John Entwistle 1977 Alembic Series I "Baby Bass"

1977 Alembic Series I "Baby Bass" custom made for JOHN ENTWISTLE of THE WHO -- OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY!

Up for sale is a unique and historic instrument, the 1977 Alembic Series I "Baby Bass" I acquired in the auction of items from John Entwistle's estate held by Sotheby's in May 2003, Lot No. 35.  (The auction catalog and results are viewable on Sotheby's website.)  In addition to being one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- bass players of all time, John Entwistle was also a well-known collector of basses and guitars. At the time of his death, he owned over a 150 stringed instruments.  For the vast majority of these instruments, however, there is no proof that Entwistle ever played them in public, much less recorded with them.  By contrast, my bass stands out because Entwistle himself confirmed that he actually played and recorded with it.  Indeed, there are a number of pictures of him with this bass.  Further, this "Baby Bass" is among a relative handful of Entwistle basses profiled on WHO Tabs, the definitive website devoted to THE WHO and their instruments and other musical gear, .

This bass was custom made by Alembic for Entwistle as a "demo."  It is prominently featured on page 117 of the 2004 coffee table book, "Bass Culture:  The John Entwistle Collection."  (See pictures.)  Entwistle and this Alembic are also featured in two other books:  "The Who -- Maximum R&B" by Richard Barnes (2004), page 137; and "Rockschool 1: Guitar, Bass and Drums" edited by Chris Lent (1984), page 24.  I will include copies of all three of these books with the bass.  (The "Bass Culture" book is out of print and regularly goes for $150+ online.)

Although the bass is a Series I, it has premium features typically found on a Series II, including a master volume control and a side LED's.  Overall, the bass is fully functional and is in very good to excellent condition for a 42-year-old vintage instrument.  I have included a close-up picture of a slight ding about 1/2 inch long on the back of the neck that does not affect playability and which would not show in most display cases.  This bass has many unusual features, including a working Bigsby tremolo tailpiece (you don't see those on a bass very often!) and a custom graphite neck that runs the length of the bass, the back of which has aged naturally over the years.  (See pictures.)  This bass has 24 frets; most basses (including the Fender Jazz and Precision) have 20.  There is a known intonation issue, particularly on the D and G strings, once you get very far up on the neck, around about the 19th or 20th fret.  I don't play up there, so it never bothered me.  I assume that a bridge adjustment would fix that, but this bass is being sold as a collectible, "as is," so no warranty is made.  (If this is something that bothers a serious potential buyer, I can have my guitar tech look at it.)

The bass has active electronics, including a built-in 18-volt preamp that requires two 9-volt batteries or a separate power supply, which is recommended if you intend to play it.  You can obtain a new power supply and matching cable from Alembic for about $1,000.  Or I have a used but fully functional Alembic DS-5 power supply (I think it's about 5-7 years old) plus a compatible cable (bought new in 2019), both in excellent condition, that I can throw in for an additional $600, which is less than I paid for them.  For a collector or investor who intends just to put this bass in a display case or a vault, the power supply and cable are probably not necessary.  

The bass will ship in its original light blue Alembic hardshell case, which is worn, but fully functional.  Also included are 5 sets of new unopened Rotosound bass strings that came with the bass in 2003.  The strings currently on the bass were there when I acquired it in 2003 and were presumably actually played by Entwistle.  I will include a copy of the original instruction pamphlet that I obtained from Alembic.  Also available for inspection is all my original paperwork from Sotheby's.  

Here's the information Mica Wickersham (daughter of founder Ron Wickersham) at Alembic provided about the bass, which is lightly edited for clarity:

top: Ebony
body: Mahogany
back: Ebony
neck: Graphite
scale: 32 medium
fingerboard: Ebony
inlays: mother of pearl
birthday: September 16, 1977

Under customer it says, Demo and in the comments section it simply states, Entwistle.

There is no mention of the tremolo in the record, so I don't think it was installed originally.

The case looks original too. We still use the same casemaker, but the fashion has changed a little.

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I would prefer to ship only to the CONUS, but will consider offers from buyers in other locations on an individual basis, with an appropriate adjustment for shipping.  

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.  ADDITIONAL PICTURES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.