| Author | Message | ||
| bsee
Intermediate Member Username: bsee Post Number: 187 Registered: 3-2004 |
I am still looking for something to get a feel for playing a four string again. I have a Persuader five, but I am wondering if I can convert back to a four and would like to try one for a month or two before I order a super-custom. I would pay up to $2K for the right instrument. That means neck-thru with some purpleheart in the neck, a regular to jazz string spacing and Distillate, Europa, or Signature electronics package. Primarily, something that will strongly represent the Alembic feel and tone that I can play for a few months and then get most of my money back when I order a super-bass. Anyone willing to part with one? -Bob | ||
| 88persuader
Member Username: 88persuader Post Number: 85 Registered: 5-2004 |
Actually i have a Persuader 4 I may ... may consider parting with. (Maybe) I live in Lowell MA. It is a persuader with PJ pickup setup. I was considering converting it to a fretless but may be interested in selling and buying rather than converting. I wasn't really thinking of selling but If you're interested let me know. Maybe we can work something out. | ||
| bsee
Intermediate Member Username: bsee Post Number: 188 Registered: 3-2004 |
While the logistics would certainly make it an easy transaction, it's not what I am looking for. While I think the tone of my Persuader is great, I am looking to play with some of the more flexible electronics packages before I order something. Ideally, I'm probably looking for an SC or Distillate. Your bass is pretty unusual. I wouldn't alter it if I had any choice in the matter. Do you already play fretless, or is it something you're looking to try? -Bob | ||
| 88persuader
Member Username: 88persuader Post Number: 86 Registered: 5-2004 |
I love playing fretless. I've owned many fretless basses in my time. Right now i have a Warwick Corvette fretless which is a very nice bass. However since I've gotten the Alembic bug I never pick it up so I'm looking to buy new or convert the Persuader to a fretless. If i convert the persuader it'll be done by Alembic. Ray | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 209 Registered: 3-2004 |
Still looking.... | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 224 Registered: 3-2004 |
So, there's a 32" 77 Series I available. The finish is kind of beat up, and it comes without power supply or cable. What is it worth? What could be wrong with it electronically, and what's that going to cost to fix? Thanks- Bob | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 598 Registered: 7-2003 |
The finish on that one is pretty spent. No idea what repairs, upgrades could wind up costing you. However, I did notice some things in the seller's feedback: 2 buyers left 2 negatives each. Then, shortly after, our bass-seller (selling for a "friend", I believe) has a series of (by a quick count) 29 positive feedbacks all from the same party, some as buyer, some as seller. And, lo and behold...who's the current high bidder for the Series 1?? That same leaver of copious positive feedback. That party seems (by his or her feedback) to buy and sell coins nearly exclusively - but I couldn't find any transactions that showed an interest in musical instruments. The seller of the bass also seems to deal quite heavily in coins. Hmmmm... | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 233 Registered: 3-2004 |
Interesting. I was thinking that the lack of power supply and cable combined with the beat up finish made the bass barely worth what they are asking. I really don't like the selling for a friend thing, so I am pretty much turned off the deal on that account. There is just too much down side in the absence of a reliable seller. But I keep on looking.... | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 601 Registered: 7-2003 |
I get pissed when I smell rigged bidding. Good luck. You may find an older (and sweeter) S1 in a 32. Seems like a fair number were produced in the earlier years. In those days, many popular bass models were short or medium. As for the shorter scale length, I can't sing its praises any more loudly. I love em. | ||
| poor_nigel
Intermediate Member Username: poor_nigel Post Number: 122 Registered: 7-2003 |
bsee - If you are willing to suffer through playing a long scale, we can probably work something out where it costs you nothing except gas and driving time to more-or-less 'borrow' a bass with signature electronics for a couple of months. If interested, let me know. | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 235 Registered: 3-2004 |
Very generous offer and I thank you, but I probably won't take you up on it! I may end up just buying a new SC deluxe or brown in the $4000-4500 price range. I have a few more negotiating points to hit and this would be real easy to do if I just sold three or four of my other basses. I fly to Seattly on Tuesday and suspect that a week from today I will be at Bass Northwest trying to play whatever interesting stuff they have in their store to help me make a decision. For example, do I like the feel and tone of a Brown Bass? Is there enough of a comfort improvement on the 34" scale from the tight string spacing that I won't be able to avoid buying the used S2 they have? Things like that... | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 325 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hey Bob! I'm picking up my Persuader at Bass NW at around noon next Friday. If you're there look for a big guy with a grey beard and a pony tail to his thighs. That would be me. Maybe we'll see each other. That series II is very tempting indeed! (Message edited by hollis on August 27, 2004) | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 236 Registered: 3-2004 |
