Essence 5 in Hawaii on Ebay

[David Houck]

Very nice top.  Brass needs to be cleaned up.  No reserve.  No case.  I can't tell, but the picture of the input jack seems to suggest that the wood around the jack may be cracked.  No pics of headstock.

[squirefan01]

Dave,
 
I am interested in this bass.  What would it take to clean that brass up?  Does it look like the output jack was replaced?
 
I have a 4-string Essence that I love (Europa electronics though, that sound great).  Are the 5-string necks a lot wider than the 4-strings?
 
Thanks,
Greg

[2400wattman]

Flitz will clean up that brass although, the tail piece tells a story of moisture/humidity issues(as it was'nt well taken care of) and makes me wonder about the electronics if they are affected at all. I had emailed the seller asking about other pics(I wanted to see the neck and headstock)and stated it was packed by an Alembic dealer( there's one in Hawaii?) to be ready to ship. This is his first sale so,with that and his low feedback(only as a buyer) makes me a little leary.  
You might want to see if the guy will even call you so you can feel him out as a seller. It might make you feel better about the bidding if he seems cool. Good Luck

[David Houck]

Thanks for the report Adam.
 
And yes, Flitz is recommended for the brass.  Normally you use a brash polisher like Flitz on nonplated surfaces, but in this case, I'm thinking I would sand down the tailpiece and truss rod cover and then polish them with Flitz.  The better fix would be to have them replated; but I have no idea how much that would cost.
 
I don't see anything suggesting the jack was replaced.  It looks to me like someone stepped on a guitar cord that was still plugged into the jack and that the resulting pressure stressed the wood around the jack.  But I'm just guessing.
 
The Comfort tapers on standard Essence fours and fives are:
 
4 string: Nut width 1.625; 24th fret width 2.360
 
5 string: Nut width 1.875; 24th fret width 2.930

[adriaan]

As the proud owner of a flame koa Epic and a watermark koa Spoiler, this one certainly looks like watermark koa to me.

 
(Message edited by adriaan on January 16, 2008)