Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: BeenDown139 on October 01, 2020, 04:43:51 AM
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Gotta love a mid-70's series I (i know i loved mine). I had just gotten to work this morning after a very weird day yesterday, fired up the browser to see what's going on in the wide world these days when i stumbled across this listing:
https://reverb.com/item/36045036-alembic-series-1-1975-zebrawood
It was all great until i got to this part:
(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--IhAvhr4h--/f_auto,t_large/v1601541488/ic0sgjtk0m1zeuamshrt.jpg)
yikes!
...inspected by Rick Turner and he said "it's not pretty but if it's holding...dont touch it!"
sage advice! i think i won't touch it, either! Whooo!
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Sorta' makes me wish I'd bought that train ticket to Long Island last year. :)
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The G and D bridge saddles look a little funky. And it’s being sold without the power supply or even a case. Makes me suspicious - how would an Alembic Series bass get separated from its power supply and case? Maybe from being grabbed off a stage during a break somewhere?
Bill, tgo
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Beautiful bass, can certainly be repaired, but the price should reflect that. A photo of the inside of the electronics cavity would be nice.
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Sister has healthy neck, but missing some crucial parts: https://reverb.com/item/33013044-alembic-series-i-natural-1975
Now, iff'n somebody worked some dealin' and had bofuvum... ::)
Just for searchable posterity - I think the subject bass here is #75-179.
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i don't care who's blessed it, that headstock break is one of the nastiest ones i've seen in a while, makes me cringe just to look at it. kind of interesting how the seller is soft-pedaling it. i'd be afraid to ship it like that, and with no case? yikes! insure it heavily and hope for the worst? i dunno...
too bad, because otherwise it's a beautiful bass. methinks we're in pig-in-a-poke territory on this one. can a listing gather dust? or is it virtual dust, perhaps? 'cause i predict a thick coat of it on this one especially at that price.
you'd think that those guys at CME would realize that this one's ( https://reverb.com/item/33013044-alembic-series-i-natural-1975 ) basically a parts instrument without the original electronics and price it appropriately. it's sure been hanging around for a while. another candidate for the pig-in-a-poke department. imho of course.
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How that can be described as in Excellent condition is beyond me.
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not to hijack my own thread, but it is my own thread, after all.
Sister has healthy neck, but missing some crucial parts: https://reverb.com/item/33013044-alembic-series-i-natural-1975
well looky what just popped up. a feller would have to find a preamp and some other sundries but this might make a nice winter/lockdown/rainy day project for someone if you can get the bass at a decent price.
https://reverb.com/item/36049413-alembic-series-1-pickups
that top one looks like it might have a funny bulge on it. maybe it's just a trick of the light?
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Fitn't dit. ;)
(pre '76 pickups are a different size, shape, and mount)
I guess the Series Stingray project didn't fly? http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=25779.0
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pre '76 pickups are a different size, shape, and mount
(https://pics.me.me/curses-foiled-again-weknowmemes-27755789.png)
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The pickups currently on Reverb are a different set than the ones that I assume were sold recently to Danny, the guy putting them in his Stingray. The ones that sold on Reverb last week had gold lettering. Danny said he found a Series pre-amp on eBay. When he posted here he said the installation was almost complete. Since I can't find any Series electronics that sold recently on eBay, I am also assuming that he bought the boogieman pre that sold recently, not an Alembic preamp. Maybe at some point pictures and more info about the completed Stingray will be posted here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Complete-Boogieman-preamp-wiring-for-Alembic-Series-1-bass-or-guitar-Assembled/333142667738?hash=item4d90d9b1da:g:fnsAAOSwyshcVPM6 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Complete-Boogieman-preamp-wiring-for-Alembic-Series-1-bass-or-guitar-Assembled/333142667738?hash=item4d90d9b1da:g:fnsAAOSwyshcVPM6)
Here are the Series pickups with the gold lettering that sold recently on Reverb...
https://reverb.com/item/35882344-series-i-1-pickups-set-pickup-series-bass-4-string (https://reverb.com/item/35882344-series-i-1-pickups-set-pickup-series-bass-4-string)
And the ones in the new listing...
https://reverb.com/item/36049413-alembic-series-1-pickups (https://reverb.com/item/36049413-alembic-series-1-pickups)
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I'm still tempted. I really like the old school pickups. The repair looks solid. But it's just a bit much for the condition and no case. If I lived in LA and could pick it up in person....
