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Alembic Club » Swap Shop and Wish Lists » Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere » Archive through February 16, 2009 » Cool (but expensive) 12 string « Previous Next »

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pocket8
Junior
Username: pocket8

Post Number: 22
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 3:41 pm:   Edit Post

http://cgi.ebay.com/UNBELIEVABLY-RARE-GUITAR-ALEMBIC-12-STRING_W0QQitemZ160303991883QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item160303991883&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3408
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 4:02 pm:   Edit Post

Very pretty. Check out the upper horn - unusual shape. Nevertheless, I doubt he'll get any takers at $10,000. The market value is likely in the $2500-$3500 range. He is also inaccurate about the electronics, specifically his description of the pickup selector as choosing between active and passive. I emailed him with a more accurate description.

Bill, tgo
pocket8
Junior
Username: pocket8

Post Number: 23
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 4:51 pm:   Edit Post

Agreed, very pretty. The horn looks to me like a take on the early 8 string JPJ triple omega's horn. Simple but different!

By the way, does anyone know how many 12 string guitars alembic has made (like a ratio to the 6 stringers)?
bluplirst
Junior
Username: bluplirst

Post Number: 37
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 12:30 am:   Edit Post

Damn, this one would make a nice companion for my plum pudding. Too bad about that price. You tell him bill!
llobsterbass
Junior
Username: llobsterbass

Post Number: 41
Registered: 5-2004
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 9:43 am:   Edit Post

The market value is likely in the $2500-$3500 range.

Really? for a vintage Alembic 12-string? How do you figure? 10k seems way too high, but my guess would be around $5k (not that I have that to pay for it, but..). you don't see a lot of old 12 strings.

anyone recall what similar previous guitars have sold for?
fc_spoiler
Senior Member
Username: fc_spoiler

Post Number: 768
Registered: 5-2006
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 9:46 am:   Edit Post

Don't ask Bill :-)
tdukes
Member
Username: tdukes

Post Number: 69
Registered: 4-2008
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 10:59 am:   Edit Post

I don't know. The last 6 string Series I guitar that I have seen on ebay went for $4,298.98. I don't know if a 12 would go for much more, but it may go for as much. Or has the market softened that much?

Todd.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3412
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 11:05 am:   Edit Post

Here's a link from a couple of years ago discussing a Series I 12 string on ebay. It doesn't reveal how much it eventually sold for, but it does follow the ebay listing over the course of about 4 months, during which the price drops incrementally from $6500 to $3999 as it keeps failing to attract any bids. Given this thread, what I paid for my '77 Series I 12 string on ebay, and the few others I've followed, one should be able to buy one of these for less than $4000.

And oh yea, don't ask Bill! lol

Bill, tgo
pocket8
Junior
Username: pocket8

Post Number: 24
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 3:50 pm:   Edit Post

I was wrong!!!! The horn does not remind me of the old JPJ 8 string Alembic triple omega, because the bass I am thinking of is a BecVar copy of the Alembic design: http://www.alembic.com/club/messages/411/43817.png. If I had inspected the tailpiece more closely and noticed the lack of an Alembic logo, I would not have made the mistake initially!

I also found an old thread in case anyone wants to read about Ed Roman's BecVar "ghostbuilding" claim that was set striaght from an employee at Alembic. Plus there's a bunch of Ed Roman bashing, including characterizations of his demeanor and his prevarications, all of which I found to be pure edutainment:
http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/3778.html?1228026550

The most melodious of low end forums sets everything straight as usual, except for why the guitar mentioned in the title of this thread is supposed to be worth 10K!
pocket8
Junior
Username: pocket8

Post Number: 25
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 3:55 pm:   Edit Post

I've got it (loud forehead slapping noise)!!! Maybe this Alembic 12 string has a set of those amazing "Fender-Gibson" strings that seem to be driving up the price of a lot of other guitars on Ebay! At least that's my current hypothesis, and I'm sticking to it until something else that better explains the price conundrum comes along!
bluplirst
Junior
Username: bluplirst

Post Number: 38
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 4:29 pm:   Edit Post

Not that anyone here is going to bid on this one, but there is some info I thought would help. I thought it looked like some cracks in the top of this guitar so I asked the seller and here is his reply:

"Yes, as it turns out, the "bubble" down by the strap pin is actually two "bubbles", and they are both the result of a crack... ALSO... I found two more (cracks, not bubbles this time) that extend from the brass backplate down towards the "peg"... They are on the back side only..."

Just something to think about as we spend the next year or so watching the price go down.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3427
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 - 7:24 am:   Edit Post

Well, it's back at a "lower" price: $8750. The seller says he got lots of email telling him the price was too high and also calling attention to two more cracks. So the seller claims that, in "the Christmas spirit" he's lowered the price. He's still claiming the pickup selector has a "passive Les Paul" setting!

Bill, tgo
pocket8
Junior
Username: pocket8

Post Number: 34
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 5:28 pm:   Edit Post

When he says "passive Les Paul", does he mean the classic Les Paul guitar, or a setting for a non-agitated Lester Polfus?

If the guitar has the first that's cool, but the second is far more interesting!
pace
Advanced Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 390
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 10:37 am:   Edit Post

>>>Check out the upper horn - unusual shape<<<

http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/37834.html?1174698541

No kidding, Its the second one I've seen!
hydrargyrum
Senior Member
Username: hydrargyrum

Post Number: 427
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 1:32 pm:   Edit Post

I noticed that as well Mike. Quite odd.

I spoke with the seller via email regarding this guitar, and received some pretty cordial replies. It seems that he isn't totally set on selling the guitar, but thought he would put it out there to see if there were any bites. I tried to convince him to post on the forum, but he says that he is too intimidated.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 3442
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 4:32 pm:   Edit Post

My communication with him was also very pleasant. I think he just doesn't know much about Alembics, or maybe even guitars in general.

Bill, tgo
bluplirst
Junior
Username: bluplirst

Post Number: 41
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 5:42 pm:   Edit Post

I agree-he seems like a nice guy. If I had the cash, I wouldn't bat an eye at paying up to 5k for this one. It just looks awesome.

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