Matte_black

My Single Point was around 7kg. Incredible if you consider that the wings were hollow. I gigged it once and my left shoulder was going in pieces... I finished the gig sitting. The dimensions were just ridiculous for a 4 strings bass, it didn't fit a normal gig bag because of the huge headstock (easy to break and to slam into others' faces, that's why I'm bashing it) and the 10cm or more after the bridge. The electronics weren't as quiet as you'd expect from such an expensive package. At least on the two I owned. And the balance on the Small body 30" was really bad. Anyway if you like them, more power to you! But I preferred Wals at the time, even if the slightly fenderesque construction wasn't absolutely as nice as the one on the Alembics.

Of course it's always a personal taste thing BUT: 1) The weight of the Single Point Series I was MUCH higher than the one of my 12 strings bass!!! 2) The electronics were state-of-the-art in the 70s... now? Not much. You don't really need 27v for a good bass sound and they're not quiet like modern preamps. Without mentioning the need of the external power supply... 3) The balance on the Small body was just poor, without mentioning the fact the truss-rod cover destroyed my fingers while slapping (I guess Stanley Clarke removed it... or he gigs with gardening gloves). 4) The headstock is just huge. Very nice to look at (like the whole instrument) but completely unpractical in real life. 5) The sound without tweaking was absolutely nothing special. Yes, you could probably dial in different tones but they all sounded pretty artificial and anemic to me. The CT isn't made at the same level... it's not that refined BUT it's much more plug'n'play. The neck is better, the ergonomics are much better. I'd love to have my old Series I on my wall but just like a very well made painting. I'd NEVER gig that thing again for sure.

Well, the CT I played had a few good points but it wasn't the magic tool I imagined.

I owned TWO Series I, one from 1978 (Rick Turner era) and one made in 1981 (Single Point and Small body). With all the due respect, I'll avoid bashing them but I sold them pretty fast.

Go get it!

Exactly... the luck of having enough money!

Hei! I've never owned one but I've been lucky enough to try a '95 one at the Ishibashi store in Shibuya. It was a bolt-on model with the non-carved upper horn. The pickup was original but the preamp wasn't, the former owner upgraded to an Aguilar OBP3 if I remember correctly. It had the wooden bridge and the striped body ala Rainbow bass. Very thin neck, thin body, not very heavy as you can guess. It was priced at €6000 or so. Had a hairline crack into the neck pocket, definitely the body is too thin for that kind of neck joint. The store CEO untightened the strings every time somebody finished the test-drive.

If wood didn't make a difference I wouldn't waste my time building.