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Ok well since I'm getting skewered, I might as well just fling myself on the ol BBQ grill and let ya'll rip off a little more meat lol
I'm the person who listed the "doomed" series 1 on Reverb and so as I enter ye abode with both humility and with shaking of nerves... I'll admit that I'm brand new to selling stuff on Reverb and this bass was only my 1st or 2nd listing so please take a little pity on my ignorance of the process. Please?!? Ha ha
I bought this bass probably close to 25years ago from Bill Asher when he worked for Rick at the shop he had next door to his home in Topanga and Rick was standing right there with the bass when I handed over my fist full of filthy lucre to a young and hungry Bill.
Rick told me the story of the zebra log and Entwistles basses and others he built around this same time period - Gibson stories, Wall of Sound Dead stories, and stories of strange long since forgotten ancient instruments were probably tossed in as well. Anyone who has ever met the man knows he's "been there, done that" and will take as much time (and more...) as needed to explain IN DETAIL about any and all things related....or not.
I write this to address the comment above regarding the headstock crack- Rick himself said don't mess with it if it's holding. He built the bass with his own 10 hands so I followed his advice and can assure anyone that's thinking about playing this bass, that the headstock isn't going anywhere. It's solid. It's ugly and...it could be yours for $4500 + shipping(!)
This price may not seem fair to some, but how much would a repair cost if the new owner wanted a repair? I don't even know the current market for these but let's say it's $6000? Then, take the bass to a shop, and for probably $500 you can have someone slice and dice and restore it to a level you're happy with. And more than likely still be under. Or even better, send it back to the factory and let them wave their magic wand and you may still come out less than what the market is selling for. I Dunno. I'm just writing on the internet with one hand while driving along PCH with the top down thinking about this stuff...
The case- it got stolen. I was storing some instruments in my neighbors apt and he just up and vanished in the middle of the night. Not kidding. The case had my handmade 6-string InnerWood from Japan inside. $5500 gone!
Power supply- never had it. One day I Walked over to Dan ( the man) Horne house a few years ago asking to see the inside of his power supply and we both agreed that it looked pretty simple so I called Mica and she said the plans are up online.
I never got around to building the box so I've just been killing endangered albino dwarf manta rays ever since...
To address how I'm going to get this to its new destination, I've made buddies with a local shipping and packaging shop that sends "priceless art work" ( alembics qualify...) around the world on a weekly basis. The first day I went in to have them box up an item I sold, I asked the manager if they were experienced with shipping high value items, he directed my attention to a picture that was worth $8,000 that was about to get "The Treatment".
I wrote in the listing that I'd be willing and able to get an actual case if the buyer wanted.
The bridge- I think it's weird too. The only thing I can think is that someone got inspired to "turn it into an 8-stringer" and then chickened out.
This bass definitely has some stories to tell. Anytime I've hoisted it on stage, it...steals the show. This one is special and I'm not entirely sure why but whoevers hands it ends up in, they will look down at that crack and never look back...
[edited to remove unintentional formatting]
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Well... I'll be the first to say it. I needed a smile today, and that post did it. :)
Seriously, Welcome to the Club, and good luck with your sale. You have a cool old bass there. Hope you find it a good home.
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That’s a beautiful bass :)
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Ha ha if you liked this, you shouldve seen what I spent an hour typing into this tiny little box with two thumbs before I got booted off and lost everything ha ha
But seriously, Im just asking that you guys don't surround me with lite torches Lord Of The Flys style or give me the "Porsche Car Club New Guy" treatment here.
I used to visit this forum back when it looked like an experimental COBALT programmers summer weekend training weekend camp so I'm ONE OF YOU...REALLY! I would lurk on this board for years and was active over on talkbass till all the little nick picking stuff just got too much to take so I bailed out of the boat so to speak.
Thanks, Jeff~!
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Jeff, welcome back, and I don’t think this group is the bonfire type, so you are in good company!
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Welcome!
