| Author | Message | ||
| gtrguy
Senior Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 955 Registered: 9-2004 |
Series one guitar at Guiter Center http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/ALEMBIC/Vintage-1970s-Series-I-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar.gc Slight neck crack in the back, looks like. | ||
| bazzer
New Username: bazzer Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2015 |
Hello again club folks. Pardon my absence, but some time ago the Evil Internet Gremlins saw fit to vanish my user account on these forums. I’d intended to re-register a few times when I wanted to chime in on a few threads, but I often lose focus and it was not until I inspected this guitar that I finally saw fit to register again. Having seen the original post regarding this Series 1, serial number appears to be 77-931, at a local Guitar Center, I decided to drop by and give her a cursory examination. Top and back are moderately figured curly maple. Core is mahogany. Neck is 5 ply maple and mahogany. Headstock veneers appear to be maple and mahogany, with mahogany on both exposed faces. Fingerboard is what I presume to be rosewood with MOP ovals. This was a surprise as I cannot recall seeing anything other than ebony fingerboards on Series instruments unless they were specially ordered with another material. The most glaring imperfections are substantial finish checking over virtually the entire instrument. These are most notable on the neck as you can feel them in most every position. There are a pair of cracks on the back of the headstock, though I could not ascertain how deep they were, or how well they may have been repaired. (I can’t speak of the woodwork, as I could not perform all but the most cursory inspection, but the failure to attend to any finish touch-up speaks for itself.) Some of what I presume to be finish checking may actually continue further into the neck wood itself, but again, I was not free to probe away as thoroughly as I might wish. A few subtle raps with my knuckles had to suffice to test for structural integrity. I did not get to remove the truss rod cover or the electronics back plate, (which was missing a couple of screws,) but insisted on examining the battery compartment. This was loaded with a pair of 9 volt Ray-O-Vac cells, and there was no corrosion evident on the contacts. The trim pots visible through the small access holes showed some fuzziness, (perhaps some stray possum hair,) and looked as if they’d not been adjusted for years. I don’t know, (or particularly care,) if the nut is original. I thought that the early solid brass nuts were scalloped. This one is not, but is well made and set up just fine. The bridge shows a bit of pitting and discoloration, and looks as if it has not been adjusted in some time. This is nothing that I’d worry about as a simple cleaning should set all this aright. The chrome Schaller machines all worked smoothly, and the strings slid through the nut without binding. The neck is almost perfectly straight, with what I consider to be an ideal amount of relief bow. There is just the slightest touch of a hump in the upper reaches of the fingerboard, but this was not detrimental to the guitar’s playability. The frets are all well seated, without any protruding ends. They have been well maintained, (as had the fingerboard,) and there is still enough material left to withstand another fret leveling or two when required. The frets show minor wear, but there are no substantial pits in any position, nor are there any major divots in the fingerboard. (I can’t tell what type of music the previous owner played.) The guitar currently has a very light set of strings on it, I’d guess a set running from .009 to .040 or .042, has the action set very low, and played effortlessly, without any substantial fret buzzes or incidence of “fret-out” when bending notes in the upper registers. (I play with a very light touch. Your results may very well vary.) In fact, it felt great, with the exception the finish cracks. Unplugged, the guitar was responsive and rang clearly in all positions. One strap button has been relocated from the neck heel to the upper body point. The original hole has not been filled with a hardwood dowel. The pickups look too new to be the original 38 year old pieces. They show very little of the wear that you’d expect to see on an old, well used instrument. I imagine that she’s been back to the Mothership at some time for a refit. The power supply also appears too pristine for its age, (assuming that it is the one that was originally supplied with the instrument.) The 1/4” jack has been converted to mono output, so I plugged the guitar into some beastly Marshall eye-melter, and turned it up. (An odd choice, as my playing taste is more suited to I Got Rhythm than Smoke On The Water. It was however the most readily available amp.) I’m still trying to re-curl my remaining hair. All of the electronics functioned flawlessly, and I was unable to detect any unwanted noise, crackling, or humming. I then ran the guitar through separate channels of an old Fender Pro Reverb via the blue box. It too operated flawlessly, though I’d clean up the XLR jack on the guitar were it mine. Were I to own this guitar, I’d strip the finish off the neck, examine the wood closely and repair any small cracks, and then refinish it. I found the feel of some areas of the checked finish too distracting. At the same time, I’d strip the headstock as well and examine the veneers on the back of the peg-head and assess their integrity. I’d then either repair the veneers or possibly remove the one or two afflicted layers of wood, and replace them with new slices of maple and mahogany, prior to refinishing. If you’re interested in purchasing this guitar, I’d strongly suggest that when you contact the Hallandale Guitar Center, that you request to speak with Eric Austin. He’s the manager of their “Platinum” division, and is much more knowledgeable than most of the other members of the sales staff, or than the guy who was laboring at the “repair” bench. Eric does not profess to have all the answers to any and all things musical, but has the tact to admit what he does not know, and will work diligently to learn and share information. In my few dealings with him, I’ve found Mr. Austin to be courteous, honest, and enthusiastic. | ||
| rockerdebassman
Junior Username: rockerdebassman Post Number: 44 Registered: 8-2015 |
Fine review. Why do I get the sense that you are a luthier and fine public citizen? And howdy, Bazzer. |
