Well, as far as the pricing goes, he is an independent dealer and can charge whatever the market will bear (even if it exceeds MSRP)...in the Car and Harley World, this is common practice. In fact I was told on these very pages that I would be extremely lucky to get an Alembic at less than 10% to 15%-off MSRP unless it was NOS due to reduced Dealer margins as compared to mass-market stuff (this was direct from Alembic, BTW). If this was a rare piece, I could see it being priced as high as the market will allow. Having said that, this is a bass that any of us could easily duplicate via Custom Order, if you're willing to WAIT, that is. I'm assuming anyone in the market for a $17-$20k bass will want it built to their specs, not Ed Roman's (unless by some cosmic divine intervention he has EXACTLT what you wanted, LOL!). In the case of the (sic) Spyder, They only made 50/50, so it is sort-of rare. You can still duplicate it if you want it, though....Alembic IS the de-facto definition of Custom, after all. Regardless of all this, I refuse to pay anywhere near MSRP for anything. There is no reason to on an Alembic, either. I got a KILLER deal on mine, one that would probably shock quite a few people here, especially after what I was told about pricing and mark-up (as above), LOL!.
Bottom Line: Let the buyers decide....Let Ed sit on the thing for eternity for all I care, LOL!
I have the same experience with Roman as you do, Bob. Non-responsive, Period. Despite all his self-hype, he exhibits no professionalism or courtesy for prospective customers (with bulging wallets, LOL!) IMHO. No matter, I don't have to beg anybody to take my money from me, nor do I have to suffer through the dreaded bait and switch tactic. Others have reported this, and his website reinforces this theme over and over. In fact, an alarming number of hyperlinks on his site are for instruments he appears to carry, but are actually tirades against the particular manufacturer and are Ads for his suggested superior (usually) home-made substitution. Don't believe me? Go to his site and click on the PRS or Gibson or Fender or....fill-in-the-blank(s) icons/hyperlinks. You would think he has just about everything ever made, until you actually start searching for brand(s) you want.
There are plenty of honest businessmen who will deal fairly with you out there for your Alembic Dollar. I let my wallet do the talking for me. Superbass Steve answered the call admirably, LOL!
