| Author | Message | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2008 |
Hi there, I am looking currently at an Essence and was after advice as to pricing. The person selling is looking for $1980 AUD ( about $1750 USD). Does this seem a fair price or a little high? At the moment it is a decision between the Essence and a MINT BC Rich Eagle which I can get for $1600 USD (brand new, never been played still with hang tags and case candy). I have attached a couple of pics of the Essence in question, even though I realise it is pretty hard to tell too much from a picture. Thanks heaps and looking forward to your replies. Regards Richard   | ||
| white_cloud
Intermediate Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 197 Registered: 11-2007 |
Hi Richard, welcome aboard! My advice is grab the Essence while you can. Seems a good price to me ( An Essence here in the UK would cost at least $3000 ) I have got to tell you that if you expect the BC Rich to be in the same league as an Alembic you will be sorely disapointed..they are not in the same class at all! Good luck, John. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 5999 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Richard; that's just like my Essence - Flame Maple top, Maple body, Maple neck. I'm sitting here listening to a demo I made with it back in 2001, and it's a nice sounding bass; and I love playing it. $1,750 would be on the high side here in the states; but then there's a lot more Alembics available here than I imagine there are in Australia. So my guess is that it's probably not unreasonable if you really like the bass. | ||
| white_cloud
Intermediate Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 199 Registered: 11-2007 |
The cheapest Essence I can find in the UK at the moment is £1599 ($3000 US ) I find it amusing (and I am jealous )that US buyers would baulk at the kind of price quoted. I would also love to know why Alembics are much cheaper in Australia than they are in the UK! Its not great living in the tax capital of the universe ( although I have heard Jupiter comes close! ) | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 3 Registered: 1-2008 |
Thanks for the comments. I am going to have a loook and a play of it this Thursday when I go across to Sydney for work. Any suggestions as to what to look out for on this bass would be appreciated. It seems in pretty good condition from the photos, but as I said it is pretty hard to tell too much from a picture. As for the BC Rich, I think that many people underate those. Yes I know that they are probably worlds apart. I currently have an 87 US neck through Warlock which I have had from new which is an awesome bass, just that the style of it doesnt quite suit the music I am currently looking at playing. Pop and ballads on a Warlock - I dont think so.....lol Once ahain thanks for the comments and any other advice you can give on what to check for on the Essence would be most appreciated. Cheers Richard | ||
| longhorncat
Advanced Member Username: longhorncat Post Number: 247 Registered: 8-2005 |
You could get that bass in the US for $1500, but then it would cost you $350 for shipping to Oz. So the asking price is good if that's the bass you are looking for. | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 4 Registered: 1-2008 |
Well I have always wanted one, just never had the cash to actually purchase. I let music go for a while (last live gig was in 94). My wife (singer/songwriter) are now once again looking to get something happening here in Australia, so I figured that now is the time to get another bass to go with my existing BC Rich which as stated above would look pretty stupid playing pop and ballads  Never having played an Alembic I dont know what to expect although I have heard many may good things about them both in general and also from reading this forum. I have posted the serial in the hopes of finding some more info out in regards to this bass, so that will be interesting. Cheers Richard | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 6005 Registered: 5-2002 |
Well my first question would be does it have an original form-fit case. By the way, it's probably not that orange; my guess is that the color in the pictures is the result of the camera flash. I've worked with the picture some, and it probably looks more like this:  Check out Christian's bass here; the wall picture is a good approximation of the color. The controls are described here. The knob closest to the bridge pickup is Volume, the knob by the bridge is the Pan, and the third knob is the filter. | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 5 Registered: 1-2008 |
Yes I believe that it does have the original hard shell case included with it. I did notice however on the bridge that the (brass)? is starting to tarnish somewhat. Do I follow the directions for taking the bridge apart and cleaning with brasso or similar to bring it back to its original condition? I guess you have to expect some wear on a 15 yr old bass that has been played Cheers Richard | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 6009 Registered: 5-2002 |
Yes, the bridge is unplated and needs to be polished from time to time. Alembic recommends a cleaner called Flitz. The plated surfaces should not be polished. | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 7 Registered: 1-2008 |
Thanks Dave, will have to order some of that if I go ahead with the purchase on Thursday evening. Cheers | ||
| white_cloud
Advanced Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 202 Registered: 11-2007 |
Hi again Richard, I do agree with you about BC Rich, I owned a very nice Eagle in the eighties. I do have to say though that there is nothing like an Alembic! If you havent played an Alembic before prepare yourself. It will feel very different to any bass you have probably played before. Give yourself a fair bit of time playing the Essence and "aclimatising" to it. Thats my the best advice that I can give you. John. | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 8 Registered: 1-2008 |
