1988 Distillate check

[davidak]

On an Alembic hunt now.. again. Not so easy in EU. Currently my fav is Distillate 4 from 88. Could you experts check pics and guess, if there is anything suspicious there? And for how much do they normally go in US?

Thanks a lot, I appreciate any comments!

[rv_bass]

Looks like it’s in nice shape, nice looking bass. I would ask for a photo of the inside of the electronics cavity to make sure all is well under the hood.

[edwardofhuncote]

Looks like a pretty nice bass. These later model Distillates balance better with the upper horn redesign... a nice bonus.


I do see what could be a crack emanating from the 1/4" jack in both directions. Could be the picture, or a reflection on a glossy finish. Like Rob says, always check under the control plate, but I see no obvious red flags.


Good luck!

[davidak]

Thanks a lot, Alembic forum is just great.

I asked the seller for the pics, it's indeed a crack. Looks only like a surface crack, though.

[gtrguy]

Cool bass! One of the pickups is not plugged in all the way for some reason. The input jack outside nut and washer somehow look a little funny to me for some reason, but maybe that's just because I am getting old.

[pauldo]

Oh!
That is indeed shiny.  Anyone can polish an instrument, but seriously that doesn't look like it was handled too much.  Noted a small dinger by the A-string tuner on the face of the peghead (that'll happen).
The Pickup connector that David mentioned should be seated more onto the pins.

The crack around the jack... the wood is thin in that area.  I recall seeing where someone put a larger diameter (and thin) 'washer' under the nut on the jack - this distributes the load of any non-perpendicular cable plug movement.

I can't say enough nice things about my Distillate.   No idea what the going price is for a Distillate here in the US.   Price is one of those areas where the bass is worth whatever someone is willing to pay.   Off the top of my head I would say $3,000 (US) is a fair price.

Paul (who has practically NO financial sense at all - and most certainly not in current instrument pricing)

[cozmik_cowboy]

That is some seriously yummy wood there!

Peter

[hankster]

Yup, that’s a nice instrument. I’d be hard pressed to pass it up if I was in the market.

[southpaw]

Hi David,  A beautiful bass! I  have a 1986 Distillate and like Pauldo I love my Distillate too.
That wood is stunning and in good condition for that age. 
The small crack by the jack may just be a surface / finish stress crack, look closely and perhaps from inside, not a deal breaker.  A gentle touch when inserting or removing the cable on any instrument is a good habit to develop for this reason, the area around any jack is a stress location.

 I would explore  a new case for it if you buy it; the two wooden compartments inside the current case are of concern; too close to the neck and nothing to prevent the neck from bouncing into the sides.  The strap button has gouged into the wood of one compartment already (pictured) which tells me the bass is not secured within the case. Plus the top of the compartments line up where the nut /head stock scarf are, the thinnest part of the neck.   I need a new case for my Distillate too, a good investment. 
I think you would be very happy with the Distillate.  Negotiate a good price (new case cost perhaps?) and you will be very happy.
Keep us posted,  best of luck
Southpaw