| Author | Message | ||
| jorge_s
Member Username: jorge_s Post Number: 64 Registered: 8-2002 |
I can sort of make out an E in the serial number in the back of the headstock. Anniversary electronics? http://cgi.ebay.com/Alembic-One-of-a-Kind-Hand-Crafted-Mahogany-and-Maple_W0QQitemZ7393976316QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1035 Registered: 3-2004 |
E would be Electrum. I would have bought it outright a year ago, but now I am hoping to get it for less than the Buy Now price, but my $1000 bid didn't even hit reserve. I would go $1250, but I don't want to kill the Buy Now price if someone here really wants it. If you really want it, I suspect it is worth at least the buy now price and you should jump at it before it meets reserve. I believe this could easily go $1750 or more if left to the open market. -bob | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1029 Registered: 7-2004 |
It is indeed an Electrum, though with some upgrades. The maple lam isn't standard - most of these have the Mahogany body and a top wood only (mine's BEM). It also looks like there might be an electronics upgrade. I've seen these with several different set ups. There are three of these in the Showcase section - each different electronically. IIRC the last one of these on eBay, several months ago, went for over $2000! As for this one, I'd be a little concerned that none of the pictures gives a good clear view of the top. I'd definitely ask for more pics, but if you are in the market for an Electrum, the BIN price is quite good. By the way, contrary to the listing, a new Electrum today is more like $5,500, not the $3,500 claimed in the ad. Good luck Bob. Bill, tgo | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1038 Registered: 3-2004 |
Thanks, Bill. I am guessing that the electronics are vol/filter for each pickup and a selector switch, but it could be something different. 50/50 that I just buy it before the day is out. Serial number looks like 96E990#, can't tell if the last number is a 6, 8 or 0. I asked about a pic of the top, a pic of the guitar in the open case to check fit since it looks non-original, and about shipping insurance. $65 seems a bit steep for uninsured ground, but maybe he's having it third-party boxed. -bob | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1039 Registered: 3-2004 |
He said he'd send pics and I told him I would buy it if there weren't any problems. A couple hours later it's sold. I guess I should have just jumped on it and trusted to PayPal and my credit card company if it wasn't as advertised. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 3113 Registered: 6-2000 |
We made a group of three of these Electrums for Mason Street Music in CT. The store is no more, but the guitars live on. I think the electronics are 2 vol 2 filter and a pickup selector swtich. The owner had a couple of really nice Alembic guitars, and asked us to make these special Electrums. But notice, it's a set neck! Original Electrums were neck through. As I recall, there was a gorgeous Blue Moonburst one and an all black one (can't remember if it was opaque or transparent) with "MS" at the 12th fret. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1040 Registered: 3-2004 |
This one was called vermillion, not sure if it was. The top appeared to be a fairly dark brown and it looked like the finish had soaked in pretty well as the top had texture. I didn't see any really good photos, but it could have been an oiled finish to begin with. I suppose it matters little at this point since it is on the way to someone else. (Drat!!!) | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1030 Registered: 7-2004 |
Bob: I didn't originally notice that this was a set neck. IMHO you're better off waiting for a neck through. Bill, tgo | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1041 Registered: 3-2004 |
Trying to cheer me up, Bill? Value-wise, you are probably right that a neck through is worth more. However, I really like the Skylark's feel and tone so I think I would have been quite happy with the set neck version. I suspect the set-neck tone would be a little less bright with the mahogany figuring more in the tone and the maple less. My favorite guitar of all time was the prototype for the Les Paul Custom Lite. Everything about that guitar was wonderful. Unfortunately I had it for less than two years before it was stolen. As a serious musician, I am a bass player, so I don't need a tone that cuts through the band. I am more interested in that warm, mellow tone for solo playing. Heck, I have been thinking about getting one of those new FMT strats and calling it a day. I am just looking for versatile tone and an ebony board. A couple hours ago I was really upset at myself (and whoever *stole* my guitar!), but I am at peace now. No big deal, another will come along and it will probably be exactly my style so that I don't have to think about it before pressing the button. Que sera... I wonder who grabbed the guitar? Maybe we'll hear about it soon. -bob | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1031 Registered: 7-2004 |