Grats on the new bass, Hollis! I suspect that I will be working in Bellevue until at least two or three and then trying to race over there to get some time before they close. Any tips on parking and maneuvering in the area? Am I doomed? You have to love holiday weekend traffic. -Bob | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 326 Registered: 11-2003 |
Man, I'm not sure about parking in Seattle.... However, you're talking to the right guy about transit in Seattle. I work for Pierce Transit in Tacoma, according to my computer, if you go to the Bellevue Transit Center at NE 6th & 108th Ave NE (Bay 11), you can pick up the Sound Transit Seattle Express Bus Route#550 @ 2:20pm, 2:50pm or 3:20pm to the Pioneer Square Station, and you're about two blocks away from Bass NW. (go to street level, Walk a short distance NW on 3RD AVE. Turn left on JAMES ST. Walk 1 approx. 1 block SW on a significant grade on JAMES ST. Total walking is 0.18 miles. It's about a 25 minute bus ride. Costs $2.00 each way. To return, go into the Pioneer Square Station (It's an underground station on the opposite side that you came out of) Go to Bay D @ 4:15, 4:45, or 5:15pm and get back on the Sound Transit #550 to Bellevue. It sounds a lot more complicated that it is..... But, if you give the guys at Bass NW a call once you're at the station, they can reel you in. Enjoy | ||
| poor_nigel
Intermediate Member Username: poor_nigel Post Number: 123 Registered: 7-2003 |
bsee Bob, not a problem on the offer. If you change your mind, it still stands. I would like to ask a favor of you. When you are at BassNW, please grab that five-string Series II and check it out for condition. If you decide you don't want it, e-mail me about its faults and how it plays. I would sincerely appreciate it. Thanks. Have a fun trip. | ||
| hollis
Advanced Member Username: hollis Post Number: 327 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hey Bob, Please excuse me, but I had Saturday Schedules on my computer..... The good news is that the 550 runs about every 15 minutes during peak periods on weekdays, the bad news is, it's $3.00 during peak hours on weekdays (I'm sure that won't break the bank, I just wouldn't want you to try and get there without the right amount of dollars, driver carries no change.) Anyhow, if you're going to try driving, I suggest you give the Bass NW guys a call.... Also, you're right about holiday weekend traffic in Seattle. Friday traffic sucks even without everyone and their mother trying to get out of town... The express bus would be the way I was going, but I'm thinking about picking up a rig to go with the bass, so the truck is a necessity for me. Not to mention that I'm not planning on sticking around for more than an hour... so I should miss most of the traffic. Good luck, take care. | ||
| kungfusheriff
Intermediate Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 142 Registered: 8-2003 |
Hey Bob, do you wanna come over to the Albany/Troy area after you get back from Seattle? I have a short-scale S2 that, because of the graphite neck, will feel and respond differently than the wooden-necked basses made today but will at least put you in the ballpark. It's my only functioning bass so I can't let you walk away with it, but you're more than welcome to try it. | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 249 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, I played the Brown Bass at Bass Northwest this weekend. It doesn't fit me all that well, so I won't be pursuing anything in that style. Also, whoever may have been interested in the S2 that they had, it sold the day before I arrived. Coincidence? Still looking.... | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 295 Registered: 3-2004 |
I tried to get cute and bid in the last 15 seconds on the purple SC today and eBay hosed me, so no bid. Refresh...30 seconds...wait a 12 count...refresh...14 seconds...enter bid (couldn't have taken more than 5 seconds)...sorry, auction is over! Could have won, could have just pushed up the price, who knows. In any case, I am still looking... -Bob | ||
| bsee
Advanced Member Username: bsee Post Number: 357 Registered: 3-2004 |
A couple more unsuccessful auctions and still looking. Thanks for the loan/trial offers, and the offers for Persuader/Spoiler basses, but I am interested in neither. Sooner or later.... | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 401 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hey all - Still looking! I really need a decent bass to messa round with before I have to place the order for a custom, especially with a price increase coming at the end of the year! Anyone selling an SC deluxe, distillate, or anything else in short/medium scale with a more advanced electronics package for a fair price? Thanks- | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 507 Registered: 12-2002 |
