Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: jazzyvee on October 05, 2023, 01:42:59 AM

Title: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: jazzyvee on October 05, 2023, 01:42:59 AM
Alembic Explorer Series II 4 String Bass 1986 - the rarest most desirable its an original genuine "Entwistle" Series II w/a whopping $44,950. list. | Reverb UK (https://reverb.com/uk/item/74212361-alembic-explorer-series-ii-4-string-bass-1986-the-rarest-most-desirable-its-an-original-genuine-entwistle-series-ii-w-a-whopping-44-950-list)


(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--vOive-vT--/a_0/f_auto,t_supersize/v1696466901/pizwuy8b3olbpska9g0c.jpg)
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 05, 2023, 02:24:31 AM
BeenDown just fell outta' bed...
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 05:03:08 AM
Quote
BeenDown just fell outta' bed...

i did,  callin my broker as we speak
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 05, 2023, 05:28:03 AM
😄 Make sure to have your broker check that scale length. Good luck! 
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 05:45:30 AM
yeah now that i've got the mroning buzz on and my senses sorta back in working order...

been lusting after that drgon wing.  must focus on goal.  some other stuff on this looks funny.  gonna soak. get a little more j@cked upp and contimplate this while het sun comes upp.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: gearhed289 on October 05, 2023, 07:55:45 AM
Very nice bass. Looks to have the skinnier lower horn like a Spoiler Exploiter. Light weight too! My medium scale Distillate Exploiter weighs about 11 pounds.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: garyhead on October 05, 2023, 08:21:12 AM
Someone grab it before it goes to flipsville!….
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 05, 2023, 09:19:15 AM
My first thought was it was a converted Spoiler/Exploiter, but it does have a 'Series' serial number with no letter code, plus purpleheart laminates. I would have expected three for a Series II, but it may have started out as a Series I or was simply ordered this way. I don't know enough about these things to recognize finer details like body contours, but it does look like legitimate Series II controls to me. What's under the hood might be a different story.

But yeah, if this one makes you twitchy, I wouldn't screw around too long... ask your questions and make your offers.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 10:48:37 AM
well fwiw it's a long scale.  and an SII. and real purdy. really torn on this one so i  gave it the evil eye.  looks legit.  but....

my sensible half says:  no LEDs.  no ebony neck stringer.  it's an '86 so it's probably got some pretty good wear on it.  i already own an SII.  and another almost-an-SII.  already owned 2 exploiters and a spyder.   i'm really a 5-string guy these days.  never played a dragonwing.  so i dunno.  nobody's popped the BIN.  pretty sure the bottom-feeders have already put their $.02USD in. 

so i'm gonna wait this one out.  these days i'm pretty much fully immersed in gettin a band off the ground so i really don't need the distraction.

beautiful fall day here in the mile high.  just walked the dog. gonna put a good old fashioned buzz on and watch the clouds drift by while floating in warm water.  revisit this later.  yeah.  that's the ticket!
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: UglyBuzzard on October 05, 2023, 11:23:42 AM
Wouldn’t a true Entwistle Series 2 be much more. Are they his specs? Without LED? I would hit buy it now but something inside is preventing. Maybe a huge miss on my part or gut saved me?
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 11:32:36 AM
Quote
Maybe a huge miss on my part or gut saved me?

my thots exactly. from the first look.  maybe 'cause im not such an impulsive heat wave these days?  and yet she calleth to me 😍🗿💥
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: UglyBuzzard on October 05, 2023, 11:47:28 AM
Messaged seller and points for honesty but no assurance that this is a true Entwistle spec - it feels like an economical S2 entry / optics…. Personally passing on it.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 05, 2023, 01:51:58 PM
Again, I am least familiar with these than any Alembic, but 1986 predates Anniversary or Signature by a year or two. I don't know when the first Spyders became available, (early 2000's ?) but I don't believe this is one of them.

