| Author | Message | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 360 Registered: 4-2009 |
I'm not joking  Pictures coming soon with the great help, as usual, from Mod Dave. After so much waiting due to the extreme cold here in Chicago, my new (old) SII with a Graphite neck finally arrived and I'm nothing short than stunned. It's the most beautiful instrument I ever picked up in my life. It will need some attention from the mother factory, once I decide exactly what needs to be done and put together some funds this will be shipped in the hands of her daddy, Mr Ron for a pickups upgrade and more. Enjoy the view (whenever that appears ) | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11294 Registered: 5-2002 |
Here are the pics of Enzo's beautiful new bass.          | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3237 Registered: 5-2009 |
This is not real ___ She just descended from a cloud in a dream ____ Beautiful ____ | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 309 Registered: 3-2009 |
That's a badass Axe you got there buddy! Spank that beast because it's made to be played and not pampered!!!!! Kudos to ya... from Chalie | ||
| mtjam
Intermediate Member Username: mtjam Post Number: 143 Registered: 11-2011 |
Excellent bass! Congratulations! Doesn't get any better than a Series Alembic with graphite neck! I really like that Alembic medallion, too. I've never seen one of those. Enjoy many years with that one! | ||
| artswork99
Moderator Username: artswork99 Post Number: 1954 Registered: 7-2007 |
That is a great bass! Another beauty for sure. Congratulations and Play it Healthy! | ||
| stenobass
Junior Username: stenobass Post Number: 13 Registered: 9-2011 |
Congrats, a real beauty! Have fun! | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2118 Registered: 9-2002 |
I'm so glad somebody bought this axe, so good for you, Enzo. If it were me, I'd move the medal, and restore the rotary switch and the brass plate down there on the horn. I wouldn't go back with restoring the broken tips of the Omega: Let them sand/carve the cutout as it is and refinish. Those tips on my Spoiler scare the hell out of me every time I pick it up and set it down ! But however you proceed, Congrats. A great axe had for way behind market value, the best of all worlds. J o e y | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3238 Registered: 5-2009 |
Joey , I agree as to your ideas and recommendations ! Enzo ___ congratulations and follow your heart on this beauty ! | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 362 Registered: 4-2009 |
Thank you everybody, and thank you Joey and Wolf for ideas and suggestions. Mica was already very helpful on the phone, before I closed the deal with the seller, but I still have questions and doubts. How do you guys feel about keeping it satin like it was originally or go clear coat finish? What kind (if any) impact would that have on the sound? Would you have the brass parts cleaned up like a new one or keep it oxidized for a more vintage look? Well, I know this is just a personal preference but I wonder how fellow Alembicians feel about it I will definitely not ask to restore the broken Omega tips, I feel the same about the fear of breaking them, will be just fine to sand them properly and refinish them. As for the rotary p/ups selector, hmmm that's a tough one, to put it back would be more proper to the original design but I like to slap and that might be in the way. Plus, given it's a logo medallion and not just a plain brass circle it kind of look cool where it is, it's almost like a medal of honor for the many stage battles | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2119 Registered: 9-2002 |
I just had a doofus attack. I was looking at the pic of the end of the fingerboard and I began wondering where's the truss rod cover. . . . . d'oh !!! Since you asked, and speaking only for me: I like shiny brass bits. And I'd change the M4's and the strap buttons to gold, which for me matches the brass in a way, they just look funny to me with the warm character of brass with chrome parts. I'm very old school when it comes to Points and Omegas, so the rotary on the horn with the little brass surround is period-correct, if you will. Of course, then, where does that little medal go? I'm no fan of oil or satin-urethane because I'm a greasy person, and I would wind up with shiny spots after a while. So I prefer the gloss finish, which to me makes the grain on these brown basses stand out more. Plus, knowing me, I'd oil the hell out of the thing and forever be playing a mess . . . . . You just had to ask. My best advice: You will not go wrong with Susan and Mica. Again, Congrats on scoring this very rare bird. J o e y | ||
| neyman
Intermediate Member Username: neyman Post Number: 133 Registered: 7-2002 |
My 2 cents: Do a minimal restoration. Fix the Omega cut, shine the brass, oil the fretboard, fix any electronic issues. But leave it essentially the way you got it. It's earned those battle scars. Why erase them? | ||
| jimmyj
Senior Member Username: jimmyj Post Number: 501 Registered: 8-2008 |
1.5 cents: Just start playing it and don't put it down!! It's already a great axe without doing anything to it. I'm a function over form guy so I'd say service only what's needed, in this order: #1. Frets & action... I see evidence of thumb playing under the E-string at the 24th fret. If that's the only spot which is so worn maybe you don't need to address it. But if the rest of the frets are similarly beat you should think about new frets or at least having them dressed. And with no truss rod, any relief you might want in the fingerboard needs to be built in. #2. Electronics upgrade... In my opinion, worth the time and expense to control noise and bring it up to current specs. And that's all. (Well, I might actually make it a 5-string fretless but that's just me. HA!) It's already an impressive bass and has a "historic" look that I don't think I'd want to make "new" by refinishing and polishing. Also, the p/u selector switch was moved "out of the way" for the reason you mentioned and the resulting cap is unique to this bass. You could even ask Susan to design a new cap if you want to make it more personal. Perhaps something with glowing eyes? Nice one! Jimmy J | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 5664 Registered: 7-2004 |
