| Author | Message | ||
| hasadari
Intermediate Member Username: hasadari Post Number: 147 Registered: 6-2005 |
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Alembic-Bass-Flamed-Koa-Neck-Through-NR_W0QQitemZ7379675574QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 36 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks, Robert. I just bid on this. It is the first bid I have ever placed on Ebay, or any other auction site for that matter. Maybe I'll win. Charles (Message edited by crgaston on January 03, 2006) | ||
| brainiac
Junior Username: brainiac Post Number: 14 Registered: 8-2005 |
Charles- What did you think jumping the bid from $500 to $650 was going to do...other than pimp the price for the seller? The last Spoiler on there was the one with the broken headstock and it still brought right at $1,000...mainly because one guy jumped the price several hundred dollars. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 699 Registered: 6-2002 |
It looks to be one of the early ones with the solid koa wings. Nice flame pattern! | ||
| phys49
Junior Username: phys49 Post Number: 32 Registered: 4-2005 |
Annabel2001 was the original $650.33 bidder. Charles had to bid several times to outbid her. I like to wait until near the end of the bidding to make a bid for the reason that Brainiac stated, early bidding increases the price. Brainiac shouod lighten up, however. Perry | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 37 Registered: 11-2005 |
Yep, I started with 500 and it told me that somebody else had bid higher, then put in 650 and it told me the same thing, so i put in a higher max bid and it put me at 660.33. Like I said, this is my first time using an auction site, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I am hoping that the time of year will help keep the price down on this, but who knows. Braniac, if you are bidding on this and might win, let me know and I'll back off on this one. Consider it professional courtesy (one teacher to another). What do you teach? I teach 9th and 10th grade English in a little town in Georgia. | ||
| brainiac
Junior Username: brainiac Post Number: 15 Registered: 8-2005 |
I have no interest in this bass, I just hate to see people jump the bid for no reason other than to give the seller more money. If everyone waited until the last minute to bid, prices could be kept much more affordable...for ALL of us. It's like playing poker with poor players. They raise the pot, costing everyone big bucks, yet they never win the hands. | ||
| essencetimestwo
Intermediate Member Username: essencetimestwo Post Number: 105 Registered: 8-2003 |
You wouldn't feel that way if you were the seller. It has been my experience that Alembic basses, especially lower line Spoilers , Epics, Orions, etc. fetch about the same prices whether the bidding is early or late in the auction. The best strategy is to bid one time, the max amount you are willing to spend, and leave it at that. If you don't get this one, another nice Spoiler is bound to come along soon enough. | ||
| brainiac
Junior Username: brainiac Post Number: 16 Registered: 8-2005 |
...uh, but I'm NOT the seller. Don't ask me to pity the poor seller. As often as not, he is getting every penney or more back from an original investment. Call it wise, whatever. And bidding once, then sitting out, doesn't seem like much of a strategy. And I'm NOT trying to get on your case, just a guy who appreciates the quality but has a hard time justifying the expense. | ||
| speicky
Member Username: speicky Post Number: 81 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hi, everybody, I also made the experience that it does not really matter at what time you place a bid on eBay. Alembics in normal condition almost always sell for the "right" price. I once had a nightmare being the high-bidder on a Spoiler for a few days at less than $800. It was last year, auction ended on New Year's day, so I thought, well, everybody else must be lying in bed, half-dead from last night's celebration, and I got out-bidden six seconds before the auction ended. That bass sold for over $1.200... Bottom line: there's always at least two persons who want "that" Alembic, so no matter what, the seller will get a reasonable refund. I wish it weren't so, but I'm afraid it is... Christian (the faker) | ||
| brainiac
Junior Username: brainiac Post Number: 17 Registered: 8-2005 |
re: crgaston You went ahead and jumped it another $100 to $750? What is your thinking? With FOUR days to go, keep jumping $100 everytime someone tops the bid and you'll end up with a like-new price on a 24 year old bass! But each to his own. Knock yourself out. | ||
| speicky
Member Username: speicky Post Number: 82 Registered: 3-2005 |
John: It was was not Charles who pushed it another $100. Charles just placed a maximum bid at $750 that was hidden as long as no one else bid the same or a higher amount. So, it's not Charles' "fault" or action :-) As I pointed out before, top scores for Alembics like this (to me, at least) will end up well behind $1,000. I allow everyone to laugh at me when I'm wrong, though... Christian (the faker) (ready to bid $1,200... no, really not, I simply don't have the cash !) (Message edited by Speicky on January 04, 2006) | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 38 Registered: 11-2005 |
