1982 MSB Series 2 with custom PU for Stanley !

[room037]

LOOK !
This marverus MSB was made for Stanley Clark.
Extra PU set are custom made for acoustic sound !?
Someone knows about it ?
The BIN price $9995 is expensive for the age, but extra information is ...
 
Eiji

[dwmark]

I thought Stanley screwed in the strap to the body.
 
dw

[hifiguy]

IMHO, there has never been a time that has not been the heyday of Alembic quality, but that is one beautiful and desirable bass, fer sure.

[eligilam]

I wonder if Alembic can confirm the claims made in this auction regarding Stanley and those extra pickups....

[pas]

There's a thread concerning this same instrument from back in March here: http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/77072.html?1269024096.  At that time it was up for sale for 6K & no mention of the extra pick-ups or the Stanley connection.  Andy Fortier also owned this bass briefly.  I discussed purchasing it from him & he made no mention of extra pick-ups/Stanley connection.  
 
Caveat Emptor
 
(Message edited by pas on July 01, 2010)
 
(Message edited by pas on July 01, 2010)
 
[moderator's edit: fixed link]
 
(Message edited by davehouck on July 03, 2010)

[sonofalembic]

PAS,
Well I bought it from the guy ( and it was listed at more than 6K), and he gave me the whole story and told me the pickups were custom wound for Stanley, and made for that particular bass.  Mica confirmed with him that they were made for that bass and included with it.  They have never been installed or even out of the zip lock baggie.  They were custom wound for Stanley in order to approximate a tone like his acoustic bass.  The guy never mentioned the pickups or the story to me until I picked it up in Saratoga, and had already paid for it.  I do not know why he did not feel the history was important.  I was the clinician for Alembic for 21 years, and would never knowingly give false information.  The reason the bass is pristine is that it passed through a couple of collections that put it away as a relic of Stanley Clarke's.  Stanley never used it for obvious reasons.  It is not a short scale.  Stanley is very set in his ways, and if it ain't got a small body, and pencil thin short neck, he won't use it.  If anyone is truly interested in the bass, I am accepting offers, but please, do not try to  be petty and run my reputation through the mud just because YOU don't have the facts.  I have only the best intentions, and am offering what I consider to be one of the finest most untouched examples of a Series II I have ever seen from this era.  I say, if you don't believe me, offer me a price that the bass is worth without the Clarke connection.  Then you can rest assured you are not paying extra for anything.  I have been using Alembics since 1979, and I can assure you that there was a heyday.  Once the finish was changed, they started using the round back plate, and Bob Malone was setting up basses, it was a great time for great instruments.  I have owned about 50 Alembics, and I always find the ones from the mid 1980s to be the best.  Maybe it is personal, but there were some major changes in production at that time, and the quality, playability, and fit and finish really made huge leaps forward at that point.  PAS, when you have more experience with these instruments than I do , feel free to school me, but until then, keep your opinions to yourself.

[pas]

I never stated nor implied that the information you were providing was false.  I was simply making the point that previous owners of that bass never mentioned the extra pick-ups or the Stanley connection...which I think most folks would find a bit odd...no?  Best of luck wtih your sale.

[bsee]

Trevor, you're out of line. First, the referenced thread clearly has a price of $6000 listed. You may have paid more than that, like adding shipping costs, but that is exactly what it was listed for. I have no problem with your intent to turn it over for a healthy profit if someone is willing to pay your price, but suggesting that it was previously listed at more than 6K does nothing to benefit your credibility and instill confidence in your other claims. If you don't recall that thread, you can go to the link that Paul provided and read it again yourself.
 
With regard to the heyday of Alembic, they continued to improve. Instruments from the 80s may be significantly improved from the 70s, but today's are even better. Finishes improved and electronics certainly have. It is common knowledge that there was a significant improvement in Alembic's ability to reduce noise in a Series configuration around 1999. Nothing against instruments from the mid-80s, but it isn't like that was a period where quality peaked and has in any way decreased in following years.
 
-bob

[pas]

Thank you Bob.  Happy Independence Day to you.

[poor_nigel]

I would have to agree with Bob on the quality discussion.  I have instruments from the mid-80's and after 2000, and Alembic instruments do keep getting better as the years go by, in my opinion.  That is why the prices keep going up so high.  Instead of lowering their standards, they keep going with what they consider to be the best methods and materials available (or new and better), and designs have improved in necks and bodies, too.  Bob already pointed out electronics.
 
BTW - With offense meant to no one, I thought PAS pointed out something worth posting, too.  The main points of posting are to bring up things to think about, discuss, and clarify.  I like posts for entertainment, too.
 
(Message edited by poor_nigel on July 03, 2010)

[j_gary]

PAS, thank you for pointing out some thoughtful insight on this bass. I'm always looking for and wanting to learn about older Series Alembics. One of the best things about this forum is the CSI teamwork. Unfortunately there are some scary characters out there just scheming to take your money.
 
Bob, well stated. I thought the PAS post was purely informative for those of us who are ill informed on older pieces.
 
Trevor, it sounds like a great piece of Alembic history but surely you must expect questions on such an unusual piece. You must know there are tons of unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of people all the time. We kind of watch each others back around here so PAS was merrily pointing out some history of the bass as he knew it. Your informative post would have only increased my interest if it had been a bit more gentle in it's delivery. I understand it can be tough answering questions on an instrument you are attached to, but I have sold a couple vintage pieces for decent money and find that to do so you must address every issue repeatedly & offer full disclosure unless you are selling to only people who know you.