Author Topic: Like that poor,ragged puppy in the window,Series 2 on Ebay... (Read 298 times)

eastcoastepic · « **on:** February 11, 2004, 01:05:48 PM »

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3703784192&category=4713
How could anyone let this happen to their Alembic? Broken Omega tip, brass plates all scratched up, bridge & tailpiece never cleaned,
electronics a mess, and it's on the ground, leaning against a tree!! Reminds me of a wet, dirty, lonely puppy at the local pound, just begging to be taken home & cleaned up.
What would it cost to get her looking and sounding good again?

valvil · « **Reply #1 on:** February 11, 2004, 01:15:49 PM »

A refinish job generally comes to 1150$. That includes stripping the bass down, polishing all the hardware, re-crowning frets, and re-spraying the bass.
The electronics upgrade would be in the neighbourhood of 1500$.
Before quoting a firm price, we'd have to see the bass in person though.

eastcoastepic · « **Reply #2 on:** February 11, 2004, 01:25:48 PM »

Hey Val,
Would you repair the broken tip (form a new one to replace the missing one), or just remove the existing one and refinish to make it look balanced? Just curious....thanx,Chris.

valvil · « **Reply #3 on:** February 11, 2004, 03:22:50 PM »

We'd repair the tip; it's a type of repair Alembic has performed a number of times in the past. In most cases it's almost impossible to tell that it has been repaired, particularly if the instrument is being completely refinished.

Valentino

bassman10096 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 11, 2004, 04:35:05 PM »

It does indeed look like a lost, sad puppy/kitten. But when you look closely, the top wood is actually quite pretty. Hope it finds a good home with someone from hereabouts...

dela217 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 11, 2004, 04:50:48 PM »

I kinda like it like it is. Does seem like a nice bass too. It may be had for not much money. Not that I am going to bid on it, but I would like to see someone get this bass for a low price. That way the costs of repair/s would be worth it. I personally would rather the pickup selector to be on the horn. To me it looks funny with nothing there.

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2004, 10:48:28 AM »

I liked it too, but the final bid of $3750 seems excessive for an abused bass suffering from shaky electronics among other issues, sold as-is and shipped in some sort of gig bag.
Methinks the seller may be a decendant of P.T. Barnum, perhaps.

dela217 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2004, 11:29:34 AM »

$3750!!!!!!!!!!! I would sell my series II for that in an instant! Well, maybe.

I would have a hard time spending any money on it because of the inlay in the headstock. It just was not my initials.

Maybe it was the original owner getting his personalized bass back?

bassman10096 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2004, 11:41:44 AM »

I couldn't agree more. Considering the the cost of bringing the bass back to good health and appearance, the final price is definitely high. I'm sure you could find a deal on a similar bass that would cost a lot less than the purchase price + reconditioning expense required for this one.

The storyline above that recounts the sort of long marketing history of this bass makes the selling price a little frustrating to hear. I generally stay out of blaming people who cut a great deal for themselves. That said, it's still a bit frustrating to think that, when in previous outings, the market indicated the bass was overpriced, somebody buckled and paid (I won't say overpaid, because I don't know motivation or circumstances.). I guess as the price went up, I found myself rooting for the customers...

Oh well.

Bill