| Author | Message | ||
| hasadari
Junior Username: hasadari Post Number: 38 Registered: 6-2005 |
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7342755018&fromMakeTrack=true | ||
| longhorncat
Junior Username: longhorncat Post Number: 15 Registered: 8-2005 |
From the Dudepit: "my observations: frets are pretty worn. bridge pickup cracked. lotsa gouges on the top wood. fingerboard dried out. this is the model without the sustain block under the bridge (fyi - i am really only familiar with how the series 1 & 2 basses are constructed). it needed a setup pretty badly (action was high, too much relief) i didn't plug it in. they say they have bids on it..." | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 27 Registered: 12-2004 |
the pics are pretty muddy in the parts described "from the Dudepit." i can't see all of these things. has the "descriptor" actually, personally seen these things and/or played this particular bass? if so, thanks for the input because i was seriously thinking about bidding big and now i'm hesitant at best. or, is this an attempt to scare away other bidders? just curious. | ||
| neyman
Junior Username: neyman Post Number: 16 Registered: 7-2002 |
The person who wrote the description actually went down to Guitar Center and checked out the bass. CG also claims it doesn't have a case, but supposedly it does. | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 355 Registered: 8-2003 |
The person who wrote the above "review" owns three Series basses of various eras and configurations, and has owned other models, and does not appear to be looking to bring this bass home, so I'd consider his description to be accurate and unbiased. He and I frequently gossip about Alembic basses, and I consider the reviewer to be an informed consumer. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 29 Registered: 12-2004 |
thanks, kungfusheriff, longhorncat and neyman. that's the value of being a member here and loving alembics. i could tell you all a story today concerning alembic and regarding an order for parts i'd made 2 months ago, that would almost bring tears to your eyes. i was amazed at the attention to detail they displayed and a series of amazing phone calls that made me feel so proud to own one of their products that i was elevated to a position where i was left feeling like the owner of "the roman conquerer"-----well the REAL owner of "the roman conquerer. i was almost embarrassed to admit i owned 2 relatively "cheap" alembics but they treated me like royalty. i truly know today what ALEMBIC SERVICE means. it's astounding to have them call you several times, go thru your order and treat you like you matter when you bought your bass secondhand; not from them. wow! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2200 Registered: 5-2002 |
Patrick; there are no "cheap" Alembics <g>! | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 30 Registered: 12-2004 |
oh, btw, have you'll noticed that this bass has a descriptive tag relating to 3 small dots that is similar to a prior exploiter description? a guy a few months ago sold, here and on ebay, a beautiful exploiter w/a nearly quilt top that he'd put 3 mother of pearl dot inlays into where he'd reinstalled an original bridge, replacing some other bridge. this is clearly a different bass, w/a clearly different top, but it has the same 3 dot alteration the other one did. is this common? were alot of these basses altered to accept other bridges, and then the owners/subsequent owners, aware the alteration was a "mistake" and the original/an original bridge replaced, but the holes had to be filled and a mother of pearl dot used to fill the hole? this is very curious. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 31 Registered: 12-2004 |
every time i do that, you correct me. sorry. i swear, one of these days i'll learn. i need to be slapped so often, i'm wondering if i'm a masochist. i guess what i mean when say things like "quality of construction" and "cheap" is that i wish to GOD i could afford a mark king/series I/series II. i can't. kids in college. now 2 of them. so, my alembic tastes are necessarily relegated to a scale much lower than i wish for. so, i'm a humble alembic owner. i wish i had a top of the line alembic and i now know the quality of wood, the museum quality tops, the multiple laminates, the beautiful hardware and the europa/series electronics options that i can't afford and don't have on my basses. so, i make these "descriptive" mistakes. when i do this, you have to, well you dont' "have to", understand i'm a lawyer who wears crocodile johnston & murphy's. so, i guess i'm comparing the luxury of my shoes to my basses. i come into my bassroom, in the afternoon, after wearing those shoes. i look at my alembics. i get online. i see what's on ebay. i wish. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 32 Registered: 12-2004 |
btw, i'm diabetic, so i spend a lot of money on footwear. if i could justify the expense on my basses i would. i so wish i could own a series that it kills me. i'm always afraid i'll have a diabetic heart attack or stroke BEFORE i own one that it scares me! the mark king on ebay is so beautiful it's absolutely breathtaking, but i can't afford it and all the crap i have to pay for already. so, i refer to my alembics as "cheap" because they cost a third of the opening price of those things. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2202 Registered: 5-2002 |
"Relatively inexpensive" <g>! On the three dots; as far as I am aware this is not common at all. Every once in a while you see an Alembic on Ebay where someone has swapped out the pickups, electronics or bridge; but not very often, and I haven't observed any pattern at all. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 34 Registered: 12-2004 |
