Greetings,

I had a Fender posted to the local classifieds and got a trade offer this weekend: An Alembic from a guy half a mile from my home! Obviously this was a no-brainer for me, and I'm now the proud new owner of this Epic. I'm scratching my head over the top wood - is it Walnut? Zebra Wood? It's a satin finish and the color is a very pale brown - almost with a hint of grey to it. It weighs just under 9.5 lbs and is a joy to play!

Kinda looks like some straight grain Zebra, but I am no expert. Very pretty!
Congrats!

OK this is weird. The file for 11675 says Vermilion top, which this really doesn't look anything like. I'm going to see if there is a duplicate serial number and report back. Meanwhile, can you email me a larger image so I can get a good peek at the top wood?

Sure thing - thanks Mica!

Also, are you certain about the number?

Yes - 98W11675 - I just looked again, took photos of the bass and emailed them to you. Please let me know if you don't get them!

Well, if the photos were black and white, I'd swear this was Vermilion. Can you check under the (probably) neck pickup and see if there is a 5 digit number handwritten there? That might help clear this mystery up.

Also, I can't see that there was a duplicate of this serial number.

OK, I will remove the pickup tonight and take a look. Very odd to be as there is not even a hint of red in this wood grain. It's almost like a light brown with a touch of gray.

11135

Well sir, I don't know what happened to your Vermilion, but all the details check out. It should have a deeper tone than other Epics as a result of that top wood.

top: Vermilion
accent: Maple
body: Mahogany
neck: 3-piece Maple with Walnut pinstripes
scale: 34" long
fingerboard: Ebony
inlays: none
pickups: MXY4
controls: "Epic" volume, pan, bass, treble, mono output
originally made for: Guitar Center
birthday: August 7, 1998

I've made a note in the file that despite it's sort of bleached appearance, the top is Vermilion.

Thanks for looking into it! It's very pretty, despite the color!