Thanks John. I seem to recall when I first started playing that I wanted an Alembic. COuld never aford one then, so went through some Jap Fenders, and Rick 4001, Washburn 5 and then finally the Warlock. The time has come I think to finally own what I have always wanted. My late Christmas present to myself. I figure why should my wife have all the toys - a Motif and a Triton and I am looking at a Fantom for her also. My time for toys now I do lilke the BC Rich Eagle that I have seen. MINT brand new never been played from 82. Just wish I had enough dollars to be able to grab both, but I guess thats just being greedy. Cheers Richard | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 1069 Registered: 6-2002 |
White_Cloud, I'm with you on the premium we seem to pay for Alembics here in the UK. I guess you have checked out the UK American Guitar centre, they have quite a respectable collection and probably are a good representation of UK prices both new and second hand. I did order a brand new SF-2 from there for £495 which I was happy with cos it was more or less the the same as it was in USA when converted to pounds. If I had the spare cash to get a series bass, then now would be a good time to go to the USA to take a holiday and buy one there, especially since the pound is very strong in our favour at the moment. Jazzyvee | ||
| white_cloud
Advanced Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 204 Registered: 11-2007 |
Spare cash is always the problem jazzyvee!! Lol! The Uk US guitar centre is a nice looking shop, but I havent had the pleasure of using it yet! I guess the point I was trying to make was that I kind of assumed the good folks in OZ to be paying the same sort of prices as us in the UK. It surprised me to find out the truth! John. | ||
| grateful
Advanced Member Username: grateful Post Number: 259 Registered: 12-2004 |
Jazzy, when did you acquire the SF2? The price now is £795! | ||
| ivartshiva
Junior Username: ivartshiva Post Number: 17 Registered: 10-2007 |
Hello Richard, I just bought two 4-string Essences within the last 6 months, in the U.S. The first one, a '92 flamed maple top, had a small amount of wear and autographs with strapping tape covering them on the back which had to be cleaned off, I got for $1400 on Ebay, perhaps a little on the high side but what an amazing tone, and a sweet little honey of a bass guitar also. In December I bought an '01 short-scale 4-string Essence with a very beautiful walnut top from a club member here for $2500 - again on the high side maybe (although new the price is around $6000) but this guitar is in excellent, yes, near MINT condition and is just as sonically heroic. It is also the prettiest thing I've ever seen. You just have to hear an Alembic to know what we are experiencing and talking about - I'm no expert but I know I love playing these instruments. Don't go home without the Alembic - you'll never look back and you'll know you've got something very special. Michael | ||
| keurosix
Advanced Member Username: keurosix Post Number: 222 Registered: 10-2005 |
HI Richard, Welcome to the club. I think Michael said it best: New the Essence is ~$6000., but the Eagle is $1600. How can those 2 compare? THE BEST way to compare these 2 guitars is through an amp! That's where the Alembic shines! I owned an Eagle just before I got my Alembic Series 1 WAYYY back. I never went back! I liked the build quality of the BC Rich neck-thru, and it played great. BUT, I quickly tired of the one or two sounds the Dimarzio electronics could do. It's only good for loud rock. If you want versatility and MANY sounds, don't wait a second longer and buy the Alembic! The Essence has a low pass filter with fixed Q, and even though this is a simple circuit, it will blow the BC Rich away. You will NEVER tire of the Alembic total package: Feel, sound, versatility = synergystic balance! IF you go for the Rich, you will find yourself saying: "It's nice, but it's NOT an ALEMBIC!" Good Luck! Kris | ||
| richardloz
New Username: richardloz Post Number: 10 Registered: 1-2008 |
Well I have done the deal and am now the proud owner of an Alembic finally. This bass does need some work however. Lots of string buzz as I think the action is way too low. Then again the strings on it look to be years old so that will be the first thing to be replaced. Managed to knock him down in price a little and ended up getting it for $1800 AUD (about $1620 USD). I did actually call Alembic yesterday morning and spoke with one of the people there to confirm the serial etc and she suggested that the price he was asking for that year model was somewhat towards the high end. Anyway now to go and read all the setup information, not that I can do too much for a couple of days as I am still in Sydney. Head back to Perth Saturday so then I can start to do some work on this bass. One thing I did notice is that the back of the neck feels quite rough rather than smooth like I am used to, probably as this bass has been played quite a bit over its 15 year life so far. Would love some suggestions as to how to rectify this area, as it is now real comfortable with the neck feeling like that. The body is not too bad also it does show its age as far as wear is concerned, maybe a good polish will bring that back to much better condition. This guy I bought from seemed to play a little but I think was mainly a "collecter" buying and then flipping for a higher price so I dont think its been played too much at all in the last few years. The little time I did spend playing it and working my way around the electronics was great. Now I know what people are talking about when it comes to an Alembic and the almost infinite tonal variations possible, and the Essence only has pretty basic electronics compared to some of the other models. Anyway enough rattling on for now. Cheers Richard | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 6033 Registered: 5-2002 |
Congrats! | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1760 Registered: 6-2002 |
I wonder if they thought the price was somewhat towards the high end, perhaps because of a confusion over what kind of dollar? | ||
| white_cloud
Advanced Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 214 Registered: 11-2007 |
Well done Richard, you have just taken a big step! Once you have it tweaked to your satisfaction it will surprise you how much better it will feel AND sound. Great choice! Post some pics on the showcase when you can and let us all enjoy it! John. |
