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'75 Series II

Started by ed_zeppelin, January 19, 2010, 02:52:08 PM

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ed_zeppelin

Hey, Alembiphiles!  
 
I've been a pro bassist and repairman since the early 70s. In the early 90's, I was working as a repairman for the world's largest (at the time) purveyor of used musical instruments.
 
One day, while dropping off some repairs at one of our stores, I saw an Alembic bass pulsating on the wall, surrounded by a blue-green aura which seemed to be quietly chanting my name... suddenly it floated across the room to me (or vice-versa, I'm not sure which) into my naked, steaming hands and looked up at me and said; Papa!
 
The geek behind the counter said; I think it's called an 'Olympic...' and I plucked my credit card out of my wallet and slapped it on the counter. RING IT UP! I screamed.
 
Then he fetched the custom Anvil flight case... Listen, I'd tell you the mere pittance I forked over, but I don't want to make people smack their monitors with their foreheads.
 
Later, when I got the pedigree from Alembic I found out that it is a '75 custom Series II, with top and back made of zebrawood on a koa core, and maple/walnut neck.  
 
I rewired the quarter-inch plug to mono, and built a splitter/power supply in an ancient Star Trek metal lunch box. I've played thousands of gigs with it since, running the neck pickup through an 18 cab with a 600-watt amp, and a 4x10 w/piezo tweeter cab with a 500 watt amp for the bridge pickup. (I send the mono line to a direct box into the main mixing board and for the monitors). I also use an upright bass most of the time, with its own setup.
 
Here's a pic. Sorry about the quality, but I had to kinda stand it up in my gear closet, squeezed in next to my upright.

ed_zeppelin

For some reason, the pic came out sideways.

dluxe

That is a beauty!  Love the case interior too.  I had a chance to buy a '76 in the early 1990's but but could not afford it then.  I had 2 in the late 1990's and now have a '76 Series 1 bass.  There is just something about the early basses.

pauldo

Super awesome!
 
Would love to see more pics of that beauty!

pierreyves


dluxe

That seems correct. Also, the photo is titled 75574.  Maybe it could be a 1976 bass as the 574 number would coincide with that year.

ed_zeppelin

Odd. That's just coincidence, like 666 in the serial number or something. Just a random number generated by this site, I suppose. (The actual title is My Olympic, btw.)
 
It's a 1975 Series II, like I said. Sandi King sent me the pedigree in '92.

FC Bass

I would love to get that Alembic (666)
 
Your bass does look like a Series I (2 x Q switch instead of CVQ controls)
Damaged Justice, Dutch 'tallica tribute: Facebook, Youtube

'83 Spoiler
'88 Spoiler
'99 Orion 5 fretless
'10 Elan 5
'23 Series II Europa 5

ed_zeppelin

Upon doing some research, I'm convinced that you're right; it is a Series I. In particular, this post from talkbass.com:
 
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-23594.html
 
...The diff between Series I & II are:
 
a) Series II has more body & neck laminates
b) Series II has continuously variable Q controls, Series I has two 3-position switches
c) Series II has a master volume control in addition to the individual p/u vol controls. ...
 
Sure sounds like mine, to be honest. In '92, when I asked Brad T (Tuttle?) at Alembic for schematics for the power supply and for rewiring the quarter-inch plug for mono, he sent Series II schematics.
 
It's obviously a Series I, though, so I've been gloating for nearly twenty years in complete ignoramousness.  
 
That's it; I'm going to build a bonfire out back tonight, and soothe my poor betrayed heart with the smoky stench of charred cocobolo and zebrawood. Maybe I'll throw a spotted owl on the pyre for good measure...

mike1762

Malthumb drops by from time to time... he'll get a kick out of the 2001 TalkBass reference.