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mea culpa! i think...
and was active over on talkbass till all the little nick picking stuff just got too much to take so I bailed out of the boat so to speak.
i'm with ya on that one, homie! got one of my posts taken down because it had wtf in it and haven't been back since.
and i'll say it again, i sure do miss the dudepit :-(
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hahaha - ''Ok well since I'm getting skewered, I might as well just fling myself on the ol BBQ grill and let ya'll rip off a little more meat lol''
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and i'll say it again, i sure do miss the dudepit :-(
Ah, the Pit
Good times, good times...
Still have my tshirt
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For those who have joined our little corner of the internet recently, and who may wonder how everybody appears quite courteous and respectful, please read the Posting guidelines (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=284.0). It's not a case of the Stepford Wives, but we like to steer clear of muddied waters.
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The Dudepit! I was an admin there until I got booted for exposing a bad deal I had with one of the friends of "Dude."
And the bass involved in the crooked deal with the crooked dealer (pm me for info)? A Series I. So long ago....
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Good to see you back here Mike. :)
(I was just havin' that recurring nightmare of the ol' I-40 haul to Nashvegas the other night...)
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The old Pit gang is now at the Last Bass Outpost. A wonderful place as far as I'm concerned. :D
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The old Pit gang is now at the Last Bass Outpost. A wonderful place as far as I'm concerned.
well i did a search and this popped up:
http://www.bassoutpost.com/
none of the pages seem to work, maybe the jobsite security security system is protecting me from myself. hafta try it at home, i suppose..
as for the original topic of this thread, looks like it's no longer listed - could it be that someone cut a deal? inquiring minds want to know...
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Good to see you back here Mike. :)
(I was just havin' that recurring nightmare of the ol' I-40 haul to Nashvegas the other night...)
This is a great place for sure, and a great place to discuss great basses!
Were you on the old "Pit" site? If so, refresh my memory regarding your old "handle."
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Jeff, welcome back, and I don’t think this group is the bonfire type, so you are in good company!
IF ya have marshmallows... :o
Rob is correct, good people here... really good people... people who behave like human beings.
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The old Pit gang is now at the Last Bass Outpost. A wonderful place as far as I'm concerned.
well i did a search and this popped up:
http://www.bassoutpost.com/ (http://www.bassoutpost.com/)
none of the pages seem to work, maybe the jobsite security security system is protecting me from myself. hafta try it at home, i suppose..
as for the original topic of this thread, looks like it's no longer listed - could it be that someone cut a deal? inquiring minds want to know...
I noticed that the Last Bass Outpost also didn't work for me. Strange, but when I did a google search and followed that link it worked
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i'm with ya on that one, homie! got one of my posts taken down because it had wtf in it and haven't been back since.
World Tomato Foundation?
hehehehe
Bill, tgo
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Worse Than Failure, obviously.
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(http://www.gorillaflicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Mentos-What-The-Fresh-Masthead.png)
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I recently saw this on reverb. That looks like more than a crack. The repair also looks poorly done. No way I’d touch this thing. It disappeared a few days after I saw it. I wonder if the guy sold it. My first thought was $4500 for that thing? No way! I sure hope no unknowing soul shelled out some big cash for it.
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If you click on the link from the first post from BeenDown139 you’ll see the reverb listing. Look around to find the offers and the comments. There were two offers for $500. In the comments some guy who said he was a luthier for thirty years put this thing in its proper perspective. The guy sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Makes for a good read. The listing disappeared shortly after.
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i can't believe this thread is still going. kinda made my day.
so i pulled up my watch list and it says listing ended.
Look around to find the offers and the comments. There were two offers for $500.
i didn't know you could view offers and comments on reverb. is there some magic button that allows you to do that? inquiring minds want to know.
i probably would've given the guy $500 for it, put it in my living room (assuming it survived shipment) and gave it the spinal tap treatment:
Marty DiBergi: (points his finger) You’ve never played…?
Nigel Tufnel: Don’t touch it!
Marty DiBergi: We’ll I wasn’t going to touch it, I was just pointing at it.
Nigel Tufnel: Well… don’t point! It can’t be played.
Marty DiBergi: Don’t point, okay. Can I look at it?
Nigel Tufnel: No. no. That’s it, you’ve seen enough of that one.
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If you click on the link from the first post from BeenDown139 you’ll see the reverb listing. Look around to find the offers and the comments. There were two offers for $500. In the comments some guy who said he was a luthier for thirty years put this thing in its proper perspective. The guy sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Makes for a good read. The listing disappeared shortly after.
