Wanted: Further Guitar

[hammer]

For those of you who are guitarists...I am considering the purchase of a Further guitar that will be used as a college graduation gift for my son. I've got some time - he won't graduate until December 2011, but since purchasing a Distillate a while back and looking to add an SC to my collection I've noticed VERY few Alembic guitars on either E-Bay or CL.  Those that are available tend to be Tributes. I think I've only seen one Further up for sale in the last 18-months. I'd prefer to purchase used due to financial limitations and the desire to avoid the inevitable showroom-to-street price dive/crash that all new instruments take.  New, I could probably afford only a stage version. Used, I would hope to be able to acquire the full package.  I'm wondering what the experiences of others have been when they have looked for used Alembic guitars. Is the recent scarcity typical or is this just a temporary low point as far as availability goes.

[lbpesq]

Typical.  Alembic guitars come up on bay and craigslist far more rarely than basses.   There have been an unusual number of Tributes showing up lately.  More commonly, the ones that show up are Electrums, Older Series 1's, and the occasional Orion and California Special.  IIRC, Furthers show up maybe once a year.
 
Bill, tgo

[mc500]

+1 Bill.  I have been watching for a long time.  One Further per year is about right.  Good luck Hammer, I think you are leading in the polls for the 2011 Father Of The Year Award.

[lbpesq]

Brian:
 
Don't underestimate the stage version.  It is still an awesome guitar and, to be truthful, sometimes I envy the 5 way blade pickup selector switch on the Stage.  The 3 toggle switches on my Further can be rather cumbersome when playing live.  If you do decide to go that route, you might want to start talking to Alembic about it pretty soon if you want to be sure to have it done by December, 2011, especially if you want any inlays or other custom work.
 
Bill, tgo

[hammer]

Thanks for the info, guys. I actually started looking some time ago and while a used Further did come up on ebay about 3-4 months ago, that's been the only one I've seen in about a year. As far as the extras go, I think that this is going to be a pretty standard Further (if you can call any Alembic instrument standard) given that 4-years of college will have cost me about $200,000 once my son graduates. Then again, with a B.A. in philosophy he's probably much more likely to be making a living using his guitar than his degree.
 
While I know Alembic basses fairly well, I'm not that familar with their guitar line or who to order through.  Any suggestions? and are their any differences between the State and Studio versions beyond the electronics?

[lbpesq]

There are some differences in construction.  The Stage Further & Tribute have mahogany bodies with maple & cocobolo tops, respectively.  The Stage versions don't have the back part of the sandwich.  Also, I think the neck recipe may be a little different too, though I'm sure Mica could point out all the differences.
 
Bill, tgo