The Distillate was Alembic’s first alternative to the pricier Series I and II instruments, but it retained many of the signature Alembic features such as the crown headstock, 5-piece maple/purpleheart neck, oval fingerboard inlays, brass bridge block, bird tailpiece, and the legendary filter-based electronics with Q switch. It also added bass and treble cut/flat/boost switches, which the Series instruments lack. This beautiful 1986 example features a walnut top on a mahogany body. It has the newer, extended upper horn, and the pickup selector switch near the rest of the controls. There is also no battery draining LED. What really sets this one apart is that it is a 34’’ long scale. The vast majority of Distillates are 32’’ medium scale. Despite the extra length, this bass balances great, and I am very picky about neck dive as I often double on keyboards. I can’t quite say the bass is in mint condition, but it is pretty unbelievable for its age. There is a small finish crack by the output jack that has been there since I bought it 8 years ago and hasn’t gotten any worse, and two pinhead-sized dings on the back of the body and one on the edge of the headstock. Frets show very little wear. It has a solid brass, non-adjustable nut that is likely not original, but very nicely done. Included in this sale are the original case in overall good condition, and the original wood card (build sheet) and misc. paperwork. This bass has had the Alembic-spec modification to increase output level (two 2.7k resistors added to the pre), which really brought out the beast in it. Same tones, just louder and more dynamic. Weighs 10 pounds.