Well, I see Christian beat me to some of this, but as I had stated earlier, this is the first time I have ever bid on something. The instructions said to put in the maximum amount I would pay, which was 750, and it would automatically bid for me up to my stated amount. Apparently, what happened was that someone wanted to see where that limit was, and so we ended up with the 760 or whatever was on there now, and also triggered my max bid to be entered. I have made no action other than to bid the one time using the E-Bay-recommended automated bidding process. It is possible that I am misunderstanding the automated bidding process and it has some sort of time-based function. I think in the future I will refrain from using the automated bidding function, as it's main value so far seems to be irritating uninvolved spectators. | ||
| speicky
Member Username: speicky Post Number: 83 Registered: 3-2005 |
Sorry, Charles, (for giggling), I just read your post, being my own thoughts as an eBay rookie in 2003... kind of flashback ! Now I am an ebay expert (having 35 positive feedbacks, LOL). Placing a max bid is comfortable for you, you do not have to care of others or look up the auction every five minutes, but what if someone out-bids you four days before the end ? Will you check your wallet again and raise your max bid ??? It happened to me once that someone raised his bids in steps of $100, obviously to check out my max bid. This "someone" voided his last bid that bid me out and discovered my max bid. I reported this to ebay, because it was so obvious, and this "someone" was removed from the ebay platform. I don't see anything fraudulent here up to this point. There are auctions where the price is determined during the first 24h (really !), and there are auctions where you (or I) got beaten during the last few seconds. On the other hand, I've seen enough auctions with no feedbacks exchanged after the deal... And I am only talking about the Alembic auctions on ebay that I was able to watch during 2005, I think I missed just very little exceptions from any rule... Christian (the faker) (still saving...) | ||
| dibolosi
Junior Username: dibolosi Post Number: 21 Registered: 1-2004 |
I think crgaston wants the bass. When you want something you take measures to work hard and get it. The first Alembic I ever grabbed was in 1987. It was an '82 Spoiler being hosted by the Freedom guitar shop in Hollywood. The shop owner wanted 1,150, perhaps a bit high but what the heck did I know. I haggled him down to agree to let me have it for $1,000 out the door. He said "DEAL" and I gave him $50.00. A suprised look appeared upon his face. We continued to deal. At the time I was making $7.12 with rent, insurance payments, automotive expenses, and other miscellaneous fiscal responsibilies. I didn't have $1,000.00. This town of L.A. is pricey. Not S.F. or N.Y. pricey, mind you, but still up there as far as costs go. A layaway plan was agreed upon between the shop owner and I. Every week I would walk into the Freedom guitar shop in Hollywood and give the store owner $20.00 here, $50.00 there, maybe $100.00 on a good week. I think the store owner was taken with my enthusiasm and desire for ownership of the Spoiler. I hocked my Sunn Coliseum head to the store owner for $50.00 credit, took weekend jobs through temp agencies for extra cash, moved furniture, recycled cans, sat in on a cover band for two paying gigs despite their repertoire being artistically offensive (the lowest I ever stooped). 16 weeks and 4 days later, May 19th 1987 (a Tuesday) I walked out of that store with that bass. I remember the date because it's Pete Townshend's birthday. I must say that I amazed myself in being able to save nearly an extra $60.00 a week in order to get that bass. It took quite a bit of extra work and sacrifices, but well worth sacrifices. The only thing I wouldn't sacrifice was my first bass. For that one I washed dishes for four months in 1979 at $2.95 an hour. I was 17 years old at the time and in many ways it was easier to get, due to I was a high school student living at home without the extra bills. (the bass was a '79 Rickenbacker, for those who care) Of course I went back to being broke after getting the Spoiler because I gave up the weekend and extra work to do the musician thing; to play the bass(es). I still have the Spoiler. It has been played to death, seen quite a bit of gig and some road work, it doesn't shine as pretty as the day I bought it. Yet it sounds just as wonderful. I should post pictures of it sometime, it's one of the first 50 Spoilers with the decal on the headstock. John Entwistle himself sat down on a couch and played it once. He then made some disparaging comment (his Alembic's were a bit fancier than mine) and he drew a little design on the back. Unfortunately that design wore off, you can only see a faint circle. (Despite the rockstar snooty 'tude' about my bass that evening, Entwistle remains my favorite of all the thudstaff thumpers). Anyway. What I'm thinking is that Crgaston wants that Spoiler bass. And I say GO GET IT | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 39 Registered: 11-2005 |
Nice pep talk, Mike! We'll see. I do have a budget... ;-) Charles | ||
| phys49
Junior Username: phys49 Post Number: 33 Registered: 4-2005 |
Hey Charles, I teach physics at a little university in south georgia.I understand about teachers having a budget. I always wait to bid near the end of the auction for the exact reason Christian(the faker) stated. It also can help to hold down the final price. I hope you are able to buy an Alembic you like. Perry | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 871 Registered: 4-2004 |
