For sale is my 20th Anniversary bass. Played constantly since receiving it from "oggydoggy" in '04. Church and non-profit gigs only. No smokey or hazardous locales. Usual features for this model:  Electronics: 2 AXY pups; volume; filter and Q controls for each; pick up switch ? neck, both, bridge, standby. Stereo/mono switch next to 1/4" jack. 2 Purpleheart neck laminates; Omega cut out; standard hardware. Quilted maple top, maple back, maple/purpleheart neck. Thick slices of purpleheart separate the top and back from a solid maple core. Neck dimensions: Width ? 1 3/4? at nut and 2 1/8th? at 24th fret. Thickness ? 7/8? at nut and 1? (at about the 20th fret) where it begins to blend into the heel. It?s the most comfortable neck I?ve ever played. Frets are in very good shape.  
[img">http://club.alembicguitars.net/Images/395/89257.jpg[/img]
 

 

  You may recall my post regarding  http://club.alembicguitars.net/index.php?topic=4813]pick up noise. I sent the electronics back to Alembic for testing and repairs, if needed. Turns out the pick up selector had a short in it. Mica thought it was an odd place to happen, but there you go. Nice and quiet now.  Along with the usual small dings and scuffs that you might expect on a 21 year-old instrument, there are some I want to disclose.  

 On the top of the headstock; you can see some scuffing and a small amount of chipping. You can also see the cool laminates.  One of the omega tips is chipped. You can see it below. It has never bothered me enough to have it repaired.

  There is a small dent on the curve of the lower bout. You can use the classic-look, top hat knobs as a reference for scale.

  There are also a few checking lines that encircle the controls. As far as I recall, they haven?t lengthened during the past six years that I?ve had the bass; Too difficult for me to reliably photograph. No belt rash. I?m the fourth owner that I know of (third ?club owner?), so all considered, its in clean shape for a bass that has been passed around.  You?ll notice that I replaced the original recessed strap locks. The original bearings wore out and after a few scary "almost-drops" when the bearings failed I filled the holes with dowels and wood glue. My thought was to screw the strap in place ala Clarke. I?m sure a confident handy man type could reverse the modification if desired. Original and extra hardware is included.  The hard shell case is not original, it is for a Series bass, and so the "fitted insert" is a little wider than needed. The length is fine. Will pack tightly and securely. One of the spring latches has lost its ?spring? and needs a little encouragement to open. No big deal after a while and no fear of it popping open on you. Wrenches and extra hardware for the strap pins will be included.  Asking price is $3,000 USD. Buyer pays shipping and insurance. Will also consider driving a few hours for a ?local? pick up. No interest in trade, or trade/cash offers. My email is in my profile and thanks for looking.

Nice Bass!

Thanks and easy to play, too.
 
If the string gauges look exceptionally heavy, that 's because it's strung BEAD. Needed that Eb - C.
 
I forgot to mention that local to me is the Dallas/Ft Worth metro. So driving to Austin, OK City, etc are reasonable distances as a halfway point if that helps.

Beautiful bass!

Sure is beautiful!  Michael, I didn't notice the scale length in your description (or did I miss it).  Would enjoy this bass for sure - very nice.

Wow what a beauty! That price makes my GAS control system very unstable!

Oops, thanks for the reminder Art. It's a 34 scale.
 
Thanks all for the comments.

Gooorgeous!!!
 
 The low tuning of your bass gives me the wish to own, one day in the future, a 4 string bass with the cello tuning.  
 
Good luck for selling your bass!

Maybe it's an illusion but the body of that bass looks smaller than normal. Is it a 3/4 size body. I'm not a real fan of the large alembic body shape but yours looks great.
 
Jazzyvee

What number is it?

Thanks Kyrstoof. Having the low B has been a pleasant adventure. Still, I miss having the G.
 
Jazzyvee - nope it's the regular sized body. It was the chance to own that classic Alembic look (with omega) that led me to purchase it. If you click on my profile link you can see it in a better perspective/size ratio.  
 
Stoney, it's 041 and in the showcase section.

Hi Jazzyvee,
You are right.
20th Anniversary body is slightly smaller than standard body, but it is not 3/4 body.
Body width is almost same as Standard, but both horns are small.
My previous 20th Anniv.(AM-066) has medium scale.
I regret it for trade.
 
Eiji

Thanks for the correction Eiji, I wasn't aware that a 20th had a smaller body width. That might explain why the Series case is just a tad wide.
Olie has two basses with the 3/4 scale body and I can tell you there is a significant difference when you hold one.
 
edit for additional information/clarification - I had to measure. At it's widest, the bass is 14.5/37cm. From point to point is roughly 8.5/21.5cm - Mike
 
(Message edited by groovelines on November 12, 2010)

I played a 20th @ the Hollywood Guitar Center In May 2009 . It was a delight to play.  They also had a mid 1970's  Alembic Scorpion body shape that I played; I immediately noticed a size and weight difference. The 20th was a bit smaller and lighter although the Scorpion was really cool as well.

A little added history - I owned this bass for a couple of years.  I bought it from Bass Northwest for $2,700 around 2003 or 2004? and traded it to oggydoggy for Series I 75-150.  This is the best 'playing' bass I have ever owned, and has just a perfect neck on it.  The case I sent with it on the trade was actually for my 84 Series II bass, as it was in much better condition than the one for the 20th.  It is a joy to play and I would buy it back, but I already replaced it with a not too bad Europa I am kind of fond of.  Best of luck on the sale, Mike.  It is certainly a bass worth having, just for its playability, alone.