Hello colleagues,
it seems I found a MK (see attached pics), for around 7k euro. What do you think? Should I go? Good investment?
Thanks

Looks very nice in the pictures.  There's a small nick at the top of the peghead.  The cavity cover doesn't look like black plastic; I think that might be another brass cover with the paper still on it.

Quote from: David Houck on Yesterday at 06:19:50 AMLooks very nice in the pictures.  There's a small nick at the top of the peghead.  The cavity cover doesn't look like black plastic; I think that might be another brass cover with the paper still on it.

thanks so overall what do you think? small nick is not a problem indeed... about the cavity cover I don't know to be honest, anyway seem to me minor stuff... considering the price

My .02.

Nicks, dings and chips... some are offended by such things.  Feels like it detracts value.

Playability, tonal palette and general functionality <— for me, defines the true value of an instrument.  Are you going to hang it on the wall of a museum or are you going to play it? 

I don't follow market prices; others here know much more than I.  And yes, the nick doesn't appear to be a big deal.  I think I might want to see more detailed pictures of the bass; the included pictures are good quality and show off the bass nicely, but I can't really see detail.

The remark about the cavity plate:  if it's a brass plate, I would think that's worth more than a plastic plate; and if so, the paper only has a few marks on it, but one is a long scratch that might have gone through to the brass; hard to tell from the picture.  The other thing about that is that if the paper has been on there for a long time, it could be difficult to get off.  One of the guys here, I think it might have been Gregory, recently posted a method for removing such paper.

Anyway, I am not nearly as knowledgeable as a lot of the other folks around here.  Just thought I would post what I noticed from the pictures.

Buy it, play it, put more little nicks and dings on it... but it is not an investment. I spent the sunniest part of Thursday going through a house of someone's stringed "investments". Don't overspend, but remember what the thing is here. 

When you played it, did you like it? Alembics aren't for everyone. If you get it, you'll know. 
Can you afford it? Will you miss the money?
What's stopping you? I see you're a serious player from your signature... so I have to ask; Is this a forever instrument or are you looking to move up? Because a Mark King Signature is a fine instrument but there are actually some upper echelons you may not be aware of. You may want to self-educate and shop a while. 

*and yes, if the backplate is brass with that cursed protective wax paper still on it, acetone (or a thermonuclear detonation) will get it off. On my tiny screen, it looks more like a matte finish black plastic one though. I'm thinking the MK Standard could have that. (?) Either way, it's fixable or replaceable. 

Basically, I would buy it for studio work, from pop to rock metal and prog, and experimental. I saw many MK 4 string for very high price.. still I need a 5, I love low B. I would keep it, not resell it.. if it's versatile enough, I thought that Q should be, am I wrong? 7000 euro is not nuts for me, but still I saw some crazy prices for MK, and more common. this has a nice wood top... not common I would say.. point is if in the future I want to re-sell it, will I loose money or will I even get something more than what I paid? What's your opinion? Check the prices on reverb.... and they are mostly 4 string. thanks for the collaboration and feedback

You can't go by prices on Reverb, they are all severely inflated. You should buy an instrument because it ticks all the boxes for you, playability, sound, looks. Until you go to re-sell you will never know if you can get back the money you paid.

I am not that familiar with overseas prices but think the price is a bit high for a standard model. The purpleheart laminates in the necks of the deluxe models definitely change the tone of the instrument and would make it punchier sounding so something else to consider that I believe might work better for the type of music you play. As you pointed out the top on the bass you are considering is also quite beautiful so ideal scenario would be if you could play it before buying.

Another thing to think about as far as the Mark King basses is body shape. The newer MK Signature Deluxe 5-string basses have the Balance-K body shape and many have Cocobolo tops and backs and side LEDs as stock items.

Agree with Greg that you may want to investigate exactly what Alembic has to offer in terms of body, shpes, neck profiles and electronics packages before making a decision. Alembics also tend to have different ergonomics than other instruments which you may or may not love so if all possible try to play a few before plunking down a lot of cash.