If it came this way, I'm guessing someone ordered it as a disciple of Entwistle. Pretty darn close. Hit the high spots, so-to-speak.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 02:15:46 PM
as the owner of an SII that started life out as a 4-string and landed in my living room as a 5-string i gotta wonder if something like that didn't happen here.  i just get that vibe for some reason.  kinda makes ya wish that serial number lookup list was arount somewheres. 

as my friend from germany (who surprisingly hasn't weighed in yet) would say: "is best not to think about it anymore".  so i'm a gonna try to not do that.  again.  and again.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 05, 2023, 02:49:08 PM

I found it, boys... old sale thread, right here. Guy had a Series I and a Series II Exploiter for $10k. Man, those were the days.

https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=14858.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=14858.0)

Now whether it's Entwistle spec, I'll leave up to y'all. The late AJ Dover begged to differ downthread... things got spicy, and eventually Moder Dave hadta' step in and break 'em up. Now dontchall getta' fightin' in here... 😄
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 05, 2023, 05:42:27 PM
well however ya slice it, i'm out.  no LEDs is the deal-breaker for me, coolness factor otherwise notwithstanding.  got something else i'm lusting after anyways, impracticality and expense otherwise notwithstanding.  kinda wondering why it hasn't been snapped up yet - pretty ample provenence that it's the real deal. 
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: gearhed289 on October 06, 2023, 07:39:49 AM
"Entwistle spec" would include 2 master volumes with a toggle switch to select between them. And of course spider web sterling inlays. "Entwistle-esque" - sure. Looks like a nice Series II with an Exploiter body. Number of neck laminates is odd, but Alembic (and their customers) are full of surprises!
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: senmen on October 06, 2023, 11:53:58 AM
Gearhead,
not generally. 
The Conehead Spyders had the double master
vol while the V Head Spyder had a single Master. 


Greetz
Oliver (Spyderman)
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: senmen on October 08, 2023, 04:32:37 AM
Oh and BTW:
True Entwistle spec would mean LED and of
course spiderwebinlays and gothic note inlays
on the fingerboard. 
The inlays for the spiderwebs and the note for notes
in the fingerboard will add a big 20K hole
in your pocket, additionally to the named value
of around 44K. 
Greetz
Oliver (Spyderman)
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 08, 2023, 05:19:12 AM
I used to have this fantasy of showing up for a gig with an Exploiter... as if an Omega-cut Alembic weren't shock value enough for the bluegrass scene. These days I'm leaning more towards a Classico, or something else I can lean on.  ::) 

I'm with Tom on this one, it's a very Entwistle-esque Alembic... the key elements are there - the general aesthetic, and the Series II electronics. I thought it was interesting in the old sale thread that the Series I had three purpleheart laminates and this one only two. Just the way it worked out I reckon. Wonder where that other bass is now?


Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 10, 2023, 08:43:33 AM
well somebody not me snagged it.  finally.  little surprised it took so long, maybe everybody else was having cold feet as well.  hope it went to a good home and yadda yadda i guess we'll see by-the-by hope it doesn't go down the hole the last cool bass went.

had a little heartburn over this but ultimately if i'm gonna drop that kinda coin then it's gonna hafta check all the boxes this time around.  sorry.
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: StillLurkinAbout on October 12, 2023, 05:12:43 PM
She's Sultana of my harem now :-) Resting comfortably after her cross country journey and awaiting a fresh set of Ernie Ball Slinky Flats.

I didn't care what about "spec" she was purported to be or the lack of LEDs (that's actually a plus for me). The 34" scale was a temporary deal breaker but then I threw caution to the wind.
I was a little intrigued by the old sale post turning into a brawl tho! Yikes! Hopefully any bad juju from that will have dissipated! Hahaha!

Oh happy day :-)
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: BeenDown139 on October 12, 2023, 05:46:30 PM
well that makes my day!  congratulations sir!

that's one less distraction ' cause that dragonwing calleth me yet with her siren song. 

onward! 🗿
Title: Re: Series II Explorer on reverb
Post by: StillLurkinAbout on October 12, 2023, 08:06:22 PM
well that makes my day!  congratulations sir!

that's one less distraction ' cause that dragonwing calleth me yet with her siren song. 

onward! 🗿

Hahaha! Thank you. Though now I'm trying to figure out how to get a '62 Rickenbacker 4000 that was offered to me!