Bob: My preference for neck-thrus isn't about value, it's all about sustain. And, of course, I love the look of, as my wife calls them, racing stripes. But the sustain is key. I love Santana and I find that my neck-thrus tend to sustain significantly more than bolt-ons or set necks. And there is always brother Paul, tbo's mantra: there will be another one, there will be another one,there will be another one, there will be another one, there will be another one, there will be another one,there will be another one, there will be another one .... Bill, tgo | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hi fellas, I'm the culprit, a newbie. Sorry Bob, I didn't know somebody else had their heart set on this particular guitar. Tell you what, I should have it by the end of the week. If I don't fall in love with it, I will sell it to you for the same price I paid, If you still want it then. I have never had an Alembic before, just have heard the praises. I jumped mainly because I thought it might be my only chance to find one at a price like that!! To be honest I have no business spending the money but guitars have been tickling my crazy bone lately. I didn't know this was a set neck model until I found this forum. My other electrics are through neck, so I may share Bill's opinion once I try it out. Anyway... hopefully no hard feelings... -Michael | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1042 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hey there Michael, welcome to the family! No hard feelings at all. If the guitar is in good shape, you'll love it. I expect it to sound like a tighter/cleaner Les Paul with much better note definition. I certainly didn't have my heart set on it, though the thought of buying it grew on me. If you jumped at it on Sunday, I would have been thanking you for taking away the temptation. Oh, and I was only joking when I used the word "stole" above. I suppose I should have applied a smiley face if that wasn't obvious. Bill, I understand where you're coming from, I feel the same way about basses. Since I don't play my guitars as seriously, I need only have the right feel not the world's best tone or sustain. | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2006 |
Thanks for the welcome, and believe me, I've been there before. Sometimes I'm relieved when someone keeps me from spending money, other times I'm ticked off that I didn't do get the item. Well I'm excited to try it out. I have a Rickenbacker 650A and a 78 Ibanez 2680 (Weir), should be an interesting comparison. I was looking to buy another vintage Ibanez too but had to put in a new garage door and water heater this week so that ate up half my budget. I will be sure to let you guys know how it turns out. The seller was right on it and has some good feedback for other guitars he's sold so I feel good about it. We'll see! | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1043 Registered: 3-2004 |
My biggest concerns were the case and ground shipping. That is not the original case and the seller told me that the guitar fit loosely unless some extra padding was added. I wanted to make sure he would buy insurance if I paid for it, and by the time I got an answer it was too late. | ||
| bob
Senior Member Username: bob Post Number: 588 Registered: 11-2002 |
(Sheesh, Bob, you didn't have to send him into a panic about shipping, after he made such a refreshingly warm and genuine entrance... but then again, I recall having some fun with aaarrrghboy on the same subject, a year or two back.) Hi Michael, thanks for joining us. I checked your profile for age (not listed), thinking that with such a mature attitude you must be up there with many of us :-) For what it's worth (approximately nothing), I have a new garage door on order, and had to replace my furnace last month - but I don't play those skinny string things anymore, so don't get me confused with the other Bob. Hope things work out well, one way or another, all around. -Bob | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 296 Registered: 7-2004 |
Hi Michael and welcome! It's always nice to have another guitar player around here. The club is pretty big in the bottom - and a more pleasant bunch of musicians you're unlikely to meet. =) I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Electrum - my Skylark has a set-neck and has great sustain even when it's not plugged in. BTW - I've always sort of hoped I could snag myself an Ibanez "Cowboy Fancy" somehow. Got to see it when Ratdog played here a few months ago, but Bobby mostly played the Modulus and Tele. Anyway, good luck and enjoy the Electrum. Tom | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2006 |
Thanks again for the welcome guys. I should add some more info about myself since you asked. I'm 28 and work for IBM as an SAP application admin. I've always been told that in many ways I'm a 40 year old trapped in a 20-something body, though I have a very silly side. I think if we weren't all a little crazy we wouldn't get by. I've always been a music lover, and my cars have been my "wife" but lately guitars are creeping up close. I bought my first one 2 years ago (a yamaha acoustic) after deciding to give it a try, but didn't really work at it until 2 months ago. Now I play at least an hour a day. I have a loooooong way to go but I'm highly motivated and enjoying it a lot. My brother has played off and on for 15ish years so he's a good source of inspiration, though he's on the other side of the country. Tom: Yeah the Cowboy model is hard to come by for sure. I guess you know they released a recreation of it last year but it sold out quickly, and it was somewhere around $5000 I believe. It says something about that era of Ibanez when he's still playing that guitar almost 30 years later! Have you ever seen a Dark Star Orchestra show? Those guys are amazing. They are true to their word - it's not a cover band, it's a recreation. They play original setlists and use vintage equipment, among other things that make it a very real experience. Unfortunately I was too young to see GD before Jerry passed so DSO is the closest I can get I think. I was very impressed. -Michael | ||
