Author Topic: Interesting single pick up Alembic guitar on E-bay (Read 427 times)

lbpesq · « **on:** September 26, 2004, 10:38:04 AM »

There is a very interesting Alembic guitar on E-bay. It is being listed as a Distillate with some electronic mods, but the old stuff is included. I've e-mailed the seller for a serial number and more info on the mods. I'll ask Mica or Val for the build records when I get the number. Anyone know anything about these single pick up axes? I've never seen one like it before.

link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47064&item=3751042579&rd=1

Bill, the guitar one

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2004, 10:56:20 AM »

I just checked out the seller's feedback, his previous history and the history of a couple of the people he dealt with and his other items for sale (1890 Martin w/ original case starting at $1600!). Also he appears to have bought four items using buy it now from the same seller all within minutes of being posted, including a $6200 motorcycle without any pictures!. A couple of the people he previously dealt with are no longer registered user Big red flag on this one. (Boy, I feel like Monk with all this detecting. BTW, if you haven't seen Tony Shaloub as Monk, check it out. Great show).

Bill, the guitar one

adriaan · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2004, 12:04:14 PM »

As to the authenticity of the pictured instrument, funny though it may be to consider a single pick-up Alembic with a brass pickguard, those are exactly the specs for a series of Distillate basses and guitars built for the Japanese market in the 1980s.

valvil · « **Reply #3 on:** September 26, 2004, 01:00:43 PM »

Yep. Adriaan's right, this was made for the Japanese market, most likely in 1981. I have a bass like it.

Valentino

palembic · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2004, 01:11:47 PM »

Well ...it IS a nice guitar. In a weird kinda way. I really wonder how they sound?!

PTBO

lbpesq · « **Reply #5 on:** September 26, 2004, 02:58:16 PM »

I just noticed another booger about this ad. The E-bay item location says London, but the body of the ad claims:

This may be the only Alembic 6 string guitar in NZ

I remember when England sold the London Bridge to Arizona, but it completely slipped by me that London was sold to New Zealand! I don't think I'll be sending this guy any $.

Bill, the guitar one

lbpesq · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2004, 09:51:24 AM »

BEWARE - THIS LISTING IS A FRAUD. I e-mailed the one guy who had left negative feedback for the seller. He had bought a 24 track board from the same guy now selling the Alembic and got a run around about how the board was in San Francisco while the seller was in England and that the buyer should send a Western Union transfer to Italy, etc. etc. etc. The buyer offered to drive to S.F. pick up the board and hand over the $ there. Seller said no. Also refused paypal, insisted on money to Italy in a friend's name. This sounds familiar to me. A couple of months back I was the winning bider for a listing on e-bay that was lifted from the October 2002 custom on this site and the guy wanted me to wire the $ by Western Union to Italy.
You have to be careful on e-bay.

Bill, the guitar one

kmh364 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2004, 11:03:35 AM »

Where's Poor Nigel when you need him?

poor_nigel · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2004, 11:25:06 AM »

You have to be careful on e-bay.

Amen, Brother Bill. I am currently avoiding eBay and PayPal until they get better control over these con artists and hackers. Well, unless there is a five-string Series II with spiffy woods, some nice options, and an omega cut (We all have our little glitches) for next to nothing listed. I might (I would!) crawl out of my self-built Internet bunker for that. However, I would definitely use Escrow or pick it up in person these days.

BTW - Great work Bill! You might have saved a fellow Alembitian from getting burned. Shame it is against the law to hunt these people down and hang them. Just kidding, hopefully . . .

valvil · « **Reply #9 on:** September 27, 2004, 02:47:32 PM »

Now that I think about it, I believe this guitar was offered on auction a few months ago and I exchanged e-mails with the gentleman who won the auction when he contacted Alembic to find out the guitar's history. He was in New Zealand as a matter of fact, like the original legit seller.

Valentino

poor_nigel · « **Reply #10 on:** September 27, 2004, 04:35:59 PM »

Hey Valentino. Your words carry a lot of weight to validate the auction. However, it is pretty much the American way to hang em first and ask questions later. Considering the e-mail Bill got from one of his previous 'customers,' I would still be very suspicious and wait for a safer transaction to come along.

valvil · « **Reply #11 on:** September 27, 2004, 04:55:55 PM »

Hello Nigel,

I'm not exactly sure what you meant in your above post, I was not validating the auction, if that's what you were thinking; to make sure my previous post was not misunderstood, let me clarify that I also think it's likely to be a scam. The man I exchanged e-mails with was ecstatic about the guitar, so I doubt he sold it so soon.
Sorry if my post was not clear.

Valentino

poor_nigel · « **Reply #12 on:** September 27, 2004, 05:06:06 PM »

Valentino. Not a problem. Glad I said something, so you added the next post. I am a bit thick at times, so I need things spelled out for me once in a while. Thanks.

lbpesq · « **Reply #13 on:** September 29, 2004, 02:34:14 PM »

I just checked e-bay and noticed that the goniff selling this guitar is no longer registered as an e-bay user. I had notified e-bay and warned a guy bidding on the seller's 1890 Martin. Maybe the world is now a little safer?

?

Bill, the guitar one

kmh364 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 29, 2004, 04:12:23 PM »

Good for you, Bill! Screw the scumbag(s) I say, LOL! Maybe the Alembic Police can help make EBAY a safe place for Alembicians everywhere, LOL!

There's no need to fear, Alembic-dog is here!

Excuse my sillines: Seriously, it's appreciated that there are people on the site, as well as Mica, who are looking out for the best interests of the Alembic collective.