UK ban on trade in ivory in force from 6th June 2022

[jazzyvee]

I completely agree it was completely worth it to me. Except the import duty and VAT which was painful.

 There are a lot of that kind of videos comparing the same model of guitars such as squire, usa and custom shop guitars and basses. But I don't think you can really evaluate the worth of any guitar in a test like that until you have personally played each for a significant enough period of time. Especially an alembic as I imagine the percentage of guitarist with alembic experience is tiny compared to other models.

Unless you know what went into making this guitar a simple price comparison won't tell the full story. Plus personal taste in sound, aesthetics, ergonimics are not directly related to price.
Sadly the reality of the internet is that even if I said no to the price comparison aspect it would only be a short time before a commenter/troll throws that hat in the ring and it WILL change the nature of the comment thread to that type of thread.
And in many of these threads, commenters often quote the diminishing returns aspect and i am so tempted to write something sarcastic.

[edwardofhuncote]

Great post, with a number of excellent points Jazzy.

I watch a bunch of similar review videos about various acoustic guitars and items that acoustic guitarists use, and what you've described is precisely what happens in these as well. One cannot be expected to form much other than a first impression from these. Furthermore, the thread drift of commentary is often driven into the ditch by at least a couple folks who couldn't shape an augmented chord if their gig depended on it.

The way I feel about it; most of us would not be here if we hadn't at some point experienced something about an Alembic and decided just good guitars (and basses) weren't quite good enough. It's really hard to un-hear that. And then there's the personal connection. For instance, you know who drew that elegant Dragon in your guitar... same lady who drew the simple Chain in my bass. We are connected to these things, so there is a value beyond the intrinsic. The older I get, the less-interested I am in sharing that story with an audience that mostly won't 'get it'.

[jazzyvee]

Here is the first video with most of the claws out.

[pauldo]

Thanks for posting.  Noticed the text came up as Olympic. 

[edwardofhuncote]

I always figured that guitar was heavy Jazzy, but I never figured it was 40,000 pounds. 😳😄


I am actually quite curious/interested in these chisels... maybe the next installment will cover them.

[jazzyvee]

You are on the ball today Greg.
Joking aside, if you were to have the same thing made today with the current retail price of  33500 then add the premium woods, coco bolo, front and back  and the inlay then i think the price is pretty accurate, in terms of English Pounds taking into account shipping and tax, vat and duty. I'm so glad i bought it used way back when it was affordable, but still not cheap. When it comes back i'm aiming for it use it live more than I have done up till now, which i think is just about 5 or 6 times.

[jazzyvee]

Just watching this video.

The comments are developing just as i thought they would once an estimated value of the guitar was added to the video. Thankfully i didn't pay anywhere near £40k for it.   
Possibility of it being ready to collect this weekend.

[edwardofhuncote]

I enjoyed watching this process. Must say, the fellow was surely very careful in the removal.

[lbpesq]

Hey Jazzy, has Senior Management seen this video?  She might get a bit jealous given the manner in which he describes your relationship to Dragon Magic!   Of course he is obviously taking a bit of poetic license when he states how you commissioned the guitar and bought it new.    Maybe I missed it, but I don't think he ever explains about CITES and why he's removing the ivory.   I must admit I find it absurd that, in the great scheme of things, the attempt to protect Elephants requires the destruction of the ivory inlays! 

Bill, tgo

[g-dude]

I must admit I find it absurd that, in the great scheme of things, the attempt to protect Elephants requires the destruction of the ivory inlays!

The biggest irony of all is that if we farmed elephants the way we do cows, pigs, sheep, etc. there'd be plenty of them.

I get why that would also be a distasteful prospect to many, and it's not like I'm hankering for an elephant burger or feel the need to use products derived from elephants.  Still, the profit motive and market forces tend can be pretty potent forces for conservation and preservation.

[pauldo]

Thanks for sharing the video.   
Felt a tad anxious in a few spots. 😳

[jazzyvee]

Hi Bill, i have noted the poetic license and have drafted an email to that end as I don't want the whole process to be mis-represented. Also the CITES aspect does need to be mentioned since that would help viewers understand the reasoning behind the removal. The removal part was suggested to me as one option when I spoke to a HMRC representative about the ivory content in the guitar. And at one point there was exclusions for the age of the instrument and the amount of ivory contained in the instrument but now, my understanding is any ivory needs to be confirmed as not coming from an elephant. So whilst it is a costly exercise it means i could sell it in the future without finding myself in secure state accomodation. :-).

[jazzyvee]

Pauldo, i was anxious watching the whole thing. Hopefully some pictures are on the way which i will add to the thread.

[jazzyvee]

Inlay finished and the aim is to collect it tomorrow by taking a 2 hr diversion on the way to my festival gig in the evening. 🤞🏾🫣🥳

[keith_h]

Sounds good. I bet you are happy to have it back in your possession.