Author Topic: Orion Custom on Ebay BIN $1800!! (Read 453 times)

hydrargyrum · « **on:** March 30, 2006, 07:12:46 AM »

Someone buy this before I do:

http://cgi.ebay.com/beautiful-alembic-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ7403314919QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Surely I can sell something . . .

adriaan · « **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2006, 07:22:18 AM »

It's been discussed here ... Seller is properly stating that it is - despite the racing stripes - a set-neck instrument.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2006, 09:43:57 AM »

It looks like the same seller, and it appears to have sold for $2,375 before (deadbeat bidder I assume?). I wonder why he doesn't want to try to get closer to what it approached before.

crgaston · « **Reply #3 on:** March 30, 2006, 10:09:25 AM »

Maybe the buyer was assuming it was a neck through, which could explain both the discrepancy in pricing and the buyer's backing out.

olieoliver · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2006, 10:31:45 AM »

I just hope my daughter doesn't see it. I have to save my $$$ for a CUSTOM!! NYUK NYUK NYUK

lbpesq · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2006, 11:37:53 AM »

I just looked. The BIN is $2000.

Bill, tgo

bsee · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2006, 01:06:32 PM »

The previous buyer and I traded a few messages immediately after the auction. He was surprised and displeased to learn that the guitar was set neck. Fortunately, they appear to have worked it out amicably, which might not have been the case if the surprise occurred when the recipient opened the case for the first time.

The value at the end of the last auction was flawed because of the erroneous claim that the guitar was neck through. I would guess that the seller would have contacted the #2 bidder with a second chance offer after losing the initial sale. If that bidder were put off by the construction and refused, then the next highest bid was $1551. The #2 bidder had private feedback as well, so he/she may not even have been a legitimate buyer.

We just saw another Orion go under $1600 as well. This one has a few interesting upgrades, so we'll see. I know I will go for it if the price stays right.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2006, 01:32:09 PM »

Well,

Looks like they have modified the auction to remove the Buy it Now price altogether. Perhaps they have been listening to the discussion here. . . Granted I am not the most knowledgable by far around here, but I think the original $1800 price would have been a steal.

bsee · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2006, 01:36:30 PM »

Actually, I placed an initial bid which killed the Buy Now option. I also disagree about $1800 being a steal, as it probably would have gone for less than that without the misinformation the first time around. It may be a fair price for the instrument, but I wouldn't call $1800 a steal if no one else is willing to go past $1600.

longhorncat · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2006, 01:38:03 PM »

The BIN disappeared because someone bid and there was no reserve.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #10 on:** March 30, 2006, 02:05:39 PM »

Well, I suppose we'll have to see what it gets up to. I just assumed that if one were to order this now, that the electronics upgrade and custom body would push the value up quite a bit over a regular Orion. But, as I said, I am far from the most knowledgable around here, and am sure Bob would know long before I would.

bsee · « **Reply #11 on:** March 30, 2006, 02:58:38 PM »

Personally, I believe that the electronics package on a Skylark is superior to what is in this guitar. I would think the individual filters and the on/bright switches per pickup would give more flexibility than the bass and treble tone switches. It's not too different from the question of Signature vs Europa electronics.

Since Skylarks tend to trade around $2K, I wouldn't expect this to surpass that. On the other hand, it is has a unique appearance for a low end Alembic guitar that may attract additional money. If there is someone out there looking for a guitar exactly like this, they will pay more than someone like me who is just looking for a decent Alembic guitar at a fair price.

Honestly, I wouldn't consider $2K to be a rip-off for this guitar. I think the guy that was tricked into bidding almost $2400 would have been ripped off because of the dishonesty involved. Look also at the Electrum that just went for $1500. That guitar and this one should command similar value.

I would predict it will end up in the vicinity of $1800, but we'll see what happens.

tom_z · « **Reply #12 on:** March 30, 2006, 08:12:15 PM »

At first I thought that saying there was dishonesty involved in the first auction was a bit strong - but there are some inconsistencies in the current auction. The seller mentions going to the factory and hand-picking the options. Then in response to a question says the person from whom the guitar was bought said it was a neck through.

I'm sure there could be a logical explanation for this but it seems odd to me.

Tom

(Message edited by tom_z on March 30, 2006)

bsee · « **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2006, 09:08:04 PM »

Tom, I was in contact with the seller during the first auction. After I heard back from Mica, I immediately notified him of the build record and that he could see it here if he didn't want to take my word for it. That was the morning of the day before the auction was supposed to end. He chose not to amend the listing or inform the first auction winner of the truth about the neck construction.

I suppose it is possible that he missed my message, but it seems unlikely considering his generally quick responses to my other queries. In spite of this, I wouldn't completely write the guy off. Personally, I am not afraid to bid on this guitar if the price is right, but I certainly wouldn't chase it too far.

jalevinemd · « **Reply #14 on:** March 31, 2006, 06:39:35 AM »

Bob,

I have a bit of interest in this guitar. Sometime after my current Alembic is done, I wanted to do a small standard Series I, a la Bill's recent ebay find. Before I invest that kind of cash, it'd be nice to know if I like the way the body style balances. It makes me nervous the way my SG (also with a behind-the-neck strap peg) lilts forward when I'm not playing. Anyway, this potentially could be a MUCH less expensive way of testing the waters. If I didn't like it, I could re-sell it on ebay for a small loss, as opposed to the bath I'd take trying to dump the Series. I'm just toying with this idea...not married to it. Anyway, I don't want to get into a bidding war...you've got squatters' rights. Maybe e-mail me off site and let me know how far you're willing to go. If it's not too out of reach for me by then, I may toss my hat in.

Regards,

Jonathan