Author Topic: On eBay (Read 326 times)

rogertvr · « **on:** July 02, 2003, 04:38:25 AM »

Can someone explain to me what the 'like Alembic' part of this bass is please?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2541125321&category=4713

mikedm · « **Reply #1 on:** July 02, 2003, 05:09:45 AM »

I've noticed a number of items will have like Alembic in the description line. It seems to me it's a gimick to increase the cache of potential buyers.

The honest approach would be: like Alembic, but not even close, I just wanted you to look.

mattheus · « **Reply #2 on:** July 02, 2003, 05:16:55 AM »

I think,
from the USA, like Alembic
or
laminated stuff, like Alembic
or
if you drink very, very, very heavily it looks just like an Alembic. But prepare for a shock when you sober up!

palembic · « **Reply #3 on:** July 03, 2003, 01:05:43 AM »

Yes they do it to get attention.
On the other hand th eneck-through design is most of the time linked with Alembic because they used it the first on serial-build basses (well in the case you can talk about serial in the case of Alembic). The second was Rickenbacker (beware ...if I remember well)

Apart from the misinfo on this auction: it IS INDEED a very RARE bass! I know one guy who played it and he loved it very much.

Paul the bad one (with a bad memory in this case)

elzie · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2003, 05:31:32 AM »

I think you are being too kind Paul. When I see like Alembic I think it is an underhanded trick to get people to look.

On a similar note, there is a fake Alembic on there now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2543059003&category=4713

This is in another post, but I sent the seller a message. I find a little hard to believe that they don't know what they are selling. The buy it now price is $1199! So I went through all the seller's recent transactions and found that they have sold a lot of guitars lately, ie; Fenders and Gibsons.

Paul The Good One ( with a half bad memory)

palembic · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2003, 05:42:15 AM »

Well ...that's completely me ...I'm so kind ...oh man, can I be kind!!!
Really badly-kind!

It's a sales trick! I know.

Apart from that again: it is INDEED a RARE guitar!

Paul the too-kind one

mica · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2003, 11:24:24 AM »

I can hardly believe people still do this to increase traffic what's the point if you make your potential customer wary of you?

BTW, Rickenbacker did the neck throughs first. I think they were one-piece necks, but they deserve the credit for making instruments with neck through construction before anybody else.

u14steelgtr · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2003, 08:59:15 PM »

The Martin EB-18 that RogerTVR mentioned is like an Alembic is some ways: neck through body, 4 strings, comes with tuning machines, brass nut, laminated body, so yes there are some things that are similar. And as some of you know; in addition to building guitars Alembic does also build basses.

I would not say that it was like an Alembic if I were selling it. But then again... I am not selling it.

As no-frills basses go I rather like the EB-18. They are quite playable, sell for very low prices, they sound pretty good.

An argument could be made that the people that comprise Alembics market are people that appreciate good instruments that are clearly not the most commonly seen. I think that those of us that comprise the Alembic market would be far more likily to know what an EB-18 is than most people that were shopping for a bass. In that context using the A-word in the listing makes some sense. And an EB-18 is not likily to show up in a carefully-crafted eBay search because they are so unusual.

If I were selling an EB-18 Martin. I would want it to go to someone that appreciated it. So I think that putting in a few key-words to help it appear in people's eBay searches is reasonable (to a point) given the rarity of this instrument.