| longhorncat
Junior Username: longhorncat Post Number: 47 Registered: 8-2005 |
A Skylark is on the block now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7394429220  | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 299 Registered: 7-2004 |
Yeah, I saw that Ibanez released a limited edition run of the Cowboy, maybe one will come my way some time. =) With a Further in production and a distant eye on a Santa Cruz Tony Rice model, my gear budget is pretty much tapped for a while. I've been on DSOs guest list a couple of times (I have good friends who are connected with their scene) but I've never seen them. I have heard that they accurately recreate the "Grateful Dead Experience" (most notably from an interview with Bob Matthews, one of the Dead's sound engineers). DSO is an interesting concept, but having seen the Dead, many times all over the world, I've been reluctant to check them out. I should probably just get over it. =) Tom | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1044 Registered: 3-2004 |
Looking at that Skylark too. Terms are unsafe, though, so I am asking questions to create a comfort level. The nut mod may hurt the value a little for true Alembic lovers, but it is fine with me. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3336 Registered: 5-2002 |
Ok, let's get back on topic. I replaced my water heater last year with a tankless wall mount unit. While apparently common in Europe, demand for these in the US has only recently started to grow. I haven't worked it out on a spreadsheet yet, but this thing appears to be well on its way to paying for itself in utility bill savings. Highly recommended. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3337 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Michael; welcome and congrats!! | ||
| olieoliver
New Username: olieoliver Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2006 |
Hey Dave, is that a gas or electric wall mount water heater. I've been thinking about going to one of these. | ||
| precarius
Member Username: precarius Post Number: 65 Registered: 11-2005 |
Dave- Let me know how the water heater works out. I work for Bosch and can get big discounts on the tankless water heaters & I am considering one. Michael- Welcome. We just implemented the SAP system last April and it is quite a pain. Maybe the longer we use it the easier it will become. I hope. Mike | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3338 Registered: 5-2002 |
Gas. (Actually, here in the rural mountains, propane.) Ok; I went ahead and did the spreadsheet (all amounts are in US dollars or are US measurments). Work can wait, this is more important. The first time I filled the tanks after moving here was in October of 2004, and the water heater was replaced in March 2005; so I don't have available information to do a summertime comparison. The winter comparison is compromised by the fact that I heat the house with gas, and by the fact that it is difficult to know which winter was colder. Still, the spreadsheet suggested a 16% fuel savings, which was about .44 gallons a day. At about $2.00 a gallon (that's for propane; natural gas and electricity are probably much more), that's around $300 a year. However, a tank heater doesn't work as hard in the summer as in the winter; so let's say $200. So if you had to buy a new heater anyway (I did, my tank died), you take the marginal increase in the cost of a tankless heater over a tank and divide that by the annual savings. This seems to suggest that my tankless heater will pay for itself in about four to five years. Again, my calculations are not highly accurate and could be off by a considerable amount. When I was researching prior to purchase, my estimate then was a payback period of five years; so my current estimate seems to be in line with my expectations. Note: your mileage will vary!! Besides the tangible financial benefits, there are intangible benefits as well. First, you're burning less fossil fuels and therefore making a contribution to the preservation of the environment which sustains us all. Second, you're burning less nonrenewable resources, the demand for and control of which are causing governments throughout the world to become increasingly stressed; thus you're making a contribution to world peace. Third ... endless hot water in the shower!!! | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2006 |
I considered putting in a tankless heater for my shop but I haven't run water out there yet. I went with a Lockinvar tank heater for the house after hearing some negative things about tankless, but I think it goes both ways. I think, also, it's a problem in my area because of our hard water. I wanted to put in a tankless and then add a softener with the space I'd save in my utility room. Mike: Yeah, SAP is not exactly "fun." It will probably get somewhat better but it all depends on how good your developers are and how much customization your business wants. It can get really funky. | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 611 Registered: 6-2002 |
Dave - I am completely rebuilding my house. One of my purchases will be a water heater. I am considering a tankless system. I did not know of anyone that had one of these. Now I do! So, does this water get as hot as a heater with a tank? I would suspect that in the winter the water to be not as hot as in the summer. True? Talk to me. I really do not want a tank. My water heater lives in my attic, and it always made me squeemish to have all that water wating to flood my house. I never want another flood in my place. A tankless heater seems the way to go, but I just don't know if the water gets hot enough. Let me know your thoughts. By the way, my wife and I agreed that if the house floods again we are leaving town for good. Michael | ||