Where do you see the offer history and comments? I have a reverb store and, AFAIK, only the seller has access to the offer history. And, even with my store, I'm not aware of any "comment" section on reverb.
Bill, tgo
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First, let me say when I saw this listing I was highly suspicious. The whole thing just didn’t jive. I showed it to a very good luthier friend of mine. You can see his comments if you go to the very first post here and click on the link to see the reverb listing. There you’ll see in orange ‘View Offer History’. Click on that and you’ll see at the bottom two boxes. One says ‘Offer History’ and the other is ‘Related Message’. Click on that and you’ll see my friend’s post. Let me know what you think.
Cheers
Pete
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Pete, are you the seller on reverb? I believe those boxes only come up for the seller, they aren't public. I can only see them on my own listings.
Bill, tgo
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No, I’m not the seller by any means. I would never put an instrument in that condition up for sale on reverb or anywhere else. Perhaps it’s there because I made an offer? I, too, have not seen that feature on any other reverb listing. The seller is some guy named Jeff selling under the name Victory Vintage with a 5 star rating. He’s got a couple of posts here going by BottomEnd. I am so convinced this guy is some kind of scammer. Did you read his post here? Kinda sounds to me like he did a little meth before writing it. Did you read what my luthier friend said about it?
You’ve responded to some of my posts. I have a zebrawood epic. My first post ever was about my not knowing my base had a battery.
Again, I would love to hear your opinion.
Cheers,
Pete si
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No Pete, I haven't read what your luthier friend said. Like I previously posted, the offer history/comment links are not available to the public.
Bill, tgo
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Did you read what my luthier friend said about it?
well, just outta morbid curiosity, i'd sure like to read it - perhaps you could post it here. once again, inquiring minds wanna know.
it was my contention at the start that that bass was a beater - make and questionable provenance notwithstanding.
i'm with ya on the smells like scam part - my BS meter was twitching. it was an entertaining story and had just enough elements of truth in it to almost make ya believe it.
it would be interesting to see if someone actually bought it and what they paid for it - but we'll probably never know...
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I can’t post it here but if you click on the reverb link in your original post and follow the instructions I sent to bill, tgo you’ll see my friends comment. If you do see it pls let me know what you think.
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I can’t post it here but if you click on the reverb link in your original post and follow the instructions I sent to bill, tgo you’ll see my friends comment. If you do see it pls let me know what you think.
comment/offer on reverb
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Bill
I can’t speak to how reverb works but what I stated before about the orange see comments button It’s right there on the reverb listing. And no, I am NOT the seller!
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I know you are not the seller, Pete. I never thought you were the seller. It's just that my understanding is that the "offer history" and "comment" sections you keep insisting you can see are only available to the seller. I know I can only see them on my own listings. Are you perhaps looking at a link to your own account that lists offers you yourself have made?
Am I missing something? Is anyone else seeing the "offer history" or "comments" button Pete Si keeps telling us about?
Bill, tgo
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Thanks, bill. I don’t have a reverb account. Never sold anything there or anywhere else.
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I thought you said you made an offer on this instrument.
Bill, tgo
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I can’t post it here but if you click on the reverb link in your original post and follow the instructions I sent to bill, tgo you’ll see my friends comment. If you do see it pls let me know what you think.
well, maybe i'm a dunce (i've been called worse) but i just can't make it happen. it's probably academic at this point anyway.
in other news, the bass string christmas fairy stopped by the house last night. new strings for everybody! W00t!
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I couldn't find anything about offer history or comments either. Pete, if it's not too much trouble, maybe you could copy and past that info here?
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My curiosity is peaked.
A screenshot would be illuminating.
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Am I missing something? Is anyone else seeing the "offer history" or "comments" button Pete Si keeps telling us about?
Bill, tgo
Not I.
Peter
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To all y’all curiosity seekers I’m gonna try to post a screen shot of what my friend sent to the broken neck guy
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To Bill, tgo
I made an offer of $500 which was quickly rejected.
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well your luthier buddy didn't pull any punches.
gotta wonder how that headstock got broken like that in the first place - it must've been horrific.
well it was bad business to start with, probably went nowhere - hopefully nobody got ripped off. funny how the seller hasn't weighed in, but that's ok.
as we say here in the mile high city - how 'bout them broncos!