A penny for my thoughts? Regarding an electronics upgrade, it certainly isn't a sure thing it will be needed. Neither my '76 Series I guitar, nor my '77 Series I 12 string guitar needed the upgrade, and I'm in the S.F. Bay Area where we have lots of RF all around us. + one on enjoying the mojo. The rest of us eventually show our age, so why not our instruments? Bill, tgo | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 363 Registered: 4-2009 |
Thanks for all the coins, keep 'em coming, it's gonna be expensive in Santa Rosa This bass needs the pick up upgrade and some work to the frets, whether will be a full refret or a dress, we'll see. The seller (great guy btw) described me the bass in details and I understood right away when he talked about a noise based on your position. Jimmy, that's how I feel regarding basses generally speaking, they have to be technically perfect before looking good. Thinking about it, I actually would have problems with a brand spanking new Alembic, I would hate to put the first scratch on it, it would be painful. So probably no full refinish, like Dan says, minimal restoration would do it, it has just the right amount of scars. There are a couple of light dings on the neck, those have to go, maybe they can refinish just the neck. Some very helpful inputs though, I appreciate it. | ||
| musashi
Advanced Member Username: musashi Post Number: 209 Registered: 5-2004 |
Out of curiosity, what's wrong with the pickups? | ||
| gtrguy
Senior Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 721 Registered: 9-2004 |
Yeah, I get no noise at all in my area out of the old series instruments! | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 372 Registered: 4-2009 |
Apparently, instruments made before a certain year ('99-'00, if I recall) had pickups that COULD become noisy because of the way they were made. With the extra waves of today's technology, it's something that might happen. So it's been described to me, you might want to ask details to the electronic savvy on this forum. So basically there's a ground hum that increases depending on the position the bass is. | ||
| jimmyj
Senior Member Username: jimmyj Post Number: 509 Registered: 8-2008 |
My understanding (which could be wrong) is that since there is some physical distance between the pickups and the hum-canceling coil - as in, they are not stacked like a traditional humbucker - they "hear" electromagnetic interference at a slightly different time... Cancellation may not be 100% because the signal from the pickup and the signal from the hum-canceller may already be slightly out of phase. The "upgrade" Ron has come up with in recent years is a way to fine tune the circuit so that it more effectively rejects EMI. The thing is ... it is instrument specific! He literally has to hand tune the circuit for each instrument. Because the individual pickups, hum coils, preamp components, and even the mass of the brass plates and bridge block ALL effect this noise rejection system. And because all the above factors effect the circuit's efficiency, there are likely some older instruments that are already quieter than others. I've had all my main instruments done simply because there have been times on each where I've run into difficulties. I believe they're much quieter now and I rarely have any noise issues. But others may have never had any difficulty and it could be that all the planets aligned for their instrument and they're already as quiet as they can be. So certainly as Enzo rejuvenates this axe he could wait to see if there is any noise rejection issue before jumping on the mod bandwagon. Please ignore my #2 suggestion above and lower my comment's value to only 1 cent! Jimmy J | ||
| gtrguy
Senior Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 724 Registered: 9-2004 |
Any comments coming from Jimmy J are always worth their weight in gold. It is so nice to have such great wisdom available to the members of this forum! | ||
| enzo
Advanced Member Username: enzo Post Number: 373 Registered: 4-2009 |
INDEED. Thank you Jimmy!!! | ||
| enzo
Senior Member Username: enzo Post Number: 445 Registered: 4-2009 |
UPDATE. Almost exactly one year later, the SII finally landed in Santa Rosa where it will be checked out and evaluated. Regarding the electronic noise, after talking to Mica over the phone, a few months back, I explained how the neck pickup was missing 2 screws and that it was laid almost all the way down. Mica suggested that that could have been the reason why it was producing the hum and graciously sent me a few replacement screws (along with a lovely big sticker) for me to raise the pickup to a reasonable height. Well, the hum decreased quite a bit bringing it to a more acceptable level, similar to a typical single coil in a Jazz Bass and always changing based on the direction of the bass. Hopefully this can be fixed without having to replace anything but the last word will be up to Mr Ron. Regarding the rest, refin or not refin, the jury is still out. The Omega cut and the 2 'nice' dings on the back of the neck need to be addressed for sure, then we'll see what else... | ||
| enzo
Senior Member Username: enzo Post Number: 577 Registered: 4-2009 |
Work in progress The Omega is perfect now.  |
