Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: hieronymous on November 22, 2011, 11:32:04 AM
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This just popped up on the 'bay:
1985 8-string Distillate (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Alembic-Distillate-8-String-Bass-Guitar-/150704510428?pt=Guitar&hash=item2316b055dc target=_blank)
An 8-string Alembic is one of my Holy Grail basses, but I don't think this will be it...
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Nice top
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The headstock and bridge are really cool. But for $5,000, I want the rest of the series instrument. That is of course, just my opinion. I do like the top wood!
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It certainly wasn't played much from 1985 till now. Very nice condition.
Seems to me like the asking price is more than what it cost brand new in 1985.?
My 84' 4 string Distillate was a fraction of that cost, can't believe that adding 4 strings would elevate the cost that much. . . .
I wish, I wish I could afford this dish.
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I think the asking price is a bit high...might not get it this time of year. But I have to agree, this would be a REAL NICE find.
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The seller's front yard looks familiar.
I wonder if it's the same guy who listed the Mark Campalone Alembic copy, or the birdseye SII with the odd hole above the pups.... If so, it's a nice collection!!!
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It's the same guy, he does have some nice instruments for sale. I just made a deal for that Campellone from the winner of the Ebay auction. That's makes Campellone #2 added to my collection
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I thought the photos looked like the ones by the seller who used to have Godzilla figures posed with the instruments? That guy was pretty notorious - always had nice stuff, kind of expensive, with strange text that sometimes veered into racist territory if I remember correctly. Not sure though if this is the same guy.
I also think it looks way too expensive for what it is. Be interesting to see if it sells...
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I don't think it's high at all. We see an eight string maybe once or twice a year, maybe once every couple years. That rarity comes at a price. Absent the rarity factor, what would you expect? $4k? That bass looks very clean. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have it for $2500, but I think there should be at least one buyer out there at $5k.
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I'm sorry, but I disagree. I would think anyone with the taste and funds for an eight string Alembic would remember this classic that Mark ended up buying. Now that is a Holy Grail eight-string Alembic classic, top say the least. I would crawl on bended knees begging Mark to sell it to me, it is such a great, unique bass, and worth its over $5K price tag (If I thought it would - I do have a vid cam if it does twink yer interest?!). Are your ears itching Mark? I sure hope you are doing well, and if you ever decide to part ways with that eight string, PLEASE, PLEASE, think of me, OK?
http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/12366.html (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=15131)
With the job market as bad as it is, I seriously doubt the current 8'er on eBay would pull $4, but might around the $3K range, because it is an eight string.
Note that I am a practicing snob of Alembic basses, and if it ain't a series or really cool signature model, I do not keep up with the market at all on those lower models, so I would tend to put significantly more weight on Bob's post than mine, well, except his INSANE notion someone would pay $5K for that Distillate, as all-in-all, it is still a Distillate bass boys and girls. I have just seen far too many better basses go for much less these days toi believe it.
Side note: I would never treat an old friend with disrespect, I just never use smilie faces on postsw to denote I was joking on something.
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I'm sorry, but I disagree. I would think anyone with the taste and funds for an eight string Alembic would remember this classic that Mark ended up buying. Now that is a Holy Grail eight-string Alembic classic, top say the least. I would crawl on bended knees begging Mark to sell it to me, it is such a great, unique bass, and worth its over $5K price tag (If I thought it would - I do have a vid cam if it does twink yer interest?!). Are your ears itching Mark? I sure hope you are doing well, and if you ever decide to part ways with that eight string, PLEASE, PLEASE, think of me, OK?
http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/12366.html (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=15131)
With the job market as bad as it is, I seriously doubt the current 8'er on eBay would pull $4, but might around the $3K range, because it is an eight string.
Note that I am a practicing snob of Alembic basses, and if it ain't a series or really cool signature model, I do not keep up with the market at all on those lower models, so I would tend to put significantly more weight on Bob's post than mine, well, except his INSANE notion someone would pay $5K for that Distillate, as all-in-all, it is still a Distillate bass boys and girls. I have just seen far too many better basses go for much less these days toi believe it.
Side note: I would never treat an old friend with disrespect, I just never use smilie faces on posts to denote I was joking on something.
