Uhhhh....not quite =) Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Alembic Club » Swap Shop and Wish Lists » Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere » Archive 2006 » Archive through August 14, 2006 » Uhhhh....not quite =) « Previous Next »

Author Message
tbrannon
Intermediate Member
Username: tbrannon

Post Number: 109
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Sunday, August 06, 2006 - 7:24 pm:   Edit Post

The picture says it all...
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Custom-Shop-Bass-Guitar-UNIQUE-VIOLA-VIOLIN ALEMBIC_W0QQitemZ270015943223QQihZ017QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Alembic guts~ Strange to say the least.

(Message edited by tbrannon on August 06, 2006)
crgaston
Advanced Member
Username: crgaston

Post Number: 241
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Sunday, August 06, 2006 - 10:45 pm:   Edit Post

That is pretty freaking sweet!
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1206
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Monday, August 07, 2006 - 7:26 am:   Edit Post

i emailed them
in their opinion without modifications it cant be set up with a low b string
longhorncat
Member
Username: longhorncat

Post Number: 98
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Monday, August 07, 2006 - 9:26 pm:   Edit Post

How's this for vintage!
"Petrified Siberian Wooley Mammoth Ivory nut (20,000 years old!)"
57basstra
Advanced Member
Username: 57basstra

Post Number: 210
Registered: 4-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 12:01 pm:   Edit Post

Reckon what the serial number is on that one?
byoung
Advanced Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 330
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 8:11 pm:   Edit Post

All I can say is-- that doesn't look like an Alembic headstock.
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1208
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 8:56 pm:   Edit Post

been exchanging email with them and they seem very friendly and responsive- even offered to build me one with a low b- but then again i have alembic here.,...
bob
Senior Member
Username: bob

Post Number: 691
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 10:49 pm:   Edit Post

Jeff, what sort of mods are they talking about for a low B? In most cases it should not grossly change the overall tension on the neck, so I would think all that you'd need would be wider slots in the nut and bridge - not exactly what I would consider a "mod", but maybe there's something else going on that I'm not thinking of.

Though it's not really my taste, it looks to be very nicely done from the photos - beautiful finish, very nice fingerboard, interesting style, and of course great electronics. Headstock looks a bit massive to my eye, but it does seem to balance nicely.

The electronics alone are worth well more than the current bid, and they seem to come in a pretty nice package.

And of course, you could then go around telling people you have a petrified nut (sorry, couldn't help myself).
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1210
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 09, 2006 - 6:02 am:   Edit Post

the steinberger tuners will only accept .090 diameter
pmoran
Intermediate Member
Username: pmoran

Post Number: 165
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 09, 2006 - 2:01 pm:   Edit Post

My father built several chlorine gas plants in Russia in the late '70's to early '80's when very few Americans were allowed to travel behind the Iron Curtain. He traveled in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania many times. The Russian Trade Embargo virtually killed his business.........but not his memory of what he learned about Russian business practices. I wouldn't bid on this bass for all the caviar in the Caspian! IMHO, and I know nobody asked, the odds of actually receiving this bass and not getting ripped off are about the same as OJ admitting that he killed Nicole. My prayers go out to any bidders!
pmoran
Intermediate Member
Username: pmoran

Post Number: 166
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 09, 2006 - 2:59 pm:   Edit Post

BTW: there's another reason I missed in my prior post about why one shouldn't bid on this bass if you live in the United States. I'm an attorney practicing criminal law for almost 26 years. We have very strict Federal laws on the importation of Ivory into the United States. Again, IMHO, any successful bidder in this country could go through absolute hell trying to get this bass into the country if the ad is correct about the ivory nut. Just a word of warning from someone who has had to deal with "antique ivory" issues before!
byoung
Advanced Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 333
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 7:26 pm:   Edit Post

So, Pat, is that only "endangered" ivory, or would something like Elk Tooth Ivory count?

Bradley
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 949
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 8:15 pm:   Edit Post

Pat, you're my kind of guy.

I'm with Bradley . . . we all see the occasional ad with 'non-endangered' ivory or some similar gobbldygook, is ANY ivory legal?

This really is one more EBay invitation to blow a large-calibre hole in your posterior, the slug still having considerable lbs/ft after shredding your wallet on the way in.

J o e y
byoung
Advanced Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 337
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 11:11 pm:   Edit Post

Joey,

Did you use gelatin to measure the impact?

And an elk's teeth (the front two upper teeth) are ivory. Elk are a "renewable resource". Not endangered.

Bradley
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 1000
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 3:45 am:   Edit Post

My parents bought us an old piano, and it has ivory on the keys (now in my own living room). I've played a great many pianos over the years, among which a handful of grand pianos to wax lyrical about - but plastic really is no sustitute.

Not that I want to encourage elephant hunters, just that they haven't come up with a good ersatz - not counting celluloid which was allegedly developed for snooker balls, when the elephant hunters couldn't keep up with the demand of the snooker craze back in the day - except the stuff would catch fire from time to time.
trekster
Intermediate Member
Username: trekster

Post Number: 115
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:49 am:   Edit Post

Ok, I have a question -- it states on this auction that the fingerboard is cocobolo. Isn't cocobolo not a good idea for a fingerboard, since it would be unfinished and therefore can cause some people to have an allergic reaction?

--J
fc_spoiler
Advanced Member
Username: fc_spoiler

Post Number: 237
Registered: 5-2006
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 1:25 pm:   Edit Post

Quote + link: ."Coco Bolo. Coco Bolo is not suitable for those with sensitive skin"
pmoran
Intermediate Member
Username: pmoran

Post Number: 167
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 2:28 pm:   Edit Post

if it's vintage/antique ivory, you have to prove it. you have to be able to prove the date the ivory was "harvested." in the piano instance, the date of manufacture, which is easily ascertainable, and proof the keys are original or pre-date the cutoff date in the statute is all you would need. most antiques dealers have affidavits and documentation proving any ivory they sell is exempt from the law. regarding ivory obtained from a foreign country, you have to prove the ivory isn't taken from archaeological sites, isn't protected by the laws of that country, or is not a "national treasure" which if removed from the country of origin would constitute, essentially, theft of art or national heritage. with specific regard to mammoth ivory, you have to be able to prove when it was discovered, where it came from and you might even run into problems w/regards to russian ivory of claims that it is the property of indigenous peoples. regardless of the importability of this ivory nut, failure to declare that the nut is ivory on any customs paperwork would be a separate, serious federal offense, the prosecution of which would really not have anything to do with the provenance of the ivory itself.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration