.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5899/2cazt5cpqni1.jpg
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5760/46620778yz2.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/44/82343501hv1.jpg
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5199/82661942qz5.jpg
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8076/19375146kx1.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/3230/67350343wv0.jpg
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5977/16831034cn8.jpg
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/341/13664648ik6.jpg
keith_h
Senior Member
Username: keith_h

Post Number: 694
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 4:24 am:   Edit Post

The serial number is usually stamped into the wood on top of the peghead for older Series 1.

Keith
dela217
Senior Member
Username: dela217

Post Number: 750
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 5:33 am:   Edit Post

That looks like a 1980 or 81. I am guessing the serial number is under 1900.

Nice bass! The extra lam in the neck gives it a series 2 look.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 2093
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:05 am:   Edit Post

The non-adjustable nut also points to an early one, though, from the picture, it looks like it may not be the original nut. If the Serial number isn't found at the top of the headstock, the next place to look is on the wood at the 24th fret.

Bill, tgo
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 17
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:10 am:   Edit Post

c'est peut-etre une serie 2?
it is perhaps a series 2?
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 2094
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:24 am:   Edit Post

Definitely a Series I. The Series II doesn't have the toggle swithes fo the "Q" controls, like this bass does.

Bill, tgo
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 18
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:49 am:   Edit Post

where is the serial numbers?
head stock ,no
24th fret ,no
please,help me!!
cozmik_cowboy
Intermediate Member
Username: cozmik_cowboy

Post Number: 104
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 8:12 am:   Edit Post

Try in the control cavity.

Peter
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1264
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 8:34 am:   Edit Post

Looks like a bone nut, or perhaps plastic? And we have a new member of the lefthanded clan - a warm welcome from the righthanded clan!

L'outil de traduction que tu utilises est vraiment trop bête. Il faut chercher un autre - mais comme tu peux voir, on parle un tout petit peu de français ici.
southpaw
Intermediate Member
Username: southpaw

Post Number: 145
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 9:19 am:   Edit Post

Another lefty, Alright! That means there are more lefty Alembics in the world. Nice looking bass Bigyouth, welcome aboard. Did you look at the top of the headstock, from above for the serial number?
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 4104
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 9:34 am:   Edit Post

The appearance of the bass is that of a Series I with Series II neck lamiantion pattern. You are correct that the top and back woods are Zebrawood (nice flatsawn at that). Have you had this bass a long time?

To try and research the serial number, look for a handwritten number in these locations:

1. under one of the pickups
2. one or more of the potentiometers
3. on the preamp circuit card (the side not visible in the photo)

Do you have the powersupply? Maybe add a photo of it as well as its serial number. It might help.

Other things I noticed from the photo:

1. The pickup connector on the replaced pickup looks awkward.

2. It appears that the neck pickup may be plugged into the humcanceller pickup position on the preamp card. If this is true, I expect lots of noise. Confirm humcanceller (center) pickup is plugged into the center connector. Then perform a humcancelling procedure to eliminate the low frequency noise.

3. One of the nuts on the intonation screws looks replaced. The bridge intonation looks strange.

4. The string nut looks like it was replaced.

5. If the Gotoh tuners are original, it indicates this bass is not older than the mid-eighties. If this is the case, the serial number would have been originally stamped in the Ebony of the fingerboard directly below the 24th fret.

6. The wiring harness looks older than the mid-eighties.

7. Something is funky about the extra cut at the center of the tailpiece. I've only seen things like that in the scrap pile.

8. The logo looks genuine (and highly polished), but it's really off axis and smashed in on the left side.

These things night mean:

1. The bass was refretted at some point, and the serial number was sanded away.

2. The bass was made here by someone out of scrap parts and never had a serial number.

3. The bass was a Fernandes (though I've never seen a lefty) and later refitted with Alembic parts of various ages.

If you can find some of these other numbers, especially one under the pickups, it can help solve the mystery.
dela217
Senior Member
Username: dela217

Post Number: 751
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:34 pm:   Edit Post

What strikes me as strange is the tuners. If this bass is an 80's model, it would have been equipped with Schallers. The Schallers have a mounting screw in a different position. I do not see holes where the old tuners were replaced!

I don't think this bass started it's life as a Fernandes. The zebra that they used was never this nice. Besides the inside of the control cavity on a Fernandes is black, and there are no copper grounding strips. It seems that someone would have gone through a LOT of trouble ($$$) to try to turn a copy bass into an Alembic if that were the case.

It just seems like some of the details are mixed from different years. PF6b electronics with Mod Pots, the holes for the tuners, etc...

Pretty bass though!
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 4112
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 8:03 pm:   Edit Post

Mid eighties is when Gotohs started showing up - Schallers were really low inventory everywhere then, and shortly after than we converted wholly to Gotoh. I started working here in 1987 and it's a clear memory the crisis that no Schallers available anywhere caused.

Confirmed with dad that the pots are not left-hand rotation, which would be AB mod pots even now.

I agree that the Fernandes route is unlikely, plus I've never seen a lefty one.

I hope that Mehdi can maybe find some of the other numbers to try and track down at least a year, and maybe get to cross reference the work order number.
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 20
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2007 - 12:34 am:   Edit Post

number preamp card:
alembic pf6b
170 035
number write with the hand \6\2\
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1265
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2007 - 1:42 am:   Edit Post

The strange split in the tailpiece suggests someone tried to turn it into a 5 string? Then perhaps the peghead has had new veneers to cover up the extra hole for the 5th tuner?

I seem to remember seeing a Distillate that had that sort of conversion done.
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 26
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Friday, April 20, 2007 - 4:00 am:   Edit Post

do you have "serie schematic" please?
sorry for my english!
thanks
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 4480
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 10:41 am:   Edit Post

I can mail you a schematic. Email me your address for receiving a letter and I'll send you the schematic.

Please do look under the pickups for a handwritten number. This may be able to identify the bass. The "\6\2" is not something that I recognize. Also look at the pots - see if there is a 4 digit number written on one of them.
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 27
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2007 - 12:50 am:   Edit Post

the number under the pickup is#394
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 4552
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2007 - 5:56 pm:   Edit Post

We'll start researching and see if we can find a cross reference for this number. Thanks!
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 33
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 4:11 am:   Edit Post

thanks ,Mica,for the schematic !!!!!!!!!!!
bigyouth
Junior
Username: bigyouth

Post Number: 34
Registered: 7-2006
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 3:43 am:   Edit Post

I Mica,
A question about the neck pickups.
I think it be rectified,the magnet have less punch than the bridge.
it is normal???
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 4632
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2007 - 3:26 pm:   Edit Post

The pickups should be identical. You can measure the restistance and see if they are a close match. Usually the neck pickup is farther away from the strings. You might want to increase the gain with the trimpot on the back.

Today Bill found the work order for 394, but it did not match the pictures of your bass. It was for 83-2769, an Exploiter Series II with no humx in Quilted Maple. We'll keep looking for clues!

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