Would you care who bought your alembic off you?

[jazzyvee]

I am the proud owner of a Series II alembic because the seller, a former member of this forum who has sadly passed away. contacted me and offered me the bass because he felt I was the right person to own it. He told me that he wanted it to go to someone he was confident would appreciate it and look after it.
 
His only request of me was that if I decided to sell it, I should sell it to someone who knows what the bass is and not to someone who will whip the pickups and electronics out to replace them with something else.


So after playing it today it came to my thoughts again that I too would be extremely particular about whom any of my alembics went to after my time with any of them has ended.


Obviously I would want a fair market price for it but if I had a choice of buyers at the same price I wanted I would also rather it went to someone who understood what these instruments are about.

How do you guys feel about this? Are you happy just to collect the cash and go or do you feel a responsibility to find the right home?.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did at one time replace the electronics in my Bocate Europa with some ACG EQ02 Electronics made by John East to create a sort of series II configuration at much lower cost, but returned to the original alembic electronics and that's how things will stay.

[ducatidoc]

I suspect that in the case of Alembic, a Series II will do all the talking to the new buyer that'll be necessary. That being said, look what Paul did to his 4001, or what John did to his Rolls-Royce, so yeah, there's dummies out there. Every now and again they stumble into something nice - maybe even "above their station", in a way - and proceed to trash it. Sadly, once you get the money, it's out of your hands.
 
Brings up an interesting question: let's assume nobody ever heard of Stanley, he's not a recording star or composer, he's just a everyday clubbing stiff from Philadelphia who plays good, you know, like Stanley. Knowing how he plays, would you be eager to buy one of his Series IIs when he retires ? My answer is no, not really.

[edwardofhuncote]

He had some fine Alembics, and he was VERY, VERY particular about them, this much I learned about the gentleman you speak of, just in the couple years I read his postings here. I have read the same thing from others who now have some of his instruments. I'd have to say that mindset influenced my own thoughts about my Alembics and where they will end up one day, as I have no immediate heirs. These things are special to me, every one of them. If the time came to move them along, and I had the luxury of choice, then yes, I would try to find someone who appreciated them.

[lbpesq]

I suspect that in the case of Alembic, a Series II will do all the talking to the new buyer that'll be necessary. That being said, look what Paul did to his 4001, or what John did to his Rolls-Royce, so yeah, there's dummies out there. Every now and again they stumble into something nice - maybe even "above their station", in a way - and proceed to trash it. Sadly, once you get the money, it's out of your hands.

Reminds me of when Jose Canseco played for the Oakland A's.   He was often described as having a billion dollar body with a five cent head.  One sportswriter noted that Canseco purchased a $70,000 Jaguar, and then spent another $25,000 modifying it to look like a Camaro!   That one has always stuck with me.  I would never sell an Alembic to Canseco!

Bill, tgo

[pauldo]

I sold a Zebrawood Exploiter randomly as at the time there was this divorce thing going on...  in hindsight it was not wise on manly levels, at the time it was prudent...   

My Distillate?  It will never be sold, it will be gifted to my son.   

[bigredbass]

WHEN I sold mine, one went to someone who actually knew the bass from my posts here, and was thrilled to get it.  My other one changed hands several times and I have no clue where it is.  Would I prefer I knew they both went to 'good homes' ?  Of course, but the reality is they now belong to someone else and I have utterly NO control over what becomes of them.  That's just the way it is.

[jazzyvee]

I think selling it to a member of this forum would give a greater chance of it staying stock or if modified, being done with alembic parts because we all know how that affects the sound and resale price. Also there is records here of members buying altered alembic instruments and returning them to standard. Members here also are good at notifying alembic of falsely represented alembics on line for sale to protect the innocent buyer from an instrument that is not completely alembic. So whilst we may not be able to stop an owner putting XYZ pickups or electronics in their own alembic we care enough to help a prospective buyer make an informed choice. Ultimately you are right we have no control but i hope if my time comes to move any on that i am in a position to find buyers who want the full alembic experience and will pass it on with the same ethos.

[jazzyvee]

Ducatidoc, well if Stanley was not famous and a local here in England that i liked his playing thst much. I would consider buying his bass as it would be a lot affordable  than it would be with his current status.

[pauldo]

Speaking of... has the original Brown Bass ever been found?

[hammer]

My only desire would be wanting to sell my basses to someone who would play them him/herself rather than an individual whose intention is to make money on them. I have an intense dislike of flippers.

[StephenR]

My only desire would be wanting to sell my basses to someone who would play them him/herself rather than an individual whose intention is to make money on them. I have an intense dislike of flippers.

I am totally with Brian on this. It always breaks my heart to see a fairly priced Alembic (or any brand of instrument) that ideally should go to someone who has always wanted one but doesn't have a lot of money, get snatched up and re-listed at a much higher, and in many cases unrealistic price. Over the years I have sold very few instruments but when I do sell them they usually go to people I personally know who are going to play them.

[keith_h]

My only desire would be wanting to sell my basses to someone who would play them him/herself rather than an individual whose intention is to make money on them. I have an intense dislike of flippers.

This is pretty much my feeling. I rather see one of my basses as a well worn instrument from playing than a closet queen that has only see the inside of its case.

[lbpesq]

I don’t know if I qualify as a “flipper”.  I’ve been buying and selling for years, though I’ve never done it just to make a profit.   I regularly check out reverb, ebay, and craigslist looking for interesting instruments.  I pick up a guitar because I find it interesting.  I’ll usually keep it for a while, check it out, and, eventually, send it in its way and use the proceeds for another instrument.  I also often do some repair or restoration while in my custody.   However I must admit I treat Alembics a little differently.   I’ve picked up two Alembic basses in the last few years.  Both were relatively low priced and needed a bit of work.  I did the work but instead of looking for max profit, I sold one to the bass player in my band and the other to Wolf (Sonicus).  I made a little to cover my expenses and time and was still able to give good deals on both.  Unlike other instruments, I feel like I’m “sharing the knowledge” when I sell an Alembic.

Bill, tgo

[edwin]

My only desire would be wanting to sell my basses to someone who would play them him/herself rather than an individual whose intention is to make money on them. I have an intense dislike of flippers.

I agree. We have a member here who engages in flipping (not Bill) and it's really sad to see instruments that could be players for ordinary folks end up with prices way over what they originally were.

[edwin]

I suspect that in the case of Alembic, a Series II will do all the talking to the new buyer that'll be necessary. That being said, look what Paul did to his 4001, or what John did to his Rolls-Royce, so yeah, there's dummies out there.

So, you are saying I'm a dummy because of what I did to my '67 Starfire?