dave, do you remember the exploiter from about a month ago, where the seller mentioned he'd replaced the replacement bridge w/a bridge off an older exploiter or spoiler and had the holes filled in w/mother of pearl dots that he described as "tasteful" but they looked awful? remember? these dots look almost identical to those, but the distance of the camera from the bass seems to make this job better looking than the closeups of the other. also, this is clearly not the same bass top. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2203 Registered: 5-2002 |
I do remember; it could be coincidence, or perhaps both basses had the same owner at some point. | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 356 Registered: 8-2003 |
I know the prior owner of the maple Exploiter; when he got it a Badass had been installed. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 35 Registered: 12-2004 |
that's the one! i remember you posted a message suggesting he was selling too high. in an email to me, he offered to sell it for $1500, believe it or not. down considerably from what he asked on this site. then his email went down for 2 weeks. when he got his email working again, i emailed him and he'd sold it for $1500. i told him i would have paid $1750 and never heard from him again. it was a beautiful bass but those "tasteful" pearl dots where he'd replaced the badass w/an old spoiler bridge was not "tasteful" in my opinion. if i'd gotten the bass, i was going to have some pros here in san antonio do something about those dots. this one seems to have had the same treatment. i'm not bidding on this one. i believe the guy at the top of the column who says he played it. if you go back and look at the description on the ebay ad, the seller isn't being honest about the condition. he doesn't mention any of the stuff longhorncat says is wrong w/it. i don't like misleading ads that don't accurately describe something as disturbing as a broken pickup cover which might indicate other problems are present. | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 357 Registered: 8-2003 |
Yep...that bass sat on craigslist and elsewhere gradually getting cheaper until G Guitars gave him $1500 and flipped it on eBay at $1000 profit to someone who in turn flipped it to someone else. Kind of a shame with any bass, but that one had some history to it in the positive sense. You're right to not bid on this or any other Guitar Center/instrumentexchange.com auction...despite the fact the seller is a "professional" and my guy, whom longhorn quoted, is an amateur, I'll trust the latter 10 times out of 10. As I've said before--avoid, avoid, avoid. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 36 Registered: 12-2004 |
and i did, i did, i did, as you can see from the end of the auction. professional buyer bought it (check his profile). hopefully, he'll refurbish it and clean it up. btw, what was the "history" of that bass and why won't anyone say what it was? i'd forgotten about that being in the threads when it was being sold. what's the deal? | ||
| hasadari
Junior Username: hasadari Post Number: 40 Registered: 6-2005 |
I played and purchased the other bass with the pearl dots after having a number of conversations with Mica and others at Alembic regarding its condition. I also brought it with the prior owner to a well known Manhattan luthier who gave it a good review. I got a great deal on it and it actually plays very well. I agree that the pearl dots are not the ideal solution and have started looking at a number of other possibilities. Any ideas? The key to any bass is the feel and the sound - it is all Alembic in both cases. Remember, we can't fix the past mistakes of prior owners, but if they don't materially affect the appearance, the sound, or the feel, it may still be a great instrument. Bob Brown | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 38 Registered: 12-2004 |
clearly! i agree. all of my alembics have been pre-owned and i've also consulted at length w/mica about the relative good and bad points of a particular ebay-offered alembic. remember the mark king or stanley clarke or series that had the cracked tailpiece horn? one of the horns was broken off. mica gave me great advice on the various ways it could be fixed correctly. sadly, the only method that would result in the bass looking "right" was to remove both wings and replace them w/new ones. jesus christ, you wouldn't believe what that cost. the other alternatives were going to result in an odd appearance that no one else would probably see from a stage, but i'd know! so, i passed. it sold w/in a range i would have paid at the time, but i would have obsessed about that broken horn. when i purchased my persuader vector, both mica and dave advised me on how to bring a dried out fingerboard back to life and i took their advice and it worked. however, i'm still interested in the "history" aspect of the, well i guess "your", exploiter. if i had won that exploiter, i was going to have someone here remove the pearl dots and try to insert plugs which would more closely match the wood. if you watch "this old house" on pbs, people skilled in wood can do wonders even w/old wood hundreds of years old. i was going to take it to an antiques restorer here who is really, really good and have him do it. our first step was going to be to contact alembic and see what i could do about getting a wood sample or piece that would match as closely as possible. the restorer was going to do the rest. that is a beautiful exploiter you got. wish you hadn't paid so much. like i say, seller offered it to me for $1500 before he moved into nyc and couldn't get his email back up for 2 weeks. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 39 Registered: 12-2004 |
btw, kungfusheriff, please tell us the history behind the bass. | ||
| hasadari
Junior Username: hasadari Post Number: 41 Registered: 6-2005 |
BTW, fortunately I didnt pay anything near $1500. A lucky break for once. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 40 Registered: 12-2004 |
