Spoiler with Bartolini pickups?

[davidak]

Just saw this bass for sale locally, does it look legit to you? Barts..

[jazzyvee]

A few things come to mind and i'm sure when the real experts on these basses chip in you will get a fuller picture.
1) Bartolini pickups are not fitted as standard on alembics these have been put in post purchase by a former owner
2) The layout of the knobs is not standard so I would assume the electronics are not the original alembic ones. I would ask the seller to send you a picture of the electronics cavity to see what is in there and also some photos of the back of the instrument.
3) The 3 pin socket is non standard and it may be a DI out. The series basses have a 5 pin socket for powering an alembic from an external power supply and getting the pickup outputs you your amp.
3) The upper horn, There can be slightly different body stylings of basses if this has been requested at build time. So whilst this could be one of those situations, to my sense of the alembic aesthetic, it doesn't flow gracefully and as I can't recall ever seeing one with that profile before I would imagine it has been modified post build. ( I accept I may be wrong on this)
4) The finish looks like it's been applied with a brush.

I think if you are looking for an alembic go for one that has all the right bits from day one as sending it back to Alembic to bring it back to standard or buying the bits for a diy restore can be a costly process. Spoilers come up quite often on ebay, reverb etc. It won't be long before you find one without anything to do on it.

[pauldo]

^^^^
Everything that Jazzyvee said.

Something doesn’t smell right with that one.

There ARE aspect that look legit... nut, bridge, tailpiece, serial number (although I question the slight misalignment) and the emblem on the headstock all look accurate.

Can I be so bold to ask what price the seller is requesting?


EDIT> any pictures of the back of the bass?  I don’t recall seeing an Alembic with a single piece of maple as the only neck wood.  Maybe this was a project bass by an employee that was never completed and then handed over to someone else? 

[edwardofhuncote]

Looks like a very sad, hacked-up 1985 Spoiler. She's been through a lot. Upper horn lopped off. Maybe a refin. I doubt if any of the original electronics survive, but the rest looks legit to me. If I found this one, the sentimental fool in me would have to rescue it. Within financial reason, of course.

[adriaan]

EDIT> any pictures of the back of the bass?  I don’t recall seeing an Alembic with a single piece of maple as the only neck wood.  Maybe this was a project bass by an employee that was never completed and then handed over to someone else?

It does look like the regular three-piece maple neck, you can just make out where the grain changes from side to side. The walnut veneers didn't appear until the mid 1990s.

[mb94952]

I have owned just about every ALembic model except for a Series ! and/or !!, and the Dragon or whatever it's called that John Entwistle played. I am by no means an Alembic expert, BUT if I'm gonna buy an Alembic, the original ALEMBIC guts are 100% required. That's what makes it an Alembic.
I'm SURE the Bartolini Alembic sounds great as a BASS guitar, but it is not an Alembic.

[davidak]

Thanks a lot for your inouts, it really smells as you say. I will rather wait for the original one, even though it is very cheap here (about 600usd).

[edwardofhuncote]

I would buy that bass in less than a heartbeat for $600, and fix it up. (but that's just me... I wouldn't advise it of just anyone.)

[theneighbor]

It may not have all the original components....... But assuming the electronics work, can you really go wrong on an Alembic bodied player for $600? I've seen a few Alembics out there with a Bart PU modification, might change the sound, but they'd still set-up and play well. 

In my book, at that price, it's worth plugging in and trying it out to see how it plays and sounds, as there are many fine basses out there with Barts. Also would be interesting to see what electronics are in there, it looks like someone was trying to model it similar to a Series style bass. Would also be interesting to learn if the current owner knows anything about it's previous history.

Might be fun to collect parts to piece it back together while playing it as-is.
Pickups - https://reverb.com/item/25384712-alembic-bass-guitar-pickups-work-just-fine-i-just-removed-them-from-a-custom-bass
Preamp - https://www.ebay.com/itm/ALEMBIC-PREAMP-FILTER-FOR-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-EXCELLENT-USED-CONDITION-TESTED/333130121138?hash=item4d901a3fb2:g:FhYAAOSwdGFYojSa

So... No, if buying it as an Alembic, it would take some work and money to bring it back original, may show some scars of it's former mods, and would likely cost more in the long run than waiting for one that's all original. If it turns out to be a good player and you like the tone, then it sounds like a great deal on a Alembic bodied bass with a Bart mod.

[cozmik_cowboy]

To buy or not to buy?

I am of mixed feelings.  On the one hand, the Spoiler is my favorite Alembic body, and it make me weep every day to see the butchery this one has suffered, and why oh why would you pull the guts out of one???

On the other hand, Barts are my second-favorite bass p/ups - so, an Alembic neck & hardware with excellent (if not quite the best) guts for $600? 
Glad I'm not the one trying to make that decision.


Peter

[edwin]

I'd do it for $600. It's still got the neck, fingerboard, and hardware, which contributes greatly to the sound.

[edwardofhuncote]

The hardest part about this one would be figuring out what to do with the control area. It's got so many holes now, I might actually try a decorative inlaid wood pickguard-like piece, birdseye maple for instance, and have the option of starting over fresh. Maybe go for something like Signature or Anniversary electronics. You'd be doing a refinish in my dream scenario anyway, but if you didn't want to do that, you could actually front-load the electronics on a brass plate like the early export Distillate was, leaving the rest of the basses [ahem] patina as-is.


I gotta' quit thinking about this! 

[jwright9]

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Looks like the previous owner went to great lengths to customize it to get it to where it is now.
It might sounds pretty good as is. Why not just leave it alone.
By the time you buy Alembic pickups and electronics, you could have purchased another used Spoiler.

$600 is a great price for the bass.