From watching prices over the years, I think the EU  and UK prices are usually higher than in the USA for the same model of bass. But over here you don't find many specific models on sale at the same time with different wood choices so and waiting for something specific can mean you never find it. My advice would be to buy it if you like it as i'm confident that you will never find an alembic that inherently sounds bad unless the electronics have been mistreated.

That top wood looks quite red from the sunlight but the grain pattern makes me think Koa.

That is ALot of money. I would have to see it in person before buying. And play it to see if it's what you're looking for.  I drove 2,200 miles Round trip last year to check out my last purchase.  Spend a couple hundred euro to go play it first.  If you feel like you can't bond with it.... Then let it pass.  

Quote from: StephenR on Yesterday at 09:35:17 AM... standard model

Just wanted to add that I think the body has some upgrades; the matching back, and the Maple looks like it might be laminates instead of veneers.

Quote from: jazzyvee on Yesterday at 11:02:15 AM... That top wood looks quite red from the sunlight but the grain pattern makes me think Koa.

Because of the red, I was thinking in might be Vermilion; but yes, the sunlight could be making it brighter than it would inside.  That flame figuring also reminded me of the figuring in some Schedua.

my $0.02 USD:

i have a '18 MKD 5-string that is my main stage bass. it has the balance K 7-layer sandwich body buckeye burl top.  so it's quite different from this model.  it sounds like you're looking for a bright modern tone and i'm pretty sure you'll get that outta this bass.  no neck laminates will thin the B-string somewhat imho.  mine has 3 purpleheart stringers and the B-string is a lot beefier than my 5-string pinstripe neck bass. but not near as beefy as my ebony laminate 5-string.  this is a hefty big body instrument.  the contoured body on my MKD makes wearing it for a 4-hour show bearable (i'm 70. skinny. bad back/shoulders/fingers/yadda yadda yadda).  much more so than my non-countoured body basses (except maybe the dragonwing.  but it's a 4-string).  if you're gonna play it seated mostly then it's probably not a problem. 

my cocobolo-topped dragonwing looks reddish under bright sunlight and/or stage lights.  if ya want a look-at-me-bass then that kind of top's the ticket.  can't comment on the price.  that's like $7800 USD.  that never scares me if the bass checks all the boxes.  i never buy a bass as an investment, they're all players.

also, yer gonna need to watch that point.  if it ain't hanging on yer body, then it better be hanging in a good stand.

<edit> for that money it also better have a good OHSC.  imho.  ymmv

HTH

flame purpleheart top and back?

7000 euro for standard model, sounds about right for today's market.  
It does have the 'deluxe' body, just doesn't have the purpleheart neck laminate, looks sweet.

like someone said, you should go try to play it before you buy, especially if you're not familiar with the model from the similar era.


my 2 yens


Takeo

I also think the top looks like Schedua or possibly Bubinga they both tend to have the iridescent patterns and figuring. The photo was obviously taken late in the day and the sunlight hitting it is reddish so it is difficult to determine the actual color but it may also have been tinted red. 

BeenDown makes good points about the effect the different neck laminates have on the tone. The neck has a much larger effect on the tone than the top. 

One thing I can't determine from the pictures is whether the bass has a brass block under the bridge. IMO that is a big part of the Alembic sound that I like and would want for any Alembic with a low-B string. 

Its a beautiful bass but what you should definitely consider are the ergonomics of this instrument. The upper horn is quite short so it will hang a certain way on a strap. Also with a purpleheart top and a solid core construction it will most likely be very heavy. It has a very wide body and I know some players are uncomfortable with the resting position of the right arm.
While I love the look of this classic point / MK Shape, I realized I just cannot play it for a long time...standing or seated.
If the points above are of concern to you as well the Europa, Rogue, Balance K Models would be a better fit.
If the ergonomics arent a problem for you, I am sure it will be a great sounding bass.