Medium-scale Series I on Reverb (and ebay)

[edwardofhuncote]

If the price gets adjusted into a more realistic range, this is a cool bass... sweet walnut top and back, and master volume.

https://reverb.com/item/26675083-1980-alembic-series-i-32-scale-all-original-no-mods-repairs-great-condition-ready-to-play

The engraved name on the truss rod cover gave it away, but I thought something was familiar about this one. Sure enough, here's an old lookup thread on #80-1684

http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=5315.msg62092#msg62092

[StephenR]

The ad and the previous owner who made the history request both say the bass wasn't modified yet the file Mica pulled for it says nothing about it being built with a master volume. Interestingly the description of the electronics in the ad also doesn't mention the master volume. Wonder when that crept in there, maybe Lionel had it modified when he owned it? Agree that the price is a bit ambitious. Would be nice if they could at least polish the logo.

[Tennesseemick]

What would be a reasonable price for this bass? The 96 Epic I found was about 2k (one owner, no mods, mint condition). That price was comparable to if not better than other Epics from around that year and not in mint condition.

[jwright9]

What would be a reasonable price for this bass? The 96 Epic I found was about 2k (one owner, no mods, mint condition). That price was comparable to if not better than other Epics from around that year and not in mint condition.

Reasonable price would be anywhere from $4000-$5000 in my opinion. Early 1980's Series 1's usually sell for around the $4-$5k mark depending on condition. 
This one looks to be in great shape so I'd say closer to the $5k mark. From talking with the seller it seems like he is stuck on a figure above $6k.

[Tennesseemick]

Reasonable price would be anywhere from $4000-$5000 in my opinion. Early 1980's Series 1's usually sell for around the $4-$5k mark depending on condition. 
This one looks to be in great shape so I'd say closer to the $5k mark. From talking with the seller it seems like he is stuck on a figure above $6k.

Thanks.

Nowadays with the internet, sellers really need to hit the sweet spot in price points unless they're not serious about selling--especially when they're selling through the internet.

[jwright9]

Reasonable price would be anywhere from $4000-$5000 in my opinion. Early 1980's Series 1's usually sell for around the $4-$5k mark depending on condition. 
This one looks to be in great shape so I'd say closer to the $5k mark. From talking with the seller it seems like he is stuck on a figure above $6k.

Thanks.

Nowadays with the internet, sellers really need to hit the sweet spot in price points unless they're not serious about selling--especially when they're selling through the internet.

Absolutely. About half or more of the Alembic's that pop up online are priced way above what they will actually sell for and end up sitting around for months and years.
It is easy to tell because the ones that are priced appropriately usually sell very quickly. If you see something that is used and has been listed for more than 2 or 3 months it is most certainly because the asking price is too high.

[edwardofhuncote]

Anybody notice that the bridge pickup is cracked? The bass itself is in decent shape but the bridge pickup is broken out around one screw. I actually have a gig in Charlottesville next week... I may have to drop in on this one, you know, for a wellness check. 

I'm not seriously looking for another Alembic, least of all an overpriced one, cause I kinda' been saving up a little bundle for my retirement Alembic. Still, there ain't many Dragons in Virginia. I should at least visit.

[hammer]

Sharp eye Greg.  I'd say that unless someone really desires to pay more because of the provenance with the PU cracked its worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,000.  I've got three series I basses all about that age and two are in better condition and I paid no where near what the seller is asking. However, it is certainly his/her right to ask for whatever he/she thinks might be paid for it.  You never know who is going to come along at just the right time.


I'd agree, however, that there are a lot of Alembics out there that either never sell or eventually are purchased for a lot less than that for which they were originally listed.

[jwright9]

Sharp eye Greg.  I'd say that unless someone really desires to pay more because of the provenance with the PU cracked its worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,000.  I've got three series I basses all about that age and two are in better condition and I paid no where near what the seller is asking. However, it is certainly his/her right to ask for whatever he/she thinks might be paid for it.  You never know who is going to come along at just the right time.


I'd agree, however, that there are a lot of Alembics out there that either never sell or eventually are purchased for a lot less than that for which they were originally listed.

Understood Hammer, but the market has definitely changed since you last bought a Series I. What year was it when you last purchased one?
Yeah, several years ago $4k would have been on the upper to high side but today $4k is definitely on the low side.

The days of getting them for under $4k are behind us. (unless they are beat up and in need of TLC of course)

I believe that if the seller priced it at $$4500-$5000 it would sell within days.
(but he probably won't because based on all the other overpriced Series I's out there, the seller has the false sense that his asking price is reasonable.

[rv_bass]

Nice bass, hopefully it finds a nice home with a player to put it to good use!

[edwardofhuncote]

Now listed for sale here: http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=24916.0

[jwright9]

I had a feeling it would show up here. Hopefully the owner is willing to sell for a realistic price as there are plenty of folks here that would be interested.

[rv_bass]

One of the nice things about this club is that it allows players to work directly to establish a reasonable price and avoid the inflated pricing of online commercial platforms. We are lucky to have this little slice of the net.