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SQUIRREL!!!
(sorry, I just felt left out, and need to make some meaningless contribution) ;D
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Purely speculation on my part but I think he was methed up or something and he was in a screamino or metal band. He was going through some gyrations like those guys do and spun around hit the side of an amp and CRACK off went the headstock in a bunch of pieces. Later when he sobered up and realized he just trashed a $25000 guitar and he took it to some hack who just glued it together. Needless to say that bass never played right after that.
Now he’s sitting on a worthless piece of garbage and finds himself hard up for cash so he puts it on reverb thinking some sucker would think wow! There’s a S1 for $4500 not knowing the extent of the damage. What he didn’t realize is that he was dealing with an alembic and there’s a whole lot of us that scour listings looking for deals.
So a few of us see the listing and next thing the guy knows he’s being skewered on the alembic site, which he professes he was once a member of. Not only that but one of us has a friend who is a luthier and gets in from another side. A day or so later the listing is no longer on reverb and jeff from victory vintage is gone.
Yea I know this is probably so far from the truth but I can’t help thinking it could have happened.
Comments, please.........
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I'm hoping new Golden State Warrior James Wiseman will win Rookie of the Year this upcoming season!
SQUIRREL! is good, too.
Bill, tgo
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I figured i'd throw my hat into this ring, I was the one who purchased this bass (75-179) after parting with my prior 1981 Short Scale Series 1 bass that just was too uncomfortable for me to play as a 6 foot tall long scale/upright player. My acquisition of this instrument was a pure stroke of luck, as someone local ended up happily paying my asking price after an extensive disclosure of my short scale's own issues (repaired headstock laminates, some decently heavy play wear), after which I turned around and ended up purchasing this LSB. Me and the seller worked out a deal that we were both very happy with, and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever with him, he's a swell guy, professional musician, and a very talented and knowledgeable player who disclosed every detail and fault that this instrument has. I received the bass just as described, but effortlessly playable once I went through it and gave it a full setup. Knowing the electronics needed a bit of maintenance, I had Indy String Theory here in Indianapolis go through and restore it to fully working order, which to my surprise barely cost me anything for what an usual instrument this is. It's currently with me now and i've been loving every minute of it, giving me the grind I want for the post-punk/hardcore and jam band ensembles i'm in. Being the only active bass I own (generally active basses are overkill to me) it'll certainly become one of my go-to's when I can get back to playing out again. With all that being said, I find some of the criticism and accusations towards the seller here to be a bit uncalled for, and figured I should clear the air and put an end to the story of this bass, ultimately I made out well, having made a good bit of profit selling my short scale Series 1 which entirely funded my purchasing of this one leaving me with a bit of extra cash left over and the early long scale Series bass of my dreams. The headstock break's not pretty, but it's plenty stable and not going anywhere, at some point way down the line i'll probably end up sending this bass back to Alembic for a full restoration and refurbishment, but i've got absolutely no means of paying for that now (no gigs with COVID and a full-time undergrad student), so for now i'll just enjoy it in its original and aged glory.
Cheers,
John
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Hi John. Glad to hear at all worked out. The negative overtones in this thread, while common across the net, are VERY unusual on this particular forum. Please don't judge us on this alone. You, me, and many of us are jonesing to take our Alembics on stage again. I at least got to do some jamming outdoors in my yard for a bit this year, until smokey air, and then cold temperatures, took even that away. I can't wait until 2020 is far back in the rear-view mirror.
Bill, the guitar one
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John, congratulations and Welcome, that’s a beautiful bass you now own! I love those old zebrawood basses :)
I went back and forth about this one, so I’m glad it found a good home and both buyer and seller are happy, that’s great.
I had an email exchange with the seller and he seemed to be a very nice guy, upfront and transparent about everything.
Enjoy that bass, it’s a beauty!
Rob
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Congratulations & Compliments, John. Glad to hear #75-179 went to an appreciative home.
Also glad to have another gut-bucket player hanging out... drop some pictures in sometime? http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=22703.0
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Congrats, and enjoy!
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well that was unexpected. good luck with your new bass and i hope it works out well. hope nobody got they feelings hurt.
i can't believe this thread has gone on for 5 pages. with a happy ending to boot! yay!