i dont get it... this is america, guy wants to bid- who are we to challenge it... i think some one is way out of line here- way out.... if someone is willing to pay whatever, its not pumping the seller- its getting what the buyer is willing to spend crags if you dont win the bid on this one and would consider buying a persuader... contact me jeff | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 41 Registered: 11-2005 |
Jeff, Got Pix? | ||
| cosmic
Member Username: cosmic Post Number: 52 Registered: 5-2005 |
Let me chime in....seems charles is getting ripped on for seemingly no reason -- although I think it is clear everyone's intentions are good. You're new to eBay Charles -- so what people are trying to do here is just help you out with a good strategy. When you find something you want, the best strategy for eBay is to save it to MyEbay so you can monitor it. Do not bid on it yet. Just watch it. When you get very close to the ending time (we're talking munutes/seconds) -- check the price again. If it what you're willing to pay -- go ahead and bid the MAXMIMUM amount you wish to bid on. By the time you;re done bidding there should be little to no time left for someone to react to your bid. Either your manixum will be the winning maximum bid, or you may get beat because some else had a higher maximum. The point of doing this is twofold. 1 -- it keeps you within your own set maximum so you won't be tempted to keep upping the bid and getting into an Ebay frenzy/fever. and 2 -- msot importantly -- it helps keep the total price of the item down. I have seen many, many items get run up to a ridiculous level several days vefore the auction's ending because two hardheads kept battling each other on bids. There is no need to do this. It is better to simply swoop in at the last minute, make your play, and let the chips fall where they may. I have won MANY high value items this way for dirt cheap prices because I refused to challenge the existing bid until the last minute. Make sense dude? This is a strategy you will find that most eBay verterans use. Good luck with the bass -- I was checking it out myself until I saw all the activity on it. Someone will be happy with it. | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 879 Registered: 4-2004 |
AND TRY AUCTIONSNIPER.COM the first few are free thats how i nailed my 2nd gibson eb2-d now i am selling the first one i got | ||
| pinchdawg
Junior Username: pinchdawg Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2005 |
2 hrs.left,Is this a good value? | ||
| precarius
Junior Username: precarius Post Number: 27 Registered: 11-2005 |
I think it is WAY over-priced. I've got an 83 spoiler that I love, but I can't believe Spoilers on e-bay are bringing higher prices than Essences. This auction seems like an e-bay frenzy. Mike | ||
| dibolosi
Junior Username: dibolosi Post Number: 22 Registered: 1-2004 |
to luigi6113 it seems to be a good value. The value of something is only worth what the individual is willing to give up for it. I've never heard an Essence bass so I can't compare the sound between the two. It's only money, you can always make more | ||
| crgaston
Junior Username: crgaston Post Number: 43 Registered: 11-2005 |
It looks to me like this annabel person is purposely driving up the price, just looking at the bid history. Am I reading it right or is my ebay noob-ness showing? It is a very nice example of an early Spoiler, and I imagine that in a couple of years the winner will be able to turn a profit on it, but that person won't be me. Thanks for all the help and advice you all have offered. This is a great board. Charles | ||
| precarius
Junior Username: precarius Post Number: 28 Registered: 11-2005 |
Wow. $1620. For only $575 more they could have had 2 extra fingerboards. | ||
| pinchdawg
Junior Username: pinchdawg Post Number: 16 Registered: 12-2005 |
was that price for its vintage or its sound? | ||
| effclef
Advanced Member Username: effclef Post Number: 367 Registered: 1-2004 |
Precarius: HAH HAH HAH !!!! That made my day. The three-fingerboard-Spoiler is aging like fine cheese each time it hits eBay again and again, with no bids. Effclef | ||
| gothings
New Username: gothings Post Number: 1 Registered: 1-2006 |
i bought it hopefully i will be the first of many,just hav 2 get it shipped 2 ireland now | ||
| dibolosi
Junior Username: dibolosi Post Number: 23 Registered: 1-2004 |
congratulations on your winning bid. I know you'll enjoy this bass as much as I enjoyed wandering the pubs of dublin. and I'm sure you'll remember playing the bass more than I remember doing said action. The beer over there is so delicious, and the hard cider is killer | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2979 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Ciaran; congrats on the Spoiler and welcome to the group! | ||
| bracheen
Senior Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 952 Registered: 11-2003 |
Ciaran, a chara, Congratulations on the Spoiler. Dublin is a great city! Of course I don't live there. You may have a different opinion. I do love to visit every chance I get. It's been almost 6 years and the Joneses are setting in. Unless I'm mistaken you are our first Irish member Le meas Sam | ||
| gothings
New Username: gothings Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2006 |
thanks all for the very friendly welcome i dont know if there is another alembic in the country at the moment, |