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OK, I give up. I cannot get rid of the double p[ost, I cannot edit either one of them, and for months now, I have not been able to do searches here on the club site. I just did the Internet Explorer 9 bit, but that did not fix it either. I think I set cookies were OK and anything else I could think of. If anyone else is having these problems, please let me know if you have found a fix. BTW - If Mark sees these posts, I was not kidding about the eight string. Later guy.
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. . . all-in-all, it is still a Distillate bass boys and girls.
And your point is????
I agree with you Thomas, while the condition on the 8-string Distillate is FANTASTIC, it shouldn't warrant an inflated price.
Paul - TDO
(The Distillate One)
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That's a beautiful instrument.
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My thinking is that, in spite of the economy, there still seem to be people out there with money to spend. It only takes one person looking for an Alembic eight and the bass will sell. If there's a bell curve of what people will be willing to pay, I would bet there are a lot who would pay $3000-3500, a few who would go over $k, and maybe one or two who would go $5k. I can't however, imagine anyone paying a penny above that. Maybe it will pass and come down, only the seller and a person actually willing to pay the price know.
I still need a reasonably priced fiver, preferably medium scale for under $1500...
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Happy Thanksgiving to all, and especially you, Bob. Your thinking has always been clear and concise on these matters. Differences of tastes and opinions make us who we are, and are the prime reason Alembic makes as many models of basses and guitars as they do. They are the only company I can think of where making products for the individual is as common as their making them for the mass market (as if any are made to really compete in the Fender/Gibson realm - Actually, I suppose they are). There is always a chance the eight-string bass in question could sell for $5K if someone out there who thinks it is just what they need sees it. eBay is always a matter of who is around to bid on an item that week, to how high it will go at the end of auction. We have all seen ridiculously high and low prices paid for great basses, and not as great basses, simply by who showed up at the end of auction to bid. Note that I would not think the person who bought the bass for $5K was a fool if it did sell for that price. I would just think, Wow, they really wanted that bass! Pretty much anything else to say on this subject would be redundant (Which I know I am being now) or get into politics which nobody wants to get into. I'm just thinking the bass will probably hang around the Bay for a while until it goes down in price to where it more closely matches the going rates most of us have seen Distillate basses selling for, plus a reasonable bump for the added spiffy top, knobby headstock, and eight strings ($500?, maybe $1K if the 'right' person is around to see it?). OK, I've posted for the holidays, so I'll shut up now.
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I'm with BSee, it's not cheap, but while I'd like $2500 better than $5000, as with all used instruments it comes down to two questions:
1) How much is a new one?
2) IF I don't want this one/like this price, where can I get a different one?
Of course, 'there wil always be another' applies, but you just don't see a lot of Eights.
J o e y
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Not that long ago there was a similar thread...link to an ebay sale of a six-string scorpion-bodied Distillate. The auction price was $4500. At the time, I'd commented that for that price, you could obtain a decent series bass or something with more bang for the buck.
Bsee had the same insightful commentary on the seemingly inflated sale price back then, too---he suggested that the rarity of the options would make it worth that cost to somebody. Indeed, that bass sold for $4500.
Based on that, there's a decent chance that this eighter may sell, too...
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Some options at some times just seem to hold/increase value. There was a while where a Spoiler in the Exploiter shape was universally going for $1k more than a regular Spoiler. That was a $400 option at the time on a new bass. I don't think it quite holds that well today, but there's still a good bump. Eight strings is such a rare option that anyone who is looking is going to have to pay or miss out. It may just be that no one is interested in multi-course basses at the moment, and it will go by. It's always great fortune to be the only one interested in something when you're looking to buy. A few years ago there were a couple eights on the market around the same time. I believe they both ended up going to Japan at slightly above expected market prices.
I would be surprised if there are more than a few dozen Alembic eights floating around in the world. Then there was the run of Spyder basses that was limited to 50, but I am not sure they were all built. Maybe there are 100 eights out there? Mica could probably guess.
-bob
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What about making a new eight? An Essence eight with knobby headstock and a good deal on the monthly special for a top and a healthy discount from Beaver for ordering it through Bass Central, we are not that far away from $5,000 to where I might just consider new over old. Just a point to consider.
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Eight string doesn't seem to be in the custom quote generator, but you probably could get a new Essence eight for something in the $6-7K range. Other than specifying the neck dimensions, you're not doing a lot of customization at that price. I bet the Excel platform would make a nice eight as well for a few dollars less.
I just need a five...
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It's now at $3,995
Seems a decent price for an 8 string.... I think