Thoughts on this?

[Spoilers!]

There was an '81 Distillate with a small standard body on Reverb for the past couple of days.  Looks like that one just sold.  If I didn't already have the small standard and Distillate boxes checked, I would have been very tempted.

It looks like that 7 lb Persuader just had a price drop down to where Spoilers and Persuaders were sitting a couple of years ago.

Ken

[Crispy77]

I own two early 80's Distillates, and they are among the best Alembics I have ever owned.  They are comfortable to play, have a huge range of sound variations, and often are not too heavy.  The first generation of these would have the red LED on the top which indicated battery life.  The bass you are considering does not have the LED, so it is a bit later, and has basically the same circuit as a Europa.  They did away with the LED because it drained the battery faster.  The three switches allow for such a huge range of tonal variation, and other than the Europa, no other Alembic circuit offers the bass and treble boost/cut switches.  For me, they are a wonderful way to dial in your sound live.  In 1981, my first "new" Alembic was a birdseye maple Distillate I bought from Guitar Center in Hollywood.  It took me 9 months to save up the $1100.00 to buy it, but it was a wonderful bass, and I have always gravitated back to Distillates for their ease of use, great size and feel, and perfect blend of features like sustain block, purple heart stringers, and oval inlays.  You really can't go wrong buying that bass, and if I did not already have two of them, I would have bought it myself.  Prices are high on all used Alembics at the moment, but I paid between $4-5K for mine used, so I don't think the one you are looking at is too out of line.  The days of $3k Distillates is long gone.  Buy it!

Thanks for the info!

There was an '81 Distillate with a small standard body on Reverb for the past couple of days.  Looks like that one just sold.  If I didn't already have the small standard and Distillate boxes checked, I would have been very tempted.

It looks like that 7 lb Persuader just had a price drop down to where Spoilers and Persuaders were sitting a couple of years ago.

Ken

I saw that one listed over on Talkbass before it hit reverb. If that had been a darker wood, I might have snagged that one, but the 86 on Reverb still grabs me a little more.

[Crispy77]

Just in case anyone was wondering, I did end up buying it. It was everything I was looking for, and decided rather than wait and hope I found another like it, to just go for it.

It arrived today, and I couldn't be happier so far. Haven't even had a chance to plugged it in yet, but it plays wonderfully, and it's actually much lighter than I expected.

I'll do a proper intro post, now that I'm officially part of the club, with some pics.

Thanks all for your feedback and advice!

[StephenR]

Congratulations... play it in good health!

[hieronymous]

Just in case anyone was wondering, I did end up buying it. It was everything I was looking for, and decided rather than wait and hope I found another like it, to just go for it.

It arrived today, and I couldn't be happier so far. Haven't even had a chance to plugged it in yet, but it plays wonderfully, and it's actually much lighter than I expected.

I'll do a proper intro post, now that I'm officially part of the club, with some pics.

Thanks all for your feedback and advice!

Excellent!!! Looking forward to various upcoming posts!

[pauldo]

Happy day.   Enjoy exploring the tonal horizon.
Don’t be shy if you have questions - ask away.  A lot of helpful intelligent folk here.

[Spoilers!]

Congratulations!  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the tone.