Author Topic: 1998 Epic 5 String (Read 198 times)

rustyg61 · « **on:** June 22, 2013, 05:41:05 PM »

I found this 1998 Epic 5 string for sale at a pawn shop in Clear Lake City, TX. It is in excellent condition. It only has a couple of tiny scratches on the back that are barely visible, & one on the top/side close to the edge by the treble knob. When I first saw it the neck was bowed & the G string buzzed all the way up, so I talked the owner into letting me work on it. I only spent about 20 minutes doing a crude setup, but got most of the bow out of the neck, lowered the action to a .090 at the 12th fret on the low B, & .080 on the G. I think it can get lower with some fine tuning of the truss rods. I also put a new battery in & raised the pickups so even with really dead strings it is punchy & sounds great! He has it listed for $1999, but will take $1800. I tried to get him to come down more but he knows what he has & is willing to hold out & get what it is worth. I checked the forum & EBAY last night & all the Epics I found were going for over $2k, & weren't in nearly as good condition as this one. The only drawback is he doesn't have the right case for it. He has a plastic ATA type case but it is for a Fender shape. The Epic fits in it OK, but obviously it is not a snug fit. The serial # is 98W11747 USA. I have already posted an inquiry on the forum, but no reply yet. With a proper setup & cleaning & oiling the fretboard & polishing the brass, this could look like new. The pawn shop is Easy Cash Pawn at 1303 Nasa Parkway, Suite 140, Houston (Clear Lake City), TX. The owner's name is John & his number is 281-286-2274. Here's some pics I took today.

oddmetersam · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2013, 06:39:31 PM »

Beautiful pics of a beautiful bass, Rusty.

espresto · « **Reply #2 on:** July 03, 2013, 04:13:38 PM »

I barely missed the 6 string epic that just sold on the bay, and was pretty disappointed. Luckily, I found this. I just called the pawn shop, and, after the holiday, this bass will be my first Alembic. I know it's just an epic, but, I still never dreamed I'd own an alembic.

Thanks again for posting this!

espresto · « **Reply #3 on:** July 03, 2013, 04:13:52 PM »

I barely missed the 6 string epic that just sold on the bay, and was pretty disappointed. Luckily, I found this. I just called the pawn shop, and, after the holiday, this bass will be my first Alembic. I know it's just an epic, but, I still never dreamed I'd own an alembic.

Thanks again for posting this!

oddmetersam · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2013, 04:44:00 PM »

Congrats on the acquisition. Every Epic I've heard has sounded great. And of course, even in quotes, no Alembic model name and the word just should be in the same sentence any more than just and Ferrari....

Have fun with her and welcome to the fold!
-Sam

that_sustain · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2013, 05:26:14 PM »

The necks on those Epic basses are legendary. This one's in great shape. Congrats!

rustyg61 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2013, 06:30:13 PM »

That's awesome Michael! I'm so happy this great bass will be going to a new home! No Alembic should have to spend time hanging in a pawn shop! This is a real gem too, it really is in great condition, & as I said earlier, with a little polish & new strings it will look & sound like brand new! You did see in my post that the bass doesn't have the original case, it is in a Fender style case, but it does fit, & it is one of the hard plastic ATA type cases. Is John shipping it to you or are you coming to pick it up?

espresto · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2013, 07:41:02 PM »

Thanks for the warm wishes! I'm having the bass shipped to North Carolina. I read about the case, I figure I'll ask John about putting some padding in. Instruments are meant to be played, and I'll be playing this one a lot.

I actually live in Shanghai China right now, so I'll be taking the bass with me on the plane at the end if the month (don't worry, I've figured out how to ship basses safely). The last bass I bought also came from Texas to China.

tncaveman · « **Reply #8 on:** July 04, 2013, 06:42:20 AM »

AWESOME RESCUE - I still remember the owner opening the case to the Rogue that I bought. It was a pretty cool thing (think angels singing - LOL). Some cleaning, new strings, adjust the truss rod and she was sweet. The only problem I had was that the end of the frets needed filing. A local shop took care of that.

After you clean her up, post up some photos in the showcase. You do know that we like pics, right???

Stephen