| tbrannon
Junior Username: tbrannon Post Number: 46 Registered: 11-2004 |
I've got a tankless water heater. I highly recommend them. Michael- They get very hot and stay hot! If anything, you need to be careful with them....you can get water coming out of the tap at ridiculously high temps. I have an 18 month old daughter and had to turn down the temperature for fear of her turning on a hot tap and scalding herself. You simply set the output temperature where you want it. The other nice thing is that the average tankless water heater is about the size of a small suitcase. They can be put just about anywhere. Mine sits against the back wall of a hallway linen closet. No need to put it in the attic. (Message edited by tbrannon on March 01, 2006) | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 5 Registered: 2-2006 |
Oh man, a water heater in the attic? That thing would have a major tank around it and an alarm if it was in my house. Yikes! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3349 Registered: 5-2002 |
Michael; my experience is the same as Toby's - my water is plenty hot enough! And my well water is plenty cold! However, I've never tried to "outrun" it by turning on all the hot water taps in the house at once. But then I also, if I recall correctly, don't have it set on the highest temp either. And if I further recall correctly, I have a relatively small unit; there are larger units for large families. One thing that was immediately different is that it takes longer for the hot water to initially get to the tap. My tankless is in the same location that the tank was. With the tank, the hot water is constantly being heated and is ready to go when you turn on the tap. But with the tankless when you turn on the tap, the water is moving through quite a length of coiled tubing in the box, being heated all along the way; thus it takes an extra number of seconds for the water to travel through the coil on it's way to the tap. Thus when considering a location for the box, trying to keep if close to the kitchen sink, or other location where you are turning the hot water on and off often, may help cut down on wasting water. Also, if you go with a gas unit, the box will need to be vented and thus will need to be mounted on an exterior wall where it would be appropriate to have the vent sticking out the wall (there may be ordinances for this sort of thing). I just mounted mine where the tank was and used the same vent hole. The unit will have its own built in vent blower. I'm on well water and if the power goes out, so does the well. But if you are on city water and if you go with a gas unit, I saw where you could get a unit that could light itself without electricity. Thus if the power goes out, you've still got hot water! I did a good bit of research (quickly, my tank had died) and shopped around. I ended up getting my unit from my gas (propane) supplier and had them do the installation. I called a plumber for a quote and it was considerably higher. The local big box hardware stores were no help. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1049 Registered: 3-2004 |
We just put in a new oil burner/boiler with tankless hot water too. That was (insert choice word here) expensive! In terms of hot water, you will typically have either 1/4" or 1/2" pipe going to/from your water heater. The cold water lines are usually 1/2". This is the same size pipe that typically runs to all your taps. There's really only enough hot water being produced to run one tap full out unless you have an odd piping situation. Dave, if you're some place where the power goes out regularly, you can get a fail-over generator installed for about $5K that will power critical things like the well, heating unit, fridge, etc. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 1046 Registered: 7-2004 |
$5K ... hmmm ... cold showers or another Alembic ... hmmm ... tough decision ... ?????? Bill, tgo | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3354 Registered: 5-2002 |
Bob; I'm still dreaming about solar panels <g>. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1051 Registered: 3-2004 |
Spend a couple days in New England with no power after a blizzard and the decision would get a bunch easier, Bill. If I lived in the balmy SF Bay area, it would also be an easy decision. Solar panels would be nice, too. That tech has come a long way since the early days of pumping your water to the roof to make it easier to heat. | ||
| byoung
Advanced Member Username: byoung Post Number: 226 Registered: 12-2004 |
I'm suprised nobody here has a fuel cell. Brad | ||
| bigoldv8
New Username: bigoldv8 Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2006 |
She arrived today! Gorgeous, and I'm amazed. The sustain is as good as my other two guitars which are both through-neck as discussed above, but the playability is so good. I've only been really playing for two months and I can finally do an F barre. Hahahahaha. I know, I know..amateur.. Anyway, I'm thoroughly impressed. The range of sounds is awesome too. Now I've got to invest in an amp and speaker setup worthy of this guitar!! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3360 Registered: 5-2002 |
Enjoy, Michael!! | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1054 Registered: 3-2004 |
Great news! Keep me in mind if you get bored of it.  |