hey theres two of them on ebay but one is a five string small body,check it out! | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 404 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi Keavin, thanks for looking on my behalf, but those basses aren't what I am seeking. The 5-string is an Essence in an SC body that the owner bought a few months ago for $2600 or so from someone that had it go at least six times around on eBay with no bids. The other is only SC standard. I very much want purpleheart in the neck, so this would only be interesting to me at a bargain price. I would be willing to pay at/above market for something that matches exactly what I am looking for, but would pay less the further away it is from ideal. Very close to ideal was the vermillion SC-body bass that came through ebay within the past month. The narrow neck and altered pickup spacing made it just about perfect and the only thing that wasn't what I would have wanted was the wood choices. Unfortunately, someone had the same idea as I did and the bid I placed that was a $400 increase in the last second was topped. I think that bass sold for about 20% above what the market indicated it would have been worth a month or two earlier. It's all about luck, I guess. Right place at the right time. In any case, neither of the basses you saw are on their first time around eBay in the past month and I fear that neither will be available for what I consider a fair price. They both continue to fail to meet reserve, and that means all the buyers agree that the asking prise is too high as well. Doesn't one of you guys with several Alembics have one or two that you don't ever play? Don't you need some spending money with the holidays rolling in? -Bob | ||
| pas
Junior Username: pas Post Number: 22 Registered: 3-2003 |
I've been riding the fence about selling my MK standard - Coco Bolo & medium scale. I haven't been gigging & am also currently out of work. However, I think I've got a new job on the horizon & I'm always working on picking up a gig...seems like it's feast or famine. I think I'm gonna try & hold out for the time being though...the clincher being the upcoming price increase. I can see being really pissed at myself down the road trying to get back into a comperable bass for substantially more than what I paid for this one. RE neck laminates: I've had 3 Alembics(still have 2) - all medium scale, 2 with Coco Bolo tops & 1 w/purpleheart lams. I really didn't notice anything in the way of tonal difference & they certainly didn't contribute to neck stability, as is supposed to be the case. The most stable neck of the 3 I've owned is my '85 Spoiler - just maple. I think the neck on that one is just a smidge thicker than the other two. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 405 Registered: 3-2004 |
Paul, I think age factors significantly into stability. Other than that, I wish you best of luck in avoiding the sale of your bass! | ||
| els
New Username: els Post Number: 2 Registered: 9-2004 |
I have an 86 Persuader 4 string that I'm interested in selling. It's on craigslist right now. Here is the link: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/msg/47257393.html Not sure if you would be at all interested in it, but I also wanted your advice on ebay-ing it, because I've never sold anything on ebay. Do you think that will make people less likely to bid? | ||
| els
New Username: els Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2004 |
oops! Sorry Bob, I guess you've already seen my bass, seeing as how you were the one that told me what kind of Alembic it is when I posted a picture of it a month ago. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 420 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi Edward, Yes, I think there is some stigma associated with being a new seller. If you have some good buyer's feedback it helps, but I think you will lose some value on the first item(s) you sell. If you're not in a terrible hurry to sell your bass, you might dig through your collection and find a dozen or so CDs, video games, or other small items that you can sell on eBay. Also, make sure that you can take PayPal payments as a new seller. It will be less important when you have a few good sales under your belt, but it makes a buyer feel more comfortable than sending a money order to an unknown seller with no record. If you let the buyers use credit cards with paypal, it will cost about 3% in fees, so make sure you factor that into the cost or state in your auction that the buyer must pay any paypal fees. These are just my eBay observations, they may be right or wrong, but I am comfortable with them. Do some reading and make sure that you understand how not to get burned. There are just so many scams running right now. Finally, before you go to eBay, post some better pictures on your sale thread here and give the locals another shot! You may end up making an easier sale than going through the eBay hassle. good luck! | ||
| kungfusheriff
Intermediate Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 192 Registered: 8-2003 |
Bob, http://www.craigslist.org/eby/msg/48291731.html KFS | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 443 Registered: 3-2004 |
Interesting, thanks! I may take a look at that one. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 480 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, one just popped up on eBay that looks very appealing. Too bad it didn't come here first, or I would probably own it already. I hate eBay. Undoubtedly someone will set up their proxy-bidder program to outbid me by $0.37 with four seconds to go... | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 485 Registered: 3-2004 |
