| Author | Message | ||
| longhorncat
Advanced Member Username: longhorncat Post Number: 396 Registered: 8-2005 |
Looks like a good price for a nice Series II. Lots of pictures SII on eBay | ||
| longhorncat
Advanced Member Username: longhorncat Post Number: 397 Registered: 8-2005 |
Pic  | ||
| room037
Senior Member Username: room037 Post Number: 412 Registered: 9-2003 |
Where is the PU selector ? There is the plate under master volume knob. (It was modified selector to MV ?) What about the small metal button above the humcancel pu ? However, the bird's eye maple top is so nice. By the way, The blue case is beautiful ! I want such one for my basses. Eiji | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 871 Registered: 6-2004 |
Is the finish checking normal wear and tear? | ||
| gtrguy
Advanced Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 369 Registered: 9-2004 |
What a cool looking bass! Interestingly enough, my 76 Alembic has the original finish and no finish checking at all. | ||
| daved
Junior Username: daved Post Number: 30 Registered: 12-2002 |
I emailed the seller and he's telling me that the MV is actually a p/u selector. Seems odd that it would have a volume knob as a selector. I was also curious about the LEDs since they appeared to be very far recessed into the neck. I asked if they had been removed and he said they are still there and are indeed functioning. Does this look weird to anyone else? This seller appears to be a dealer, due to the amount of other instruments for sale. These potential red flags seems to indicate that he may not be Alembic savvy. Can anyone comment on the LED issue? | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 951 Registered: 5-2002 |
I kinda like the stealth LED holes! It's not what we normally see, but it might have been an idea at the time that didn't gain traction over the years. | ||
| mikeyv
New Username: mikeyv Post Number: 5 Registered: 5-2009 |
There are clearly 2 wood veneers between the fingerboard and the neck, which you can see on the treble side of the neck. They are absent from the bass side of the neck. does anyone know what's up with that? | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7335 Registered: 6-2000 |
More than you ever wanted to know about Alembic side LEDs by Mica The absence of fingerboard veneers on the bass side of the neck is an artifact of how side LEDs were originally installed. Basses with side LEDs would have 2 sacrificial veneers. After fretting, a small channel was routed under the tangs of the frets and through one or both of the veneers. Then, a thin strip of wood with the LEDs installed was inlaid in that channel. The LEDs were at the bottom of a drilled "well" and there was no side indicator if they were not illuminated. It's only recently that everyone wants on/off switches for side LEDs, so these would be wired to just turn on when you plugged in the 5-pin. These little wells could accumulate so much dirt that some people had LEDs and didn't know it until they excavated the years of grime. Also, since the light is at the bottom, the LEDs near the peghead looked less bright than the ones at the other end of the fingerboard. The LEDs we use now have a built-in diffuser that makes the apparent brightness nearly the same, and there's no hole to fill up and obscure the light. Plus now we inlay a sterling silver circle around the LED so that when they are not lit, you can still see the position marker. And that Bird's-eye Maple top on that bass is to die for - stunningly beautiful! | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 983 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks, Mica; any guess as to the purpose of the now-empty hole just west of the HX? In the unplugged pic the finish makes it look original. Peter | ||
| llobsterbass
Member Username: llobsterbass Post Number: 94 Registered: 5-2004 |
Possibly dumb question: If this is a Series II, shouldn't there be more knobs? Q bandwidth and/or resonance? (I may be using wrong terms.) or maybe the control configuration for Series IIs used to be different? | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1875 Registered: 5-2009 |
Series II with CVQ and no master volume? Perhaps the mystery hole cover was a master volume ? | ||
| room037
Senior Member Username: room037 Post Number: 414 Registered: 9-2003 |
I agree the mistery hole was a master volume. There is the round wear just like hat knob size. But the position is unusual. | ||
| longhorncat
Senior Member Username: longhorncat Post Number: 403 Registered: 8-2005 |
New BIN price - $3,695 | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1920 Registered: 5-2009 |
Wow $3,695 ! ____ That is the lowest that have seen a Series II for . | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1717 Registered: 9-2002 |
Well, you certainly can't complain there's not enough pictures ! I'd have guessed the brass circle covered up a thumbrest screw-hole, then I scrolled down far enough to see it was really drilled . . . . for what? Where did the guy park his picking hand? Can that really be filled ? I'm guessing it would be better if it was done as part of a refin. Amazing to think you could buy this, send it back, have it refinished and have its electronics breathed on by Ron, and still be a lot cheaper than duplicating it in a new one. Though I'm sure the electronics (not to mention an adjustable nut and the current LED's) and the finish are far better than they were 31 years ago. It's a real testament to these guitars, though, that 31 years later, all it really needs is a cosmetic refinish (or leave it as-is for that 'closet classic' look)and an upgrade to the electronics: A real example of how massively strong these things are built. * * * * * * I DO think that Santa Rosa should offer the blue cases once again. I think it's one of those historical touches that should NOT be overlooked. I can't imagine ALEMBICs without the big knobs, Ming tailpieces, Crown headstocks, and for us, the cognoscenti, if you will, the blue cases are so old school, ya gotta have one. The little-box power supplies are returning, so . . . . J o e y (Message edited by bigredbass on June 27, 2011) | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 917 Registered: 1-2008 |
That hole couldn't be in a worse spot. I would probably have it filled (if possible) and have some sort of medallion placed over it. By the time you've done everything it needs, you've probably dropped another $2500 or so. Even at $3695, I think you have to be willing to play it "as is" for it to make any sense from a financial standpoint. | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1922 Registered: 5-2009 |
It looks like someone grabbed it ! |
