Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: mike1762 on May 17, 2010, 06:37:05 PM

Title: Fake
Post by: mike1762 on May 17, 2010, 06:37:05 PM
Here is a VERY bad fake being offered on CL:  http://hattiesburg.craigslist.org/msg/1744567268.html (http://hattiesburg.craigslist.org/msg/1744567268.html)
Title: Fake
Post by: artswork99 on May 17, 2010, 06:50:02 PM
Mike, thanks for bringing this to the attention of the club.  Here (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=395) are Mica's comments on fake/counterfeit Alembics.
 
(Message edited by artswork99 on May 17, 2010)
Title: Fake
Post by: Enzo on May 17, 2010, 07:10:46 PM
Fake AND ugly!
Title: Fake
Post by: mike1762 on May 17, 2010, 07:28:09 PM
Hey Art
I Emailed him that post after I saw the listing.  We will see if he does the right thing.  I got the impression that he really thinks it's an Alembic.
Title: Fake
Post by: artswork99 on May 17, 2010, 07:49:51 PM
Thanks Mike!  It's hard for some to understand when they have a bass with a decal on it.  The last time I remember seeing one of these the seller participated here and responded favorably once it was understood.  I hope we have a good outcome this time as well.  It's hard for a buyer that may not know where to find such information and CL is even more vast than the eBay route.
Title: Fake
Post by: u14steelgtr on May 17, 2010, 07:54:07 PM
Asking $200 OBO indicates to me that the seller knows what they have.  
 
I have a real Alembic of Santa Rosa that is uglier than that bass. But ugly as it is I do think that it plays well.  
 
-E
Title: Fake
Post by: mike1762 on May 18, 2010, 03:26:30 AM
Most kids (and even some big-boy players) only have a passing familiarity with Alembic and just know what the headstock says.  If you had given me that bass 30 years ago, I would have thought I had an Alembic... of course I was pretty STUPID 30 years ago.  The ad is still up; therefore, a call from Mica might be in order.
Title: Fake
Post by: pas on May 18, 2010, 06:23:50 AM
Caveat Emptor...
Title: Fake
Post by: serialnumber12 on May 18, 2010, 07:05:19 AM
it's a shame ive seen one of those sell for $800.00
Title: Fake
Post by: artswork99 on May 18, 2010, 07:37:27 AM
yes sad... that's why we try to help here!
Title: Fake
Post by: mica on May 18, 2010, 09:57:04 AM
Well, the author decided to delete the listing after I informed them about what they were selling. Thanks everyone.  
 
I hope they reply to my email about information how they obtained the instrument. I would so love to talk to the man making these.
Title: Fake
Post by: jedisan on May 18, 2010, 04:26:56 PM
Well, shoot... I was too late to see the post, as it had been deleted already. I really would have liked to have seen this one. Maybe next time the OP who finds the listing on CL, can do a copy and paste of the image and text, so we can all have a chance to see the content. Just a thought.
 
(Message edited by jedisan on May 18, 2010)
Title: Fake
Post by: kenner on May 19, 2010, 06:11:13 AM
Maybe it was here or talkbass (I don't remember which), that had a thread that orginated from CL listing about this particular bass being for sale at a pawn shop in Texas not long ago......
Title: Fake
Post by: FC Bass on May 19, 2010, 08:12:21 AM
It was something like this:  
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/80191.jpg)
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/80192.jpg)
  Though I think another Font was used.
Title: Fake
Post by: hifiguy on May 19, 2010, 08:43:33 AM
Wow, that is not even a fake - that's just sticking the lipstick on a pig.  Who, on doing the most basic Google research, would believe this beater bass could possibly be an Alembic??  In the words of Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, this one is BUSTED!
Title: Fake
Post by: keith_h on May 19, 2010, 09:25:16 AM
A lot of folks don't know that much about Alembic other than the name. Most of these seem to originate out of Texas which leads me to believe they are counterfeited there or just over the border in Mexico.  
 
Keith
Title: Fake
Post by: jazzyvee on May 19, 2010, 10:08:14 AM
Now that is just fugly...!!!
Title: Fake
Post by: kenner on May 19, 2010, 10:44:45 AM
yup...the above pic is the one I heard about...
Title: Fake
Post by: longhorncat on May 19, 2010, 12:04:54 PM
The original slime that made these basses basses was selling them to pawn shops where the value would be established by looking in the Orion Blue book - i.e. no pictures.  The volume made can't be very high, these were probably done by one or two people (in Houston) over the course of a few years.
 
Here is a web site by a person that got scammed: http://untweb.tripod.com/mgalfor.htm (http://untweb.tripod.com/mgalfor.htm)
Title: Fake
Post by: bsee on May 19, 2010, 05:06:25 PM
There's an F2-B clone on ebay now, too. At least that one looks like a  quality piece, though I still find the concept offensive.
Title: Fake
Post by: hydrargyrum on May 20, 2010, 07:52:53 AM
I'd feel worse about the F2-B clone if Alembic hadn't borrowed the original circuit from Fender.  There's no honor among circuit boards.
Title: Fake
Post by: sonicus on May 20, 2010, 08:07:43 AM
I contacted the Seller regarding the origin of the preamp unit  . His reply was that it had been built by an independent tech 6 years ago .  If you read his description on ebay  it looks like the seller has used a COPIED written description on the ebay listing from Alembic Inc. as well, It seems to me that this in not really correct eBay procedure. Perhaps it is not even completely legal ? Look at his low  positive feedback % figure .Perhaps  this is another matter for Mica ?
 
(Message edited by sonicus on May 20, 2010)
Title: Fake
Post by: artswork99 on May 20, 2010, 08:39:13 AM
I made Mica aware of the F2-B clone the day it was posted.  Thanks!
Title: Fake
Post by: hydrargyrum on May 20, 2010, 09:57:40 AM
I would guess that copying and pasting the text isn't allowed under copyright law, but I don't believe there's any recourse regarding the product itself.  Granted, I'm no lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. I'm just going from what I've read.
Title: Fake
Post by: mica on May 20, 2010, 12:52:57 PM
I wrote to the seller about the lifted text. Heck, the F-2B itself is largely copied from Tom Walker's design for Fender (of course, I am quite upfront about that fact even in our own sales literature).  
 
Hopefully they will amend their listing. If they relist without amending, I'll have to contact ebay, though I really don't like having to do that.