Okay, I got a buy-it-now on the Spoiler and closed the deal! I should have it by Wednesday (I hope!!!) or so of next week. I suspect this means that there will be a plethora of short/medium scale basses on the market over the coming weeks at ridiculously low prices. Happy buying to the rest of you! It is an '82 Spoiler upgraded to signature electronics in '99. If the s/n was reported accurately, it is the unique 82 S 2345 (that almost sounds like a gag, but some bass had to be "2345"). The neck pickup is right up against the neck, so it should have a lot of bottom available. I can't tell for sure on the wood, but the body wings look solid from the frontal pictures I have seen, either that or it's a very thick top. My guess would be koa. The neck is the then-standard three piece maple that should sound great after 22 years of aging and play. Pictures will appear in the showcase when the bass arrives. And I'm not entirely out of the market yet, so I may still be bidding against you... | ||
| godoze
Member Username: godoze Post Number: 67 Registered: 10-2004 |
AH. he told me i could have that bass...! | ||
| lbpesq
Intermediate Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 157 Registered: 7-2004 |
Bob: I checked out the e-bay listing. Very pretty bass. I really like the vintage look. Enjoy! Bill, tgo | ||
| godoze
Member Username: godoze Post Number: 68 Registered: 10-2004 |
At least least you got a super deal on it... | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 489 Registered: 3-2004 |
I think I sent my first email to him moments after he listed the bass. I know his answer to me came about 15 minutes after the listing was put up, and I agreed to the purchase as soon as I got the email from him with the details. He did mention that someone else had offered to pay his price after he had agreed to the deal with me, was that you? I am really looking forward to seeing what the Signature electronics can do! I'll have to see about doing the constant-volume adjustment to it, and then I'll let her rip. Price wise, I think the electronics make the bass worth near the equivalent of an SC or MK standard, so I agree that it was a great deal. If I don't love it, I know I can get my money back on this one, which made the purchase decision easy. Hopefully, I'll really like it though. Either way, I'll probably have an Alembic to sell within six months. Depending on where this leaves me in terms of a custom, I'll either sell this one or the Persuader 5, whichever I replace. I don't have the space for a Danno-style collection. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 490 Registered: 3-2004 |
Thanks, Bill. It's really pretty and the seller's feedback has me convinced it is going to be in outstanding shape when it arrives. I started looking well before starting this thread, so it's been quite the frustrating wait to find a nice one. | ||
| godoze
Member Username: godoze Post Number: 70 Registered: 10-2004 |
Yep, that would be me... Looks to be a killer bass ! Enjoy ! | ||
| jacko
Junior Username: jacko Post Number: 50 Registered: 10-2002 |
Pictures, pictures! as the pauls would say ;-) Graeme | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 529 Registered: 3-2004 |
Bass has arrived, but I don't love it yet. I'll play it a bunch this weekend and see if it grows on me like the Persuader did. I really prefer a narrower string spaceing, and have to get used to the electronics. There are a few pics in the showcase. | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1054 Registered: 5-2002 |
Does the string spacing differ from the Persuader? | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 531 Registered: 3-2004 |
Persuader is a five, so it does differ. The standard five has narrower spacing than a four in those models. Both are 'standard' spacing for the respective models. I would also say that the Spoiler body seems thinner, about like a distillate that I tried out. | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1056 Registered: 5-2002 |
I had forgotten that your Persuader was a five string. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 532 Registered: 3-2004 |
One thing here that seems odd to me. There appears to be a pinstripe veneer of walnut under the fetboard. I don't have the experience of some here, but I can't remember seeing that before. Maybe it's koa, it's hard to identify from looking at such an ultra-thin side veneer. It looks to be the same thickness as the headstock veneers, and about the same color, but that's pretty neutral. So far, I wish it had a tighter fundamental, but I'm starting to get acquainted with what it can do tonally. | ||
| jagerphan84
Intermediate Member Username: jagerphan84 Post Number: 125 Registered: 10-2003 |
I think I remember reading that the walnut veneer is for the purpose of replacing a fingerboard without ripping everything to pieces. I think it was referred to as a 'sacrificial veneer.' | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1057 Registered: 5-2002 |
Yes, according to Val it: "was discontinued in the last few years. The idea behind that, if I recall correctly, was that the 'sacrificial veneer' would make it easier to take off an old fretboard and install a new one; I remember Mica telling me a year or 2 ago that the guys realized that it wasn't really needed because the ebony fretboards are so thick that they can be taken off without endangering the neck." | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 210 Registered: 8-2003 |
More confirmation: my '84 Exploiter and '85 Spoiler both had the veneer. Whatchoo so skittish about? |
