Author Topic: Alembic Guitar For Sale (Read 437 times)

dela217 · « **on:** August 13, 2004, 04:27:46 PM »

Anyone see this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=3742181615&rd=1

I am familiar with this one. It used to belong to one of the members here. I was hoping he was going to let me have first crack at it. It seems to have gone to some sort of dealer. Anyway, this guitar is the very guitar that was pictured in the first L.D. Heater brochure. I have the bass that was also in that brochure. If I were a guitarist, I would bid on it. I hope it goes to someone I know. I would love to keep track of it's whereabouts.

Michael

kmh364 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2004, 05:59:56 PM »

Stupid question(s) time:

While it's a relatively rare guitar, it's in so-so shape...alright, it is thirty-one yrs. old. I'll refrain from asking what it's worth. The question(s) I have are:

How much will it cost to restore and/or upgrade the series electronics?;

How much to go further and restore the thing cosmetically and functionally to like-new condition (i.e., fully refurbish)?

dadabass2001 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2004, 06:30:54 PM »

I'm wondering if the neck pickup is really dead, or do Series guitars have a stereo 1/4 jack like Series basses. It looks used, but it's still got pizazz!

Mike

dela217 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2004, 07:09:24 PM »

If there is something wrong with one of the pickups or chanels of this instrument, I think it would be hard to quote a price to fix it. If one of the pickups need to be replaced, they cannot be replaced in that color, so BOTH would need to be replaced. Also, those are PF5 electronics, these are different from the 'series' electronics that we are used to. They are similar, but use a different circuit card. The q switches and knobs have different roll off points. I would think the electronics are made of unobtainium.

This guitar did have the stereo jack just like the series instruments, so it could be that both the pickups function! On the early instruments I have, it varies as to which pickup is activated by the 1/4 inch jack.

The guitar did not originally come with the pick guard. That was added on. The pickup selector looks odd, but that one is original for that instrument! I have the brochure and it shows it clearly.

kmh364 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2004, 07:14:51 AM »

That's what I thought. My Alembic knowledge is limited, especially towards the vintage end of the spectrum, so I didn't know about the PF-5 stuff. I was assuming that it would be expensive to fix regardless of specs.

Personally, I think it would be cool to own a vintage Alembic guitar, as they are very rare and of very high quality. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of beat-up stuff, no matter how good it plays or sounds. As a Harley guy, it has to look good too (actually , it has to look good first, LOL!). While they could be the greatest guitars ever built, the demand for Alembic guitars, vintage or not, will never reach the cult status of '59 Flame-top LP's or '48 NoCaster's or '57 Strat's, etc. That's no reflection on Alembic, just a fact of the collector guitar market.

If this guitar sells for a reasonable price and doesn't cost a ridiculous amount to fix the thing up, then it could be a nice deal. If it costs a lot, then it probably wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd have to decide if it was a player or a collectible, and I already have seven guitars sitting and collecting dust, LOL! I'm also not rich, LOL!

smichaels · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2004, 08:08:51 AM »

This guitar needs about $2k to fix it up. There is a route under the pickguard and the internals are not Alembic...the pickups are though. Sorry for not offering it to you, Mike - but I think you would have not been too happy with it. I sold it for about what I paid for it several years ago to a guy who was going to fix it up right. Apparently this did not happen!!

Sean

kmh364 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2004, 09:15:31 AM »

Thanks for the info, Sean. I assumed as much. Obviously, if it was worth fixing, you would have done it instead of selling it. I'm all for preserving Alembic's rich history, but putting good money into bad is not an option when I'm not rolling in dough.

smichaels · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2004, 09:28:54 AM »

I also had 7645 and it needed about $750 worth of work. Since I bought it for around $1100 it was well worth the restoration. It looked brand new when I got it back from Alembic. Unfortunately, due to some reprioritization of my finances, I had to sell it also.

kmh364 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 15, 2004, 05:27:29 AM »

Sorry to hear that. If you still have other goodies, post some pix, Bro!

smichaels · « **Reply #9 on:** August 15, 2004, 07:36:17 PM »

Sorry...that was 76549. The specs are koa front and back, laminates are maple/purpleheart/burch, w/zebrawood headstock laminate. also...purpleheart fretboard!

mkazaria · « **Reply #10 on:** August 15, 2004, 07:52:31 PM »

Wow! What a nice looking guitar. Sorry you had to sell.

bob · « **Reply #11 on:** August 15, 2004, 09:40:36 PM »

Come on, you must have more photos! We need a closeup of that peghead (wow), and I don't believe we've ever seen a purpleheart fretboard.

Likewise, sorry you had to sell, but it must have been wonderful to have it for a time. Ultimately, that's all any of us can hope for.

kmh364 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 16, 2004, 03:44:30 AM »

Nice...that one was a real keeper.

smichaels · « **Reply #13 on:** August 16, 2004, 04:14:02 PM »

Here's the headstock...a little bit of the purpleheart fretboard can be seen.

mica · « **Reply #14 on:** August 16, 2004, 04:58:54 PM »

I'll try to dig up the photos I took of this guitar when the restoration was complete. I think I've got some befores as well.