someone up above said it sold at least twice after being purchased by a guitar dealer. i found what i thought was the bass, in ebay's closed listings category, and it sold for $2900. | ||
| pmoran
Junior Username: pmoran Post Number: 42 Registered: 12-2004 |
i found the exploiter that went for $2900 and it was absolutely NOT the one w/the 3 pearl inlay dots repairing the holes drilled for the replacement badass bridge. the one that went for $2900 was another absolutely beautiful exploiter, and pretty flawless from what little the pics showed. | ||
| series_iii
New Username: series_iii Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2005 |
well here it is again http://cgi.ebay.com/Alembic-Exploiter-Handmade-US-Bass-Gibson-Explorer-ish_W0QQitemZ7344245499QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem | ||
| pmoran
Member Username: pmoran Post Number: 52 Registered: 12-2004 |
yep, the same bass longhorncat described above as being basically worn out. wonder what happened w/the ebay buyer? i emailed the seller, same seller as before, and asked what happened. haven't received a response. have to give it to seller this time around. they changed their ad copy to be more honest by mentioning the cracked pickup retainer longhorncat's friend had described. obviously, longhorncat, your compadre did play it and quite accurately described damage not mentioned by seller before. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. do you buy from someone who has to be outed into being honest and forthright about damage? | ||
| series_iii
New Username: series_iii Post Number: 4 Registered: 8-2005 |
just for the record, i am said "reviewer". at one time, this was a very nice bass. with some TLC and a good deal of $$$ it could be a very nice bass again. imho it's overpriced by a good deal based upon the model and especially its condition. as with other alembics that i've seen GC list, this one will probably be relisted over and over agian at the same price. you'd think they'd try a no reserve or make best offer auction, but i'm sure they're bound by some corporate policy. | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 745 Registered: 7-2002 |
Since there seems to be a lot of interest in this bass & I've had a few requests for the build record, I'll post it here. 1984 4 string medium scale Spoiler Exploiter Bubinga top (not koa, as listed) mahogany body maple neck ebony fretboard oval inlays Schaller tuners Brass hardware Completed 5/21/84 That's it. Valentino | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 358 Registered: 8-2003 |
Timmy! Remember, gang, friends don't let friends buy Alembics from Guitar Center... | ||
| series_iii
New Username: series_iii Post Number: 5 Registered: 8-2005 |
yep it's me. i finally broke down and joined the board. btw i was going for series III as my screen name but it got converted to lower case when i registered :-( also btw: " Remember, gang, friends don't let friends buy Alembics from Guitar Center..." <rant mode on> isn't always entirely true. my first two alembics came from guitar center, but they were new. they had hung there for the better part of 3 years before I came along. i think they have an across-the-board issue with selling alembic. GC caters to the fender, warwick and ibanez crowd and they really don't know how to deal with a high-end instrument or manufacturer like alembic. when i bought the europa, the sales guy actually told me that alembic was going out of business and that's why they were blowing out their basses! it's too bad this bass is such a beater and that they're pricing it so high. the sales guy that i spoke to there obviously had not a clue about the instrument. whoever wins this auction is sure to be sorely disappointed when they get it based upon what i saw vs. the description in the ad (gotta wonder if that hasn't already happened). there have been a couple of other used alembics that they have listed over and over at unrealistically high prices and my guess is that this bass will probably fall into that category, unfortunately. btw I just checked the listing again - $1899 ($2199 BIN) – the first auction was for $1525! WOW! Somebody needs to step away from the crack pipe… of course, all of the above hot air imho, ymmv, etc and so forth… <rant mode off> | ||
| pmoran
Member Username: pmoran Post Number: 58 Registered: 12-2004 |
it gets weirder and weirder. the bass just sold and the winning bidder was ebay user "skycoasterbass." i emailed the seller 2 days ago and mentioned the bass had already sold and why was it for sale again. he responded this morning or late last night that the buyer couldn't pay. so, i backtracked just now thru the CLOSED alembic ebay listings and guess who the winning buyer was on august 13th? just guess. anyone got a guess? that's right, "skycoasterbass." hmmmmmmmmmm. | ||
| keith_h
Intermediate Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 158 Registered: 2-2005 |
Pat, I just looked and the same bass still seemd to be for sale on e-bay. It has just under 3 days left and no bidders. Where did you just see that it had sold again? Current URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/Alembic-Exploiter-Handmade-US-Bass-Gibson-Explorer-ish_W0QQitemZ7344245499QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Keith | ||
| pmoran
Member Username: pmoran Post Number: 59 Registered: 12-2004 |
maybe i've been on the crack pipe. i think perhaps i'm a complete dumbass here. or at least a partial one. i was looking in the ebay closed listings for my mark king i bought the other day, because i didn't save the link to the ad. i must have seen the prior sale and thought it had sold again to the same guy. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. it must be that brain probe the people from uranus inserted into my brain years ago when i was abducted by that spacecraft. yeah, that's it. blame it on those "uranusesssssss" or "uranusanians" or whatever they're called. |
