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Alembic Club » Swap Shop and Wish Lists » For Sale & Trade » Archive 2004 » Archive through October 06, 2004 » Interesting single pick up Alembic guitar on E-bay « Previous Next »

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lbpesq
Junior
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 26
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 10:38 am:   Edit Post

There is a very interesting Alembic guitar on E-bay. It is being listed as a Distillate with some electronic mods, but the old stuff is included. I've e-mailed the seller for a serial number and more info on the mods. I'll ask Mica or Val for the build records when I get the number. Anyone know anything about these single pick up axes? I've never seen one like it before.

link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47064&item=3751042579&rd=1

Bill, the guitar one
lbpesq
Junior
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 27
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 10:56 am:   Edit Post

I just checked out the seller's feedback, his previous history and the history of a couple of the "people" he dealt with and his other items for sale (1890 Martin w/ original case starting at $1600!). Also he appears to have bought four items using "buy it now" from the same seller all within minutes of being posted, including a $6200 motorcycle without any pictures!. A couple of the "people" he previously dealt with are "no longer registered user" Big red flag on this one. (Boy, I feel like "Monk" with all this detecting. BTW, if you haven't seen Tony Shaloub as "Monk", check it out. Great show).

Bill, the guitar one
adriaan
Advanced Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 329
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 12:04 pm:   Edit Post

As to the authenticity of the pictured instrument, funny though it may be to consider a single pick-up Alembic with a brass pickguard, those are exactly the specs for a series of Distillate basses and guitars built for the Japanese market in the 1980s.
valvil
Moderator
Username: valvil

Post Number: 541
Registered: 7-2002
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 1:00 pm:   Edit Post

Yep. Adriaan's right, this was made for the Japanese market, most likely in 1981. I have a bass like it.

Valentino
palembic
Senior Member
Username: palembic

Post Number: 1625
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 1:11 pm:   Edit Post

Well ...it IS a nice guitar. In a "weird" kinda way. I really wonder how they sound?!

PTBO
lbpesq
Junior
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 29
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 2:58 pm:   Edit Post

I just noticed another booger about this ad. The E-bay item location says "London", but the body of the ad claims:

"This may be the only Alembic 6 string guitar in NZ"

I remember when England sold the London Bridge to Arizona, but it completely slipped by me that London was sold to New Zealand! I don't think I'll be sending this guy any $.

Bill, the guitar one
lbpesq
Junior
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 32
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 9:51 am:   Edit Post

BEWARE - THIS LISTING IS A FRAUD. I e-mailed the one guy who had left negative feedback for the seller. He had bought a 24 track board from the same guy now "selling" the Alembic and got a run around about how the board was in San Francisco while the seller was in England and that the buyer should send a Western Union transfer to Italy, etc. etc. etc. The buyer offered to drive to S.F. pick up the board and hand over the $ there. Seller said no. Also refused paypal, insisted on money to Italy in a "friend's" name. This sounds familiar to me. A couple of months back I was the winning bider for a listing on e-bay that was lifted from the October 2002 custom on this site and the guy wanted me to wire the $ by Western Union to Italy.
You have to be careful on e-bay.


Bill, the guitar one
kmh364
Senior Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 519
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 11:03 am:   Edit Post

Where's Poor Nigel when you need him?
poor_nigel
Advanced Member
Username: poor_nigel

Post Number: 221
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 11:25 am:   Edit Post

"You have to be careful on e-bay."

Amen, Brother Bill. I am currently avoiding eBay and PayPal until they get better control over these con artists and hackers. Well, unless there is a five-string Series II with spiffy woods, some nice options, and an omega cut (We all have our little glitches) for next to nothing listed. I might (I would!) crawl out of my self-built Internet bunker for that. However, I would definitely use Escrow or pick it up in person these days.

BTW - Great work Bill! You might have saved a fellow Alembitian from getting burned. Shame it is against the law to hunt these people down and hang them. Just kidding, hopefully . . .
valvil
Moderator
Username: valvil

Post Number: 544
Registered: 7-2002
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 2:47 pm:   Edit Post

Now that I think about it, I believe this guitar was offered on auction a few months ago and I exchanged e-mails with the gentleman who won the auction when he contacted Alembic to find out the guitar's history. He was in New Zealand as a matter of fact, like the original legit seller.

Valentino
poor_nigel
Advanced Member
Username: poor_nigel

Post Number: 223
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 4:35 pm:   Edit Post

Hey Valentino. Your words carry a lot of weight to validate the auction. However, it is pretty much the American way to hang em first and ask questions later. Considering the e-mail Bill got from one of his previous 'customers,' I would still be very suspicious and wait for a safer transaction to come along.
valvil
Moderator
Username: valvil

Post Number: 545
Registered: 7-2002
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 4:55 pm:   Edit Post

Hello Nigel,

I'm not exactly sure what you meant in your above post, I was not validating the auction, if that's what you were thinking; to make sure my previous post was not misunderstood, let me clarify that I also think it's likely to be a scam. The man I exchanged e-mails with was ecstatic about the guitar, so I doubt he sold it so soon.
Sorry if my post was not clear.


Valentino
poor_nigel
Advanced Member
Username: poor_nigel

Post Number: 225
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 5:06 pm:   Edit Post

Valentino. Not a problem. Glad I said something, so you added the next post. I am a bit thick at times, so I need things spelled out for me once in a while. Thanks.
lbpesq
Junior
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 36
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 2:34 pm:   Edit Post

I just checked e-bay and noticed that the goniff "selling" this guitar is no longer registered as an e-bay user. I had notified e-bay and warned a guy bidding on the seller's "1890 Martin". Maybe the world is now a little safer?????

Bill, the guitar one
kmh364
Senior Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 543
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 4:12 pm:   Edit Post

Good for you, Bill! Screw the scumbag(s) I say, LOL! Maybe the Alembic Police can help make EBAY a safe place for Alembicians everywhere, LOL!

There's no need to fear, Alembic-dog is here!

Excuse my sillines: Seriously, it's appreciated that there are people on the site, as well as Mica, who are looking out for the best interests of the Alembic collective.
kmh364
Senior Member
Username: kmh364

Post Number: 544
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 4:12 pm:   Edit Post

Good for you, Bill! Screw the scumbag(s) I say, LOL! Maybe the Alembic Police can help make EBAY a safe place for Alembicians everywhere, LOL!

There's no need to fear, Alembic-dog is here!

Excuse my silliness: Seriously, it's appreciated that there are people on the site, as well as Mica, who are looking out for the best interests of the Alembic collective.

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