USED Lieber Clarke / Spellbinder Bass #17 [05]

Rare Spellbinder Bass is now in stock.

In 1979, STANLEY CLARKE commissioned Thomas Lieber, an instrument maker, to make a composite molded bass (mainly made of carbon fiber).
The Spellbinder Bass was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces.

This particular bass is #017, which has a slanted front pickup. There is another one (#024) with the front and rear pickups in a one-piece molded case.
The controls are simple layout with volume, tone, pickup selector, and mini-switch out phase, and the out phase tone is perfect for playing melodies like Stanley's. The pickups are made by Thomas Lieber.
Pickups are by Thomas Lieber and pots are by Alan Bradley.

The scale is a short scale with 30.75" frets at the 24th fret, and it is recommended to use a thin gauge such as 30-90.
The eye-catching position markers are ornately crafted with aluminum outlines around the abalone.

The tension guide, bridge, and tailpiece are all hand-machined and molded for a very tasteful appearance.
The machine head uses Schaller's masterpiece M4C from the W.Germany period.
The body and neck are made of carbon composite, which makes us imagine that the influence of STEINBERGER, the most advanced guitar of the time, is apparent.
The smooth shape of the neck heel and jack area would have been difficult to achieve with wood.
The fingerboard is ebony, and two truss rods are built into the neck.

The body is very thin, about 2.5 cm. It was probably designed to be 1" thick.
The design of the neck seems to be influenced by the Stanley model of Alembic, with the neck sticking out from the body, so head drop is inevitable, but the owner did not seem to mind it too much.

There are some paint chips, buckle scratches, and paint cracks near the neck joint, but considering its age, it is in relatively good condition.
There are no problems with playability, and there are no noticeable dents on the frets.

This is one that cannot be put away with the overused phrase "extremely rare item.
You may never find it again.

Item Rank: B+: Some scratches, but no problems in normal use.

Serial number: 017
Year of manufacture: circa 1979
Country of manufacture: USA
Case: External soft case
Weight: 3.47kg
Truss Rod: No problem
Fret remaining: More than 80%.
Repair/Maintenance: Cleaning, string changes, octave adjustment, string height adjustment, rubbing, wiring correction

Specs

Item Rank
B+: Some scratches, but no problem for normal use

12 months old

Serial No.
017

Year of manufacture
circa 1979

Country of manufacture
USA

Case
External soft case

Weight
3.47kg

Truss Rod
No problem

Fret remaining
80% or more

Repair and maintenance
Cleaning, string replacement, octave adjustment, string height adjustment, alignment, wiring correction